SURAH 22 * AL-HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)

THIS SURAH OPENS with an emotional appeal, highlighting the terrifying aspects of the Day of Judgement, designed to shock humans and shake their consciousness.

Humankind, have fear of your Lord.  The suddering on the Day of Judgement shall be tremendous.  When that Day comes, every nursing mother shall forsake her infant, every pregnant female shall deliver her burden, and you shall see people reeling like drunkards although they are not drunk..(1-2)

This life is a term for testing, trials, and tribulation, during which man is free to choose and decide the direction he wishes to take in life.  He meets with good as well as bad fortune, and his ability to cope with both is put to the test.  To simply shrug off one's responsibilities and explain away these trials and ordeals as "predetermined" and therefore "pointless" would be foolish and disgraceful.  The essence of Islam is submission to God and total acceptance of His will, whether good or bad.  Success lies in the recognition of God's will: otherwise, man is welcome to challenge that will and see how far he can go.

Within the context of justifiable war and self-defense, comes a passage introducing the topic which gives the surah its title:  Hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah.  When one looks closely at the rituals of Hajj, performed once a year, it becomes immediately clear that it is a magnificent and inspiring demonstration of man's devotion to God.  It is a mess celebrationof tawhid, held at a time and in a place designated by God Almighty Himself, bringing people together from all corners of the globe.  This excellent and worthy tradition was established many centuries ago by Abraham.  The surah says:  "We guided Abraham to the site of the mosque (the Ka'bah) and said to him, "Never take other gods besides Me...."' (26).  There is nothing in the Hajj rituals that is without a purpose or religious signifance.

Let us take the tawaf, or circumbulation of the Ka'abah.  It is a form of prayer and an occasion for praising and glorifying God Almighty.  Tradition and convention in religious practise, like in anything else, have their own intrinsic value and significance.  Rationality and logic are not the only factors that determine such value and significance.  The Ka'abah is venerated for its universal symbolism as the first house built on earth exclusively for the worship and praise of the One God.  It is the citadel of tawhid.    

The Hajj, as a fundamental obligatory religious duty, is a good case in point.  When the Muslims were first directed to perform it, the Prophet instructed them on how to do so, saying:  "Take your (Hajj) rituals from me."  He showed them what they were required to do and how they were to do it, and he also explained the significance of the rituals, thus establishing the Hajj as an ordered and precisely timed and coordinated event composed of a set of actions and undertakings that translate the principle of tawhid into practise. 

An important ritual during the Hajj is the slaughter of animals on the tenth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, to which th surah refers:  "Their meat and blood are of no benefit to God;  it is your piety that will carry weight with Him" (37).  The Hajj is a perfect manifestation of Islamic values based on equality and lack of discrimination between people.

The surah closes with a statement expressing the essence of the overall task of the world's Muslim community.  This task was handed down from God to the Prophet, who faithfully passed it on to the Muslims, who then assumed the responsibility of passing it on to the rest of mankind.

FISIOLOGI QURAN

Tuhan menjelaskan dalam surah al-Israk ayat 82 yang bermaksud, "(Quran) merupakan penawar (syifa) dan rahmat bagi mereka yang beriman." Syifa (penawar) yang dapat menghilangkan syak, nifak, penyelewengan, kelemahan dan penyakit dalam hati.  Quran juga adalah rahmat yang dapat menghasilkan iman, hikmat dan kebahagiaan."

Abdullah bin Masud berkata, "Sesiapa yang menghendaki ilmu pengetahuan maka hendaklah dia membaca Quran.  Di dalamnya terdapat ilmu orang-orang terdahulu dan yang kemudian."

Sahabat Abu Hurairah pula berkata, "Sesungguhnya akan lapanglah penghuni rumah yang dibaca di dalamnya Quran, dan akan banyaklah kebajikan di dalam rumah itu dan akan datanglah para malaikat ke rumah itu dan akan keluarlah syaitan daripadanya.  Sebaliknya, rumah yang tidak dibaca di dalamnya Quran akan mendatangkan kesempitan kepada penghuni penghuninya.  Di samping itu kebajikan akan berkurangan, para malaikat akan keluar dan syaitan akan memasuki rumah itu."

Satu kajian dilakukan oleh Dr. Ahmed el-Kadi dari Klinik Akbar di Panama City, Florida, "Berhubung kesan mendengar bacaan Quran ke atas denyutan jantung, tekanan darah, tekanan saraf dan otot...... Beliau mendapati, mereka yang mendengar bacaan Quran, termasuk daripada kalangan bukan Muslim dan bukan Arab, mengalami perubahan fisiologi positif di dalam diri mereka."  Kajian ini dimuatkan dalam Islamic Perspectives in Medicine oleh Dr. Shahid Athar.

Benarlah sahabat Ali bin Abi Talib apabila beliau berkata, "Tiga perkara menambahkan kesejahteraan badan dan menghilangkan kahak iaitu bersugi, berpuasa dan membaca Quran."

Quran tidak hanya dikagumi oleh orang Islam.  Ia juga dikagumi oleh orang bukan Islam.  Sebahagian daripada mereka yang bukan Islam ini sudah memeluk agama Islam selepas meneliti dan memahami maksud ayat-ayat Quran.  Dr. Gary Miller adalah pakar matematik di samping seorang tokoh dalam, bidang ilmu teologi Kristian. Demikian juga dengan Dr.Maurice Bucaille.  Beliau adalah seorang pakar bedah terkenal di Perancis.