At its core, the Hajj is a visitation to a sanctuary symbolically revered as "the House of Allah." Consequently, it signifies a direct encounter with the Lord of the Worlds, a state of being His guest within His own abode. In this respect, the pilgrimage embodies a tremendous spiritual profundity.
For this reason, select Sufi sources have drawn particular attention to the spiritual and mystical dimensions of the Hajj. In this treatise, we shall focus specifically on this esoteric aspect of this blessed worship.
The Hajj stands as one of the fundamental pillars of Islam. Indeed, akin to Islam, every religion possesses a form of pilgrimage understood as "visiting a sacred site or sites at appointed times." In the renowned "Hadith of Jibril," when the Jibril (alayhissalam) asked, "What is Islam?", the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) enumerated the Hajj alongside the testimony of faith (Shahada), prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Obligatory once in a lifetime for Muslims of sufficient means, the Hajj is a form of worship performed with both wealth and the physical body, possessing unique characteristics not found in other rites.
Beyond the individual spiritual experience, the sociological resonance of the Hajj is profound, extending far beyond that of many other acts of worship. Believers who gather for this cause meet, converse, and coalesce, thereby reinforcing the bonds of brotherhood between them. Moreover, as Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba in their white ihram garments, they experience a rehearsal, of sorts, for the Day of Judgment.
While the pillars, conditions, types, and methodology of the Hajj are detailed in books of Jurisprudence (Fiqh), and thus will not be our primary focus here, the spiritual and Sufi dimensions demand closer inspection.
One of the preeminent sources elucidating the Sufi dimension of the pilgrimage is the work Gulzaar-ı Ma’nawî (The Spiritual Rose Garden) by Ibrahim Tannuri (quddisa sirruhu), a successor to Akshamsaddin (d. 1459), the spiritual conqueror of Istanbul. We shall endeavor to present the spiritual and mystical aspects of the Hajj through the lens of this seminal work.
The Exoteric and Legal Dimension of Hajj
Since the Sheikh subscribed to the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence, he addresses the legal rulings according to this school. However, as his primary objective is to unveil the Sufi dimension, he does not dwell exhaustively on every legal detail.
The Conditions of Hajj Sheikh Ibrahim enumerates eight conditions for the Hajj according to jurisprudence:
Faith: The pilgrim must be a Muslim; for the abode of the non-believer is the Fire, from which nothing else can offer salvation.
Sanity: The pilgrim must be of sound mind, for under Divine Law (Shari’ah), religious obligation ceases where reason is absent.
Maturity: The pilgrim must have reached puberty; Hajj is not obligatory for children.
Freedom: The pilgrim must be free; as slaves and bondswomen are under the disposal of their masters, the obligation does not apply to them.
Safety of the Route.
Provisions: There must be sufficient sustenance for the journey, as well as for the livelihood of the family left behind.
Transport: The availability of a mount or vehicle.
Health: The body must be physically capable of enduring the pilgrimage.
The Obligatory Acts (Fara’id)
There are four obligatory acts of Hajj: the Sa’y (hastening) between the hills of Safa and Marwa, the Tawaf (circumambulation) of the Kaaba, entering the state of Ihram at the designated boundary (Miqat), and the Waqfah (standing) at Mount Arafat.
The Necessary Acts (Wajib)
Sheikh lists the necessary acts as entering Ihram at the Miqat, the casting of stones at the pillars (symbolizing the devil), and greeting the Hajar al-Aswad (The Black Stone). He adds, however, that while visiting the Black Stone is a Sunnah, the stone itself originated from Paradise and was blackened by the sins of mankind.
Violations of Pilgrimage Rules (Jinayat) Ibrahim Tennuri states that omitting a necessary act (Wajib) requires the sacrifice of an animal as expiation (Kaffarah). If one kills a game animal, its value must be compensated. If the standing at Arafat is missed, the Hajj must be performed again (made up) in the future.
Sufi Dimension of Hajj
Having briefly touched upon the exoteric aspects, Ibrahim Tannuri expounds more broadly on the Sufi dimension. He asserts that just as the Hajj has obligations and necessary acts in terms of Fiqh, it also possesses them in terms of Tasawwuf; likewise, violations of the pilgrimage rules carry distinct inner meanings.
The Spiritual Pilgrimage: Sayr u Suluk
Before delving into these particulars, Sheikh Ibrahim discusses the state of the human being within Allah's eternal knowledge.
Before arriving in this world, man existed in the eternal knowledge of Allah. In this station—which Ibn Arabi (d. 1240) and his followers termed the A’yan-ı Sabita (Immutable Archetypes)—the realm of existence had not yet manifested, nor had man been created. The Almighty first created the Nur-i Mohammadi (The Light of Muhammad), then created all the realms from that light, and finally created the visible world (Alam al-Shahada) in which we reside.
In alignment with this doctrine (much like Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi (d. 1273) complains of the separation from the primal realm in the opening of his Masnavi) Tannuri yearns for his original homeland in the World of Command (Alam al-Amr). For it was there that he was graced with the manifestation of the Almighty, met with Him, and conversed with Him.
Here, the Sheikh draws a profound parallel. He likens the separation of the individual from the Kaaba to the human soul's separation from its spiritual homeland before its descent into the world.
Therefore, the Kaaba, the House of Allah, must be visited to reunite with Allah and to be graced once more with His manifestation.
Thus, just as the journey undertaken by pilgrims to reach the Kaaba is called the Hajj, the spiritual journey undertaken by seekers (saliks) to reach the Owner of the Kaaba and their original station is termed Sayr u Suluk.
(Murshid)
Just as the physical Hajj necessitates a “Hajj Amir” (a guide to lead the caravan) so too does the spiritual journey require a guide. According to Ibrahim Tennuri, this supreme guide is Divine Love.
He expresses this truth with the line: "Divine Love became his Amir."
Thus, just as pilgrims travel to the Kaaba under the leadership of a Hajj Emir, the spiritual wayfarer (salik) journeys toward the Truth (Haqq) under the guidance of Divine Love; this is the essence of Sayr u Suluk.
However, a pilgrimage caravan requires more than just a leader. It requires a nafir (a trumpet or horn used to signal the caravan's movement) and ases, the sentinels or soldiers who guard the travelers. According to the Sheikh, in the Sufi context, this nefîr corresponds to the Divine Command at the dawn of creation: "Kun" (Be!).
While Divine Love is the ultimate guide on the spiritual Hajj, a visible proof or director—a Murshid—is still required to realize this love.
Consequently, the proofs on the path of Divine Love to reach the Truth are the Prophets, and by proxy, the Perfect Murshids (Murshid i Kamil). Similarly, just as the ases (sentinels) protect the Hajj caravan, the Awliya are the soldiers who shield the disciple (murid) from the stratagems of the lower self (nafs) and Satan.
Sheikh explains the function of these Prophets and Awliya as follows: The Prophets and Awliya, holding the fire of love as their torch, strike the neck of the enemy in the dead of night. Here, "night" is a metaphor for the world, for the abode of the world is filled with darkness. The traveler's greatest enemy on this path is their own nafs, for the nafs, deceived by the world, has turned its face away from the Truth. To sever the head of the nafs, one requires the spiritual aid (himmet) of the Awliya.
It is exceedingly difficult for a disciple to overcome the nafs on their own. Therefore, the disciple is one who surrenders their will to the Murshid. It is the Murshid who will slay the disciple's nafs and liberate them from its clutches.
When the disciple surrenders their nafs into the hands of the Murshid, the Murshid pours fire upon the head of that ego. By that fire, all evil attributes are incinerated, and the nafs is thus shackled by the Murshid. This state continues until the nafs dies and is transformed entirely into light.
Provisions for the Road
Ibrahim Tannuri previously stated that one of the conditions of Hajj is "provisions"—ensuring sufficient sustenance for both the pilgrim and the family left behind. Similarly, in the spiritual Hajj (the path of Sayr u Suluk) provisions are indispensable. These spiritual provisions are Knowledge (Ilm) and Action (Amel).
The Miqat
In jurisprudence (Fiqh), the Miqat is the designated boundary where the pilgrim enters the state of Ihram. In Sufism, the Miqat is the World itself.
Just as the pilgrim strips off their regular clothes to enter Ihram at the Miqat, the spiritual wayfarer must strip themselves of their “clothes” (that is, their carnal desires and worldly appetites) while in this house of the world. Only then have they truly entered the spiritual Ihram.
Ihram
While Sheikh Ibrahim identifies the Miqat as the world, he posits that the Ihram worn at this station is Repentance (Tawba) and Seeking Forgiveness (Istighfar).
Just as the pilgrim dons the Ihram garment at the border, the disciple must don the garment of repentance and forgiveness within the world. They must lament their past life and become a person of asceticism (zuhd) and God-consciousness (taqwa). Only in this manner can they perform regular worship and beautify their character.
The Veil
Ibrahim Tannuri notes that just as there are physical obstacles on the road to Hajj, there are veils and obstructions on the path of Sayr u Suluk. In reality, everything other than the Truth (Haqq) is a veil.
The author emphasizes that even the desire for Paradise is a veil.
To behold the Divine Beauty (Jamalullah), one must lift the veil. The force that lifts this veil is the Manifestation of Majesty (Jalal). The suffering and tribulations endured as a result of the manifestation of Majesty purify the disciple's heart, becoming the cause for seeing the Beauty of the Beloved. In this respect, Sufis maintain that while the manifestation of Majesty is far more difficult to bear than the manifestation of Beauty, it is ultimately far more beneficial for the disciple.
The Sacrifice
On the path of Tasawwuf, the sacrifice is the individual's own Nafs. It is the act of killing all the negative attributes of the ego, thereby offering it as a sacrifice.
Tawaf
In Fiqh, Tawaf is the act of circling the Kaaba with the intention of worship. In Tasawwuf, according to Ibrahim Tennuri, it signifies the transition from the Manifestation of Attributes (Sıfat) to the Manifestation of Essence (Zat).
Safa and Marwa
Tannuri explains that the hills of Safa and Marwa, and the act of Sa’y (running) between them, symbolize the manifestation of Allah’s Wrath (Qahr) and Grace (Lutuf).
As is known, our mother Hajar ran between these two hills seven times in search of water for her son, Ismail (alayhissalam). She found relief only when she saw the Zamzam water flowing beside her son. Hajar was such a blessed figure that her desperate running was later prescribed as an act of worship for all believers.
Her desperation and frantic search between the hills represent the Manifestation of Wrath. Her discovery of the water and subsequent peace represent the Manifestation of Grace. Our Sheikh likens the wrath to drinking poison and the grace to the antidote (tiryaq).
If the servant remains patient and relies on Allah (Tevekkül) here, Grace will inevitably reveal itself after Wrath. Therefore, one must endure the tribulations on the Sufi path so that Grace may ultimately manifest.
Zamzam
Immediately following Safa and Marwa, Ibrahim Tannuri speaks of Zamzam. He asserts that from a Sufi perspective, the water of Zamzam is, in reality, the Drink of Love.
There are various noble Hadiths regarding Zamzam. In one, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) states: "The water of Zamzam is for whatever purpose it is drunk." (Musnad, III.357; Ibn Majah). Sheikh alludes to this with the words, “It becomes the remedy for the trouble of many.”
The Jamrah
The Jamrah (the rite of casting stones during Hajj) carries a purely symbolic meaning. It was included in the Hajj rites to commemorate Prophet Abraham’s stoning of Satan at three different locations to repel his whisperings as Ibrahim led his son Ismail (alayhimassalam) to be sacrificed.
The act of stoning the devil signifies opposing Satan’s temptations and cleansing oneself of the evil attributes of the nafs. Every stone thrown symbolizes the destruction of a bad character trait that opposes the pleasure of the Truth. A person must stone—that is, oppose—anything that separates them from the Truth. Even if that "thing" is their own son.
However, Tannuri interprets the concept of the "son" here in a semantic cluster beyond the physical. In the Sufi sense, a person's "son" is not the one born of their loins, but the thoughts born of their heart.
If the thoughts entering the heart separate one from the Truth, they must be stoned; that is, they must be negated. Here, we see a similarity to the Naqshbandi practice of Nigah Dasht, the guarding of the heart to negate incoming whispers and distractions. This continues until the seeker uproots all attachments and everything other than Allah (Masiva) from their heart. Only the Truth must remain in the heart; the seeker, the sought, and the seeking must all become one. Thus, the state of Fanafillah (Annihilation in Allah) is realized.
Therefore, the Jamrah signifies uprooting and stoning every thought that prevents the attainment of Fana. This is the Sufi dimension of the rite: to remove all that is not Him and attain annihilation in Allah.
Violations of Pilgrimage Rules (Jinayat)
Ibrahim Tannuri states that just as violating the rules of Hajj in the legal sense requires an expiation (Kaffarah), there is an equivalent consequence in the spiritual realm.
As mentioned previously, the Sheikh identified the spiritual Miqat as the world, and entering Ihram as turning away from the world through repentance. If a person does not enter Ihram—that is, if they do not abandon the world in the Sufi sense—they are required to offer a sacrifice.
This sacrifice is their own Nafs. It is the sacrifice of carnal desires, caprices, and whims.
This implies that the one who desires to meet the Truth must abandon the world completely and save themselves from the evil attributes of the nafs. If they cannot do so, they must slaughter a sacrifice; that is, they must sacrifice their ego. This is achieved by liberating oneself from the evil traits of the nafs, thereby passing into non-existence and attaining Fana.