One of our readers has sent me a question asking about the “greater pilgrimage”, or Haj-e-Akbar, and whether it is true that if one offers the pilgrimage in a year when this type occurs, one receives four times the reward of a normal pilgrimage.
He does not give me any criterion by which the pilgrimage is decided whether to be of the normal or the greater type. But I have to assume that he is referring to a pilgrimage when the day of attendance at Arafat coincides with a Friday. There is a common notion that when this is the case, then the reward for the pilgrimage is doubled seven times. He, however, mentions that it is four times, which suggests that this is the notion held among certain Muslim communities.
There is no justification for this commonly held notion, and there is nothing to distinguish a pilgrimage when the Arafat day is a Friday. God has promised any pilgrim who offers his worship with devotion and dedication the prime reward of complete forgiveness of past sins, in addition to what He may wish to add to their reward in the hereafter. This applies in all years, generations and centuries.
The term, Al-Haj Al-Akbar, which is often quoted in this context, is taken to mean the “grand pilgrimage”, but this is a misconception. In the Qur’an the phrase, Yawm Al-Haj Al-Akbar, is used, but it is largely misinterpreted. It means “the grand day of pilgrimage,” while people tend to take it to mean “the day of the grand pilgrimage”. The first meaning is the correct one, and it refers to either the day of Arafat or the following day, when the pilgrims have four duties to perform.
God’s greetings and blessings
One of our readers wonders how can God send His greetings and darood to His own creation, the Prophet (peace be on him). Let me say first of all that I do not know the precise meaning of the word darood. I have a vague idea of its meaning, but I will not deal with it since answering the first part will cover it.
When we mention the name of the Prophet, we are strongly recommended to pray God to bestow His peace and blessings on him. How does God do it is a matter that should not be of concern to us. God bestows His grace on whomever He will. We see aspects of that grace in our lives all the time. That is why we should praise Him and express our gratitude to Him for all His blessings. He is certainly able to let the Prophet be aware of our greetings and prayers. How does God do it is a matter that belongs to the realm that lies beyond the reach of our perception. We believe in it although we do not comprehend it.
Now does God greet His creation? Yes indeed. Take the case of Lady Khadeejah, the first wife of the Prophet. Once the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet and told him to give Khadeejah greetings from her Lord and the happy news that she will have a house in heaven where she will enjoy perfect peace, free from all trouble. This is a concrete case of a message given through the angel and the Prophet to a certain woman of God’s creation. Surely God does not need to send anyone in order to give a particular servant of His a greeting or a blessing. He just bestows it on him or her, and that is all.
