2 years ago
As Muslims worldwide observe the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage with Eid-Al Adha, Mariam Sheikh Hakim reflects connected a halfway ‘Sacred Feminine’ acquisition contained wrong the pilgrimage.
This is the communicative of a matriarch, who was erstwhile a enslaved girl. Abandoned and unsocial with her kid Ismail, some deserted successful the desert. Stranded successful the sterile sands, she searched for signs of life. But God is ever-present, watching, waiting and working.
This is the communicative of a pistillate who God has ensured volition ne'er beryllium forgotten, nary substance however overmuch patriarchy we lapse into. It is the communicative of Haajar, of beingness and decease itself and the Sacred Feminine wrong our Hajj.
There are galore who whitethorn beryllium confused with the words ‘Sacred Feminine’, reasoning it’s a caller innovation with layers of politics, but you request not beryllium afraid. God has ever been empowering women arsenic and raising their narratives alongside men, it is the quality of the divine. It is the quality of One. Look for the signs and you volition spot it clearly.
The Almighty is simply a equilibrium and a unification of masculine and feminine principles, wisdom, and energy. But often it’s the masculine that’s emphasised done organised religion.
Appreciating the ‘Sacred feminine’ is an reply to this problem. The Sacred Feminine is astir valuing the qualities of the Divine and of the Creator that are traditionally viewed arsenic feminine. It is besides astir honouring pistillate wisdom; information and messages that are inspired by women’s religion successful God.
If we don’t bespeak connected these lessons from an aboriginal property it volition aboriginal sabotage america each arsenic adults – either successful our self-development, successful our relations with 1 different oregon arsenic a community. We volition miss retired connected contented applicable to america each due to the fact that divine information is beyond sex oregon astatine slightest our knowing of gender. It is america humans that person constricted our ain conception of God’s truth.
We each cognize the Hajj pilgrimage is simply a pillar of the Islamic faith, and the rituals progressive commemorate Prophet Ibrahim. However, determination is simply a halfway portion of the pilgrimage that is solely astir the communicative of Haajar (his 2nd wife) and their babe lad Ismail. In Ibrahim’s absence, thing bonzer took place, thing pivotal to the past of each believers.
Through Haajar we honour the unsocial feminine acquisition of a parent whose religion successful God was resolute portion being tested. We honour her communicative done the ritual and ceremonial of Sa’ee. As pilgrims hurry successful her footsteps, they support live a spiritual look that remembers her for eternity.
Sa’ee (search, searching, quest)
Sa’ee is the portion of Hajj wherever pilgrims hasten betwixt the hills of Safa and Marwa, to emulate the communicative of Haajar. According to the Quran (14:37) we larn that Prophet Ibrahim takes Haajar and their babe lad Ismail into the godforsaken arsenic portion of a resettlement plan, but the details are missing.
Other sources archer america of Haajar’s backmost story(1)(2). Initially, Haajar was reluctant astatine being near unsocial successful the desert, but aft she learns it is divine acquisition she accepts and puts her spot successful Allah. Once determination her nutrient and h2o supplies tally retired and Haajar desperately searches to find signs of life. It is said that she ran 7 times backmost and distant betwixt the 2 hills searching, lone to instrumentality exhausted to her screaming lad and miraculously find him with h2o trickling beside him.
“This ritual of Sa’ee is keeping Haajar’s communicative alive”
The h2o rapidly multiplied and became a outpouring – contiguous known arsenic the Zam Zam good successful Makkah. This was capable to prolong Haajar and her breastfed babe till the country soon attracted inhabitants and became the thriving beatified metropolis of Makkah. Through perseverance, religion and God’s blessing Haajar and Ismail virtually made the godforsaken bloom.
“Indeed, the archetypal House [of worship] established for mankind was that astatine Makkah – blessed and a guidance for the worlds.” (Quran 3:96) The value of this metropolis to Islam cannot beryllium overstated. It was done Haajar that the satellite has travel to cognize of Makkah, and to reinstate it arsenic a location of worship. Therefore, it is close immoderate authorities Haajar is simply a “a relation exemplary for each pilgrim, for everyone”(3).
Sa’ee symbolises the ongoing conflict that we brushwood passim our lives, arsenic Haajar had experienced. Through her unwavering Tawakkul (reliance connected God), her supplications were answered and her needs were met(4).
Hasten successful her footsteps
One can’t ideate however unsocial Haajar indispensable person felt searching portion she ran betwixt those hills.
Nevertheless, thousands of years later, millions of radical present hasten successful her footsteps successful the nonstop aforesaid spot. Her infinitesimal of conflict has been immortalised, frozen successful clip everlastingly done Hajj. She volition ne'er beryllium forgotten.
Each Muslim is made to bespeak connected and acquisition Haajar’s conflict successful bid to implicit their Hajj pilgrimage. The re-enactment of her conflict each day, each azygous year, adjacent extracurricular of the Hajj play makes it an eternal remembrance of Haajar’s courageousness and religion successful God. Her communicative is an exemplary awesome of religion done investigating times.
It besides evidences the value placed connected ‘experience’ successful the Islamic faith. With the Sa’ee, pilgrims are not simply walking a way she took, they are surviving her experience. They’re surviving a infinitesimal successful clip that she lived, to recognize astir getting person to God.
This feminine communicative has already been marked for america arsenic a constituent of spiritual value done Hajj and Umrah – it is our work to see it further and to beforehand it.
The Quran states; “Indeed, as-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah” (2:158) Haajar’s conflict betwixt these mounds are virtually a awesome of God.
“And whoever honours the symbols of Allah – indeed, it is from the piety of hearts” (Quran 22:32)
The full water successful 1 drop
The godforsaken is simply a peculiar spot successful Abrahamic religions, it’s a prophetic place, of revelation, of tribulation and transformation. It is simply a microcosm of the barrenness and wealthiness of this dunya (world). It is simply a symbolic place, that with your religion successful the cosmopolitan information of 1 God, the intolerable tin flourish.
The godforsaken is simply a peculiar spot successful Abrahamic religions, it’s a prophetic place, of revelation, of tribulation and transformation.
This communicative is not conscionable astir a mother’s conflict who is unsocial successful the godforsaken without nutrient oregon water. It is wide Haajar is fulfilling an important prophecy from God. What seemed similar a adjacent brushwood with decease successful the godforsaken really became the opening of life. It is the constitution not conscionable of the beatified metropolis of Makkah, but of a caller federation and of its matriarch.
The Sa’ee recollects a pivotal infinitesimal successful the communicative of Haajar – erstwhile to this her communicative was astir being passed from 1 signifier of bondage to another. It’s astatine this infinitesimal that she’s nary longer the ‘slave girl’ of different humans, but is free. But state is ever precarious, and her ordeal signifies a hard metamorphosis. Fearless successful her religion and aft braving the tests of the godforsaken she begins a caller section arsenic Umm Ishmael from this infinitesimal onwards. And it’s this nonstop infinitesimal chosen to beryllium re-enacted for Muslims during the pilgrimage.
It has been noted successful a fig of narrations that Haajar repeats to Ibrahim earlier helium near “God volition not wantonness us”(5). This removes her dependence connected Ibrahim, and affirms her idiosyncratic narration with God. It is simply a connection that confirms Allah is the champion of planners. It re-centres the Creator to her ain narrative.
“The Islamic religion has galore stories of independent, exemplary women and the communicative of Haajar is simply 1 of them”
She takes power and finds her resoluteness successful the look of implicit uncertainty. In this important infinitesimal she wasn’t truthful overmuch ‘cast out’ into the godforsaken dust, but much casting disconnected her ain figurative chains arsenic a erstwhile slave, portion she affirms the lone authorization she answers to is God. Her words tin ever beryllium utilized arsenic a mantra successful times of hardship and tin extremity battles with uncertainty (similar to the conception of Qadar).
Asma Lamrabet calls Haajar’s declaration an illustration of “true submission to the creator”(6)
This is simply a acquisition for each humanity astir faith. To transmission the words of a celebrated Persian Islamic student and poet, present Haajar’s conflict is not a driblet successful the water of Islam, but alternatively ‘the full water successful a drop’ (Rumi)(7).
In the infinitesimal of emulating her struggle, we are each Haajar successful the barren godforsaken searching for water, to prolong and support live that which we love.
This ritual of Sa’ee is keeping her communicative alive, and is articulating the relevance of this Sacred Feminine to each generation.
Western narratives
The Islamic communicative of Haajar is unmistakeably 1 of beardown religion and liberation. Western narratives, however, person traditionally been rather unkind to Haajar. The content has been that she was ordered to beryllium ‘cast out’ with Ismail, some were ‘driven to the desert’, banished and expelled by Ibrahim. This was a effect of Sarah’s jealousy (Ibrahim’s archetypal wife). Genesis 21:10
The lone notation of this full communicative successful the Quran is Ibrahim’s supplication arsenic helium returns: “Lord, I person settled immoderate of my descendants successful an uncultivated vale adjacent Your ineffable House, our Lord, that they whitethorn found prayer.” (Quran 14:37)
We know, therefore, that the Islamic communicative points to this being a resettlement of Haajar and Ismail for a greater purpose, alternatively than conscionable a ‘banishment’ oregon the effect of Sarah’s sentiments.
These women are not presented successful the discourse of their emotions – alternatively it is simply a fulfilment of divine acquisition for the communal bully of humanity. Allah was aspiring for much for each progressive and is ever moving down the scenes.
Conclusions
The Islamic religion has galore stories of independent, exemplary women and the communicative of Haajar is simply 1 of them. Their trials and triumphs are often laid bare, wherever their religion successful God has been confirmed but besides challenged and changed for the better. Yet astir patriarchal societies and cultures don’t thin to bespeak connected these narratives arsenic overmuch arsenic they should.
And truthful we should inquire ourselves: are women reflecting capable connected these narratives? Are men reflecting connected these women’s narratives?
How galore of america cognize radical that person much allegiance to spiritual looking men that churn retired sexist and misogynistic tropes, alternatively than to God’s ain (clearly ‘feminist’) messages successful the faith?
Silencing the pistillate communicative is really undoing God’s work; this is lapsing yet again into patriarchy and misogyny – which is simply a signifier of idolatry of men. But by remembering the powerfulness successful women’s narratives we tin thrust retired inequality and injustice.
There are beingness lessons to beryllium learned present with the Sa’ee. The motivation of the communicative is for all. Some truths indispensable yet unit their mode to the fore nary substance however overmuch they’ve been pushed to the periphery.
So please, dispersed connection of Haajar’s story. May we excessively beryllium blessed to beryllium truthful steadfast successful our faith.
“What volition explicate to you what the steep way is [towards righteousness]? It is the freeing of a slave” (Quran 90:12-13)
By Mariam Hakim – follow her connected Twitter
References
1 Through Nasir al-Din al-Rabghuzi V, the celebrated Turkish writer of Qisas al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets), we get to cognize much astir Haajars story.
2 Narrated by Ibn Abbas http://www.alim.org/library/biography/stories/content/SOP/2/7/Ismail%20(Ishmael)/Hajar%20and%20Ishmael%20%20-%20by%20Ibn%20Abbas
3 Jeroen Schilder https://ilmfeed.com/a-forgotten-ode-to-hajar-beyond-the-hajj-rituals/
4 https://hajjumrahplanner.com/sai/
5 pg. 39, Women successful the Quran, Asma Lamrabet
6 Ibid
7 Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī’s afloat quote:
“You are not a driblet successful the ocean, you are the full water successful a drop”
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