After The Toilette, We Were Placed With Our Faces In The Direction Of
Meccah, And Ordered To Say Aloud,[FN#
19] “I vow this Ihram of Hajj (the
pilgrimage) and the Umrah (the Little pilgrimage) to Allah Almighty!”
Having thus
Performed a two-bow prayer, we repeated, without rising
from the sitting position, these words, “O Allah! verily I purpose the
Hajj and the Umrah, then enable me to accomplish the two, and accept
them both of me, and make both blessed to me!” Followed the Talbiyat, or
exclaiming—
“Here I am! O Allah! here am I—
No partner hast Thou, here am I;
Verily the praise and the grace are Thine, and the empire—
[p.140] No partner hast Thou, here am I[FN#20]!” And we were warned to
repeat these words as often as possible, until the conclusion of the
ceremonies. Then Shaykh Abdullah, who acted as director of our
consciences, bade us be good pilgrims, avoiding quarrels, immorality,
bad language, and light conversation. We must so reverence life that we
should avoid killing game, causing an animal to fly, and even pointing
it out for destruction[FN#21]; nor should we scratch ourselves, save
with the open palm, lest vermin be destroyed, or a hair uprooted by the
nail. We were to respect the sanctuary by sparing the trees, and not to
pluck a single blade of grass. As regards personal considerations, we
were to abstain from all oils, perfumes, and unguents; from washing the
head with mallow or with lote leaves; from dyeing, shaving, cutting, or
vellicating a single pile or hair; and though we might take advantage
of shade, and even form it with upraised hands, we must by no means
cover our sconces.
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