The word sha‘air is the plural of
sha‘irah and implies certain objects which indicate and symbolically represent
certain realities. In religious parlance, it implies those manifestations
of the Shariah which have been determined by Allah and His Prophet (sws)
as emblems to create an understanding of certain realities by symbolically
representing them. The real aim is to convey effectively the realities
for which they stand, but since they have been fixed by Allah and His Prophet
(sws), they are also rendered sacred by virtue of their relationship with
the respective realities they symbolise. For example, slaughtering animals
for sacrifice is a sha‘irah. It expresses the essence of Islam, submission
to the Almighty and expending the dearest of things in His cause. The Prophet
Abraham (sws) gave a practical demonstration of this spirit by offering
the sacrifice of his dear son Ismael (sws). This spirit has been eternally
symbolised in the sacrifice of animals to remind people of the essence
of Islam constantly.
Likewise, the Hijra-i-Aswad is a sha‘irah.
Since the time of the Prophet Abraham (sws), touching or kissing it symbolises
a renewal of a person’s pledge to worship and obey the Almighty. Certain
Ahadith qualify it as Yamin’ul-lah (the head of Allah) which positively
indicates that when a prson touches it, he, in reality, places his hand
in the hand of Allah and renews his covenant with Allah and when he kisses
it, he, in fact, expresses love and obedience for the Almighty.
Similarly, the Jamarat is also a sha‘irah.
When the pilgrims pelt stones at these marked places, this act of them
actually symbolises their readiness and determination to fight against
the adversaries of the Baitullah and Islam, whether they may be among men
or among the progeny of Satan.
The Baitullah is another sha‘irah
and perhaps it is the greatest one. The whole Mulsim Ummah turns towards
it during prayer and as such it is the focal point of Tauhid and Salat.
By building our mosques in the direction of the Baitullah and as indeed
while circumambulating it, we actually give expression to the belief that
we are the obedient servants and devotes of the Almighty, for whose worship
this House was actually built.
The Hills of Safa and Marwah too are
among the sha‘air’ul-lah. It is generally believed that they are called
sha‘air because Hadhrat Hajrah (rta) had made frantic efforts to find water
for her son, Ismael, while running between these hills. However, according
to Farahi (d:1930), the real reason for these hills to be regarded among
the sha‘air is that perhaps at Marwah the Prophet Abraham (sws), while
obeying the Almighty, had prostrated his son Ismael in order to sacrifice
him. It is to give eternal commemoration to this extraordinary spirit of
submission to the Almighty that these hills, according to him, have been
regarded as sha‘air’ul-lah.
Moreover, certain aspects of these
sha‘air need to be considered:
1. These sha’air have been fixed by
Allah and His Prophet (sws) and no one whosoever has the right to insert
new entries in the list or discard the existing ones. Whenever people on
their own have tried to tamper with the contents of this divinely ordained
list, this interference, history hears witness, has always resulted in
horrible forms of polytheism and religious innovation (bid‘at).
2. Allah and His Prophet (sws) have
also, once and for all, determined the manner in which these sha‘air should
be revered and paid respect to. The reality which a sha‘irah symbolises
is best and solely expresses by the manner it should be paid respect to
as ordained by the Almighty. Any deviation in this regard not only deprives
a person of the sense of this reality, but it also opens the door to polytheism
and religious innovation. As an example, suppose that the manner in which
Hijrah-i-Aswad kissing the hands after touching it or point towards it
in a certain manner – during the circumambulation (tawaf) of the Holy Ka‘ba.
Now if a person does not restrict himself to the prescribed forms of reverence,
and shows over enthusiasm in this regard by kneeling in front of it, or
by making offerings to it, or showering flowers over it, or indulging in
other such activities, then he will be led away from the reality this sha‘irah
represents and will also get involved in polytheism and religious innovation.
3. The real significance of these
sha‘air is the realities for which they stand and as objects only serve
to embody them. It is essential, therefore, to keep these realities always
alive and fresh in the minds of the people. If persistent efforts are not
made in this regard, the result is that the real spirit which they embody
begins to disappear and their own physical form becomes the real focus
of attention. This finally transforms a religion into mere observance of
rites and rituals.
(Adapted from Islahi’s ‘Tadabbur’ul Qur’an’)
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