In the Annual Conference for Religious Guides, Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim Calls for Using the Pilgrimage Season to Secure Unity and Cooperation Among Constituents
The Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim, called for using the pilgrimage season to secure more unity, coexistence and cooperation among all constituents of the Iraqi people, urging religious guides to relay the reality of the Iraqi situation as is without the perturbation that is being made about it. His Eminence indicated that there is a major perturbation surrounding the Iraqi project, insisting on the need to clarify and explain the reality as is, not in the dark aspect it is intended to be associated with and highlighting that the new Iraqi project encompasses many positives as well as some failures and negatives that we should cooperate to handle. His Eminence stressed the need to learn about what is happening in other countries and to turn Hajj (pilgrimage) into a real meeting space, underlining that it is imperative to exchange meetings and to communicate in each Iraqi house.
This came in His Eminence’s speech at the general annual conference for religious guides for Iraqi pilgrimage groups, held in Baghdad on Thursday, 5/9/2013.
His Eminence assured that pilgrimage is a great event as it has a direct influence on building individuals and groups, pointing that guides assist pilgrims and correct their rites. He added that pilgrimage is in fact being a guest of God and it can only be duly performed through getting acquainted with the ethical aspect of pilgrimage. The work of guides is thus not limited to the doctrinal aspect but also includes the aspect of being a guest of God.
Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim indicated that humans are guests of God twice, during the holy month of Ramadan and in Hajj, explaining that the fasting month is about asking whereas Hajj is about giving. His Eminence explained that the reward in Hajj pertains to devotion; the bigger the devotion and loyalty of the act, the greater the reward, adding that devotion is directly linked to knowledge; the more knowledge humans have of this act, the better the reward and the greater the offering.
His Eminence stressed that the Kaaba is a place of unity and equality among all sorts of diverse people. It also provides us with lessons about freedom, demonstrating that the Kaaba is the essence of freedom and emancipation and the source of purity, and it also presents to us lessons about righteousness, integrity and piety.
