Customs Of The Pilgrimage

  LESSON # 160 FROM HOLY QUR’AN

BAQARAH – 2 (The Cow)

Customs Of The Pilgrimage

Verse –158 of 286, Section – 19 (Part 2)

Lo! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the signs of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who is on Pilgrimage to the House (of God) or performs Umrah, to go around them (as the pagan custom is). And he who doeth good of his own accord, (for him) lo! Allah is Responsive, Aware.

‘Innas-Safaa wal-Marwata min-Sha-‘aaa-‘irillaah.  Faman  hajjal-Bayta  ‘awi’-tamara  falaa  junaaha  ‘alayhi  ‘any-yat-taw-wafa  bihimaa.  Wa  man- tataw-wa-‘a  khayran,  fa-‘innallaaha  Shaakirun ‘Aliim.

Lesson

As-Safaa wal-Marwata – (Safaa and Marwah) near the Inviolable Place of Worship (Masjid-i-Haraam) these are two hills. Safaa is on the right hand and the Marwah is on the left side. There is a distance of nearly 275 yards between them. Verbal meaning of the Safaa is pure stone or genuine rock and verbal meaning of the Marwa is white soft stone. Prophet Abraham (peace be upon Him) left His wife Ajar (compliments for Her) and His son Prophet Ishmael (peace be upon Him) in the Faran valley and returned. He (Ishmael) was still an innocent infant. When the eatables and drinkables ended which was held with the mother and the infant, the infant began to flutter due to thirst. His mother used to run on these two hills hither and thither with utmost restlessly and unstrung to see the fountain of water anywhere.

Sha-‘aaa-‘irillaah – (the signs of God Almighty). Sha-‘aaa-‘ir is plural of Sha-‘iirah that means appointed place for worship or manners of worship. During the Pilgrimage on which appointed places and manners the customs of Pilgrimage are performed, those all are included in “the signs of God Almighty”.

 Hajj – in the Islamic worships it is the fourth pillar. During the month of Zil-Hajjah on appointed dates with the proper manner Pilgrimage of the Khana Ka’-ba, to kill an animal particularly during the particular days, going round the Holy Shrine (Khana Ka’-ba), to do endeavor of Safaa and Marwa, and obeying other Customs is called Hajj.

Umrah – (a manner of the pilgrimage of Khana Ka’-ba). Its reward is not equal to the Hajj. There is no date or month fixed for this worship. Its customs are brief also.

Some customs of Hajj have been mentioned in this verse. God Almighty commands that these are not only the customs but these are also the signs of Allah Almighty. Its purpose is to grow passion of goodness into the human beings. He should bow his body and place his forehead on the ground (prostrate) in the Court of Allah
Almighty being pure from the sins.      

Transliteration in Roman Script & English Translation of Holy Qur’an written by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore and Paraphrase collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated by Muhammad Sharif)