The Real Meaning Of HIJRAH

Hijrah, the time of the migration of Prophet Muhammad from Mekah to Medina 1,430 years ago and the beginning of the Islamic calendar. But what is Hijrah other than a public holiday when all can sleep late and need not get up at 7.00am or earlier to rush to office? To most, Hijrah is but another day to sleep late. To many, Hijrah is when Prophet Muhammad escaped the long arm of the law to seek refuge in Medina. To some, Hijrah is the commemoration of when the Islamic State of Medina came into being. To a handful, Hijrah is about ‘migrating’ from one ‘spiritual form’ to another.

Celebrating Hijrah in a festival-like atmosphere or with ceremony and events is just like celebrating your birthday with the blowing of candles or celebrating your wedding anniversary or Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Merdeka Day, and whatnot. It is a hollow event, one full of rituals but absent of substance. The best ‘celebration’ would be a celebration in the heart and nothing can beat the rohani over jasmani.

Rohani comes from the word roh or spirit and jasmani would, of course, be the non-spirit, meaning physical. Physical minus spirit would be just like a prostitute having sex with you because of the money she is earning. She will certainly pretend to be enjoying it, with sighs and moans thrown in, but all she wants is for you to get it over and done with so that you will get out of her room and she can then service the next client.

We will march on the street and sing songs and fly flags and give speeches to celebrate Hijrah. Then we will go home and live our lives as usual with no change in attitude and mindset. Hijrah was nothing but a physical event. It was something we did. It was not something we felt.

Hijrah was about the Prophet’s migration. Today, it is a ritual we perform, symbolic of that migration. But have we been able to transform that symbolism into spirit? Are we acting out the symbolic Hijrah or are we practicing Hijrah in our hearts?

Hijrah is about change. It is about repentance. It is about transformation. It is about reforms. It is about renaissance. Hijrah is more than just about changing your place of abode to a new address.

If we are racist can we stop being racist? If we are corrupted can we stop being corrupted? If we are a wife-beater can we stop beating our wife? If we love sex with prostitutes can we stop visiting prostitutes? If we steal can we stop stealing? If we oppress people can we stop being an oppressor? If we are violent can we stop all the violence? If we _______ can we stop _______ (fill in the blanks with whatever may be your ‘sin’)?

That is the real meaning of Hijrah. It is about ending your old, wayward and evil ways and adopting a better lifestyle, attitude and mindset. It is not about marching on the street and singing songs and flying flags and giving speeches. Hijrah is about change. It is about repentance. It is about transformation. It is about reforms. It is about renaissance.

Muslims are good at talking and celebrating. But Muslims are yet to learn how to live the life of a good Muslim. And ‘good Muslim’ goes beyond praying, fasting, going to Mekah for the Haj, etc., and beyond shunning liquor, pork, gambling, extra-marital sex and whatnot. That merely makes you a ritualistic Muslim. Even prostitutes perform the rituals of sex without any real feeling. ‘Good Muslim’ begins when compassion, consideration, tolerance, sacrifice, and much more replace greed, lust, envy, jealousy, arrogance, pride, ego, and all those other ills that turn our hearts black.

A human being is born with a white heart, says Islam. No one is born with a black heart. But the heart turns black as the years pile up and as we get closer to our graves. Hijrah is about reversing the process and turning the heart back to white so that we can leave this world and return to our Maker with as white a heart as when we first came into this world.

That is the true meaning of Hijrah, Hijrah in heart, as opposed to symbolic Hijrah