22:27 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

{ وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ } أي: أعلمهم به، وادعهم إليه، وبلغ دانيهم وقاصيهم، فرضه وفضيلته، فإنك إذا دعوتهم، أتوك حجاجا وعمارا، رجالا، أي: مشاة على أرجلهم من الشوق، { وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ } أي: ناقة ضامر، تقطع المهامه والمفاوز، وتواصل السير، حتى تأتي إلى أشرف الأماكن، { مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ } أي: من كل بلد بعيد، وقد فعل الخليل عليه السلام، ثم من بعده ابنه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، فدعيا الناس إلى حج هذا البيت، وأبديا في ذلك وأعادا، وقد حصل ما وعد الله به، أتاه الناس رجالا وركبانا من مشارق الأرض ومغاربها

وقوله " وأذن في الناس بالحج " أي ناد في الناس بالحج داعيا لهم إلى الحج إلى هذا البيت الذي أمرناك ببنائه فذكر أنه قال يا رب كيف أبلغ الناس وصوتي لا ينفذهم فقال ناد وعلينا البلاغ فقام على مقامه وقيل على الحجر وقيل على الصفا وقيل على أبي قبيس وقال: يا أيها الناس إن ربكم قد اتخذ بيتا فحجوه فيقال إن الجبال تواضعت حتى بلغ الصوت أرجاء الأرض وأسمع من في الأرحام والأصلاب وأجابه كل شيء سمعه من حجر ومدر وشجر ومن كتب الله أنه يحج إلى يوم القيامة لبيك اللهم لبيك هذا مضمون ما ورد عن ابن عباس ومجاهد وعكرمة وسعيد بن جبير وغير واحد من السلف والله أعلم وأوردها ابن جرير وابن أبي حاتم مطولة وقوله " يأتوك رجالا وعلى كل ضامر " الآية قد يستدل بهذه الآية من ذهب من العلماء إلى أن الحج ماشيا لمن قدر عليه أفضل من الحج راكبا لأنه قدمهم في الذكر فدل على الاهتمام بهم وقوة هممهم وشدة عزمهم وقال وكيع عن أبي العميس عن أبي حلحلة عن محمد بن كعب عن ابن عباس قال شيء إلا أني وددت أني كنت حججت ماشياً لأن الله يقول " يأتوك رجالا " والذي عليه الأكثرون أن الحج راكبا أفضل اقتداء برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فإنه حج راكبا مع كمال قوته عليه السلام وقوله " يأتين من كل فج " يعني طريق كما قال " وجعلنا فيها فجاجا سبلا " وقوله " عميق " أي بعيد قاله مجاهد وعطاء والسدي وقتادة ومقاتل ابن حيان والثوري وغير واحد وهذه الآية كقوله تعالى إخبارا عن إبراهيم حيث قال في دعائه " فاجعل أفئدة من الناس تهوي إليهم " فليس أحد من أهل الإسلام إلا وهو يحن إلى رؤية الكعبة والطواف والناس يقصدونها من سائر الجهات والأقطار.

Building of the Ka`bah and the Proclamation of the Hajj

This is a rebuke to those among Quraysh who worshipped others than Allah and joined partners with Him in the place which from the outset had been established on the basis of Tawhid and the worship of Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. Allah tells us that He showed Ibrahim the site of the `Atiq House, i.e., He guided him to it, entrusted it to him and granted him permission to build it. Many scholars take this as evidence to support their view that Ibrahim was the first one to build the House and that it was not built before his time. It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that Abu Dharr said, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which Masjid was the first to be built' He said,

«الْمَسْجِدُ الْحَرَام»

(Al-Masjid Al-Haram.) I said, `Then which' He said,

«بَيْتُ الْمَقْدِس»

(Bayt Al-Maqdis.) I said, `How long between them' He said,

«أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَة»

(Forty years.)" And Allah says:

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكاً

(Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing) 3:96 until the end of following two Ayat. Allah says:

وَعَهِدْنَآ إِلَى إِبْرَهِيمَ وَإِسْمَـعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَالْعَـكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

(and We commanded Ibrahim and Isma`il that they should purify My House for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I`tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves.) 2:125 And Allah says here:

أَن لاَّ تُشْرِكْ بِى شَيْئاً

(Associate not anything with Me,) meaning, `Build it in My Name Alone.'

وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِىَ

(and sanctify My House) Qatadah and Mujahid said, "And purify it from Shirk.

لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَالْقَآئِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

(for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up, and those who bow, and make prostration (in prayer)) means, `and make it purely for those who worship Allah Alone, with no partner or associate.' What is meant by "those who circumambulate it" is obvious, since this is an act of worship that is done only at the Ka`bah and not at any other spot on earth.

وَالْقَآئِمِينَ

(and those who stand up) means, in prayer. Allah says:

وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

(and those who bow, and make prostration.) Tawaf and prayer are mentioned together because they are not prescribed together anywhere except in relation to the House. Tawaf is done around the Ka`bah and prayer is offered facing its direction in the majority of cases, with a few exceptions, such as when one is uncertain of the direction of the Qiblah, during battle and when praying optional prayers while traveling. And Allah knows best.

وَأَذِّن فِى النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ

(And proclaim to mankind the Hajj) meaning, `announce the pilgrimage to mankind and call them to perform pilgrimage to this House which We have commanded you to build.' It was said that Ibrahim said: "O Lord, how can I convey this to people when my voice will not reach them" It was said: "Call them and We will convey it." So Ibrahim stood up and said, "O mankind! Your Lord has established a House so come on pilgrimage to it." It is said that the mountains lowered themselves so that his voice would reach all the regions of the earth, and those who were still in their mothers' wombs and their fathers' loins would hear the call. The response came from everyone in the cities, deserts and countryside, and those whom Allah has decreed will make the pilgrimage, until the Day of Resurrection: "At Your service, O Allah, at Your service." This is a summary of the narrations from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr and others among the Salaf. And Allah knows best. This was recorded by Ibn Jarir and by Ibn Abi Hatim at length.

يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ

(They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel,) This Ayah was used as evidence by those scholars whose view is that Hajj performed on foot by those who are able, is better than Hajj performed riding, because the phrase "on foot" is mentioned first, and because it is an indication of their keenness and resolve. Waki` narrated from Abu Al-`Umays from Abu Halhalah from Muhammad bin Ka`b that Ibn `Abbas said, "I do not regret anything except for the fact that I wish I had performed Hajj on foot, because Allah says,

يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً

(They will come to you on foot)." But the majority are of the view that performing Hajj while riding is better, following the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, because he performed Hajj riding, although his physical ability was sound.

يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ

(they will come from every Fajj) means every route, as Allah says:

وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلاً

(and We placed therein Fijaj for them to pass) 21:31.

عَميِقٍ

(`Amiq) means dis- tant. This was the view of Mujahid, `Ata', As-Suddi, Qatadah, Muqatil bin Hayan, Ath-Thawri and others. This Ayah is like the Ayah in which Allah tells us how Ibrahim prayed for his family,

فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مَّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِى إِلَيْهِمْ

(So fill some hearts among men with love towards them) 14:37. There is no one among the Muslims who does not long to see the Ka`bah and perform Tawaf, people come to this spot from every corner of the world.

And announce call out among the people the season for Pilgrimage. Thus he cried out from the top of the mountain of Abū Qubays ‘O people your Lord has built a House and has made pilgrimage to it an obligation upon you so respond to the call of your Lord’ turning his face to the right and to the left to the east and to the west; and every one of those for whom the performance of the pilgrimage had been preordained by God from among the loins of men and the wombs of women responded to him thus ‘At Your service our Lord we are at Your service’ labbayka’Llāhumma labbayk. The response to the command clause is the following and they shall come to you on foot walking rijāl plural of rājil similar in pattern to qā’im ‘standing’ and its plural qiyām and riding on every lean camel that is on every emaciated camel dāmir this term may be used to refer to both male and female camels. They shall come that is the lean camels by grammatical agreement with the feminine verb form from every deep ravine from every distant route

The third command given to Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was أَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ (Announce among people about the obligation of Hajj - 22:2'7). Ibn Abi Hatim has related from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that when Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was commanded by Allah to make this proclamation, he submitted that the place where he stood was an uninhabited desolate plane with nobody to hear the proclamation whereas he lacked the means to convey it to the populated areas. Allah Ta’ ala then told him that he was required only to make the proclamation and the responsibility for conveying it to the four corners of the world rested with Himself, that is Allah Ta’ ala. Thereupon Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) stood at مقام ابراھیم (Station of Ibrahim) and made the proclamation and Allah Ta’ ala magnified his voice so that it was heard all round the earth. It is also related that he made the proclamation from the top of the mount Abu Qubais (جبل أبی قبَیس). He put his fingers in his ears, turned his face in four directions and called out "0 people! Allah has established His House and made it obligatory upon you to make pilgrimage to it. So obey the command of your Lord."

It is also mentioned in this narration that Allah Ta’ ala so decreed that the announcement was heard miraculously all over the world, not only by the people living then, but also by all those yet to be born upto the Day of Resurrection. And all those who are destined to perform the pilgrimage responded to the call with the words اللَّھُمَّ لَبَّیک لَبَّیک . Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that the Talbiyah during the pilgrimage has its origin in this response to the call of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . (Qurtubi, Mazhari)

Further on, the verse describes the tradition which has been established for all times as a result of the proclamation of Sayyidna Ibrahim namely يَأْتُوكَ رِ‌جَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ‌ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ (22:28) meaning that people will come to Baitullah from the four corners of the earth, some on foot and others on their mounts, which will become lean because of the long distances traversed by them. From that remote time until today, though thousands of years have elapsed, people come to Baitullah to perform pilgrimage, just as they did in the earliest times. All the prophets who came after Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and their followers strictly observed this tradition. During the long period of ignorance after Sayyidna ` Isa' (علیہ السلام) ، the Arabs, even though they lapsed into the evils of idolatry, yet they continued to perform very faithfully all the rituals of the pilgrimage precisely as they had inherited them from the time of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) .