Editing Screen: Surah al-Baqarah 2 : 199

Editing: al-Baqarah

Description <p><strong>Explanatory Note</strong></p> <p>Returning to the main theme of this passage, one can also describe the pilgrimage as the greatest gathering of Muslims from all over the globe. They are brought together under the single banner of Islam, abandoning all their former racial, cultural and national ties. The unsewn iĥrām garments they don when they are in the state of consecration are symbolic in more senses than one. All pilgrims wearing these garments stand on the same level, with no distinctions of tribal or ethnic kinship. Islam is the only unifying factor:</p> <p>In pre-Islamic days, the Quraysh used to give themselves certain privileges to distinguish them from the rest of the Arabs during the pilgrimage. They arrogantly referred to themselves as al-hums, or the pure. One such privilege the Quraysh had granted themselves was that they did not attend at `Arafāt, and so approached Muzdalifah from a different direction to that of other pilgrims. These Qur’ānic instructions eliminated this anomaly and bound the Quraysh to observe the same pilgrimage rituals as the rest of the Muslims, removing all false distinction: “<strong>Surge onwards from the place where all other pilgrims surge and pray God to forgive you. God is much-Forgiving, ever-Merciful.</strong>’’</p> <p>Al-Bukhārī relates a report by `Ā’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, in which she said, “<em>The Quraysh and those who followed its lead used to attend at Muzdalifah, and they were known as al-hums, while the rest of the Arabs attended at `Arafāt. But God’s Messenger was instructed to go to `Arafāt, spend the day there, and then leave it for Muzdalifah, and this is what the verse refers to.</em>”</p> <p>Islam transcends kinship and class distinction, and treats all human beings as belonging to one nation; the sole distinction being their fear of, and obedience to, God Almighty. The pilgrimage ritual of iĥrām requires all pilgrims to abandon their usual clothing in order to appear equal, and it would be inconsistent to allow them to boast of their lineage or ancestry.</p> <p>All prejudices and manifestations of pride and vanity must be discarded during the pilgrimage. Pilgrims are instructed to direct their devotion, praise and pleas to God, to pray for forgiveness for their errors and excesses, large and small. They ought to keep their minds, hearts and souls pure of all thoughts of lewdness, transgression, wicked conduct and wrangling of any kind. Through the pilgrimage, Muslims are educated in the wide fundamental principles of Islam: the equality of man and the rejection of discrimination on the basis of caste, race, language, or any other differences. Should they deviate or become negligent, they are urged to seek God’s guidance and forgiveness.</p> <p><strong>Practical Implication</strong></p> <ul> <li><big> استغفر اليوم بعد كل عبادة وعمل صالح؛ اعترافا بالتقصير، وجبرا للنقص، واجعلها صفة دائمةً لك، ﴿ ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ<small> [Be the first to translate this...]</small></big></li> </ul>

Please read the Guidelines before submitting an entry to the Qur'an Wiki. You can also watch the video 'Guidelines for Submitting Entries'