The Scourge of “Hajj Sandals”

“Make du’ā for me, shaykh. Alhamdulillāh, my Hajj visa has been issued”, said a brother with a beaming face, about to take his mother, wife, and child to Hajj.

“I started reading about Hajj and I will be bothering you in the coming days as I have so many questions!”

The next message I received was a picture of sandals, with a voice note:

“Shaykh, I’m so confused. Can I wear these sandals during Ihram or not?

“According to what I read, they’re OK. But then I attended an event with an Imam explaining the Hajj rites and he said ‘No’. He was really strict about it!”

This is a recurring question I and many other scholars have received for decades.

I remember over 20 years ago, I even received an email — the medium of the day — from a student of knowledge asking about “Sharī’ah-compliant sandals”!

A deficiency in our thinking

This is a problem in our thinking as a community that has been festering for a long time, and there are many factors to it.

When you flick through a book about Hajj, a few images will stick in your mind: the Ka’bah, Ihram robes, cutting the nails and hair, and, of course, sandals.

But is this what should come to mind when we think of the word Hajj?

When I go for Hajj as an Imam or a scholar, most of the questions I receive are around these matters. In fact, I can fill books with strange questions and obscure situations revolving around trivial matters.

I remember a sister in Madinah wearing a mask on the way to the Prophet’s mosque, because she didn’t want perfume molecules from the surrounding shops even touching her senses!

Another shaykh said that many pilgrims come “prepared” with the knowledge of the anatomy of the human foot… to ensure they don’t cover the wrong bone by mistake!

Manifestation of a huge problem

It might seem odd. But for me, this is the manifestation of a huge problem connected to how many of us understand the nature of the Sharī’ah and its lofty aims and objectives.

What does the Sharī’ah really want? What are its highest aims? What should occupy the majority of our attention and focus?

They are not detailed matters about this scholarly opinion over that. They are lofty matters like tawhīd, the glorification of Allah, submission to Him, demonstrating love, fear, and awe of Him.

These objectives are what empowered Muslims to be the most successful nation in this life and the Hereafter.

Allah (subḥānahu wa ta’āla) says,

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

“Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the Earth, just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that — then those are the defiantly disobedient.” [1]

And He (‘azza wa jal) also states,

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it.” [2]

The greatest civilisation to exist

If we look at world history since the advent of the final prophet, Muhammad ﷺ, we can clearly see that Islam built the greatest civilisation known to humanity, by every — even Earthly — objective metric.

Islamic civilisation started with the Prophet ﷺ, followed by the era of the four rightly guided caliphs, the Ummayid period, Abbasi period, and then the Ottoman period. This constitutes around 85 per cent of Islamic history since the time of the Prophet ﷺ.

It covered vast swathes of the globe, including the Arabian peninsula, most of al-Shām, Turkey, and Central Asia, South Asia, most of East and North Africa, and many parts of what is today Europe.

Know the micro but think macro

The question is, how did Islam manage to build those great civilisations based upon divine values?

It was not by dwelling on micro-level matters but with a holistic, macro-level thinking. This does not mean rituals and worship are not important. But Islam is perfectly balanced in all things. It links knowledge and consideration of micro-level details and realities, to a macro-level thinking.

Every act of worship, for example, has important macro-level objectives and considerations (that enjoy consensus), as well as minor details (that are often subject to disagreement).

Islam, as a civilisation, sets the priorities between these perfectly; by all means know the micro, but think macro.

What are the macro aims of Hajj?

If we briefly survey the verses of Hajj, we find them revolving around the tawhīd of Allah, His glorification, and the glorification of His symbols and rights (شعائر).

Allah says in Surat al-Hajj,

وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when We designated for Abraham the site of the House, [saying], ‘Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.'” [3]

And He also states,

لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you, that you may glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.” [4]

In Surat al-Baqarah, Allah (‘azza wa jal) says,

وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا وَاتَّخِذُوا مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى ۖ وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

“And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer.

“And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], ‘Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer].'” [5]

How to look at the micro

How should we see the main rituals of Hajj that are seen as obligations or pillars from a fiqhi perspective?

Take Ihram, for example. It is unfortunate that we often look at this as simply wearing specific clothes and having some dos and don’ts. However, Ihram is the intention of entering into a status of sacredness. This should be what is in the front of our minds.

Then, we should look at the specific prohibitions of certain acts (such as sexual relations, cutting the nails, and so on) as things that complement and confirm this feeling. Hence, none of them would actually nullify the high status of intention.

The most extreme violations of the sanctity of Ihram, such as sexual relations or hunting certain animals, are unequivocally condemned in the Qur’ān — but yet they do not nullify this sacred status of Ihram.

Examine how the Prophet ﷺ spoke about some of the rites of Hajj.

He (ﷺ) famously said, “Hajj is Arafah”, meaning the main pillar of Hajj is staying in Arafah on the Day of Arafah. He (ﷺ) said that the best du’ā is the du’ā of Arafah.

Moreover, he (ﷺ) said that the best du’ā on that day is the declaration of tawhīd. He (ﷺ) also said that it is the greatest day in terms of the number of people Allah frees from the Hellfire.

Other aims of Hajj

The first du’ā in the Qur’ān after asking for guidance in Surat al-Fātiha is the du’ā of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) when he built the Ka’bah.

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

“And [mention] when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits — whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.’

“[Allah] said, ‘And whoever disbelieves — I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.'” [6]

This verse establishes the main pillars of civilisation: security, economy, and a spiritual framework. This is similar to the first address of his descendant, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as he entered the newly formed city-state of Madinah:

“O people, spread Salām (peace and greetings), feed each other, join the ties of kinship, and pray while people are asleep. You will enter Paradise in peace.” [7]

All of this was 1,400 years before Abraham Maslow’s famous “hierarchy of needs” theory.

Hajj is a reminder of these historical incidents that changed the face of the Earth. Hajj teaches us how to build communities and civilisations upon divine values. Hajj is a symbolic representation of the unity of the Ummah.

Who is to blame?

Books can be written about the higher aims and objectives of Hajj. It is unfortunate that many Imams and teachers disproportionately (sometimes exclusively) focus on the minutiae and micro-level details surrounding Hajj.

When the general Muslim community listens to a 30-minute discussion on the ritualistic acts that are prohibited during Ihram, and only two minutes are spent talking about the purpose of Ihram, then the impression that they will get is that the details of those rituals are more important than the objectives and spirit of Hajj.

And this trickles down to successive generations that learn from their parents’ examples.

If we degrade the great aims of Hajj to things like what sandals we should wear while we’re performing it, we are doing a great and lasting injustice to the fifth pillar of Islam.

Start with the higher objectives

We, as Imams and guides, need to teach Hajj rites bearing in mind the Qur’ānic and prophetic approach to Hajj and its discourse.

Start with the higher objectives of Hajj, then move on to the historic and unifying angle of Hajj. After that, we can speak about the main pillars of Hajj, and the spirit behind them, while linking them to the above higher objectives and history.

Then, we can teach the detailed fiqhi/ritualistic matters in light of the above, and we need to keep reminding people not to forget the essence and spirit of Hajj while doing so.

If we do our job correctly, rather than people leaving for Hajj full of worries and anxieties — that their Hajj might be ruined if they accidentally scratch their heads, or touch a bar of scented soap, or, of course, wear the “wrong” sandals — they will leave thinking about the greatness of Allah and His mercy, ready for a transformational journey of a lifetime.

Source: Islam21c

Notes

[1] al-Qur’ān, 24:55

[2] al-Qur’ān, 61:9

[3] al-Qur’ān, 22:26

[4] al-Qur’ān, 22:37

[5] al-Qur’ān, 2:125

[6] al-Qur’ān, 2:126

[7] Tirmidhi