When the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah arrive, many of us think: how quickly time has passed since Eid al-Fitr; wasn’t it Ramadan just recently? Allah knows best, but it seems that there is an intrinsic connection between these two days of celebration, as well as the coupled ten days that precede them.
The last ten nights of Ramadan, which include Laylat al-Qadr — in which the Qur’ān was revealed — along with Eid al-Fitr, remind us of the following:
- We are a new Ummah emerging on the scene; indeed, we are the last Ummah, with the last prophet, and the last revelation.
- We have clutched onto the baton given to us by the previous communities, and it is now our task to take it all the way to the finish line.
To put it another way, the last ten nights of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr were a reminder that the Islamic Ummah — by receiving the Qur’ān and being required to follow the Prophet (ﷺ) — is an independent civilisation that has been given a new and historic task.
Let us not become comfortable
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah and Eid al-Adha (with the subsequent Ayyām al-Tashrīq), however, remind us of the following: this new Ummah must take its civilisational task very seriously. It should not allow itself to become decadent!
We must not, like Banī Isrā’īl, become comfortable and complacent. We must not allow Islam to be reduced to a mere culture, or let our civilisation turn into an expression of tribalism by beginning to perceive our Ummah as an end in itself.
Islam must remain as ‘Ibadah (sincere and committed worship). It must not turn into dunya-centred ‘Adah (soulless habits, empty rituals).
What does Hajj symbolise?
It is for the above reason — and Allah knows best — that during this period of the Islamic calendar, we are thrown out of our comfort zones by way of performing the Hajj.
Hajj brings us to life: you are not here on Earth to enjoy your status as a “chosen one”; rather, you are here to work, to fight, to persevere! Hajj symbolises the ultimate manifestation of pure and sincere devotion to Allah that triumphs tribal thinking.
Ibrahim and his wife Hajar (ʿalayhim al-Salām) are perfect examples in this regard: they chose Allah above everything else, and everyone else, even though they stood alone in this.
Ibrahim (ʿalayhi al-Salām) was an “Ummah unto himself”. [1] And Hajar (ʿalayha al-Salām) persevered and did her duty when things were at their darkest and when she was all alone.
Sustaining civilisation is our indomitable duty, even in solitude
So, that is the message behind Dhul Hijjah and Eid al-Adha.
Even if you were to stand completely alone, you have a civilisational task that you are enjoined to realise. But, alḥamdulillāh, we are not alone. We are, of course, an Ummah.
Roll up your sleeves and get to work; praise Allah and thank Him for having guided us to perform our civilisational task!
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha ill-Allah, wa-Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa Lillāhi’l-hamd.
Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great, there is no deity but Allah, and Allah is most great, and to Allah be praise.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] al-Qur’ān, 16:120
