May Allah enable us to perform righteous deeds that earn His noble pleasure, and shield us from deviation, misguidance, ordeals, and temptations—both visible and hidden. Āmīn.
At the opening of this book we touched on some of the wisdoms and inner meanings of the pilgrimage. The fact that the ḥajj is directed specifically to this House carries still other purposes and connections. Among them is that this House and its rites are the legacy of the Father of the Prophets, Abraham ﷺ; they are commemorations and religious festivals for the Muslim community. Another is that this very land is the birthplace of the Prophet ﷺ and the seat of his first summons; it was from here that the light of Islam radiated. Thus, at this site Muslims renew their covenant, for it is their first capital, the point to which they turn their faces, and the place to which their hearts yearn.
May Allah unite the Muslims upon piety and gather their word around that which exalts their religion and raises their standing. Āmīn. And may blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muḥammad and his family.
The First Ḥadīth
It is narrated from Abū Shurayḥ, Khuwaylid ibn ʿAmr al-Khuzāʿī al-ʿAdawī (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to ʿAmr ibn Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ—who was dispatching detachments to Mecca:
“Grant me leave, O Governor, to relate to you a statement that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made on the morning after the Conquest. My ears heard it, my heart retained it, and my eyes saw him as he spoke it. He praised Allah and extolled Him, and then said:
‘Mecca was declared sacred by Allah the Exalted on the day He created the heavens and the earth; it was not mankind who consecrated it. Therefore it is unlawful for anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day to shed blood therein or to cut down a tree within it. Should anyone cite the fighting of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as a licence, say to him: “Allah granted His Messenger permission, but He did not grant it to you. He allowed His Messenger only for a single portion of a day, and its sanctity has now returned just as it was yesterday.” Let the one who is present convey this to the one who is absent.’”
People asked Abū Shurayḥ, “What did ʿAmr say to you?” He replied, “He said, ‘I know that better than you, Abū Shurayḥ. The Sanctuary does not grant refuge to a sinner, nor to one who has shed blood and is fleeing, nor to one escaping with kharaba.’”
Kharaba—written with a khāʾ and an unpointed rāʾ—has been explained as treachery; others said it means calamity, and still others, accusation. Its original use pertained to the theft of camels, as the poet said:
“The khārib, a thief, loves another khārib.”
Lexical note: ayidhin lī (“allow me”) comes from i’dhan lī with two hamzas; the second was changed to a yāʾ because it was quiescent and preceded by a kasra.