Pious Travelers of the Past
From the Signs of the Last Days, time will contract. Imagine one-hundred years ago or less, people used to travel on foot to perform Hajj. Walking in the desert or on a caravan, they would spend one year to reach Makkah and Madinah. Today you go by plane, and you say you are tired.
In the past, before the pilgrims departed, they would call everyone in their family, their neighbors and friends to say goodbye, as the one going does not know if he will return, if he will die there or not. Their families would tell them, “If you come back alive, we will be very happy, but if you die, may Allah (swt) bless you!” It means, they were looking at death when going on Hajj, which was a minimum of two-year travel, one year going and one year coming back.
So, for everyone going for Hajj, the intention must be that you are leaving dunyā to go for Ākhirah, the Next Life. When you enter prayer five times a day, it is as if you are entering Heavens, because you are directing your face to Baytullah, the House of Allah (swt), which is directly below Bayt al-Ma`mūr, the original House in the Fourth Heaven. As the Prophet (s) said, “The coolness of my eyes lies in prayer,” because that is when he is in the Divine Presence!
There once was a Walī in Central Asia who went for Hajj. Every step he took, he would stop and pray two raka`ats. It took him seven years to reach Madinatu ‘l-Munawwara! He had no provisions with him; he went carrying only the love of Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s) in his heart, and Allah (swt) used to provide him food whenever he was hungry.
Where is our level of Īmān compared to such people? Today they tell you, “It is difficult to go,” or “I will go after I reach seventy years of age.” Speak with people today and ask them, “Do you have energy?” They will say, “We are feeling weak, tired, depressed with no energy.” In the time of the Prophet (s), Ummat an-Nabī was very energetic; they walked everywhere, as there were no cars, trucks or airplanes.
I heard from some people who met one man who walked to Makkah to perform Hajj, not too long ago, and for every step he took forward he stopped and prayed two raka`ats until he reached Makkatu ‘l-Mukarrama, and then died there. We say we are worshippers, but who can do that? We say we prayed Šalātu ‘zh-Zhuhr and Šalātu ‘l-`Asr, but that is for you, and even so, you prayed it with laziness!
Shaykh Nazim’s ق own paternal grandfather, As-Sayyid Yesilbas Husayn al-Qādirī al-Qubrušī ق, who for forty years took care of the burial chamber of Umm Ħirām bint al-Milħān, the maternal aunt of the Prophet (s), performed Hajj four times on foot! After he passed away, he was buried outside the resting place of Umm Ħirām in Cyprus.
May Allah (swt) forgive us and bless us and give us a straightforward way to reach our destination. This cannot be done except by following a guide. Alħamdulillāh that Allah (swt) has connected us to a guide who can take us to the holy presence of the Prophet (s).
Make šalāwāt on the Prophet (s) and you will get there; that is the fastest way to reach! Šallū `alā ‘n-Nabī! Why do you want to make a long travel? Yā Sayyīdī, yā Rasūlullāh, yā Raħmatan li ‘l-`ālamīn! Yā Shafī` al-mudhnibīn! We have come to the presence of Awlīyāullāh! May they present us to the presence of the Prophet (s) clean and pure.
[Excerpted from the newly published book: Makkan Openings: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Divine Secrets]
