Islam As It Is
The Five Pillars of Islam
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account of their fellow-men, and during the Hajj
season, pilgrims have innumerable opportunities of
displaying their self-restraint. With so many
hundreds of thousands of different types of people
gathered together in one place, it is inevitable that
there should be countless occasions when some are
put to inconvenience by others. This is the time that
pilgrims are directed to be especially careful not to
give vent to anger or irritation, to refrain absolutely
from abusing or attacking anyone and to eschew all
immodest or dishonest behaviour. Hoping
themselves for kind treatment at the hands of God,
they do their utmost to be kind in their treatment of
other human beings.
Hajj is a rehearsal for a life of struggle in God’s
cause, a reminder of the momentousness of the Last
Day, and a caution that Satan, man’s greatest
enemy, must be beaten back at all costs. Its greatest
message is that if one desires a share in God’s
blessings, one should be prepared to sacrifice not
only one’s possessions but one’s very life for Him.
In this way, it is a lesson in living a God-oriented
life.
