Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

31. “(Fulfil the rites of Hajj while) being true in Faith for Allah, not associating (anything) with Him, and whoever associates with Allah (anything), it is as though he had fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind carries him off to a far distant place.”

Pure Monotheism causes everything to be worthy while polytheism often causes the best beings to become worthless.

Hoopoe, which believed in the Lord of the world, became the factor of the guidance of the people an area because of the eager and interest that it had for the guidance of the idolaters,¹ but a human may fall, because of polytheism, so that he becomes the food of some animals.

Therefore, the end of attaching any power, except the power of Allah, is perdition, even that of the most powerful government.

In the discussions through the former verses, the emphasis was laid on the subject of monotheism and avoiding any kind of idol and idolatry.

The verses under discussion pursue the same important matter, where it says:

“(Fulfil the rites of Hajj while) being true in Faith for Allah, not associating (anything) with Him…”

The Qur’anic word /hunafa’/ is the plural form of /hanif/ which means a person who, avoiding aberration and deviation, tends to the straight forwardness and equilibrium and, in other words he paves the Straight Path, since the Arabic word /hanaf/ means ‘incline’ and incline from any aberration leads man to going on the straight path.

Thus, the abovementioned verse refers to the subject of sincerity and intention with divine motive as the main motive in Hajj and worships in general, because the spirit of worship is sincerity and sincerity is that fact in which there is no motive of polytheism and things other than Allah.

Imam Baqir (as), upon the commentary of the Qur’anic word /hanif/ in a tradition, said:

“Hanif is the same nature on which people are created, and there is no change in the creation of Allah.”

Then he (as) added, saying:

“Allah has set Monotheism in the nature of man.”2

The commentary mentioned in this tradition, in fact, is a hint to the main root of sincerity, i.e. the monotheistic nature, from which the intention with divine motive originates.

Then the Qur’an demonstrates the condition of polytheists very clearly and expressively which shows their fall, misery, and annihilation.

It continues saying:

“…and whoever associates with Allah (anything) , it is as though he had fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind carries him off to a far distant place.”

In fact, heaven is an implicit declaration for ‘monotheism’ and polytheism causes the fall from this heaven. It is natural that the stars glow in this heaven and the Moon and the Sun illuminate therein. So happy is who is at least like a bright star in this heaven, if he is not like the Sun or the Moon.

When a person falls from this height, he will be involved in one of these two painful fates: either he will be the prey to the carrion-kite birds in the middle of the way; or, in other words, by losing this assured station, he will be captured in the claws of low desires and restive passions each of which snatches and destroys a part of his entity; or if he could escape from them safely, he will be taken by a fatal storm which throws him far away in a corner so harshly that his body will be scattered and every particle of it will be thrown here and there.

This storm seems to be indirectly Satan who always lies in ambush.

Admittedly, he who falls from heaven with the increasing speed his body naturally loses the ability of making decision and every moment he approaches annihilation and at last will perish.

Yes, he who loses the station of the heaven of the monotheism, will not be able to take therein of his Fate, and the further he goes forth, the more his speed of falling increases, and finally he loses his whole capital of his humanity.

Truly, there will not be found a parable more clear and lively than this parable for polytheism.

This matter is also noteworthy that it has been proved today that, in free falling (drop), man has no weight, and that is why for the space travelers to practice the state of weightlessness usually freefalling is applied. The state of extraordinary anxiety that a person feels at the time of falling, is because of this very weightlessness.

Yes, the person who goes from Faith toward Polytheism, and loses his firm support, will be left in such a state of weightlessness inside his own soul and, consequently, an extraordinary anxiety and worry illuminates his entity.