Alhumdoelillah! All Praise and all Glory belongs to Almighty Allah Most Exalted, Who out of His Muhabbat for humanity summoned His friend - Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salaam to announce Labbaik from the minaret of history. Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala made the precincts of the Baitullah a sanctuary of security and peace and purged it of all the pagan idols. After the purge it was then made the center of Tawhid and the rendezvous of people from distant lands and a pageant of the solidarity and majesty of the Ummah of His Beloved Nabee - Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. We thank Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala for making the Hajj the inexhaustible resource, a perpetual spring and a perennial stream for this eternal Ummah, which can benefit from it properly on realizing its significance and worth and turn it into a medicine that can cure it of its fatal afflictions. Almighty Allah made Hajj the key to the solidarity and glory of Muslims and a bond of mutual harmony.

Ayyuhal Muslimoon! Hajj is an antidote for many of the afflictions to which Muslims, may fall prey to as a result of separation from their roots, such as: self-alienation, reliance on aliens, gullibility, forgetting Almighty Allah, captivity in the hands of despotic rulers, suspicion towards their brethren and willingness to believe what the enemies of Islam say, insensitivity to the destinies of the Islamic Ummah and lack of vigilance regarding the Fithnah and plots of the enemies against Islam and Muslims. The first point of Hajj is to discover the significance of the great duty and what it means to journey to the Holy Ka'bah. Hajj is a manifestation of Tawhid [monotheism] and the Ka'bah is the home of Tawhid. The repetitive mention of 'remembrance of Allah' [Dhikr Allah] in the noble verses of the Most Holy Qur'an related to Hajj, indicates that presence in this Sanctuary should have the blessed result of wiping out the traces of every agent aside from Allah from the mind and conduct of Muslims.

Beloved Hujjaj! The traces of the various forms of shirk [polytheism] must be wiped out from your lives. In its surroundings, the axis and focus of all movement is Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala'meen. The tawaf [circumambulation of the Ka'bah], the sa'ee [to and fro between Safa and Marwa] the ramy [the pelting of stones] the wuquf [the halt at Arafat] and all other divine rites involved in the Hajj - each of them symbolizes, in its own way, attraction towards Almighty Allah Most Merciful and repulsion from the negation of any"partners" in regard to Almighty Allah Rabbul Izzat. This then is the creed of Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis salaam the great idol breaker and herald of Tawhid who stands at the apex of history.

Shirk does not always have a single form. The Baitullah and the Hajj must serve to identify and negate Shirk in its specific contemporary forms in all ages as well as identify the idols and false deities and their specific manifestations. Hajj with its sacred rites, rituals and places, must revive the spirit of unity, oneness and greatness in all the Muslims of the world and forge a single united Ummah out of the different nations and tribes and then lead that single united Ummah into the secure valley of exclusive service of Almighty Allah and prepare the ground for the realization of His words of Truth as expressed with words of wisdom in verse 92 of Surah Al Anbiya:

"Verily, this Brotherhood of yours is a single
 Brotherhood And I am your Lord and Cherisher;
Therefore serve Me (and no other)."

O you who believe! The formation of a single Ummah committed to the service of Almighty Allah Rabbul Izzat is the great objective of Islam. It is the goal in whose shadow the Muslim nation can realize their individual and collective possibilities. Hajj as instituted by Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salaam and by our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, is also undoubtedly one of the biggest preparatory means and pillars of this great objective. The mysteries and secrets underlying Hajj all of which are meant to revive the Islamic personality of the Muslim individual and to revive the struggle against the agents hostile to it, opens up a new horizon before the hujjaj and draws him or her towards a world of relentless effort and dynamism. The primary duty of each and every pilgrim is to reflect upon these secrets and to exchange views with their Muslim brethren from other countries to find clues and solutions to existing problems confronting the Muslim nation as commanded in verse 103 of Surah Al-I-Imran:

"And hold fast, all together, by the Rope Which Allah
(stretches out for you), And do not be divided."

Today when the Muslims of the world are once again awakening and rising up to the task of struggling for the sake of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala and the aroma of liberty, Muhabbat, and independence and a return to Islam and the Noble Qur'an has filled the atmosphere, it is essential, more than ever before, that they strengthen their bonds with the luminous and miraculous past, with the first era of Islamic struggle and Qiyam for the sake of Allah. It is here, during Hajj where the Islamic memories of this Holy Land are a healing medicine for every thoughtful Muslim, which cure him or her of the disease of weakness, abasement, frustration and pessimism and point to the way of achieving the goals of Islam, which is the ultimate goal of the life and endeavour of every human being endowed with wisdom and profundity.

Yes, it was here in this land where the Beloved of Almighty Allah and his loyal companions - the illustrious Sahaba Ridwanullahi Ta'ala Alayhim Ajma'een bore up all kinds of bitter hardships for some thirteen years so that the sapling of Islam may take roots. It was here that after thirteen long years of adversity, after the tortures suffered by such companions as Bilal, Ammar, Yasir, Summayyah, and Abdullah ibn Masud [Allah's blessings upon them all]. It was here after the long and fruitless journeys of the Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam through the settlements of the tribes of Makkah and Ta'if that the Oath of Allegiance with the people of Yatrib took place in Aqabah, leading to the most fruitful migration to Madinah al Munawwarah which was soon followed by the establishment of the Islamic State.

It was here in the Hijaz that the victory at the Battle of Badr, the defeat of Uhud, the hardships of Khandaq and the testing event of Hudaybiyyah took place. It was here that sincerity and Jihad resulted in victory and the love of possessions and booty ended in failure. It was here that the Most Holy and Noble Qur'an was revealed verse by verse and the foundations of Islamic culture and civilization and the pure life of Islam were laid brick by brick. It is by contemplating and reliving this past that the hujjaj establishes a constructive bond with his or her future. It makes him or her discover the path of life and its goal as well as the dangers of the way. It picture before one's eyes the future course of this movement and prepares him or her traversing this path. It makes him or her overcome the doubts caused by the feeling of weakness, humiliation and fear of the enemy. All these are parts of the great blessings of Hajj.

It is the pride inspired by a nation's glorious past that can inspire the weak and the desperate to hopeful effort and endeavour. The foundations of that prestigious and glorious history were laid in the beginning with the blessed movement of the early Muslims based on Qiyam for the sake of Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala'meen and commitment to the liberating and constructive laws of Islam. It was here following the difficult days of estrangement, and persecution at Makkah and the great struggle at Madinah that the infant called "the Islamic society" grew up into a strong, united and intelligent youth as a result of the blessings of the struggles waged in the land of the Hijaz.

Ayyuhal Muslimoon! It was here where through the course of several centuries, it carried the torch of knowledge and science and flew the banner of statesmanship and power all over the world. All that greatness was a product of the greatness of the struggle waged at Makkah and Madinah. It was here in Makkah and Madinah, the home of Divine Revelations where the Divine Blessings descended on a small community of steadfast human beings possessing faith, who, with the blessings of their faith in the Divine verses of the Holy Qur'an and obedience to them, could arise from the depths of abasement wherein they dwelled and, obtaining a freedom worthy of man, raised the banner of human liberation and liberty from the domination of the empires of the times that recognized only power and wealth as values.

All these were the blessings of the teachings of Islam and the Divine government of the era of Nabee Muhammad ibn Abdullah - Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam, and a period the early era of Islam. Every inch of the Hijaz is reminiscent of the era of the Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and his luminous companions. It was here in this land that the sun of Islam arose and the banner of Taqwa and Tawhid was hoisted and liberty of man from all bondage and chains was written in the book of his destiny. It is by relying on this sense of greatness and by relying on their own people that Muslim governments can free themselves from reliance on alien powers and abolish the unfortunate distance that separates the Muslim nations from the regimes ruling over them. It is here where Muslims gather from various corners of the world, to become part of a collective Islamic and Qur'anic selfhood after having migrated from their racial and sectarian egos and identities. It is here that more than two million Muslims, men and women, from every corner of the world, belonging to various races, ethnic and social backgrounds merge to form a single stream of devotees, responding to the call of their Maker and the announcement of His Messenger:

"Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik"
   "Here I am at Thy service O Allah".

Here the pilgrim enters his and her holy state of Ihram with the chanting of the Talbiyah, which constitutes a declaration as well as a covenant. It is the declaration on the part of the devotee that, whatever his or her conduct in the past might have been, from now on he or she is prepared to serve Almighty Allah exclusively for the rest of his or her earthly life. The Talbiyah is a declaration that every merit, beauty, virtue, excellence and goodness and all praiseworthiness that there is in any thing in the world is derived from Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala, Who is the source of all being, the Maker of all things, and encompasses and transcends all excellence and praiseworthiness.  It is also the acknowledgement of gratitude to the Provider and Sustainer to Whom every creature is indebted for its being and all the excellence, virtue, goodness and merit that it possesses.

Alhumdoelillah! Hajj is the acknowledgement of Almighty Allah's exclusive Lordship, Ownership and Sovereignty over the entire realm of creation and it is to Him and His Law that man must submit the affairs of his life and society by making his individual life, as well as the life of his community, be governed in accordance with the Divine Law, which consists of the Din of Almighty Allah. It is here where we make a covenant with the Supreme Creator of the heavens and earth that from this very moment we are shedding all rebelliousness with sinfulness of the past in which we acted in accordance with our wishes and desires and contrary to the will of Almighty Allah; that from now on we pledge to be in the His service by liberating ourselves from the bondage of our self-seeking rebellious animal self, which we had earlier followed as if it were a deity, violating the duties of creaturehood by rebelling against the sovereignty of the Most Exalted Creator.

Thus the declaration and the covenant of the Talbiyah has profound spiritual, ontological, behavioural, ethical, legal and political dimensions. The hujjaj acknowledges and declares the dependence of his or her total being on Absolute Being, negates every power and force - internal as well as external - that interferes with his or her total submission to Almighty Allah Rabbul Izzat, and pledges to live the rest of his or her life in complete submission and surrender to Him. It is as if he or she were making a fresh start, as at the time of his or her birth.  This, my beloved brothers and sisters - without doubt, must become the greatest experience in human life.  Here you witness and experience the magnificent power of Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala. Here the cold cellar of the heart is warmed up again, and the World of Islam rallies to it, year after year, to pay the tribute of Muhabbat and total submission and gives a marvelous demonstration of its attachment to this most wonderful pillar of faith.

Though the Muslims are scattered all over the world and divided into various races and nationalities, they become one at a particular point where all their differences completely disappear and they are moulded into a complete whole. This then is the great gift and beauty of Hajj - the Great Reviver of Muslim Unity. The undertaking of Hajj is a re-enactment of the deep Muhabbat and devotion for Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala that was expressed so profoundly by our beloved father and mother  Sayyidina Adam and Sayyidatina Hawa Alayhis Salatu Wassallam upon their re-union at Jabbal Rahmat  on the plain of Arafat. The undying love, devotion and obedience of Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salatu Wassallam and his profound Duah to Almighty Allah Subahanahoo Wata'ala after building the Holy Ka'bah as confirmed in Surah Al-Baqara verse 129:

"O Allah! send from amongst them A Messenger of their Own.
Who shall rehearse Thy Signs to Them and instruct them In
Scripture and Wisdom, And purify them: For Thou are the
Exalted in Might The Wise"

O Allah! Shower Your Mercy, Muhabbat and Grace on all the Hujjaj who have hastened into Your Court of Mercy and Forgiveness. Illuminate their hearts with the lights of knowledge and insight and bestow upon them Your Guidance and assistance. Arm them with the weapon of steadfast, determination to improve the lot of the Muslim Ummah and bless them with unity. Shower Your choicest blessings and benedictions on Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam who showed mankind the Right Way and proclaimed to it Your revelations, placed in its hands the keys to the felicity of this world and the Aghirah, and lived a blessed life that may serve as a shining model for humanity through centuries and ages.  Ameen!
 
And all Praise is Allah's at every beginning and end.
And the end of all goals is the Love of the Exalted Creator.

Baarak -Allaahu Feekum wa sal-Allaahu wa-Salam 'alaa
Nabiyyinaa Muhammad, Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.

Was Salaamu 'alaykum wa-Rahmatullahi wa-Barakaatuhu

Abdul Hamid