(96–97) “Indeed, the first House established for mankind was that at Bakkah, blessed and a guidance for all worlds. In it are clear signs: the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it is safe. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all people who are able to make their way to it. Whoever disbelieves—surely Allah is Self-Sufficient, independent of all worlds.”
Allah Most High informs us of the honor of this Sacred House and that it was the first House Allah established for mankind, in which they might worship their Lord, have their burdens of sin forgiven and their lapses pardoned, and perform acts of obedience and devotion through which they attain their Lord’s pleasure, win His reward, and escape His punishment. He therefore said that it is “blessed,” meaning that it contains abundant blessings in both religious and worldly benefits. As Allah Most High says, “That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention Allah’s name over the grazing livestock He has provided them.”
It is also “a guidance for all worlds.” Guidance is of two kinds: guidance in knowledge and guidance in action. Its guidance in action is evident: Allah has made it the site of forms of worship specific to it. Its guidance in knowledge consists in the knowledge of the truth that people acquire through it because of the clear signs Allah Most High mentions in His words, “In it are clear signs.” That is, evident proofs and decisive demonstrations of divine knowledge and lofty truths, such as the proofs of His monotheism, mercy, wisdom, greatness, majesty, perfect knowledge, and boundless generosity, as well as the favors He has bestowed upon His devoted servants and prophets.
Among these signs is ⦗139⦘ “the Station of Abraham.” This may refer to the well-known Station: the stone upon which Abraham, the beloved friend of Allah, stood while building the Kaaba when its walls became too high. It had been attached to the wall of the Kaaba, but during the time of Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—he placed it in its present location. The sign in it is said to have been the imprints of Abraham’s feet, which left their mark in the rock; that mark remained until the early generations of this Muslim community. This was something that transcended ordinary natural causes. It has also been said that the sign consists in the veneration, honor, esteem, and reverence for it that Allah has instilled in people’s hearts.
It is also possible that “the Station of Abraham” is a singular construct intended to encompass all the stations at which he performed the rites. On this interpretation, every component and individual rite of Hajj is a clear sign: circumambulation, the ritual walking and the places where they are performed, standing at Arafah and Muzdalifah, casting the stones, and all the other sacred rites. The sign in these matters lies in the veneration and reverence for them that Allah has placed in people’s hearts; in their devoting their very lives and most precious wealth to reaching them and enduring every hardship for their sake; in the marvelous mysteries and sublime meanings they embody; and in the wisdom and benefits contained in their acts, of which created beings are incapable of enumerating even a portion.
Another of its clear signs is that whoever enters it is safe, both by sacred law and by divine decree. As for safety under the sacred law, Allah instructed His Messenger Abraham, and then His Messenger Muhammad, to honor it, safeguard whoever enters it, and not molest him. Its inviolability even extends to its game animals, trees, and vegetation. Some scholars have cited this verse as evidence that a person who commits an offense outside the Sacred Precinct and then takes refuge within it is safe and that the prescribed penalty is not carried out upon him until he leaves.
As for its safety by divine decree, Allah Most High, through His decree and determination, has instilled reverence for it in people’s hearts—even in the hearts of polytheists who associate partners with Him and disbelieve in their Lord. Despite their fierce tribal zeal, pride, and refusal to endure humiliation, one of them might find his father’s killer within the Sacred Precinct and yet not molest him. Another consequence of Allah’s declaring it sacred is that anyone who intends evil against it will inevitably be struck with swift punishment, as occurred with the Companions of the Elephant and others.
I have seen a fine discussion by Ibn al-Qayyim here and wished to cite it because it is sorely needed. He said:
A useful point: “Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all people who are able to make their way to it.” The phrase “pilgrimage to the House” is the subject, and its predicate is represented by one of the two prepositional phrases preceding it. The meaning requires that the predicate be contained in “upon mankind,” because this concerns an obligation, and obligation calls for the preposition “upon.” It may instead be contained in “owed to Allah,” because that phrase conveys both obligation and entitlement. Supporting this latter analysis is that the predicate is the locus of the information being conveyed, and when it is fronted in this construction, it remains notionally delayed. It is therefore preferable to take “owed to Allah” as the predicate, before “upon mankind.”
The first analysis may be preferred on the grounds that the formulation “Pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon mankind” is more commonly used to express obligation than “Pilgrimage to the House is owed to Allah,” meaning that it is a binding right owed to Allah. Reflect upon this.
On this analysis, fronting the first prepositional phrase, despite its not being the predicate, yields two benefits. The first is that it names the One who imposed Hajj, and thus deserves to precede the mention of the obligation. The verse therefore contains three matters arranged according to the realities involved. The first is the One who imposes this duty, whom it mentions first. The second is the person who must perform it—the one upon whom it is imposed—namely, mankind. The third is the relationship and right connected to Him inasmuch as He imposes it, and to them inasmuch as they are obligated to perform it: namely, Hajj.
The second benefit is that, since the noun governed by the preposition is the name of Allah, Glorified is He, particular care had to be given to placing it first. This magnifies the sanctity of the duty He imposed and warns against neglecting it, for something imposed by Allah, Glorified is He, is not comparable to something imposed by anyone else.
As for the word “whoever,” it is an appositive substitute. A group of people have been drawn to the view that it is the agent of the verbal noun, as though the meaning were: “that whoever is able to make his way to it should perform pilgrimage to the House.” This view is weak for several reasons. One is that Hajj is an individual obligation. If the verse bore the meaning they suggest, it would imply a communal obligation, because when those who are able performed Hajj, everyone else’s liability would be discharged. The meaning would then amount to: “Mankind owes Allah the pilgrimage of those among them who are able.” Once those who were able had discharged the duty, nothing would remain obligatory upon those who were unable.
That is not the case. Rather, Hajj is an individual obligation upon every person, whether those who are able perform it or remain behind. Allah, Glorified is He, has merely excused the person who is unable because of his inability to perform the duty; He neither holds him to account for it nor demands its performance from him. If he performs Hajj, he discharges the obligation from himself. The Hajj of those who are able does not discharge the obligation from those who are unable.
For further clarification, suppose you said, “It is obligatory upon the people of this district that the group among them capable of fighting should fight.” If that group fought, the obligation would cease to apply to the others. But if you said, “It is obligatory upon all people that whoever among them is able should fight,” the obligation would apply to everyone, while the incapable person would be excused because of his incapacity. This subtle and marvelous point is contained in the verse’s formulation, rather than saying, “Pilgrimage to the House is owed to Allah by those who are able.” Reflect upon it.
The second reason is that, when an agent is present, annexing a verbal noun to its agent is preferable to annexing it to its object. This basic rule is not abandoned without transmitted evidence. If “whoever” were the agent, the verbal noun would have been annexed to it, and the wording would have been, “Mankind owes Allah the pilgrimage of whoever is able.” To construe it on the pattern of “I like Zayd’s striking Amr,” where the verbal noun is separated from its annexed agent by the object or an adverbial, would entail carrying it over to ⦗140⦘ a recorded but disfavored construction, as in Ibn Āmir’s reading, “the killing of their children by their associates.” That construction should therefore not be adopted here.
Once it is established that “whoever” is a partitive appositive, the sentence must contain a pronoun referring back to “mankind,” as though it said, “whoever among them is able.” Omitting this pronoun is generally inelegant, but several considerations make the omission acceptable here. Among them is that “whoever” applies to a non-rational being, as does the noun for which it substitutes, and is thereby linked to it. Another is that its relative clause restricts it to something narrower than the first noun. If the relative clause were broader, omitting the resumptive pronoun would be inelegant.
For example, if you said, “I saw your brothers—those among them who went to the market,” its omission would be inelegant because “those who went to the market” is broader than “your brothers.” Likewise, if you said, “Wear the clothes that are fine and beautiful,” intending “those among them that are fine and beautiful,” but omitted the pronoun, the construction would be still less acceptable because “whatever is fine” is broader than “the clothes.”
In partitive apposition, the substitute should be narrower than the noun for which it substitutes. If it is broader but you annex it to a pronoun—or restrict it with a pronoun—that refers back to the first noun, its generality is removed and specificity remains. In addition to the preceding considerations, the length of the relative expression and its clause also makes the omission of the annexed element more acceptable here.
As for the prepositional phrase in the wording “owed to Allah,” it admits two possible analyses. The first is that it stands in relation to “a way,” as though an adjective of an indefinite noun had been placed before it; had it come afterward, it would have occupied the position of an adjective modifying “a way.” The second is that it is attached directly to “a way.”
If you ask how it can be attached to it when “way” contains no verbal meaning, the answer is that “way” here denotes what enables one to reach the House—food, provisions, and the like—rather than a road as such. It therefore possesses a shade of verbal force, making attachment of the prepositional phrase to it permissible. The beauty of the construction and the inimitability of its wording required the prepositional phrase to be brought forward, even though its proper position would be later, because its pronoun refers back to the House. The House is the object of particular concern, and the Arabs place first in their speech whatever concerns them most and whose clarification they are most intent upon. This is al-Suhaylī’s analysis.
This, however, is exceedingly far-fetched. The correct analysis of the attachment of the prepositional phrase is another, better than either of these two, and no other befits the verse: it is attached to the obligation understood from the words “upon mankind.” That is, pilgrimage is incumbent upon mankind as a right owed to Allah. As for attaching it to “a way” or making it an adverbial qualification of it, that is extremely remote. Reflect upon it; such a meaning would scarcely occur to anyone from the verse. It is like saying, “You owe Allah prayer, zakat, and fasting.”
Among the benefits and subtle meanings of the verse is that when Allah, Glorified is He, mentions what He obligates or forbids, He most commonly expresses it through commands and prohibitions. He also expresses it through the language of obligation, prescription, and prohibition, as in: “Fasting has been prescribed for you”; “Carrion has been forbidden to you”; and “Say, ‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you.’”
With Hajj, however, He used this wording, which emphasizes its obligation in ten ways. First, He placed His name first and prefixed it with a preposition denoting entitlement and exclusive due. He then mentioned those upon whom He imposed it in a general formulation introduced by the preposition “upon,” and made those possessing the ability a partitive appositive to them. He used “a way” indefinitely in a conditional context, indicating that Hajj becomes obligatory through any means that becomes available, whether provisions or wealth. Thus, He connected the obligation to the existence of anything that may be termed “a way.”
He then followed this with the gravest threat of disbelief, saying, “Whoever disbelieves,” meaning by refusing to acknowledge this obligation and abandoning it. He then magnified the matter and reinforced the warning by declaring that which establishes His complete independence of such a person. Allah Most High is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy, and has no need of anyone’s Hajj. By mentioning His independence of him here, He conveys His loathing and anger toward him and His turning His face away from him—a warning of the gravest and most emphatic kind.
He further reinforced this by using the general expression “all worlds” rather than saying, “Allah has no need of him.” If Allah has no need of all worlds, then His self-sufficiency is perfect and complete in every respect and from every consideration. This more clearly indicates the magnitude of His loathing for one who abandons the right that He imposed upon him. He then reinforced the meaning with the emphatic particle “indeed.” These are ten aspects demonstrating the emphatic nature of this tremendous obligation.
Reflect also upon the subtle significance of the apposition in the verse, which entails stating the predication twice: once with reference to mankind in general and once with reference specifically to those who are able. One benefit of apposition is that it strengthens and reinforces the meaning by repeating the predication. It is therefore understood as though the governing element were repeated and restated.
Then reflect upon how the verse clarifies after first expressing the matter generally and provides detail after summarizing it. Observe how this presents the statement in two formulations and modes, demonstrating particular care for it and emphasizing its importance. Then consider how He began this declaration of obligation by mentioning the excellent qualities and great status of the House—qualities that would prompt people to journey to it and perform Hajj even if that had not been required of them. He said, “Indeed, the first House,” and so forth, describing it with five qualities.
The first is that it was the earliest of all the world’s houses to be established upon the earth. The second is that it is blessed. Blessing means goodness in abundance and permanence, and among all the houses in the world none is more blessed, possesses more goodness, is more enduring, or is more beneficial to creation. The third is that it is guidance. For emphasis, He described it with the abstract noun itself, as though it were guidance in its very essence. The fourth is that it contains clear signs numbering more than forty. The fifth is the safety granted to whoever enters it.
Describing it with these qualities, even before making it obligatory to journey to it, inspires souls to perform Hajj, no matter how distant visitors’ homes or how remote their lands. He then followed this with an explicit obligation reinforced by all those emphatic elements. This demonstrates Allah’s special concern for this magnificent House, His elevation of its renown, His magnification of its status, and His raising of its rank.
Were its only honor the fact that He attributed it to Himself in His words, “And purify My House,” that attribution alone would suffice as excellence and honor. It is this attribution that has turned the hearts of all people toward it and allowed its cords to captivate their souls, out of love for it and longing to behold it. It is the place to which lovers repeatedly return, yet they never satisfy their desire for it. The more frequently they visit it, the more their love and longing for it increase. Neither reunion heals them nor distance consoles them. As the poet said:
⦗141⦘ I circle it, yet still my soul is yearning;
Can any nearness surpass circumambulation?
I kiss its Corner, seeking there to cool
My heart’s consuming longing and infatuation.
By Allah, it only increased my ardor,
And made my heart abound in palpitation.
O Garden of refuge, utmost end of hope!
O heart’s desire beyond every aspiration!
The force of longing permits only nearness to you;
I have no strength to bear this separation.
My turning from you was no turn of weariness—
My eyes and tongue provide their attestation.
Far from you, I called on patience and on tears;
The tears replied, but patience spurned my invocation.
They claim the lover, once he journeys far,
Will find his passion worn by time’s duration.
If such a claim were true, then distance would
In every age be love’s own medication.
Indeed, the lover wastes away while love
Remains unchanged, unworn by day and night’s rotation.
Here is a lover led by love and yearning,
Without a guide’s reins or a bridle’s regulation.
He came to you despite the distant journey;
Had his mount grown weary, his feet would bring him to his destination.
Here ends his discussion—may Allah Most High have mercy on him.