Przed Zu al-Hidżdża, miesiącem, który w tym roku zaczyna się między 26 a 30 czerwca, podczas którego muzułmanie odbywają pielgrzymkę do Mekki, która jest jednym z pięciu podstawowych przykazań wiary muzułmańskiej, Wasfi Aszour Abu Zeid, członek Międzynarodowego Związku Uczonych Muzułmańskich (IUMS) z siedzibą w Katarze, [1] opublikował 17 maja 2025 r. artykuł, w którym wzywał muzułmanów do wdrażania koncepcji i zasad Hadżdżu – a mianowicie Jedności Allaha, jedności narodu muzułmańskiego, szacunku dla rytuałów religijnych i dżihadu swoim majątkiem i życiem – zarówno w życiu codziennym, jak i w obecnej wojnie w Strefie Gazy, i zachęcał ich do prowadzenia dżihadu przeciwko „wrogom narodu” i dążenia do zostania męczennikami.
Według Abu Zeida, koncepcje związane z pielgrzymką hadżdż napełniają muzułmanina odwagą do walki z wrogiem i pragnieniem zostania męczennikiem, a także sprawiają, że rodzina męczennika akceptuje jego męczeństwo z satysfakcją i postrzega je jako nagrodę od Allaha. Abu Zeid podkreślił związek między przykazaniem pielgrzymki hadżdż a przykazaniem dżihadu, zauważając, że w Surze al-Hadżdż w Koranie nakazano muzułmanom angażowanie się w dżihad i podkreślając, że naród muzułmański musi prowadzić dżihad „przeciwko swoim wrogom, aby wyzwolić ojczyzny i miejsca święte”. Nazywając palestyńskich terrorystów „bohaterskimi wojownikami dżihadu”, którzy „ożywili znaczenie dżihadu” w sercu narodu i „przywrócili je na pierwszy plan”, nawoływał muzułmanów do gloryfikowania i wspierania bojowników dżihadu, w tym poprzez wpłaty finansowe. Oskarżył również naród muzułmański o porzucenie mieszkańców Gazy w obecnej wojnie, mówiąc, że „pod wpływem swoich władców i niektórych złych uczonych religijnych” naród podzielił się i cierpi z powodu „stanu bezprecedensowej bezradności”. Dlatego wezwał umma (naród islamski) do zjednoczenia się i przyjścia z pomocą mieszkańcom Gazy. [2]
[Dalszy tekst – przetłumaczone na angielski fragmenty jego artykułu – nie jest spolszczony] [3]
„The greater Hajj[4] is associated with immense significance, sublime words of wisdom and tremendous collective goals that the Muslims must understand and seek to realize in their daily lives, so that the ritual will have an effect on their lives and their livelihood, as well as on their faith and destiny… The greatest event currently being experienced by the [Muslim] nation and the world is the Al-Aqsa Flood war [i.e., the war in Gaza], which, as of this writing, has been ongoing for 20 months with no end in sight.
„The following are some of the meanings of the Hajj that we [can] utilize in favor of the Al-Aqsa Flood:
„A. The Oneness of Allah [i.e., monotheism]:
„Whoever gives some thought to the commandment of the Hajj finds that its greatest objective is professing the Oneness of Allah, first of all by leaving one’s homeland, family and business… turning to Allah and yearning to please Him and [to partake in] the various forms of the journey to Allah, including the talbiyah,[5] the tahlil,[6] the takbir,[7] and other religious rituals performed in remembrance of Allah… It is this Oneness, cemented and entrenched in people’s hearts, that produces the courage to fight, infiltrate the enemy lines and seek to become a martyr, bravely and without fear. It is [also] the underlying reason for the beautiful scenes we witness from the martyrs’ mothers, fathers and wives, who [bear] this martyrdom with patience and gratification, seeing it as a reward from Allah, thus eliciting admiration from all of mankind.
„B. The unity of the nation:
„During the Hajj the nation is united, since [the pilgrimage] brings people together in a single place and time: the place is Mecca, the time is the month of Dhu Al-Hijja, and the people [all] gather there… No ritual except for the Hajj brings together time, place and people [in this manner]! The Muslims [all] address and adhere to the same God, perform the same rituals in [observing] this commandment, face the same direction in prayer, pray behind the same imam, circle the same Kaaba, and run in the same place.[8] Hence, everything included in the Hajj calls for unity and for uniting the nation.
„[Conversely], in the face of the Al-Aqsa Flood, what do we see? We see the [Muslim] nation doing nothing but abandoning the people of Gaza… and leaving them to their fate when they want support… Instead of standing united on the front lines of this great event, the nation is divided, under the influence of its rulers and some evil religious scholars, and suffers from a state of unprecedented helplessness. That is why I say that the commandment of the Hajj enjoins us to profess the Oneness of Allah and of the nation in the face of the challenges and duties about which Allah will question us on the Day of Judgement.
„C. Entrenching the commandment of jihad:
„Surat al-Hajj in the Quran [i.e., the 22nd surah of the Quran] discusses many of the rituals, lessons and meanings of the Hajj, and concludes with a verse in which Allah says: 'And embark on jihad for the sake of Allah, as is due to Him. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship [Quran 22:78]’… The nation must proceed from the Hajj – which involves jihad without [military] force – to jihad against the enemies of the nation in order to liberate the homelands and the holy places… That is a cause that transcends all others… aimed at freeing the prisoners and purging Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
„That is what the jihad fighters are doing in the Al-Aqsa Flood: They have revived the significance of jihad in [the heart of] the nation and returned it to the forefront, after it was associated with 'terrorism’ and almost vanished from the scene. The [Al-Aqsa Flood] war came along to return it to people’s awareness, entrench it in their hearts and use it to associate the nation with values of honor, courage and martyrdom.
„D. Honoring Allah’s rites.
„This expression appears in the Quran in the context of the rites of pilgrimage. Allah says: That [is so]: Whoever honors the rites of Allah, it is the sign of a pious heart [22:32].’ This is because people prepare to perform this commandment and ready themselves for it. They leave their children and family, and that constitutes honoring Allah’s rites.
„Jihad and the way it is currently being realized in Palestine is [also] one of Allah’s rites, and we should glorify what the heroic jihad fighters are doing there, just as we should glorify the bonds of brotherhood and, as a consequence, fulfill the duty of supporting [the jihad fighters] and mobilizing [to help them], in compliance with the directives of the Prophet…
„E. Financial jihad: If the Hajj is the jihad of the weak, it also sheds light on [the concept of] financial jihad. For [undertaking] the Hajj costs money, and any Muslim who can bear the expense is required to perform this commandment… Giving money and spending it on performing commandments is clearly a kind of jihad that is explicitly mentioned in the Quran, for the Quran always mentions jihad by means of money before mentioning the jihad of [sacrificing] one’s life, as Allah says: 'Among the believers, those who stay at home – except for the disabled – are not equal to those who engage in jihad for the sake of Allah with their property or with their lives. To those who engage in jihad for the sake of Allah with their property or their lives, Allah has granted a higher rank than to those who stay at home. To each, Allah has promised a reward most fair, but Allah has preferred those who engage in jihad over those who sit at home, giving them a mighty reward [Quran 4:95].’
„Palestine now needs money more than ever before. Gaza is dying of hunger and thirst and its infrastructures, which have been destroyed, must be rebuilt. As a consequence, we need money before, during and after engaging in jihad.”
[1] Currently numbering about 100,000 members in 92 countries, the IUMS serves as an organ of the Qatari regime for spreading an extremist and anti-West Islamist ideology. It routinely promotes hateful rhetoric and incitement to jihad, terrorism and antisemitism, in line with Qatar’s decades-long support for various terrorist groups worldwide. See: MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11978, Ali Al-Qaradaghi, Chair Of The International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) – Which Since Its Founding Has Incited To Terrorism And Jihad – Says In Interview: Qatar And Turkey Are Our Biggest Supporters And Funders; Unlike Some Arab Countries, The UN Has Not Classified Us As A Terrorist Organization And We Are Cooperating With It, May 14, 2025.
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11519, Member Of Qatar-Backed International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Says Gaza War Can Be Used To Teach Children Important Lessons: 'This War Is Pure Jihad’; Children 'Should Be Raised On Love Of Jihad’; The War Is Religious And Ideological, Not A Dispute Over Borders, August 22, 2024.
[3] Iums.me/39079, May 17, 2025.
[4] The greater Hajj (al-hajj al-akbar) is pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, as opposed to the lesser Hajj (umrah), which is a pilgrimage undertaken at some other time of the year.
[5] The talbiyah is a prayer uttered by pilgrims before entering the holy compound in Mecca. It begins with the words „At your service, Allah, at your service.”
[6] Tahlil is the act of uttering the words „there is no god but Allah.”
[7] Takbir is the act of uttering the words Allahu akbar.
[8] One of the rituals of the Hajj involves running seven times between Safaa and Marwa, two small hills east of the Kaaba.
