The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE great occasion of holy Hajj has once again come before the world community with its message of universal brotherhood. Hajj is the greatest religious pilgrimage of the Muslims of the world. This year more than 25 lakh Muslim devotees have gathered in the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. For performing this religious duty devotees undertake pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. Performance of hajj has been made compulsory for those Muslims who have the ability to bear the expenses of pilgrimage to Makkah and performance of other sites. But it is optional for poor people who are not in a position to undertake the pilgrimage.

Though mainly a religious performance, hajj has a great social value. Devotees from all the continents of the globe irrespective of their differences of race, religion, colour, language and culture gather in Makkah to perform this religious duty. All the devotees clothed in white robes say prayer together. There is no discrimination between the rulers and the ruled, between the white and the black. It symbolises universal brotherhood of the Muslims and mankind. Muslims make no difference among men of different social status while saying prayers. This message of equality among men strengthens the spirit of universal brotherhood through the hajj. Sacrificing animals is an integral part of hajj. It is actually a symbol of freeing oneself from all worldly evils and commission of sins. It teaches devotees to refrain from injustice, corruption and all forms of crime and lead them to the attainment of spiritual emancipation.

The modern world has attained phenomenal material advancement. Information and communication technology has virtually turned the world into a global village. But morally and ethically the achievement is marred by a number of factors. In the absence of worldwide unity and fraternity, the world is still raged by poverty, hunger and injustice, ethnic and gender inequity and torn by all sorts of disputes, especially by the so-called clash of civilisations. Modern civilisation of late has brought back the old memories of religious hatred and racial discrimination. Hajj teaches the devotees the spirit of building a human society based on justice and equality and free from all kinds of corruption, exploitation and wrongdoings. These lessons and the spirit of hajj are expected to help build a world based on human dignity and equality. Let the eternal message of self-purification, unity, equality, justice and universal brotherhood of mankind help end the present dangerous trend of hatred that is threatening the globe with destruction. Let the moral, ethical and spiritual bonds of the holy hajj bind all the people of the world together.