Hajj Poem by Syaikh Ibnul Qayyim

Below is a poem by Syaikh Ibnul Qayyim al Jauziyah that put the hajj into a beautiful narration.

The Hajj – The Journey

By Him whose House the loving pilgrims visit,
Responding with ihram at the appointed limit.

Uncovering their heads in total humility
Before One to Whom faces bow in servility.

They exclaim in the valleys, “We have responded to You –
All Praise is Yours, and Kingdom too!”

He invited and they answered, with love and pleasure;
When they called upon Him, nearer came the Divine treasure.

You see them on their mounts, hair dusty and dishevelled,
Yet never more content, never happier have they felt;

Leaving homelands and families due to holy yearning,
Unmoved are they by temptations of returning.

Through plains and valleys, from near and far,
Walking and riding, in submission to Allah.

At the Ka’bah

When they see His House – that magnificent sight
For which the hearts of all creatures are set alight –

It seems they’ve never felt tired before,
For their discomfort and hardship is no more.

Now the eye of the Lover drowns in its streams,
It sees through its tears the goal of its dreams;

Now for Allah, how many tears are issued,
Each one being followed by a multitude?

When the eye perceives the House, its darkness clears,
And from the sorrowful heart, pain disappears;

Vision cannot encompass this beautiful sight:
Each glance returns with greater delight!

No wonder at this, for when the Merciful preferred
The House for Himself, it became most honoured.

He clothed it in Majesty, a magnificent garment;
Embroidered it with Beauty, a wonderful ornament!

The hearts all love the House therefore,
Awed and humbled, in respect and honour.