A HAPPY HAJJ FOR ALL

A HAPPY HAJJ FOR ALL

Hajj (pilgrimage) is where the heart is. The ‘House of Allah’ and the place every Muslim wanting to be at.

Give a poor Muslim enough money and ask him what he’d do with it? Hajj.

The wealthier, on the other hand, can’t help but be grateful to be ‘invited’ by the Almighty Allah to visit His house.

Upon hearing this, I’m sure the wish to see Allah’s house came alive in you, as it did in me.

Have you ever wondered why exactly Hajj is so significant in the lives of all Muslims? Why Muslims are willing to spend all their savings on a trip to Makkah and back?

It is because in more ways that one, Hajj is the peak of a Muslim's faith. It’s where every wish comes true and you are left as a blank slate and clear of sins.

The importance of Hajj is one of many. Although it takes determination, overcoming of hardships, commitment and stability in both the mental and financial state, the end result is worth it all. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, amongst the Shahadah (Testification of Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving) and Sawm (fasting).

All five pillars are crucial to Islam, each different in its own way.

What makes Hajj so crucial and significant?

  • Unity. There is no other ritual or practice that gathers millions of people around the world in an act of worship (Source). In Islam, your race, status, social, economic, political and ethnic background is irrelevant, especially during Hajj. During this pilgrimage, you are stripped of every social marker. There is no hierarchy, we are all one.

Perhaps that’s where the beauty of this pillar lies, right? That we set aside all the differences dividing and categorising us, and truly become one ummah.

  • Hajj is a long process that offers the Muslim a huge spiritual and learning journey. It’s a calming and peaceful way to escape the reality of your home and enter a dream-like ‘trance’ at the heart of Makkah, whilst gaining an immense amount of rewards.
  • The fresh start. What every Muslim being yearns for. Upon completion of Hajj, you are washed of all your sins, of all the wrongdoings you’ve regretted, and of all the bad you’ve done. Allah gifts you with complete absolution. The Exalted gives you a second chance to become the ideal Muslim you’ve always wanted to be.

Allah, The Most Merciful

There is a lot that needs to be done in order for one to perform Hajj. One must be in the right mental state to perform Hajj, and one must be financially stable. You must be aware of the proper rites for Hajj and be completely ready. Allah, the Most Merciful, has made Hajj easier than what it seems.

Did you know that if you have the pure, genuine and right intention to perform Hajj but die before having performed it, Allah rewards you as if you performed it?!

Allah the Merciful says (what means): “And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him - his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah.” [Quran 4:100]

See how kind and merciful our Lord is?

A Hajj Feeling, at Home

Do you have someone returning from Hajj? A family member perhaps? Are you a teacher at an Islamic school or are you just someone who wants their living/working space and surrounding environment to feel the warmth of Hajj?

If yes, we’ve got the perfect solution for you! You can always appreciate and surround yourself with familiar pieces from this Hajj collection.

These decorative pieces, when made for occasions like these, carry a high sentimental value to them.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to make Islam and all Islamic festivals and occasions like Hajj, Umrah, Eid, and Ramadan extremely special and memorable for years ahead of you. Not only do they make you feel wholesome, but it’s a good thing for the kids to get excited over. It is a great form of encouragement. There is a range of extremely thoughtful and graceful decorative pieces available to you which are specifically made following each occasion.

Significance of Decoration

Why is it important to decorate the house for Islamic occasions?

It is important to celebrate religion. That’s why.

You can always decorate and uplift your mood by utilising customised pieces for the precious day of Hajj, or any occasion for that matter. Even if you can’t be with other Muslims or physically perform any Islamic rituals, you can still create a sense of closeness to your religion by decorating accordingly.

Which brings me to your next potential questions: What difference will that make, and how is that difference positive?

Now, I really want to discuss the benefits that go hand-in-hand in terms of decorating your house on Islamic occasions, especially if you are living in a non-Muslim country.

A Gentle Reminder to Our Muslim Brothers and Sisters

In the chaos and struggle of the life of a Muslim, living in a world where the surroundings seem alien in all religious settings, it can sometimes become impossibly hard to keep working towards your religious goals and fulling your obligations.

It’s mostly because you lose your religious focus when several things demand your attention in a foreign land. Materialism sometimes gets in the way.

So how can you avoid that?

The simplest, easiest, and most cost-effective way is to surround yourself with objects that remind you every hour about two very important things:

  • you are a Muslim
  • where you live does not matter at all - Islam is within your heart.

How To Decorate For Hajj

Out of the many decoration pieces I have come across in stores and online, I’d love to help you plan how you can put a few little pieces together.

  • Find an empty wall and use it for a wall banner that tells you about Hajj and a miniature replica decor piece of the Holy Kabba - available in sizes ranging from small, medium, and large. Perhaps, one can hang the banner on the wall, while putting the miniature piece on a coffee table in front of it or have it hanging from the ceiling at each end of the banner. It’ll be a corner decorated specifically for the occasion of Hajj.

  • Get green and white ribbons for you to be at ease if/when struggling with the banner! Or, have them stream down the ceiling or use it to link one decor piece to another. Balloons with Hajj and Arabic texts will add the right kind of pureness to your corner too.
  • Utilising Hajj cards and calling friends and family over to celebrate your religious, precious occasion of Hajj, will spread love, harmony and oneness amongst yourselves.

You can find so many more exciting ideas here: nouralhouda.com.au

The Undeniable Impact of Hajj Decor

When you’re living an expat life - a Muslim in a non-Muslim country, far away from your roots and similar surroundings - you must use these occasions to celebrate your religion. I take pride in owning my religion and remind myself of my religious roots, both verbally and by actions in practices.

Even in a non-Muslim country, like Australia, we can:

  • invite non-Muslim friends
  • educate them about our religion
  • show them the significance of celebrating
  • remind ourselves to proudly own our religion

So allow your friends, even if they’re alien to your culture and religious practices, to celebrate with you; this will help increase respect and tolerance for other religions in your society. It is a form of social inclusion.

As an ambassador of peace (being a Muslim), it is the responsibility of us all to promote social inclusion.

Enforcement of Our Message

This goes out to Muslim families with children living in a non-muslim country. For them, it is crucial to celebrate every religious occasion.

How else would your children learn exactly where they belong or who they are?

When your children are living in a surrounding that is completely different from your religious roots, the children can’t help but absorb cultural practices, religious ideologies, and so much more in general from the place that they’re living in.

Don’t worry - it is natural for them to take things and messages from their surroundings in stride.

So, decorating the house on such occasions like Hajj will remind them of their roots and where they come from, what their identity is, and it will help them strive to be able to gain the experience of Hajj one day, Insha^Allah.

Such parents should lead by example and utilise minor to major decorations in the house on occasions like Hajj, to keep a bell ringing that helps keep your religious identity in focus.

Promote, Promote, Promote!

The main focus of mentioning the different way of celebrating Hajj when you aren’t performing it, is to promote and stick to the ideologies and boundaries of our religion: Islam.

For more information and details, please head onto Boutique Nour Al Houda to find not only a range of children and adult variety for Hajj decorations but objects related to so many more Islamic occasions as well.