Why haj pilgrims return to Mecca<\/p>\n
By Santi WE Soekanto & Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"There is an unexplainable feeling of longing, a
\nyearning, to see the Baitullah (House of God) in Mecca again, and
\nagain, and again.\"<\/p>\n
This was expressed by a person who has gone on pilgrimage to
\nMecca more than once. The pilgrimage to Mecca is a religious duty
\nfor Moslems who are able, as mandated by the last of the five
\ntenets of Islam.<\/p>\n
The first time usually provides a person with such an
\nexhilarating spiritual experience that he will yearn for those
\nmoments of spiritual highs.<\/p>\n
Dr. Umar Syihab, an ulema and legislator from the Golkar
\nfaction, is a case in point of a Moslem who feels the urge to go
\non pilgrimage again and again.<\/p>\n
He has been on the haj ten times, and twice on umrah (minor
\npilgrimage), and is planning to go again this year.<\/p>\n
Of the ten times, Syihab felt his first time was the most
\nmemorable.<\/p>\n
\"It's not only me. Everyone who has gone on pilgrimage will
\nfeel the desire to go again,\" he said. \"It's probably also
\nbecause pilgrims pray during their time in Mecca that Allah helps
\nthem return to the holy land for another pilgrimage.\"<\/p>\n
The graduate of the Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt,
\nlikened the urge to return to Mecca with a feeling of love that
\nsomeone has toward a beloved.<\/p>\n
\"If you love someone, you want to see him again and again,\" he
\nsaid. \"That is exactly what happens to us who want to go to Mecca
\nagain and again.\"<\/p>\n
He understood the government's reason for trying to impose a
\nquota on the number of people going on pilgrimage. However, he
\nbelieved the government's campaign would be more effective if it
\nalso encouraged people to go on umrah which can be done at other
\ntimes of the year.<\/p>\n
Moslems go on haj during the month of Dzulhijjah in the lunar
\nMoslem year, which falls in May this year.<\/p>\n
\"Moslems try to go on pilgrimage more than once mostly because
\nthey feel a certain feeling, a yearning ... and the essence of this
\nlonging is actually toward the Kaaba (the Holy Shrine in Mecca),
\ninstead of toward the pilgrimage rite itself,\" Syihab explained.<\/p>\n
\"Prophet Muhammad went on pilgrimage only twice in his
\nlifetime, but he suggested that people do more of the thawaf (the
\nrite of circling the Kaaba seven times, as first shown by
\nAbraham),\" he said.<\/p>\n
The ritual circling of the Kaaba automatically constitutes an
\numrah.<\/p>\n
Moslem singer Neno Warisman has gone on the haj twice and on
\numrah five times. The graduate of the French program of the
\nUniversity of Indonesia's Faculty of Letters acknowledged the
\nlonging to see the House of God again and again.<\/p>\n
\"I definitely have those moments,\" said the pretty young
\nmother of one who is known for her efforts to find suitable songs
\nand entertainment for Moslem children.<\/p>\n
\"I feel this urge to go again, this longing ... but now I'm
\ntrying hard to control the urge. I tell myself this feeling is
\nvalid but I don't have to act on it.\"<\/p>\n
Neno added that she can go on pilgrimage often, but
\nunderstands that it could deprive someone else of an opportunity
\nof a lifetime to go, given the quota. \"Other people have the
\nright to go too,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She pointed out that going on pilgrimage is not \"everything\"
\nin the life of a Moslem. \"We have many things to deal with here,
\nlike poverty ... how can we go on pilgrimage many times over if
\none of our neighbors can't even afford to send a child to
\nschool?\"<\/p>\n
The feeling of love and longing toward Allah, she said, \"could
\nbe channeled through other forms of worship,\" she said. And so
\nshe set a prerequisite for herself.<\/p>\n
Despite the many offers she receives from various travel
\nbureaus annually to go on haj for free, she vowed never to go on
\npilgrimage again until she masters Arabic.<\/p>\n
Abdullah, a journalist, has gone only once on the haj but his
\nfather has gone 16 times and is planning to go again this year.<\/p>\n
\"I'd like to be able to go again ... but I can't stand the
\ncrowd, so I think I'd better go on minor pilgrimage instead,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/why-haj-pilgrims-return-to-mecca-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}