Islam Guidance

verse97

(97) جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرامَ قِياماً لِلنَّاسِ وَ الشَّهْرَ الْحَرامَ وَ الْهَدْيَ وَ الْقَلائِدَ ذلِكَ

لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ ما فِي السَّماواتِ وَ ما فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ عَلِيم

97. " Allah has made the Ka'bah, the sacred House, a (means of) staying (in peace) for mankind, and (also) the Sacred Month and the offerings and the (animals with the) garlands. This is so that you may know that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and that Allah is All-Knowing of all things.

Commentary :
As it is cited in Mufradat-i-Raqib, the Arabic word /qiyam/ is a means of staying firm, like the pillar of a tent.
Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said about the Sacred House that it has been called Baytillah-il-Haram because it is 'haram' (forbidden) for the disbelievers to enter it.(1)
When the affairs of people are to be arranged and strengthened, a few things are needed : 1) centrality, 2) security, and 3) sustenance. Allah has set these three things in the Ka'bah and the Sacred House. It is both a center, and no one has a right of quarel there, and the sacrifices are used as a means of nutrition and a means of livelihood for Muslims.
The Qur'anic word /hady/ means 'a signless sacrifice', while the term /qala'id/ refers to the sacrifices with signs.
By Islamic culture, the sacred (forbidden) months, in which fighting is prohibited, are: Rajab, Zil-Gha'dah, Zil-Hajjah, and Muharram.
The plain assembly of millions of Muslims in a sacred place without showing any privileges to each other, and without any dispute or practical quarrel, is peculiar to the advantages of Islam.
There are some divine graces in Hajj, like : asking forgiveness from others at the time of leaving for Hajj and visiting each other when they return from Mecca, commercial splendor, the payment of onefifth levy (khums) and alms, to be acquainted with religious disciplines and nations, being inside the most ancient center of Unity ornamented with no ceremonies, treating the same or tracing the footsteps of prophets, repenting in the lands of 'Arafat and Mash'ar, remembering and illustrating the scene of Hereafter, political parade against infidels, etc.
If we consider them all in mind, we may understand that these programs in Hajj are sourced from the infinite knowledge of Allah, Who is Well-Aware of all things of the world of existence.
Thus, a limited knowledge can never deliver such an interesting instruction.
The verse says:
" Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, a (means of) staying (in peace) for mankind, and (also) the Sacred Month and the offerings and the (animals with the) garlands. This is so that you may know that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and that Allah is All-Knowing of all things."
* * * *

(1) Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, Vol. 1, PP. 680 & 681

• Prev
• Next