Strategies to Maintain Spirituality Gained in Hajj
Maintaining this spiritual status after Hajj pilgrims return home is an important issue. Islamic seminary and university scholar Hojat-ol-Islam Mohsen Adibbehruz in an interview with IQNA offers strategies to keep this spirituality for the rest of life. Excerpts from his remarks are as follows:
One can deduce from verse 160 of Surah Al-An’am that in the divine system, a good deed can have positive effects if it is lasting. The verse says, “He who brings a good deed shall have tenfold of its like, but he who brings a sin shall be recompensed only for its like. None shall be wronged.”
God also says in verse 89 of Surah An-Naml: “Whosoever comes with a good deed shall have better than it, and shall be secure from the terrors of that Day.” This verse emphasizes that in the divine system, a deed is paid attention to whose effects remain until the Day of Judgment. That is to say, if I say prayers, perform Hajj, fast, etc, but the effects of these deeds do not remain until the Day of Judgment, which is mostly the case, my hands would be empty on that Day and I would not be considered as one who has said prayers, performed Hajj.
The Hajj pilgrimage is incredibly effective in elevating one spiritually with the help of God. But how are we going to be sure that our Hajj has been accepted? The most important effect of Hajj is disliking sins. A simple way of finding out whether one’s Hajj has been fruitful and it has been accepted is for him to see how his feelings are about sins like telling lies, backbiting, gossiping, etc.
If the Hajj pilgrimage is performed as it should, its effects remain with one in the form of observing the Wajibs (obligatory deeds) and Mustahabs (recommended deeds) and avoiding Makurhs (deeds that are not haram (forbidden), but had better not to be done).
How Not to Fall into Sin after Hajj
In order to keep with us the great blessing of disliking sins, there are four simple strategies. First we should remember the good and sweet memories of Hajj in order to keep alive the fervor to be with God and love God.
The second one is being in the company of other fellow Hajj pilgrims by forming a group and holding meetings and spiritual programs.
The third thing to do in order to maintain the spirituality gained from the Hajj pilgrimage is to make sure one is an Abd (servant of God). The most important characteristic of the messengers of God, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is being an Abd.
And the fourth strategy is to keep doing good deeds such as praying in the middle of the night, being kind to relatives and others, keeping Wudu (ablution) all the time, and avoiding bad deeds such as telling lies, or saying, watching, hearing or eating what is Haram.
