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Isma’il (AS) (Ishmael) and the well of Zamzam:

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.  Peace and Blessings be upon our Master, The Most Noble Prophet Muhammad.  We praise Allah, thank Him, seek His help, guidance and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and the sinfulness of our deeds. “He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guiding advocate”.

 

We pray that Allah accepts these steps and especially from those who came from long distances, and also from our sisters. We ask Allah to bestow his blessings upon those  who came from far distances.  May Allah accept this and add it to our good deeds on the Day of Judgment and accept us all in Paradise.

 

Actually one of the things that really move and touch us is the youth’s enthusiasm and inclination towards  obedience, dutifulness, and guidance.  Young men and women come on Thursday, which is usually party time, to attend religious lessons and take a step closer to Allah .This is very dear to Allah.   For the youth here I say; do not think that you came and that is it. Your steps are very dear to Allah, Exalted be He.  The more effort you exert and the more you offer, your value increases in the eyes of Allah (SWT), and your rank increases accordingly. Be happy with the steps you are making and do not worry if the distance is far. Those who reap the reward are not bothered by the difficulty of the task.

 

We are still studying Prophets’ stories.  Every time we take a story we comment on it and mention what we have learned form it, and we try to live with the story.  Today we are still with the story of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH).  We will need copies of the holy Qur’an as half of our story is from the Qur’an.  I will continue from the place we stopped last time.  I was going on with the story of Ibrahim ( PBUH)  which I began the Tuesday before last and I will resume.  I stopped where Ibrahim (PBUH) started moving with his wife -Lady Hajar- and his infant son Isma’il, from Palestine to a place Allah specified for him.  He was told to go to this place with his wife and infant son.

 

What is the story? What happened? What do Israeli narrations say? Israeli narrations (Israeliyat) say that Sarah got jealous of Hajar.   She was jealous because Hajar had a baby while she did not.  Sarah started to tell Ibrahim, “I don’t want them with me in the same place. Take Hajar and Isma’il and leave this country for another one.”

 

This is what Israeli narrations say. When you go back to the Old Testament, you find this meaning. But, this is not true. Prophet Ibrahim did not leave Palestine to Makkah except when ordered by almighty Allah. If Lady Sarah had told him to take them and leave this country, she would have been unjust. And if Prophet Ibrahim had obeyed her, he would have been unjust as well. And in the creed of Muslims, it is not permissible to say that a Prophet was unjust. Allah rendered Prophets infallible . Then, neither Ibrahim nor Sarah wanted this matter or wanted this evil.  It was an order from Allah.

 

It was an order from Allah, “Ibrahim take your son Isma’il and your wife Hajar and go ahead to a desert where there is no plants nor people.  A mountainous, bumpy region namely Makkah. Take them there.” 

 

Why Allah?  What is the wisdom?  Prophet Ibrahim does not know. ( i.e. Prophet Ibrahim left from Palestine to Makkah and he did not know why he left.)  Really he did not know why he left?  Then why did he leave? It was obedience to Allah. And was it without understanding the reason?  Yes, without understanding anything.  Pay attention, what I am about to say is related to us.  I will tell the story and tell you what we gain from it.

 

Ibrahim(AS) left Palestine for Makkah without knowing why! Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) went out and took his infant son and his wife and went ahead in this long desert distance, until  he reached a valley where there are no plants or water.  Nothing at all, not even humans! Ibrahim was the first to set foot in this place for hundreds of years! Imagine!

 

Imagine taking your wife and children and going to the western desert and penetrating deep into the desert until you reach half the desert then you leave them and return back!

 

Can anyone imagine the severe test Prophet Ibrahim was subjected to?  The test was like this: Take them. Reach Makkah, leave them there and go back to Palestine.  Ok, can I understand?  No! I  Just have to obey.  What is the wisdom?

 

Brothers, pay good attention,   Here is a very important point.  Allah’s orders to his slaves are of two kinds. In One, he tells you the wisdom of the order, this is true in our regard; we see it  in our daily lives.  Let me give you this example.  Let us contemplate our lives, we will find that Allah deals with us in one of two ways, whether in legislations or in matters related to the Qur’an or in other things. The first way is to make you understand, he tells you do this, as when you do this, the benefits are so and so.  Do not drink wine as wine does so and so.  This is one form of Allah’s orders in which he reveals the wisdom.  Why? So as to trust in Allah more. 

However, there is another form of Allah’s orders where he conceals the wisdom entirely from you.  The first type,  the wisdom is clear and obvious to make you trust Allah more. The second type, where is the wisdom in it?  Allah, why did my son die?  Why have I lost this job?  Why Allah! After I was rich and established?  I am a good person, why have I lost my money?  Why does Qur’an contain these certain orders?  I do not understand!  Why? Why  does he use the second type? To teach you submission!!

 

The first type is  to teach you trust in Allah, he tells you this is the wisdom, so you say Subhan Allah, I understand this, so your trust in Allah increases. The second type, He tells you: am I not your Lord?  Will You obey or not?  Obey even if you do not understand. If your son dies and you do not understand.  If you had a crisis and you do not understand.  Oh Allah! Why did this happen?  Understand the message behind it, as if he is saying to you: are you my slave or not?  Then you will surrender and obey me even if you do not understand.

 

Brothers, this meaning will give peace of mind. How does it give you peace of mind?  Anything that happens: I surrender to Allah. He does what He wishes. I depend on Allah, I am his slave!  You know what it is like?  Like a father and mother whom their son tells them, I will not obey you until you convince me first.  If you convince me I will obey you, if not, I will not obey you. Do we consider them a father and mother?  Are they suitable to be parents?  So how can Allah be Allah if you do not obey him unless he makes you understand first?  Can you say, ‘Allah, if you make me understand I will obey you, otherwise I will not.’!!  This can never be.

 

This is a very important meaning. Allah’s orders take two forms: either the wisdom is clear so one’s trust in Allah increases, or the wisdom is concealed. If you go on thinking about it for years, you will never get it!  It is only to teach you: am I your Allah or not?! You obey Me even if you do not understand.

 

This is what happened with Prophet Ibrahim (AS).   Allah ordered him, “Then take your son and your wife and go to a place in the desert, a valley where there is no plant or water and let them stay there then come back again”. Prophet Ibrahim does not ask! He submits, “oh, I will…I will.”

 

Prophet Ibrahim took his wife; Lady Hajar and his son Isma’il. I want you, while listening to this information, to compare it with things in your life .Do you obey in the same way? How many times have you shown disobedience in a matter that you know Allah wants?  The  youth say that they will have girlfriends or boyfriends anyway. Or, “No Allah, I will take that money anyway because if  I quit this job, such and such will happen to me, and such and such will happen to the children.”  The point is will you obey whether you understand or not? Will you submit to Allah’s will whether you understand or not?

 

Master Ibrahim arrived.  Imagine. He moved between mountains until he arrived to the place Allah ordered. A place amid  mountains.  By the way the Ka’ba is located as such. I have seen a picture of it taken from a satellite, I was totally surprised!  A point surrounded by mountains from every place. Why this region in particular?  When you see the picture, you will see that the roads are cutting the mountains. This means that Prophet Ibrahim went on, ascending and descending mountains.   If we were to imagine what was going on in Ibrahim’s  heart: “Allah, the desert is vast”.  “No, I want you to be in this deserted place; the place that is surrounded by mountains.”  “Allah, the boy will die!” “Obey! Am I not your God?!”.

 

Brothers, we have to obey in all situations, there is no situation where obedience was as hard as the situation Prophet Ibrahim experienced.

 

I am narrating about our Master Ibrahim and I want you to live with this meaning....  Look at yourselves. Ask yourself  how do I compare to this?  Am I obedient? To which extent am I so? Then how did he become Allah’s Khalîl (His intimate friend)?! Definitely through  things  like these. Ibrahim, ascends mountains and descends mountains.  Then ascends mountains and descends mountains until he reaches that point.

 

When I was watching this point from the satellite photo, a question came immediately to my mind: Why has Allah chosen this place? For sure, there is wisdom behind it.  Why did He choose this location for the Ka’ba? A day will come when we will be three millions bumping into each other! Would it not have been better if Allah made the Ka’ba in the vast desert? Would it not have been better? A desert like the western desert (a vast desert area in Egypt). You could go and perform Umrah at ease. You could be alone and concentrate, and worship at ease. Why in this narrow region?

 

And I said to myself . This choice is not random! Allah forbid.  There has to be a  wisdom. What is the wisdom behind it brothers?

 

I want you to be so close. I would rather that Muslims  be crowded in a tight place and  dripping with sweat than everybody being by himself.  I don’t want to be worshiped from each of you alone and 20 meters apart.  I need you to be beside each other. That is why I chose a place that you cannot expand.  No matter what extensions are added to the Holy mosque, still, they will come to an end as there are mountains surrounding it. So the expansion will have an end and will not be carried out for ever.  When you go to Umrah do not get annoyed with the crowd. Understand that this is what Allah wants.

 

Imagine! Allah made this for the Muslim nation, one nation, how do you suppose then that love should be in this nation? Can you see how life has changed?  Can you see how people did not understand Allah’s wisdom in this? This is a very important meaning brothers, that we sit here in the mosque, close to one another and it is very crowded and we cannot sit properly.  The poor sit beside the rich, the young beside the old, the white beside the black. This is the wisdom. That the nation be molded together.  Do you understand now why Allah chose this location.

 

Glory be to Allah. Everything that happens has a  wisdom behind it. It is possible that we do not understand the wisdom but Allah does what he desires. This is why this valley – that Allah chose for master Ibrahim - was of the second type or orders.

 

This story is in Al-Bukhari.  I am not narrating to you tales that have no origin. I have made an oath when telling Prophet’s stories not to narrate any tales unless they occurred in Qur’an or authentic Hadith.

 

When I relate a story to you, I will tell you that it is not a Hadith or Qur’an and that it is a story.  This is because the stories of the Prophets were distorted by Judaic (Israelites’ tales). What I am about to say now appears in Al-Bukhari.

 

Master Ibrahim arrived and so did Hajar.  Hajar did not know that Ibrahim had to go back.  He could not tell them.  He intended to go back because Allah ordered him to do so, and he did not understand why, but he did not tell her.  They arrived there and he brought some food and some water and put them down, and brought Hajar and the child down and took the riding animal and turned back heading to Palestine. What is this, brothers?  What kind of submission is this?  What is this servitude?  What is this obedience?

 

Think about your own status. With how many things are you struggling and you cannot even submit to Allah?  Count how many things you cannot agree to do?  How many things have you been struggling with  for the last ten years? For ten years. You want to stop backbiting and you cannot.  For ten years you are backbiting your neighbors and saying I will stop but you do not know how. You are not being honest with yourself.  For ten years, you have been earning ill-begotten money and you do not want to stop.  For ten years, you have been looking at girls in the street and you do not want to say to yourself, it is enough. To say, “yes Allah , I will lower my gaze. I will obey.”

 

Master Ibrahim set the example so that no one can say I cannot. He went back to Palestine. Hajar could not believe it.  She ran after him, “Ibrahim, whom are you leaving us to?” He did not reply. Why did Ibrahim not reply? Because he had no answer. “Ibrahim, whom are you leaving us to?”

 

Ibn-Abass is narrating this story: Ibrahim does not reply.  “Ibrahim, whom are you leaving us to?  Ibrahim, whom are you leaving us to?”  And Ibrahim does not reply. Hajar the pious woman who understands said, “Ibrahim, did Allah order you to do this?”  He nodded, yes (by his head).  She said, “Then He shall not abandon us.”

 

Are there any women like this?  Do we have women here who have these feelings and who are ready to be like this? To say that Allah will not abandon us!!  The woman who is mistreated by her husband for years,  crying night and day and searching for anyone to rescue her.  What can she do?  She cannot do anything because of her children.  She cannot ask for a divorce.  I am telling her this: do you not have Allah with you? Then he will not abandon you.

 

If your husband is mistreating you, Allah is there; how can He abandon you?! If your manager mistreats you, Allah is there, he will not abandon you.  This statement, “Then He will not abandon us”  is a belief that you have to write and inscribe in your heart. Allah does not abandon his slaves. The important thing is to be obedient to Him.  Then He will not abandon you. Do you feel this way? Are you ready to deal with Allah according to this meaning? You will not abandon me, because You have created me and I want to please You. 

 

Ibrahim left. Words cannot describe the situation. I am trying to make you imagine the picture, but I feel unable to. I want to describe how submitted Ibrahim was to Allah, and to what extent Hajar was dependent on Allah, but really I cannot find the words. I will let you imagine it.  Imagine this vast desert. You take your wife and infant son there, and go back in your car. She asks you, “whom are you leaving us to?”, and you do not reply, she asks you if Allah has ordered you to do so, and you say, “yes”, then she tells you, “then He will not abandon us, leave and we will manage.”  What is this!

 

Let us look at ourselves, how are we doing? I am not scolding you brothers.  I am speaking about myself as well.  How are we all doing?  How many times have we said yes to Allah unwillingly? and how many times have we said no?  I have a suggestion: when you go back home, take a paper and a pen and search you memory then write down how many times you told Him yes and how many times you told Him no. “No” does not have to be the exact word, you may have ignored His orders, or silenced your conscience, or said you will not make the effort to advise others, or did not bother and let it go.  This is the “No” we mean.  Ask yourself: what is the percentage of  “yes” versus “no” to Allah?

 

Do you know why hijab’s issue is so crucial?  What is the gravity of not wearing Hijab?

Everyday you go onto the street unveiled, you’re saying no to Allah. This is why leaving hijab is grave! 

 

There is another beautiful meaning to this story.  I have a question: do you think that Ibrahim knew the wisdom behind coming to this place?  No he did not, he just obeyed Allah’s orders.  Do you think that Hajar knew the wisdom? For sure not.  Do you think that Ibrahim understood the wisdom behind it as he grew older? No.

 

I will tell you something that is more amazing, Ibrahim, Isma’il and Hajar died without knowing the wisdom. Do you know when was the wisdom revealed? After thousands of years!  Muhammad( PBUH) came out of this country, so his first grandfather Isma’il had to live in this country since his birth.  Ibrahim brought Isma’il to this country so that Muhammad (PBUH) would be born there.  Allah’s wisdom does not have to be revealed now or even after ten years. It may be revealed after one thousand, two thousand or even three thousand years, generations and generations may die without knowing the wisdom.  The main thing is to say yes to Allah, He plans things for the good of man.

 

Allah wanted to honor Isma’il (AS ) and Ibrahim (AS )by letting the last Prophet be their descendant. The last Prophet has to come from this country for a wisdom Allah wants.

 

Ibrahim, Isma’il, Hajar, you will be tired for a while and your hearts will get tired a little bit from this distance that you have crossed, but the end result is very important. What is it Allah? The last Prophet will be from your descendents.  All praise be to Allah, the wisdom of this is to be revealed after three thousand years.  He planted the roots three thousand years earlier.

 

Brothers, all the things that happen in the universe are arranged by Allah.  Events that affect the whole world take place, and Allah arranges every small and large thing.  He cures one person, punishes another, avenges someone, returns the right to someone else, tries someone, and another one. Praise be to the One who arranges this universe.  Do you seek refuge in Allah after hearing this or no? Do you fear him or trust Him more and depend on Him more?

 

Now, a question: why did Ibrahim not stay with them?  If the wisdom was to bring Isma’il to this country, so that the last Prophet PBUH is his descendant, why did Ibrahim not stay with them?  If  Ibrahim had stayed with them, he would have helped them get food and water!  Allah wants to be the only One to provide his slave with the means of subsistence.

 

So Ibrahim had to go back because Allah will provide for them.

 

Brothers, do not worry about your children. Do not spend everyday in your life in fear, “When I die, how will my children eat?” Who fed Isma’il when Ibrahim left him? Brothers, who is the Provider? It is not you who provide your children with the means of subsistence, you have to understand that you are not the providers. It is He who endows the blessings.  Do you realize that Allah, from above the seven heavens, cares about his small worshipers?  He cares about everyone here.

 

I will ask you another question, do we deserve this, or is it Allah’s grace?  Does he care about you or not?  Do you remember yesterday’s sin?  Do you remember the fajr prayers that you missed? Tell me do you deserve this?  Did I deserve to sit here and tell you these words? Or is it Almighty Allah’s grace and  mercy and him watching over his slaves. This is why Ibrahim had to go back.  Ibrahim, it is not you who provides for them.  Leave them in the desert and their subsistence will come to them.

 

Ibrahim left them and went back. Hajar started feeling very thirsty, because she finished all the provisions she had with her. And this is what Allah wanted. Allah’s power will be revealed now. Food was over.  Isma’il, the infant, began to squirm with hunger and thirst, Hajar too.  The land was a barren desert.  No man had set foot in this land for years. See this hard affliction!!

 

Hajar started looking at the hills around her, wondering hopelessly, “Where will I go?” Notice that if you were standing at the Ka’ba and you looked around you, what would you see? Mountains! When she found the baby squirming and crying, she placed him down and climbed up the hill to see what was behind it. Do you know now why she climbed Safa? The place where we make Sa’i (the journey between Safa and Marwa seven times) is that place where she was hearing Isma’il’s voice. She started running down the hill, and hearing the loud voice of the baby, she climbed up the Safa to look, but found nothing. After half a kilometer she felt tired so she started walking, then hurried again.  We as matured men; do we not get tired when we make Sa’i between Safa and Marwa? Now imagine her situation in the desert! Going up and looking at the other side to see nothing, she ran down to go and climb up Marwa, the opposite mountain. Can you imagine her inner fatigue and anxiety? Can you imagine how her heartbeats were?

 

Even though she was tired she knew that Allah (SWT) would not leave her. Whoever is so sure that Allah will not let him down, then surely he will not be let down. Moving between Safa and Marwa she heard the baby crying so she started running again. Seven times she went up and down and between the two hills. On the seventh time she heard a sound, so she said, “Suh! suh!” to calm her son down, so that she would hear the sound more clearly.  What was that sound? It was a small amount of water that started springing from under the ground. At which location was it gushing out? Imagine! From between the little boy’s legs.  As if Allah (SWT)  is saying to her, “Look where you were searching and look where you found it, it will come where you never expect it”.

 

Brothers, rizq (Allah’s sustenance) comes  right to us! The amazing thing here is that it came from beneath  the little boy’s feet.  Jibril “Gabriel” (AS) hit the ground beneath Isma’il’s feet with his wing in order to crack an opening in the earth for  the well of Zamzam.  Imagine how special that well is!

 

So what is the well of Zamzam? It is a well that gushed out of the ground by the hit of an angel’s wing beneath a Prophet’s feet. Imagine how pure and great that place is! Once Hajar saw water springing out of the ground, she started gathering it in one area. The water was coming out slowly and in small amounts. Hajar feared it would stop before her son drank, so she started collecting the water before the flow would stop, while she was saying, “Zam... Zam”.  From here came the word Zamzam. The word ‘zam’ means ‘come closer’. Her state was so bad that she addressed the water, “ Zam, zam, zam, zam”, as if she was telling it not to run out.

 

The Prophet (PBUH) hinted nicely at the human’s impatience when he said, “May Allah have mercy on Isma’il’s mother (RA). If she had not trapped the water at that time, it would have flowed and flowed forming lakes and rivers!”

 

The human wants everything in his hands and is always impatient. Had she waited instead of running!  May Allah have mercy on her, for because of her the water of Zamzam is located in one area. This incident reveals how the human is always in a hurry and impatient. Brothers what’s the rush!

 

That is the story. So let’s see what can we benefit from it:

 

Notice how the mother worries about her son. I am just setting an example to the mothers whose children are not precious to them. Brothers, this period of ours has become so bizarre! There are mothers now who do not care if their sons are fine or not, or if they are brought up well or not. Notice the hard efforts Hajar exerted for her son. There are mothers who have abandoned their children, because they are waiting for a better marriage. Those mothers could not bear it, and said, “No, no, no! I will not live with him and that’s final!.”  There are mothers that could have had more patience with their husbands for a better upbringing of their children.

 

Of course we know that there are husbands that ill-treat their wives, but your children are so precious and deserve your patience. So compare the efforts Hajar (RA) made with the conventional mothers’ efforts for their children’s sake. These days, they do not care much for them and that is what I am trying to say.

 

Some mothers are like Hajar but they are very few. We wish that our mothers and the ladies present here Insha Allah  become like our Lady Hajar. Imagine your son in Isma’il’s (AS) situation. Were you going to do what Hajar did or not? Even the fathers; imagine your son in this situation, would you have done what Hajar did? Wouldyou run all this distance anxiously like that? Of course you would. Is your son so precious to you?

 

Hajar was about to die to let her son live and you are pushing your son into hell for not raising him up according to Islam! This meaning is so dangerous, put it in mind! Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as,” O you believers, prevent yourself and your family from a fire having the humans and stones as its fuel, guarding it, strong angels, who do not disobey Allah’s commands and do what they are ordered to do “(TMQ, 66:6)[1].

 

Allah says what can be translated as,” Say (Muhammad) that, the losers are those who lost their selves and their families on the Day of Judgment”(TMQ, 42:45).

 

Mothers! imagine that you throw your own son into hellfire. For example, a daughter tells her mother that she has a boyfriend, so the mother warns her daughter not to tell the father, claiming that he is old-fashioned, and she assures her that she will keep her secret!

 

By the way this incident is very common. There are girls and boys who have called me and informed me that they had boyfriends and girlfriends. When I told them that this is forbidden, they answered back saying, “but my mother knows.” When I asked them if their fathers also knew, they replied saying, “mother hid it from him!” So I am telling them, that this means that this mother has led her daughter wrongly and has also betrayed her husband by hiding such an important issue from him. This mother has created two problems. Some mothers deal with such issues not so seriously only to find their daughter in trouble, followed by a crisis or a disaster. The girl is lost and the mother is mistaken. If you love your daughter and son, bring them up obeying Allah (SWT).

 

The responsibility of every father and mother is to save their children from hellfire. Youth: soon you will have your own children, so choose the wife that does not throw your son into the fire and choose the husband that does not push  your son into the fire. Each youth will be asked about the choice of his wife on the Day of Judgment. His children will come and hold onto his neck and he will say, “I used to take them to the mosque!” But since the choice of his wife was wrong from the beginning, she let  children stray.

 

On the other hand, one woman will say, “O Allah, actually I just wanted to get married.” Whereas she should say, “I wanted to marry some one who would let me enter paradise.” Wishing to enter paradise must come first, followed by the wish to get married - not the other way round. This is a point you have to realize.

 

Another point: Allah’s Planning  

 

Solutions for hardships come from where they are never expected. After every hardship there is relief. The water came out from under Ismail’s legs and not from where Hajar was searching!   There is another very important meaning that I would like to explain. What do we learn from the story of Hajar? Why do we imitate the lady Hajar in Umrah and Hajj? Why did Allah (SWT) order us to make the Sa’i between Safa and Marwa, and why is it one of the pillars of Hajj and Umrah?

 

We do so for three reasons:

 

Firstly, did  lady Hajar know at that time why she was there at that place? No, she did not. That means that she had surrendered to Allah (SWT) and this is the first point. You make Sa’i between the two hills going and coming. It is not important to know why but it is important to do be obedient to Allah (SWT). This shall remind you of Hajar’s incident. You will be able to say while you are making Sa’i between Safa and Marwa that this happened to the lady Hajar. You will realize how tiring it was for her heart, and yet she told Ibrahim (AS) “Abraham”, “Go, Allah will not abandon us!” You should say, ‘I do not understand why I am running between the two mountains but I am just surrendering to Allah’s commands.’ Your surrender is proved at the time of running, when the men run and the women walk. Why did we change roles (i.e., men run and women walk unlike Hajar)? I do not understand but, Ok Allah! brothers! just listen to what is said and say Ok! The wisdom behind the Sa’i between Safa and Marwa could be to let you say, “Ok, I will abide without understanding, I am following Your commands!”  That’s the first meaning.

 

Secondly, why do we make Sa’i like the lady Hajar?  This has a very important meaning which is ‘the depth of the Muslim culture.’  What does depth of culture mean? To whom does your culture go back? It goes back to Isma’il, Hajar and Ibrahim! So our culture goes back to the Prophets’ culture. Thus our culture is not a western one. We are not related to the west. I don’t want to imitate the West in my eating, drinking or clothing. You will say, “But this is fashion!  I must go to foreign restaurants. I have to wear that specific style of clothes and listen to foreign western music even if I do not understand what is being said. I have to turn the car radio’s volume very loud, especially if there is an adjacent car, to let them know that I listen to foreign songs.”  If so, then you belong to that foreign culture.

 

Two or three years back, a number of tennis players spread throughout the west the ‘bandanna’ fashion. Even the Muslim youth used to wear it! Do you know what you are wearing? Do you know what you are doing? Why are you just imitating? All this proves that you belong to that foreign culture.  Everyone had a kaborya hair cut (where the side of the head is shaved and the top is left to grow), so you too did the same and when a new fashion arrives, that old one becomes dated!  An earring is worn in the nose, so you too do the same!  Then move onto the next fashion! Do you know what you are doing? The important thing for you is to imitate others and copy them?

 

My sons, where is the depth of your culture?  Ibrahim (AS) is your grandfather, Hajar is your grandmother and Zamzam is your origin! Just to remind us of this, Allah made us imitate such incidents!

 

Praying behind the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim

 

Let me ask you a question. Why did Allah make Ibrahim’s Maqam a place for prayers?  So you would know that you belong to that man and to that culture and that your depth is Islam! Your depth is not the eastern or western culture but it goes back to your grandfathers, the Prophets.

 

If the Muslim youth knew this meaning then they would feel comfortable with themselves and bring victory to their nation! If you understand this meaning you will change immediately! That is why I advise the youth to go for Umrah! Now put this meaning into your head and go for a real Umrah, do not just go to do what is told to you without understanding why you are doing it! You shall say,” I imitate the lady Hajar, because she is my grandmother and because my depth is in this culture.” You shall then find yourself making Sa’i between Safa and Marwa while you understand! Hajar at that time did not know why she was moving between them and neither do we, but at least we are doing it for Allah! So imagine that you are doing it for all of these things!

 

I pray to Allah to bless you with Umrah this year so you can understand the meaning I am going to say.  Allah willing you will all go, His bounties fill both the heavens and earth, he may grant you a pilgrimage right now while you are sitting here, and He can do anything. Do not say that it is impossible; have faith and believe in Allah.

 

Thirdly, there’s a very beautiful meaning in making Sa’i between Safa and Marwa six or seven times bear footed; your legs start getting tired, and they start hurting. Your clothes may become dusty. You may fall and start feeling exhausted!  Do you know how you should feel at that moment?  You will feel like a person who went all the way to the king’s door wondering if he has forgiven him, then goes and comes back later, wondering the same again; then he goes and comes back, and so on! Can you imagine a person standing at his father’s door, asking for his forgiveness but his father is not willing to open the door because he is upset from him, so the son says that he shall not upset him again and goes back to his room; then he asks his father again, “Have you forgiven me?” Then he goes and comes back again.  That’s why whoever understands this meaning while making Sa’i will cry! Imagine that this is the actual meaning of the Sa’i.  People shall say the Sa’i is so tiring because they do not understand its meaning. A person goes to Safa asking Allah if he has forgiven him then goes to Marwa and asks the same. He does this repeatedly saying, “Forgive me! Have mercy on me!”  Do you see how beautiful the Sa’i is! All this we have learnt from Hajar!

 

Now let us talk about the well of Zamzam.  We try to capture the meanings that we can benefit from. As we said earlier the well of Zamzam gushed forth by an Angel’s hitting the ground by his wing. But the water of Zamzam itself has some wonderful things about it! Firstly, it is one of Allah’s miracles. Imagine for how many years the water of Zamzam has been the main source of water for the people of that area? So would you prefer to be attached to, a bandanna, or a well that provides water for the people?

 

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