Strengthening Islamic Cultural Awareness through
Hajj:The Means and the Methods

Prepared for the conference on ‘Cultural Awareness
During Hajj’, holding at Intercontinental Hotel,
Makka, KSA, from February 28,to March I, 2001.

A Synopsis A great number of Muslims today take Islam for granted. Too often it takes new Muslims or even non-Muslims to realise some of the potentials of Islam and its institutions. It took Malcom X, for example, to discover in Hajj that profound unity of humanity and therefore the solution to the protracted and seemingly intractable racial problems in the United States of America. It also took Bernard Lewis to lament that, "the effect of the pilgrimage on communication and commerce, on ideas and institutions, has not been adequately explored…"(1) Or as David Long discovered, despite the size and complexity of this annual event, there was, as at 1979, "no scholarly research on the current administration of the Hajj or on the impact of Hajj on the host country, Saudi Arabia."(2) Perhaps since these observations a lot may have been done but it is still far from what ought to have been done. Complacency and intellectual indolence has remained the rule rather than the exception in the Muslim world. It may therefore be necessary, especially at occasions like this, to revisit some of the rites of Hajj not in the way fuqaha do, which admittedly is the more familiar and therefore more acceptable, but in ways sociologists, political scientists and economists ought to. The dry as dust fiqh, too often, robs the rites of their spirit and therefore their significance and ultimate impact on the pilgrim. In other words while it satisfies the mechanics of Hajj it hardly addresses the spirit and the ultimate objective of rejuvenating the pilgrim. The first act of donning the ihram at or before the miqat, for example, rids the pilgrim of what ever social status he may have enjoyed and along with that his ego, allowing him to melt into a crowd, whose only proud distinction is that they are all the guests of God, the Most High. This singular act levels the pilgrims, high and low, old and young, men and women, black and white, in ways no event in human history has ever done. The individual pilgrims suddenly finds himself united with his brethren drawn from different lands and climes, made up of different shades of pigmentation, speaking variety of tongues, eating variety of cuisine and yet worshipping the same God, in the same way, at the same time, sharing the same emotions, nursing the same aspirations and invoking the same prayers. By the time the pilgrim goes through the rhythm of Hajj, punctuated as it is with intoxicating moments, his perception deepens, his horizon broadens, his culture enriched and he becomes the international citizen he is suppose to be for whom the whole world is his constituency. At the end of it all, the pilgrim becomes even more united with his brethren despite the seeming differences of colour and language. For they have all been pulled closer to the core of their belief, united with its source and re-injected with the values of which their various cultures are mere reflections. Hajj therefore provides a unique opportunity for the individual Muslim to develop his spiritual consciousness, improve his understanding of the world and experience a true and profound unity of the Ummah, not withstanding the diversity of culture and language. But Hajj also, and more importantly, provides the Ummah the opportunity to use this largest gathering of Muslims from all corners of the world to educate and direct the Ummah to that which is best for it. Few, if any community in the world, have such a unique opportunity. Throughout history Hajj has been a constant source of education and acculturation and the avenue for the exchange as well as the spread of thoughts and ideas. This role has in the recent past been pushed to the background and needs to be brought to the fore. For the Ummah needs to be invigorated and there can be no better avenue than this annual gathering, drawing as it does Muslims from all corners of the Globe. One of these more specific areas is the area of values and culture, the latter being essentially the manifestation of the former. Despite the cultural variety of the Muslim world there is a common thread that runs through them, for there are core values which all Muslims share and which ultimately inform the culture. In other words the various cultures are mere species of a single genus of core Islamic values. The Hajj provides the golden opportunity to develop and raise the awareness of the Muslims from all parts of the world about these core values. This is particularly necessary today more than ever before because with increasing globalisation, Muslims will soon find themselves being submerged by the values of the wider and more influential non-Muslims society. As distances continue to shrink and the globe gets more and more connected under breathtaking technological developments, the survival of the Muslim identity becomes even more threatened, making it all the more necessary and indeed urgent to address the issue of cultural identity in a shrinking globe. Hajj offers Muslims a saving grace, a window of opportunity to invigorate every year the cultural dimensions of faith. Some of the more specific ways of doing this will include the following: Region of the Year – Every Hajj season a region of the world could be selected. There could then be a conference or colloquium on the history and culture of that region, display of the cultural products of the region and pamphlets containing the history of the spread of Islam in the area and such vital information like the statistics of Muslims in the region. At an appropriate location an exhibition of the works of Muslims scholars from this region can be displayed, excerpts from the works of some of the famous pilgrims from the region could also be made available in posters and pamphlets that can be taken back as souvenirs. The value of this will be many-fold. It will stimulate the writing of Muslim history by Muslims themselves; it will make available correct and up-to-date information on Muslims; it will also educate Muslims about Muslims. Many Muslims today may not know that countries like Mozambique and Albania are Muslim countries with some rich Islamic tradition. Some Core Values – Since culture is largely the manifestation of values, each year one of the core values which inform Muslim cultures can be identified and made a subject of writing, talks and discussion during Hajj. Scholars from different part of the Muslim world can be asked to write on the various cultural manifestation of this value. This way over time a lot of Muslim culture will be documented and preserved for generations to come. Values of the Future – We must avoid always looking back at our history, important as it is, we must also look into the future. In the increasingly competitive and high-tech world of today, Muslims must cultivate those values, which alone can create the frame of mind suitable for development. For in order for the Ummah to survive and thrive we have to compete and excel in the current terrain. Very much like the so-called Protestant ethics of the past centuries stimulated the development of capitalism; Muslims must look ahead and develop those values, which are essential to the development of the Ummah today. These can be propagated during the Hajj season, for this way they can reach every corner of the globe easily. Literacy and Literary Culture – Literacy is not just a skill, it is a culture which Muslims gave to the world but today have ironically abandoned. Reading culture and literary activity is fast being lost and must be revived. An annual literary competition from the different parts of the Muslim World should help revive this important aspect of our culture. Computer Culture – This is a universal culture which, Muslims appear to be slow in imbibing. Though its growth is contingent on the IT policies and facilities in different countries, it is important that Muslims are sensitized to its significance. This must not be left for the elite to decide, it must be given a popular push and what better place to do this than the Hajj. Some might find this a little incongruent since computer has not developed a spiritual face, as yet. This should not be a problem. The thing to emphasise here is that for as long as it remains the most effective tool of communication it becomes an essential tool for conveying the message of Islam, it values as well as its culture; if only because all that has been suggested above must be on a web-site for world wide access.   Usman Bugaje, February 2001. References: 1. See Long, D. E., The Hajj Today, New York, 1979. 2. Ibid.