Surah Al-Haj 22:26-33 - Quran Translation Commentary

26. And when We fixed for Ibrahim the site of the (Sacred) House,⁴² (saying) : “Ascribe nothing as partner to Me, and keep My House clean for those who make the round thereof, and those who stand upright and those who bow and prostrate themselves.”⁴³

27. And proclaim to mankind ‘Hajj’ (the pilgrimage)⁴⁴ -They will come to you on foot, and also on lean she-camels; they will come from every distant quarter.⁴⁵

28. So that they may witness things that are of benefit ⁴⁶ to them, and invoke the name of Allah over the cattle He has given them, on the appointed days,⁴⁷,⁴⁸ Eat of their flesh yourselves and feed the distressed poor.⁴⁹

29. Then let them remove their uncleanliness,⁵⁰ fulfill their vows,⁵¹ and go round the Ancient House.⁵²

30. That (are the rituals of the Hajj). And whoever reveres the sacred rites of Allah, it will be well for him in the sight of his Lord.⁵³ The (flesh of) cattle is lawful to you except what has been revealed to you⁵⁴ (to avoid). So shun the filth of idols,⁵⁵ and shun lying speech.⁵⁶

31. (Be) true (in faith) to Allah, associating none with Him;⁵⁷ and he who associates others with Him, it is as if he has fallen from the sky and the birds have snatched him or the wind has blown him to a far off place.⁵⁸

32. That is (the reality). And whoever reveres the symbols of Allah, it is surely from the devotion of the hearts.⁵⁹

33. In them (animals for sacrifice) are benefits for you for an appointed term, and then their place of sacrifice is at the ancient House.⁶⁰

Commentary

42. That is: The land of Makkah was selected by God for the construction of the House of Ka’ba, and the selection of the actual site was also done by Him only. What Prophet Ibrahim did was in obedience of the command of Allah.

It may be noted that Qur’an declares Prophet Ibrahim to be the builder of the House of Ka’ba, and it does not make any reference to its having been built by Prophet Adam, and subsequently it had been struck by the deluge of Nooh’s period, and that Prophet Ibrahim had only re-built it. No authentic hadith supports these presumptions. Therefore, those narratives on the basis of which some commentators make such statements are not worthy to find a place in a commentary as they are not commensurate with the statements in the Qur’an.

(For further explanation, see Surah Aal-i- Imran, Note No.117)

43. This direction was given to Prophet Ibrahim so that from the very first day the very purpose of building of the House of Allah might become quite clear, and his followers might make this direction an inviolable rule of their life. To keep the house clean means to keep it clean from the idols particularly, and also from other impurities of evil acts.

44. When the House of Ka’ba was built. Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to make a general proclamation of Pilgrimage. The meaning of this proclamation was : Firstly, this House is not reserved for any particular tribe, community, nation or residents of a specific locality, but that it is a place of worship for all people. Let the people come here and worship Allah alone.

Secondly the speciality of this House is that the Hajj pilgrimage is linked and related with this House only. The distinctive feature of the Hajj pilgrimage is that here a slave’s presence has to be in a particular way and it is a worship that creates a deep attachment and love with Allah and which imprints a regard for tawheed.

Thirdly the general proclamation for Hajj was in reality a general call for the people to accept monotheism and to worship the one and only God. In other words it was a declaration that the people should rush to their Lord and should make this House a retreat for worshipping Him.

45. That is: They will come for the pilgrimage from so far off that by traversing the long distances their camels would have become lean. In the time of Prophet Ibrahim the means of travel in the desert was camel only, that is why a mention of this animal has been made here. And today people use all media of travels, motor-cars, buses, ships, steamers, aeroplanes, etc. for coming to Makkah from far off places, and every year in the Sacred Mosque a gathering of more than two million monotheists takes place.

46. It does not mean that the people should see their material and social benefits in this, for the command to perform this pilgrimage has not been given for material benefits, but the objective is religious benefit, because Hajj is a worship of high quality. The well known commentator, Allama Jussas,writes :

“By benefits and profits the worldly benefits cannot be meant, for in that case the call for Hajj will be a call that has been given for seeking worldly benefits, though the meaning of Hajj is tawaf, (going round), sa’i (running), wuquf-e- Arfah and Muzdalfah (staying in Arfah and Muzdalfah), sacrifice, and other rituals. Material benefits accrue from it incidentally, but they are not the main objectives.” -(AhkamulQur’an -Vol III, p. 237).

The greatest religious benefit from the Hajj is the concept of one’s being in Allah’s presence. For this reason, the pilgrims chant “Labbaik”, (O Allah ! I am present ). Then the observation of the House of Allah, and other divine symbols creates a sense of strength in one’s faith, in love for Allah and attachment to Him. It also develops and nourishes pious feeling, patience in hardships and zeal for striving in His path, and also of obedience, submission and sacrifice. It makes the outlines of the history of Islam to come out in relief before one’s mind. Respect and regard is increased for Prophets, Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (May Allah’ blessings and peace be upon them), whose great deeds have illuminated the history of the House of Ka’ba. This soul-nourishing universal gathering presents the objective of the Muslim Ummah’s existence in a perceptible form, and the most important fact is that the sense of expressing humility in the presence of Allah, His worship and of meeting Him creates in man a spirit which is a great strength and valuable blessing for a Muslim to pass a God-fearing and faithful life in this world. As for the material and worldly benefits, they are incidental gifts of the Hajj.

47. Means the appointed days for the sacrifice and ‘Ayyam-i-Tashreeq.’ These are the 10th,11th, 12th and 13th day of the month of Zil-Hajj. In the hadith, it is stated that-

“All the days of Tashreeq are the days for sacrifice.”

This is a hadith from Musnad-i-Ahmed, and quoting it in the ‘Manasikul Hajj wal Umrah’, Allama Nasiruddin has stated that according to him this hadith is authentic by all methods of checking. -(Page -34)

48. Means that sacrifice (hadi) which is one of the rites of the Hajj. This sacrifice is lawful of only those animals which are domestic, viz. camel, cow, sheep, goat, whether male or female. (This is clear from Surah An’am, ayat Nos. 143-144 and also from the hadith. And the editor of Fiqhus Sunnah, Sayed Sabiq, has written that there is consensus on this point. (Ibid Vol. I, p.737).

49.It explains that there is no Shariah restriction in the matter of eating and feeding the flesh of the sacrificed animal (hadi), that is its command is not like that of ‘sokhti’ (whose flesh may be devoured by fire), which was for the Jews, as is clear from the Bible. But it is an easy and simple shariah, which is exactly like the ways of Prophet Ibrahim.

The feeding of the needy by the flesh of the sacrificed animals is specifically recommended, but it has not been laid down as the main purpose of the sacrifice, but the main objective of the sacrifice, as has been stated above, is to sacrifice the domestic animals in the name of Allah, i.e. it is an act of worship and other benefits that accrue from it are of secondary importance.

The polytheists sacrifice domestic animals in the name of idols and gods and goddesses, but Islam has reserved and specified this worship for the sake of Allah only, by adopting which man becomes a follower of monotheism. Therefore, if on account of certain circumstances, it is not possible to distribute the flesh among the needy and poor or it is not possible to utilise the flesh in any way, even then offering sacrifice is necessary. By offering the sacrifice of a domestic animal in the name of Allah the objective of the sacrifice is achieved, and the utilisation of the sacrificed animal is not conditional with this offer of sacrifice. In the hadith also the shedding of the blood of the animal has been declared to be a virtuous act. The real appreciation of this act can be realised when the importance of tawheed is understood by man, and when the appreciation of the worship is recognised by him. If the real importance of the sacrifice were to be that of the flesh, then in the previous shariah there would not have been the command to burn the flesh, but those who do not have the real importance of the sacrifice in their view, they, in conditions where arrangements for utilisation of the flesh may not be possible, consider the actual sacrifice as useless and try to seek other alternative measures in the form of charity, although man has no authority to seek alternative for an act which is expressly of the nature of worship. And if we seek innovations by using our intellect in the matters of worship then the entire system of the religion will be adversely affected.

50. That is : The dirt, etc., that is collected on account of the restrictions of the ‘ahram’ should be removed, The condition of ‘ahram’ is a special condition, in which cutting of hair, nail cutting and applying scent, etc. are forbidden. That is why cleanliness’ cannot be maintained as in the ordinary circumstances. But after the sacrifices haircutting is undertaken and ‘ahram’ is removed.

51. The word ‘Nazr’ used here is explained in Surah Baqarah, Note No.450. Here the mention of the ‘Nazr’ is specifically made so that if anybody has taken a pledge (Nazr) about the sacrifice, he should fulfill it.

52. In view of the addressees of the Qur’an, the House of Ka’ba is termed as the Ancient House, for two and a half thousand years before the revelation of the Qur’an, it was built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (Peace be upon them). Its being ancient manifests its being historic.

After shaving the head or cutting the hair, it is necessary to reach Makkah from Mina and to go round the House of Ka’ba (tawaf). It is called the ‘tawaf-i-Ifadah (or ‘tawaf-i-Ziyarah’). It is an item of the ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage.

53. The things to be venerated comprise of divine symbols as well as divine rituals. Symbols comprise of Ka’ba, the Sacred Mosque, Safa, Marwah and the sacrifice, and they are to be shown due veneration as desired by the Shariah. For example, the respect to be offered to Safa and Marwah is to be “sa’i” (running) between them. During this running, a man puts his foot on these grounds but that is not considered disrespectful. Similarly while coming out from the sacred Mosque, a man turns his back towards the House of Ka’ba, but it is not considered disrespectful. But if a man considering turning the back towards Ka’ba to be disrespectful and for this reason he walks backward, then it will be a bida’ (innovation). Similarly the cover that is to be placed on the House of Ka’ba is brought in a procession, that also would amount to be introducing a bid’at, for this kind of respect in the religion is a new method.

54.Points to Surah Nahl, ayah No. 115, in which the flesh of unslaughtered animals being unlawful, etc., has been mentioned.

Here the mention of the domestic animals being lawful has been made with reference to what is stated above. The idea is to clarify that Allah has definitely given command to show respects to His rites and symbols, but that He has not given command to show respect to these things on the basis of polytheism and superstition. This is also a pointer to the practice of the polytheists of Makkah who had declared the cattle named as ‘Bahira’ and ‘Saibah’ -that it was a wrong practice. The veneration of the cow also comes under this category.

55. The filth of idols means that filth of belief and action which accrues from believing in idolatry. Such people indulge in superstitious and absurd acts and ideas and have a filthy mentality.

56. On account of idolatry and polytheism man utters such falsehoods against God which are absolutely untrue. Such people indulge in self invented religious rites, and declare certain animals as sacred, and when these people come into power they make laws declaring unlawful that which Allah had made lawful and declaring lawful which Allah had forbidden. In the hadith the evidence in favour of falsehood has been termed as a great sin:

“The Messenger of Allah (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) stated: “May I not tell you what are the greatest sins among the major sins ?” We said: “Sure, O Messenger of Allah!” He said: “To join partners with Allah, and to cut off relations with the parents.” He was resting, so he sat up and said: “Listen! False speech and false evidence (witness).”

57. That is: Adopt the belief of monotheism, and stick to it, without mixing it with any kind of polytheism.

58. This is the example of the consequence of polytheism. When a man commits the sin of polytheism, he falls from the height of nature, Immediately on his falling he is picked up by the birds who tear him to shreds. Another example is that when he falls from the height, he is carried away by the winds and thrown into a pit. And is a fact that as a consequence of polytheism man becomes a victim of his carnal desires, and these desires carry him to lowly depths and throw him into the pit of destruction. Therefore, a polytheist cannot achieve the height of serious thinking and that his thinking takes him intellectually and morally to the lowly depths of ideas.

And the sacrificial camels, We have appointed them among the symbols of Allah. There is much good for you in them. So pronounce the name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines, and when they have fallen down on their sides, eat of their flesh and feed with it the contented and the beggar.Thus We have subjected them to you so that you may give thanks. (Al-Quran)

59. Paying respects to the divine symbols and rites is not merely a formality, but it is connected with the piety of the heart. By seeing the divine ceremonies a sense of greatness of Allah is created in the hearts, and the concept of Allah’s greatness creates awe and piety.

60. Milk of the animals for sacrifice (hadi) can be drunk and they can also be utilised for riding and transportation. Then their place of sacrifice is near the House of Allah. In the hadith there is a clarification that sacrifice can be performed in Mina and also in Makkah :

“Mina is a full sacrificial place, and all roads of Makkah are sacrificial places. -(Abu Dawood- Kitabus Siyam).

In other words the sacrificial place or the slaughter house is wide, from the place near Baitullah to Mina, but since the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) had performed the sacrifice in Mina on the occasion of the Hajj, to perform sacrifice in Mina is ‘masnoon’ (traditional), and looking to the cleanliness of the Sacred Mosque, it is proper to follow this example.