{"id":166013,"date":"2022-06-05T15:18:19","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T15:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=166013"},"modified":"2022-06-05T15:18:23","modified_gmt":"2022-06-05T15:18:23","slug":"the-spirituality-of-hajj-ihram-and-talbiyah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=166013","title":{"rendered":"The Spirituality of Hajj: Ihram and Talbiyah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two subjects\nassociated with the dramatic commencement of Hajj are ihram and talbiyah,\nfurther enhanced by the concepts of sincere intention (niyyah) and mawaqit\n(fixed times and places for the beginning of Hajj). Ihram is making the\nintention for Hajj on the 8th<\/sup> of Dhul Hijjah and taking off all sewn\ncloths and wearing the Hajj garment. The garment consists of two sheets of\nwhite cloth made of very plain and simple fabric. One is wrapped round the\nupper part of the body, except the head, and the other round the lower part of\nthe body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the dress for men. For women, however, it can be regular\nclothing, albeit with all ihram restrictions applying to them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talbiyah is the uttering of specified words while donning the\ngarment of ihram. It is part of the Hajj intention and continues to be uttered\nafterwards in most Hajj circumstances until the throwing of the first pebble at\nMina on the 10th<\/sup> of Dhul Hijjah. Imam al-Shafii is reported to have\nsaid: \u0153We love to say it (talbiyah) at all times (during the said period of\nthree days).\u009d As for its legal importance and rank, talbiyah oscillates from\nbeing recommended to being obligatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standard words of talbiyah are the Prophets words: \u0153Here I am,\nO Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Verily, all\npraise, grace, and sovereignty are Yours alone. You have no partner.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (pbuh) also said: \u0153Here I am, O God of Truth.\u009d Moreover, he approved of some peoples addition to the original talbiyah: \u0153Here I am, O Owner of the Ways of Ascent. Here I am, O Owner of Excellence\u009d. A companion of the Prophet (pbuh), Abdullah b. \u02dcUmar, used to add as well: \u0153Here I am and blessed by You, and all good is in Your Hands, and desire and action are directed towards You.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes without saying that there is\nmore to ihram and talbiyah than what is immediately apparent. The two acts\nconstitute a procedure that ushers a person into a higher realm of meaning and\nexperience. The set times and locations for the start of Hajj (mawaqit) denote\nthe end of a less significant domain and the beginning of a greater and more\nconsequential one. The mawaqit function as the transition point, and ihram\ntogether with talbiyah as an epitaph to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city of Makkah is a holy city.\nIt was and remained umm al-qura<\/em>, the mother of all cities and villages,\ni.e., all types of urban and rural human settlements. Its nobility and\nluminosity stand for the source of all other nobilities and luminosities. Not\nonly is Makkah the centre of life on earth, but also the centre of the universe\nand all existence. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that Almighty Allah decreed\nMakkah to be what it is \u201c i.e. a holy city, sanctuary, and a place of safety \u201c\nthe moment He created the heavens and the earth. As if the city is the\nexistential raison detre<\/em> of the terrestrial life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the heavenly feat of\ncreation, it all started the moment Adam and his wife Hawwa descended from\nParadise to earth. Adam built the Kabah as the House of God and as the first\nhouse of worship established for mankind, and thus introduced the ceremony of\npilgrimage. However, no sooner had monotheism been swapped for polytheism, than\nthe Kabah and the tawhidic (Gods Oneness) pilgrimage rites were distorted,\nabandoned and, in the end, forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, Prophet Ibrahim and his son\nIsmail – also prophet – were tasked with the rebuilding of the Kabah and the\nrevival of the Hajj institution. Almighty Allah instructed Ibrahim: \u0153And proclaim to the people Hajj (the\npilgrimage); they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will\ncome from every distant path\u009d (al-Hajj, 27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time Makkah was a barren and uninhabited valley. There was nothing that could attract anybody to undertake a journey to it, let alone to settle there or to fall in love with it. What was happening was hard to rationalise and relate to the laws of nature or society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Hajar, Ibrahims wife, whom he had brought to the valley\ntogether with his newly born son Ismail and was about to leave them there, was\nlost for words – and judgments. In desperation she asked Ibrahim if Allah had\ncommanded him to do all that, to which he replied in the affirmative.\nAfterwards she calmly responded: \u0153Then certainly, He will not abandon us.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the story of Ibrahim, his wife Hajar and his son Ismail,\nwas intended to be something extraordinary. The story represented a divine plan\nfor mankind. Yet, it was about mankinds destiny. Furthermore, it was a window\ninto the future where some of its most momentous chapters were intimated. Thus,\nIbrahim is normally called the father of holy prophets, but in the highest\nheavenly spheres he is known as the friend of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It follows that studying human history with holy prophets at centre\nstage means exploring the unfolding of the divine plan. It also means reading\nthe Will of God at work, and reading the evolution of the mother of human\nsettlements (umm al-qura<\/em>) from being nothing to being everything, and of\nthe world from being misguided and directionless to being guided and\npurposeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the spiritual, in addition to intellectual, world which\nevery pilgrim steps into by means of putting on ihram and declaring talbiyah.\nThrough ihram a pilgrim renders himself qualified \u201c and pure \u201c to be admitted\ninto this world replete with historical wonders and with present overwhelming\nsensations and signs (ayat). Removing his old dress represents removing\nhindrances that may stand between him and a proper experience of the new world.\nPositively, one of the goals of Hajj is to chart and enliven history as much as\npossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are certain etiquette which a pilgrim must observe while\nwearing ihram, and generally while being on Hajj. They revolve around\ncleanliness, beautification, maintenance of ihram, interpersonal communication,\ndealing with the environment, and some other elements related to general\ndecency and good manners. The Quran sums up those etiquette as follows: \u0153For Hajj are the months well known. If any\none undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness,\nnor wrangling (disputing and quarrelling) in the Hajj. And whatever good you\ndo, (be sure) Allah knows it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey,\nbut the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, O you that are wise\u009d\n(al-Baqarah, 197).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing ihram and staying away from impropriety return a person to\nhis primordial self as well as origins. He forsakes artificial and often\ndiscriminatory titles, symbols, routines and standards of living. There is nothing,\nor extremely little, in Hajj that can allude to any of these. People are all\none and the same, demonstrating thereby the profundity of tawhid (the Oneness\nof God) and how it manifests itself in life via the unity of existence,\npurpose, calling and destiny. People are reminded of the simplicity and\npracticality of the truth, and of the inconvenience and desolation of\nfalsehood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, a person becomes human and himself. He becomes a\nmember not only of the earthly humanity family \u201c temporarily erasing all\nfalsely drawn borders and established criteria \u201c but also of the universal\nfamily that features the boundless known and unknown planes of creation. He is\nconstantly reminded of who he is and what he is supposed to accomplish. All\npaths leading to happiness, success and distinction are redrawn on Hajj. Most\nthings are not themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This way, essentially, Hajj is more about returning than going. It\nis more about investing (earning) than spending. It also connotes coming back\nhome to the warmth of the ideals that the holy land of Makkah (the mother of\nhuman settlements) personifies. No wonder that pilgrims are the guests of\nAllah. They are in their Makkah. They are home. As Allahs sanctuary, Makkah is\nfree and belongs to nobody. Nobody can lay claim to it. Those who are in charge\nof it are no more than its servants. Makkah belongs to everyone, just as\neveryone belongs to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With ihram donned and internalised, a persons shortcomings become exposed to him. All masks fall off and all deceitful convictions get destroyed. Throughout Hajj, a person is expected to fight his behavioural inadequacies. It is a war of attrition between his newly found self and the overarching truth, on one side, and his old self (old negativities), his ego and Satan, on the other. If he wants and is ready, a pilgrim is afforded what it takes to win the war. The spoils of war are forgiveness, a new self, a new life and Paradise (Jannah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (pbuh) said that nothing but Paradise (Jannah) is the reward for an accepted Hajj. Elaborating further, he said that whoever performs Hajj for Allah, and he does not have sexual relations nor commits any sin, then his previous sins will be forgiven. In another report, the Prophet (pbuh) added that he who performs Hajj correctly and whose Hajj is accepted (neither approaching his wife for sexual relations nor committing any sin) will come out as sinless as a new born child, (just delivered by his mother). And obviously, for a sinless person the only reward can be Paradise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilgrims are the guests of their Creator. Ihram is the official\nuniform of the event and talbiyah the motto and, at the same time, hymn. As the\nmunificent Host, the best thing Almighty God can offer His guests is clemency –\ncoupled with forgiveness – and Paradise. For this reason is the life of a\npilgrim after Hajj an extraordinary mood. It is about maintaining the status\nprocured during Hajj and about remaining as pure (sinless) as possible. Some\npeople become paranoid. Going from one extreme to the other, certain pilgrims\nfeel bent on repeating the occasion, and yet others \u201c as a serious mistake and\nmisreading, though – keep unduly postponing Hajj to their very old age, in\norder to live little afterwards and hence, have better chances of remaining – and\ndying \u201c uncontaminated by sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living through the significations of ihram is akin to declaring a\n\u0153yes\u009d to the power of the liberating spirit (soul), and a \u0153no\u009d to the\nincompetence of the impeding matter (body). As a whole, Hajj is an exploit of\nemancipation, and ihram is its instrument and also immediate insignia. Having\nsensed the value of true freedom, a transformed pilgrim wants to cherish it\nforever, constantly rising through the ranks. For this reason, for example, was\nMakkah with its Hajj season in the late 19th<\/sup> and early 20th<\/sup>\ncenturies a midpoint of the pan-Islamic and anticolonial sentiments. It was\noften recommended that it yet be turned into the seat of the caliphate\ninstitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word ihram is derived from the root \u0153ahrama\u009d, which means \u0153to\nprohibit\u009d. Related to the same root are the words \u0153harrama\u009d, \u0153haram\u009d,\n\u0153muharram\u009d, \u0153hurmah\u009d and \u0153ihtarama\u009d, which mean \u0153to prohibit\u009d, \u0153prohibition\u009d,\n\u0153prohibited\u009d, \u0153sacredness\u009d and \u0153to honour\u009d respectively. In passing, \u0153hurmah\u009d\nalso means \u0153wife\u009d, in that she is deeply esteemed by her husband and is\nprohibited to anybody else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, ihram means \u0153making ones self sacred or prohibited\n(pure)\u009d, in the worldly sense of the term, before entering the sacred and\nprohibited territory; that is, becoming (intending to become) a micro haram, as\nit were, before entering \u201c joining – the macro haram. Defects and impurities\nare to be left behind as they are neither welcome, nor qualified for the\nunification. The situation is similar to what God said to Prophet Musa (Moses)\nwhen he arrived at the sacred valley of Tuwa to be in the private presence of\nGod: \u0153Verily I am\nyour Lord, therefore put off your shoes; surely you are in the sacred valley,\nTuwa\u009d (Ta Ha, 12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ihram, therefore, is a state of mind, of soul, and of entire being,\nrather than a mere act or a process. It is something to be as much done as\nexperienced and built on. It is the foundation of Hajj in its totality. That is\nwhy the verb \u0153ahrama\u009d became so comprehensive. Apart from meaning \u0153to prohibit\u009d\nit also assumed other meanings, like \u0153to enter the state of ihram\u009d, \u0153to wear\nihram\u009d, \u0153to enter the holy land\u009d, \u0153to enter a forbidden month\u009d, \u0153to seek\nsomebodys or somethings safety\u009d and \u0153to enter the (holy) state of prayer\n(salat)\u009d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the intrinsic spiritual and human qualities of a pilgrim drawn\nattention to, against the backdrop of the sacredness of Makkah and its Hajj, a\npilgrims personal sacredness becomes absolute too. He is elevated to the\npedestal of inviolability firstly as human being (part of Allahs creation) and\nsecondly as believer (conscious servant of Allah). All of a sudden, apart from\nbeing a spectator from the fringe or the circumference, a pilgrim is being\nthrust into the heart of Hajj, at once as a concept and sensory experience. He\nbecomes its object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly it was not a coincidence that the Prophet (pbuh) personally gave emphasis to this honourable status of believer in the framework of Hajj and its holy sites. What is more, he did it in a rather forceful fashion. While circumambulating the holy Kabah, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have communicated to the Ka’bah: \u0153How pure you are! And how pure is your fragrance! How great you are! And how great is your sanctity! By Him in whose hands lies the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity (holiness) of a believer is greater with Allah than even your sanctity (i.e. the Kabah). That is (the sanctity) of his property, his blood and that we think nothing of him but good.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (pbuh) also said at \u02dcArafah in his historic sermon during his farewell pilgrimage: \u0153Verily, your blood, property and honour are sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours (i.e. the day of Nahr or slaughtering of the animals of sacrifice), in this month of yours (the holy month of Dhul Hijjah) and in this city of yours (the holy city of Makkah).\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book \u0153The Road to Makkah\u009d Muhammad Asad dwelled on the liberating and unifying character of Hajj. Above all, Hajj is a humanising experience, exhibiting the intricacy of the convergence of peoples human and sacrosanct dimensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad Asad said, as for instance, that the sight of a desert filled with pilgrims who were resting on their way to Makkah resembled a huge army camp with innumerable tents, camels, litters, bundles, a confusion of many tongues \u201c Arabic, Hindustani, Malay, Persian, Somali, Turkish, Pashtu, Amhara, and God knows how many more. This was a real gathering of nations; but as everyone was wearing the all-levelling ihram, the differences of origin were hardly noticeable and all the many races appeared almost like one.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, in his autobiography, Malcolm X commented that he saw \u0153that Islam’s conversions around the world could double and triple\nif the colourfulness and the true spiritual-ness of the Hajj pilgrimage were\nproperly advertised and communicated to the outside world.\u009d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same vein, Malcolm X said: \u0153The people of all races, colours, from all over the world coming together as one: it has proved to me the power of the One God\u00a6 Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colours and races here in this Ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad, and all the other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colours\u00a6There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colours, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talbiyah is an integral part of everything ihram\nstands for, perfectly complementing it. Linguistically, it means \u0153answering\n(after hearing)\u009d, \u0153agreeing\u009d and \u0153accepting\u009d. In the Hajj context, it is an\nextension of the intention (niyyah). Thus, while the latter is uttered quietly\nand privately, the former is chanted, preferably, openly and loudly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talbiyah is an invocation for drawing ever\ncloser to, and for an eventual union with, the beloved Creator. It is an\naffirmation of ones tawhidic faith and of ones readiness to sacrifice of his\npossessions and self for the sake of the Creators ordinances. A pilgrim finds\nhimself and feels the impact of Allahs announcement in the following Quranic\nverse: \u0153And\n(due) to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is\nable to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves – then indeed, Allah is\nfree from need of the worlds\u009d (Alu \u02dcImran, 97).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talbiyah, moreover, is\nanswering the call of Allah \u201c the Owner of the House (Kabah) and the Host of\nHajj. Ibrahim had been summoned to proclaim to humanity the ritual and convention of Hajj. A\npilgrim desires to be of those whose hearts yearn towards the Makkah and its\nholy mosque as well as Hajj, and of those who have been foretold that they will\nhasten to the caller (Ibrahim) and his call. They will do so from each and\nevery corner of the globe and will be using all available means of transport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which further means that he who turns a deaf ear \u201c and a blind heart – to this call is lifeless and his senses debilitated. Consequently, talbiyah features references to Gods blessings upon people and their expected gratitude for them. A pilgrim is quick in recognising and thanking God for everything, but especially for the blessing of all blessings, which is the truth of Islam. As he indirectly rejects the lifelessness and blindness of non-belief by asserting that there is no good, nor excellence (i.e. there is no life worth living, and no paradigm worth subscribing to), except that which is in Gods Hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exuberant, a pilgrim wishes to be included into the coverage of those heavenly declarations of the truth and to be an instrument of their realisation. He does not want to be left behind in any way. Those declarations are comprehended by the heart, pronounced by the tongue, and translated into the vicissitudes of the real world by limbs. And these three: the heart, the tongue and limbs, make up a believers axis which connects him with the rest of worthy material and immaterial alignments. That talbiyah is encouraged to be recited openly, loudly and basically everywhere, proves its external and collective dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Abu\nHamid al-Ghazzali, \u0153as for the state of sanctification (ihram) and the talbiya from the\nmiqat (onward), let the pilgrim know that this has the sense of answering the\ncall of God Most High. Therefore, have the hope that you will be accepted, as\nwell as the fear that you will be told: \u0153You are neither accepted (in my serv\u00c2\u00adice,\ni.e. your talbiya is not honoured) nor blessed\u009d, so that you will waver between\nhope and fear, and be stripped of your might and power, thereby becoming\ncompletely dependent on the Grace and Generosity of God Most High. For the time\nof talbiya is the real beginning of the matter and the place of the danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sufyan bin \u02dcUyayna said: \u0153Ali bin al-Husayn – may God be pleased with them – once performed the Pilgrimage. When he had entered the state of sanctification and was well mounted on his camel, his colour became pallid; then he trembled and a shiver befell him to the extent that he could not recite the talbiya. When it was said to him: \u0153Why are you not reciting the talbiya?\u009d He said: \u0153I fear that it will be said to me: \u0153You are neither accepted nor blessed.\u009d And when he later recited the talbiya he fainted and fell off his camel. This continued to happen to him until he completed his pilgrimage.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having responded to the universal call, for\na pilgrim things become personal afterwards. In a sea of pilgrims, he – when\nall is said and done – is on his own. The central aspect of Hajj sets in. Other\naspects, though important, are supplementary, playing second fiddle to the\nformer. A pilgrim is committed to his own personal case as a part of an\nextensive grid. He is not sure and worries if his response to the call is\naccepted or not, in keeping with a maxim that it is easy to love or care, but\nhard to be loved and cared about, in that reciprocity is the answer. As an\nanomaly on earth and in heaven, one way relationships never worked, and never\nwill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pilgrim is thus expected to work on going\nfrom strength to strength during Hajj, and through recurring life challenges\nafter that, to make sure that his response has been heard, that he has been\nwelcomed to the spiritual festival hosted by the Creator, and that his Hajj\nefforts have been appreciated \u201c and accepted. Sure enough, one of the\nindicators that a persons Hajj has been accepted is that after Hajj he feels\npositive changes in his life overall, in his attitude, manners and\nrelationships. The same is to be felt by others. A victorious pilgrim does not\ntalk his Hajj; he walks (lives) it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a pilgrim sees multitudes of people on\nHajj, he relates the phenomenon to the humble beginnings of the place. He\nperceives Gods answers to Ibrahims prayers intended for that place, and the\nfruits of Prophet Muhammads work as a grand finale. He is so happy to be\nlinked with such historical developments which dictated the course of human\nhistory, with holy prophets being main protagonists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is confirmed that all prophets performed\nthe pilgrimage. A pilgrims repetitive and loud talbiyah is a mark of\nexcitement and appreciation to be part of the best company that graced the\nworld. As if the voices of talbiyah tend to transcend the barriers of time and\nspace and reach out to those illustrious personalities and their legacies. As\nif the voices, additionally, are directed to reverberate horizontally\nthroughout the world, and vertically throughout the universe, in order to be\nheard by all creation and be attested to. A pilgrim \u0153sees those prophets and their\nvictories. He personally bears witness to them. As one would expect, Hajj\nspells the convincing evidence of those victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, it was narrated that Abdullah Ibn \u02dcAbbas said: \u0153We were with the Messenger of Allah between Makkah and Madinah, and we passed through a valley. He said: \u02dcWhat valley is this? They said: \u02dcAzraq Valley. He said: \u02dcIt is as if I can see Prophet Musa putting his fingers in his ears and raising his voice to Allah reciting talbiyah, passing through this valley. Then we travelled on until we came to a narrow pass, and he said: \u02dcWhat pass is this? They said: \u02dcThaniyyat Harsha or \u02dcLaft. He said: \u02dcIt is as if I can see Prophet Yunus, on a red she-camel, wearing a woollen cloak and holding the reins of his she-camel, woven from palm fibres, passing through this valley, reciting talbiyah.\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talbiya is an intimate communication between a pilgrim and his Creator and Master. A pilgrim refers to himself as \u0153I\u009d, the singular first-person pronoun, and to God as \u0153You\u009d, the second-person pronoun. This means that there should be nothing standing between a person and God in his prayers, yet in the rest of the communication modes and the whole life. Hurdles of all sorts are to be promptly recognised and conquered. Regardless of how much each pilgrim succeeds in actualising this admittedly profound proviso, it nevertheless ought to be the goal not just of Hajj, but also of other spiritual endeavours of a person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, Hajj is not as much about \u0153coming\u009d and \u0153being\u009d, as it is\nabout \u0153becoming\u009d. The words of talbiya: \u0153Here I am, O\nYou (Allah), here I am\u00a6\u009d – together with the implication of ihram – represent\nthe starting point and the first phase of the transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad Asad often touched on this transformational sentiment, weaving\nit subtly through a variety of topics and subtopics. For example, at one point\nhe drew attention to the condition of a ship that transported the Egyptian and\nNorth-African pilgrims across the Red Sea to the port-city of Jeddah, the\ngateway to Makkah, and in which Muhammad Asad also was a passenger for his\nfirst Hajj. He said that the condition was terrible, bordering on inhumane,\nbecause the shipping company, greedy for the profits of the short Hajj season, had literally filled\nthe ship to the brim without caring for the safety, comfort and amenities of\nthe passengers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the pilgrims did not care. In great humility, with only the goal of the voyage before their eyes, they bore uncomplainingly all that unnecessary hardship. They were immune, as it were, to the suffering and were ecstatic. Muhammad Asad added: \u0153Whoever saw this had to recognise the power of faith which was in these pilgrims. For they did not really seem to feel their suffering, so consumed were they with the thought of Makkah. They spoke only of their Hajj,and the emotion with which they looked toward the near future made their faces shine. The women often sang in chorus songs about the Holy City (Makkah), and again and again came the refrain (of talbiyah): ‘Labbayk, Allahumma, Labbayk! <\/em>(\u0153Here I am, O Allah, here I am)\u009d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(To be continued…)<\/em>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

(Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer is an academic in Department of History and Civilisation, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences. The views expressed here are those of the author\/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of IIUMToday.<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Spahic Omer Two subjects associated with the dramatic commencement of Hajj are ihram and talbiyah, further enhanced by the concepts of sincere intention (niyyah)… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,21,23],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[12,156,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166013"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166013"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166022,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166013\/revisions\/166022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}