Using the Last Pillar to Solve the Third

Assalamu aleykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh,

I pray you’re in the best of health and iman. Ameen.

I’ve been thinking lately about the Hajj. Naturally, I would love to go. I hear it is quite an amazing and life-changing experience. Hajj season is coming.  As we get older, those who have not gone may be feeling the pressing need to fulfill this part of our faith. I wonder, however, if we are really required to attend in this day and age.

In Islam, there are five pillars of faith:
1. Declaration of Faith  (Shahada)
2. Prayer  (Salat)
3. Charity  (Zakat)
4. Fasting  (Sawm/Ramadan)
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca  (Hajj)

At the masjid, I heard one of the brothers explaining these articles of faith to the children.  He said the order of these articles was of their importance. This seems very logical to me. What good are any of them if we do not have Faith? First we must BELIEVE, then we must WORSHIP.  Otherwise, why would we worship if we didn’t have faith? In the same respect, what good is our fasting if we are not praying?  Of course, God accepts and forgives what and whom He wishes. However, we must also work to develop our faith and practice.  So, if this argument has any truth to it, it makes sense to think that working to help others with our charity is of higher importance that going on pilgrimage.

In today’s world, there are millions of people in need of our charity. So, when I think of going to Hajj, I also think of those who are hungry and wonder… 

The price of Hajj varies according to where in the world you are originating from, how long your stay, and your accommodations. This could probably range from $2500 to $15,000. (I did not do extensive research to determine these numbers, so they may vary even more.) For ease of discussion, let’s just say it costs $5,000 per person to attend Hajj.  Now, how many attend every year?... An estimate of two to three million people. Let’s be conservative and say two million.  Now then, let’s take the $5,000 per person cost and multiply that by those two million.  Now we’ve collected $10,000,000,000… and it’s repeated each year… and does not include those attending Umrah.

Now I wonder… what would happen to our world of hungry, homeless and suffering if all those who are performing Hajj gave their money to the needy instead of going on pilgrimage.  As Muslims, are we supposed to feed the hungry before we perform our Hajj? What would it be like to give a $10 billion check to the world, each year? To Syria? To Rohingya? To a multitude of countries who are crying desperately for help? What if we showed the world what Islam is really about? What if the armies helped fight suffering instead of creating it?

Think of how Muslims could change the world if we provided food, housing and education to those in need.

May Allah, subhannahu wa ta’alla, forgive anything I do or say in error.  Ameen.
May Allah, subhannahu wa ta’alla, guide us on the right path. Ameen.
May Allah, subhannahu wa ta’alla, grant peace, strength and wisdom along the way. Ameen.
~ © August 21, 2013