According to Sheikh Ansarian, we must pay attention to a few points. The first point is that the soul of the prayers is devoutness which means because Allah (SWT) ordered us to carry out a prayer, we must perform that prayer. If devoutness is not included in prayers then there are many important issues in Sharia which will not be understood. Why should we go round a house made of clay or cement? What is the meaning of paying respect to a black stone? Why the Morning Prayer is 2 Rok’ats? And so many other questions which without wisdom and enhancement of the soul of the devoutness cannot be understood.

In Salat (daily prayers) there are sayings which have clear meanings, prostration teaches obedience, and Shahada is a confession to uniqueness of the Almighty and the prophethood of the great Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Fasting is apparently avoiding food consumption but its effects on providing the sense of sympathy for others, compassion for poor, to remember hunger and thirst after death, all become apparent for the one who fast. Despite all said realising the secrets of Hajj ceremony is very difficult and cannot be fully understood with human’s wisdom that is why devoutness is stressed strongly in Hajj.

It is narrated from the Prophet (PBUH) that at the time of saying Labbayk to Allah (SWT) he said: O’ Allah I say Labbayk to you with all my devoutness and servitude I perform the Hajj. The second important point is that as Allah (SWT) is the supreme wise surely there is a philosophy behind all the religious orders issued by the Almighty and we do not know. Basically sincere worshipping and nurturing the spirit of servitude in human are the most important aspects of worships. Every human action has inward and outward effects and the inward effects are in fact the secrets of that act.

Therefore one must pass the surface and with more sincerity in actions reach the inner but at the same time one phase should not be sacrificed for the other. That is why God fearing people do not abandon the apparent aspect of religious duties. Based on these two aspects maybe it can be said that going round the Ka’aba (Tawaf) as a secret instruction is telling the humans that all aspects of their lives must be on the axis of Allah (SWT). As the body is going round the House of God, the heart is accompanying the angels going round the heavenly world.

Source: Shafaqna