ALEH wrote: Volume 2, Book 26, Number 595: Narrated 'Aisha: (the mother of the faithful believers) I said, "O Allah's Apostle! We consider Jihad as the best deed." The Prophet said, "The best Jihad (for women) is Hajj Mabrur   Salam Alaikoam We can make Hajj to our lives, our families, communities, Nations, World and Mecca or what ever place a person deems to be Holy.

Aleh, right when I think I have seen the craziest, lunatic interpretations of Islam, you out do yourself. No, there is no such ideas about Hajj that you are conveying, and your beliefs are heretical, and deviated. With all of the fringe, feel good new age movements such as eckankar, you have to pick my faith to not only claim as your own, but impose nutty persoanl ideas onto that are not a part of the faith. You are misrepresenting Islam, and preaching ideas that are deviant, and not found in Islam. Hajj is not some new age feel good journey, it is a serious religous obligation for those who are healthy enough, and can afford it. Instead of preaching absolute nonsense about it and attaching cheap dime store attributes to it, why don't you actually study it with someone of knoweldge, or else look to one of the "new age" faiths that already teach your deviated ideas as truth. That way, the faith is already set up for your personal assumptions and "feelings", and you do not have to molest its basic tenents ( like Islam) to fit your delusion.

Alaikoam Salam

Adula your intitled to your opinions and understanding of Islam and I am free to understand and believe as I do.

There is nothing wrong with making Hajj or Pilgrimage to yourself and your situation if you need to maybe this is more important than travelling to another part of the world.

No more delusional than believing a religion from Allah, God, the Creator would encourage or preach violence, hum rather than Peace.

Calling me crazed or delusional is not setting a very good example as why then would anyone else want to bother sharing their understanding or questions of Islam when we are going to be treated with disrespect.

Making Hajj or Pilgrimage in the way I suggest is excellent Dawah and a way to serve Allah, God, The Creator by taking a sacride journey to one's self is not selfish nor ignorant it is important as when we take time to address our life and life situation it may prompt us to seek out the Education, Counseling and Consultation we need or where we can be of service to ourselves, our families, our community, our Nation and World is a way to respect ourselves and others.

Sometimes it is more important to visit what is inside us rather than places in the world.

Salam

Anne Marie Elderkin Habibi

Volume 3, Book 49, Number 857:

Umm, hmmmm....

Hey Andalus.  Can I ask a favor or either you or Fatima?

Could you put together a small piece on what the Hajj really is and stands for in the Islam for Non-Muslims section????

I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with...

ALEH wrote: Education, Counseling and Consultation

Alaikoam Salam Angela

Actually Hajj is about purification of the mind, body and soul and it is within keeping of Hajj to recieve Education, Counseling and Consultation to prepare yourself for Hajj or Pilgrimage.

I do not write to confuse anyone just show other people have different views about the same subject and that is okay.

After all that is how we learn and grow if we didn't we would not have all the technological and medical break throughs we have had.  Nor literary excellence as well.

As a Muslim first I am free to share my beliefs and opinions and we are all free to do that.

Besides people living in fear of expressing their opinions or beliefs is no way to live.

Salam

Anne Marie

ALEH wrote:   Alaikoam Salam Angela Actually Hajj is about purification of the mind, body and soul and it is within keeping of Hajj to recieve Education, Counseling and Consultation to prepare yourself for Hajj or Pilgrimage. I do not write to confuse anyone just show other people have different views about the same subject and that is okay. After all that is how we learn and grow if we didn't we would not have all the technological and medical break throughs we have had.  Nor literary excellence as well. As a Muslim first I am free to share my beliefs and opinions and we are all free to do that. Besides people living in fear of expressing their opinions or beliefs is no way to live. Salam Anne Marie

Bismillah,

All of the ideas you have here about family, counseling, self and community growth, are great and commendable.  And scholars have actually talked about spiritual Hajjs like this before.  But there is, unfortunately, only one physical Hajj, to Mecca.

Maybe you could re-think your choice of words, and look into what others before you have said.  Because your ideas are noteworthy and have been mentioned before by other Muslims, just your choice of wording lacks propriety.  Since Allah, The All-Knowing has encouraged our physical Hajj, we would do well to follow that wording for the trip to Mecca, and use subtler words for the other kinds of trips.

Salaamu Alaykum

Salam Alaikoam

Respectfully brothers and sisters there are a lot of people suffering from various kinds of ignorance, violence and abuses and if we can take a sacride Hajj or Pilgrimage to our lives and get help addressing these issues I feel this is diserving of the word Hajj also.

As if people understand how sacride life is, our lives then maybe they would start this sacride journey and get help so they don't beat or abuse their wife, children, maybe people thinking of sexually abusing children would make this sacride journey and reach out to counseling and doctors for help, maybe someone with anger management problems might get help too if encourage that this activity is sacride too and worthy of undertaking.

I my self have made this sacride journey to overcome abuses in my life from others and even a little abuse on my part that had to be addressed and I believe and feel my journey and the journey of others like me is sacride as our lives are sacride and worth the effort.

I mean no disrespect I just feel giving the Hajj I discribed creditability might encourage people to do it before they go to Mecca or the Holy Land or where ever they deem to be Holy so when they get there they are truely ready with a clean slate/conscience having dealt with all their issues first.  It seems rather unIslamic to go to Hajj in Mecca if everyday you beat your wife and children and do not do something to change the absuive behavior. ehh

There is hope we are that hope.

Salam

Anne Marie Elderkin Habibi

Bismillah irrahman irrahim

Assalamu alaikum

Hi angela, alhamdulillah we are already working on this and we will post the basics of our pillars in 'pillars of islam' section. Thank you for you consideration.

Now sister Aleh can you please stop calling your desired journeys 'Hajj'. If you want your message of education, counseling and consultation to carry on, you can call it pilgrimage but not Hajj. Sister this is your first warning from IC Moderators, if you dont stop with this we will have to take the extreme measures and I am sure you would not want that.

wassalam

Salam Alaikoam Sister Fatima

As a person free to share my beliefs in this inter faith forum I feel if I have another view on a term which could benifit people I should share it.  I feel using this term in the way I did might encourage people to take this sacride journey and explore their lives and see where they need Education, Counseling and Consultation thus preparing themselves for the actual Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca or where ever they deem to be a Holy place.  So I do not feel I am doing anything that would make anyone want to take some negative action on.

Salam

Anne Marie

ALEH wrote:   Salam Alaikoam Sister Fatima As a person free to share my beliefs in this inter faith forum I feel if I have another view on a term which could benifit people I should share it.  I feel using this term in the way I did might encourage people to take this sacride journey and explore their lives and see where they need Education, Counseling and Consultation thus preparing themselves for the actual Hajj or Pilgrimage to Mecca or where ever they deem to be a Holy place.  So I do not feel I am doing anything that would make anyone want to take some negative action on. Salam Anne Marie

There is only one place to make "hajj", that is in Mecca. There is no "Mecca and whatever they deem a holy place".

I am not intrested in hearing your personal philosophies about this statement. You have been warned once. I beg you to please follow the wishes and requests of the gracious moderators (who are far greater than I) who have had kind discussions with you.

Dear Anne Marie,

Could you please consider the words Soul-searching and Spiritual Search and the journey of our minds to better causes and thoughts.

The term Hajj is exclusively reserved for the Annual Ritual in Mecca and Arafat. Umrah is also visiting Mecca but is considered as a visit intended to seek Allah's pleasure.

Salaam Alaikum

BMZ

Salam Alaikoam

I found my old membership info so will be using this username again.

As for terms I will try very hard not to use terms in other ways than prescribed but it is a little confusing because there are 137 sects of Islam and it is a challenge to address issues in ways that makes everyone happy.

So instead of using Hajj I will use Pilgrimage instead or soul journey as BZM suggested.

Salam

Anne Marie Habibi

Dear Anne Marie,

Welcome and I would prefer if you use "soul journey" or "soul-searching journey" and please try to ask all friends here if you have any confusion.

The fundamentals of Islam remain the same in all sects and are never challenged by any sect.

Salaam Alaikum

BMZ