Islam Guidance

FORSAKER OF HAJJ IS NOT HUMAN

FORSAKER OF HAJJ IS NOT HUMAN
As we have previously mentioned, the visitation of God's House is a sign of man's thankfulness to his Benefactor, a prerequisite for courtesy, man's human quality, a cause of distinction from animals, and a means to win God's favor and obtain all blessings in the world and the Hereafter. How inhuman it would be then for a man not to consider himself duty-bound to visit his Benefactor and to offer his thanks to Him! What is more inhuman is that God invites man to His House but man ignores such an invitation! Such heedlessness arises from the inner unbelief of one who ?disbelieves, then surely Allah is Self-Sufficient above any need of the worlds. (The Holy Quran; 3:97)?

It is worth mentioning that according to the Holy Quran and traditions, unbelief has different stages one of which is disbelief in the secondary precepts. This kind of disbelief does not lead to abiding in Hell forever unless it arises from disbelief in the fundamentals of the religion. Such disbelief is equal to atheism and subject to abiding in Hell forever. قَال: قُلتُ فَمَن لم يَحُجَّ منّا فقدْ كَفَرَ؟ قال: لا، ولَكِنْ مَن قَالَ ليسَ هَذا هَكَذا فَقدْ كَفَرَ.
It is related that Imam Kazim (a.s), as was asked about the forsaker of Hajj, said:
?The forsaker of Hajj is not unbeliever, but if a man denies that Hajj is obligatory, he is then unbeliever.?2
The late Faiz says: ?The forsaker of Hajj is not unbeliever, for unbelief is related to ideology and not practice.?
He also says:
____________
1 Rak'at is unit of a prayer.
2 See al-Wafi; vol. 2 Chapter: Hajj section 17

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

( 37 )
وإنمَّا يمُوتُ يهودِياً أَو نصرَانِياً لأنَّهُ لوِ اعتَقَدَها لأتَى بِها مَع عَدَمِ المانِعِ والاستِطاعَةِ وتَوَقُّعِ الفَوتِ بالمَوتِ.
?One who forsakes Hajj without having an excuse will die as a Jew or Christian because he would have performed Hajj had he believed in its obligation taking in consideration that he is able to do it and that he should have expected he might die at any moment before being able to perform it.?1

• Prev
• Next