The journey of Hajj can be considered as a spiritual and physical healing program or journey, because it touches upon different aspects of the human self.
Faraan:
Similarity of Appearance During Hajj, pilgrims have to wear a special kind of unified and simple form of clothes. This is known to be the clothes of ihram. These clothes of ihram have a great psychological influence on the pilgrims. Each Muslim takes off his regular clothes and exchanges them for the simple clothes of ihram. With taking off the regular clothes, the Muslim also puts aside everything that these clothes represent; the profession reflected in a certain uniform, the culture represented in a specific fashion, the status reflected in the quality and price, and so on. So, the soldier is no longer in his military uniform, the farmer is no longer in his farming suit, doctors and nurses are no longer in their white coats…. All are alike, you would not know who was who.
The Same Rituals: The pilgrims follow the same rules and act out the same actions, like making tawaf (circumambulation) in the same direction, or making sa`i (walking between Safa and Marwah). In every ritual of the Hajj, there is no difference between rich and poor, strong and weak, high rank and low rank, black and white, Eastern and Western, Northerner and Southerner. All of them are equal.
A Stop for a Breather: Hajj is also a very good chance for many pilgrims to stop for a breather. It is a chance to think about your life and to consider or to evaluate your past. This can be during Hajj by asking Allah to forgive your sins and to plan for a straight future, free from sins. The journey of Hajj can also treat many physical pains and illnesses, as well as spiritual ones. Physical activities, like tawaf, sai, and standing on Mount Arafah, improve physical endurance and muscle performance.
An Example of Steadfastness: Hajj is also an example of steadfastness, when a person has chosen the righteous truth. Pilgrims in their rituals remember Lady Hajar, when Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) left her in the dry valley, where Makkah is, all by herself with her newborn baby. This was when she asked him, “Was it Allah who ordered you to this?” He answered, “Yes.” She simply said what meant, “Then He won’t get us lost.” This inner strength and steadfast belief in God’s ability and care for his servants, which penetrated and controlled her heart, is transmitted to the heart of each pilgrim throughout the rituals of Hajj.
Each pilgrim remembers our Mother Hajar: Running up and down between the two hills of Safa and Marwah while she was searching for a drop of water for her child; then Allah provided her with His help and steadfastness by having the water of Zamzam flow from underneath the feet of her baby. So, the assertion of belief that takes place within the hearts of pilgrims during this obligatory worship is a divine gift from God Himself. He has said in the Qur’an what means: {Allah confirms those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sends wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.} (Ibrahim 14:27)
A Training on Patience: Pilgrims also train themselves concerning patience in order to be able to complete the steps of Hajj. They raise their hands up, asking Allah to give them the virtue of patience. Allah has said in the Qur’an what means: {… if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient.} (An-Nahl 16:126) As every other manner of worship in Islam, Muslim men and women during pilgrimage are equal in every step and duty. Also, Allah gave women the excuse to have someone throw the stones for them if they can not make it due to the crowd or anything of that sort. In the rest of the rituals, both men and women are equal in every single step.
Controlling Worldly Desires: Pilgrims are supposed to spend a lot of money during Hajj, just for the sake of pleasing Allah. This is another self-treatment for spiritual sicknesses like greed and miserliness. Allah has touched upon these spiritual sicknesses in the Qur’an by saying what means: {And the parable of those who spend their property to seek the pleasure of Allah and for the certainty ‘of their souls is as the parable of a garden on an elevated ground, upon which heavy rain falls so it brings forth its fruit twofold but if heavy rain does not fall upon it, then light rain (is sufficient); and Allah sees what you do.} (Al-Baqarah 2:265) Here, the Muslim pilgrim overcomes such fatal spiritual sickness and is once again capable of controlling his or her worldly desires. These are briefly some of the points through which the pilgrim can heal him or herself throughout the majestic journey of Hajj.
