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“Every day is Eid for a believer where he/she doesn’t commit any sin”. Amir al-Momineen Ali ibne Abi Talib’s words on eid penetrates deeply into the heart of even a true believer, as a day without being disobedient to Allah SWT requires a heavy battle against the ill tempered soul.
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Eid in the Arabic language comes from the root word, “al-ouwd” which means to return..The question lies, is one returning from something? Or is the return back towards something else? In many cases, especially after Eid al-Fitr, it is an opportunity to make up for lost time and give in to all that has been made forbidden not just in Ramadhan but throughout the year. Surely this return to ignorance is not the return Imam Ali A.S was talking about.
There is no doubt that the holy month of Ramadhan and the journey of Hajj are strongly linked. In Ramadhan we plead with Allah SWT:
RasulAllah SAW has said, “Only the wretched one does not receive the pardon of Allah in Ramadhan, but if this is so, the only alternative to this is the day of Arafat.” The principle behind Ramadhan and Hajj remains identical, it is the struggle in the way of Allah SWT in order for one to return back only to Him.
There are underlining meanings as to why certain things in Hajj are performed at specific times and locations. The darkness at Muzdalifah is a time where the servant of Allah reflects upon the darkness of his soul. Once mentally prepared, he picks up his weaponry and ammunition ready to go to Mina and concur the Shaytaan from within.
It is then that the believer, who is now content with their soul and has dissociated with everything except his Lord, that he/she moves towards the Holy House and performs the tawaf. The tawaf, which is performed in a circular motion, resembles an atom from a far away glance. Electrons constantly moving around the epicentre, which is the nucleus, much like the now reformed believer, that his/her sole purpose in life revolves around their creator solely, acknowledging unto His oneness.
The Ahlul Bayt A.S have also told us that the walkway between Safa and Marwa has a deep-rooted spiritual meaning behind it. It resembles the struggle from satanic values to Godly values or from the fear of Allah towards the hope of His mercy and in doing this act, we are struggling in this life in order to end up with the reward which is not the creation (i.e. Jannat) but the creator Himself and His proximity.
Drawing the Hajj to a close, it has been made incumbent on the believers to carry out the qurbaani or sacrifice of the animal just how Prophet Ibrahim A.S had done. But when Imam Jaffer Sadiq A.S was asked the significance of this act, he explained that the sacrifice of the animal was to signify that from now, our shahwaa or our internal animal desires should now be cut or removed from our character and to carry on this path to Allah SWT.