Article: The Circumambulation of the Angels
Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi
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The Circumambulation of the Angels
Mahmoud Al-Mosawi
The pilgrim’s circumambulation begins with the first steps he takes at the Black Stone, after he has made the intention to circumambulate the Sacred House of Allah seven circuits, seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted, for a Hajj or an ʿUmra. And so all the pilgrims circle like a roaring wave, each of them seeking to complete his seven circuits in order to discharge the obligation that became binding upon him through iḥrām.
But is this really the whole of the circumambulation?
No..
That is the outward aspect of the circumambulation, and those are the acts of the bodies and limbs. There remains what belongs to the acts of the heart and the inner faculties, connected with the contents of the circumambulation, its etiquettes, and how to ascend until reaching the graces of Allah and exposing oneself to the sweetness of His mercy. And part of its completeness is beginning to take provision of the best of benefits, which is Godwariness.
The Exalted said: “The hajj [season] is in months well-known; so whoever decides on hajj [pilgrimage] therein, [should know that] there is to be no sexual contact, vicious talk, or disputing during the hajj. And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provision, for indeed the best provision is Godwariness. So be wary of Me, O you who possess intellects!” (Qurʾan 2:197)
The aim, then, is that a person take provision from the provision of Godwariness as much as possible, each according to his effort and striving. But that aim must have a clear path and a method that realizes the endeavors toward it. Among those paths is that the Ahl al-Bayt (a) included among their counsels the counsel of “emulating” the angels in their circumambulation around the Throne of Allah the Exalted. Through that emulation, the one circumambulating can rise and ascend to the ladders of mercy, exposing himself to its breezes, and thereby achieve the completeness of the circumambulation, and come away with the best of provision, adding it to his personality and crowning his life with it.
The circumambulation of the angels is what ought to occupy the thought of the one circumambulating the Sacred House of Allah. This is the method of the heart, the path of thought and the occupation of the intention, and it is a practical technique for achieving the aim of the circumambulation. The Commander of the Faithful (a) points to the process of emulating the angels in his description of the pilgrims who answered the call of Allah sincerely, where he says:
“He has made obligatory upon you the pilgrimage to His Sacred House, which He made a qibla for mankind; they come down to it as cattle come down to water, and they turn to it longingly as doves long. He, Glorified is He, made it a sign of their humility before His greatness and their submission to His might. He chose from among His creation listeners who answered His call to it, affirmed His word, stood in the stations of His prophets, and emulated His angels who circle around His Throne: they secure the profits in the marketplace of His worship, and hasten to the appointed time of His forgiveness. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, made it a landmark for Islam and a sanctuary for those who seek refuge. He made its pilgrimage obligatory, made its right binding, and prescribed for you the journey to it, so He, Glorified is He, said:
“And it is the duty of mankind toward Allah to make pilgrimage to the House—for those who can afford the journey to it—and should anyone renege [on his obligation], Allah is indeed without need of the creatures.” (Qurʾan 3:97)
So the pilgrims who truly answered the call of Allah are those who “emulated His angels who circle around His Throne,” and that is why they attained the aim and achieved what they sought; they are, as the Imam (a) says: “they secure the profits in the marketplace of His worship, and hasten to the appointed time of His forgiveness.”
Among the counsels of Imam al-Sadiq (a) to the pilgrim in his circumambulation around the House, he said:
“And circumambulate with your heart along with the angels around the Throne, as you circumambulate in person along with the Muslims around the House.”
In this phrase the Imam sums up the technique of emulation, directing his call to the pilgrim to adopt it as a mechanism for benefiting optimally from the circumambulation. From these counsels, in order to realize the method of emulating the angels in circumambulation, we must be aware of two matters, which are two parts that bring about the ability to practice the technique of emulation:
The first: knowledge of, and faith in, the work of the angels.
The second: knowledge of, and faith in, the work of the heart.
Knowledge of, and Faith in, the Work of the Angels
Human beliefs about the angels have differed widely. Among people are those who denied the existence of angels altogether and confined their faith to everything that is a tangible, material body; these are the ones who did not believe at all in Allah or in the Return, and their logic is the logic of those about whom the Noble Qurʾan said:
“Those who do not expect to encounter Us say, ‘Why have angels not been sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?’ Certainly, they are full of arrogance within their souls and have become terribly defiant.” (Qurʾan 25:21)
They wanted the angels to be sent down upon them as visible and tangible bodies, and likewise they stipulated that the Lord be visible to their eyes, which delimit and confine everything they see.
Others went to the opposite extreme and took the angels as gods, claiming that there are multiple gods: gods of the winds, gods of the rain, gods of thunder, and of everything in the movement of nature, which proceeds by the command of Allah the Exalted through His appointed angels. Our Lord, Almighty, has forbidden deifying the angels in His words, Majestic is His standing:
“And he would not command you to take the angels and the prophets for lords. Would he call you to unfaith after you have submitted [to Allah]?” (Qurʾan 3:80)
However, the correct faith embraced by whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day is what Allah the Exalted has mentioned to us in His Book, and what has come on the tongue of the Prophet (s) and his Household (a), because faith in the angels is one of the kinds of faith in the Unseen, and knowledge of the Unseen is with Allah the Exalted, and He teaches it to the Prophet (s) and his Household (a). The Exalted said about the angels, as a description of them:
“All praise belongs to Allah, originator of the heavens and the earth, maker of the angels [His] messengers, possessing wings, two, three or four [of them]. He adds to the creation whatever He wishes. Indeed Allah has power over all things.” (Qurʾan 35:1)
For “He—Allah the Exalted—created the angels from light,” as the Messenger (s) says, and with their luminous creation “they do not eat, drink or marry; rather, they live on the breeze of the Throne,” as Imam al-Sadiq (a) says. And Imam ʿAli (a) says about their work and activity: “And angels whom You created—O Lord—and settled in Your heavens; there is no slackening in them, nor heedlessness with them, nor disobedience in them. They are the most knowing of Your creation of Your obedience; the sleep of the eyes does not overcome them, nor the inattention of minds, nor the slackening of bodies..”, and he (a) says: “With the length of obedience they increase in knowledge of their Lord, and the might of their Lord increases in greatness in their hearts.”
Those are the angels about whom our Lord, Almighty, said:
“And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, celebrating the praise of their Lord, and judgment will be made between them with justice, and it will be said, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!’” (Qurʾan 39:75).
They have no speech independent of the will of Allah the Exalted:
“They do not venture to speak ahead of Him, and they act by His command”, (Qurʾan 21:27),
And they have no action contrary to the command of Allah:
“who do not disobey whatever Allah commands them and carry out what they are commanded”, (Qurʾan 66:6).
This is the first of the parts of understanding the process of emulating the angels. In order for the pilgrim to circumambulate an angelic circumambulation, he must be aware that they do not slacken in worship of Allah the Exalted, that the axis of their worship is circumambulation around the Throne, that through worshipping Him they increase in knowledge, and that nothing occupies them other than Allah the Exalted.
Knowledge of, and Faith in, the Work of the Heart
The pilgrim must be fully aware of the standing of the heart and its role in achieving the angelic circumambulation, for the heart is the leader, and it is what directs a person’s concerns and thinking, as Imam al-Sadiq (a) says:
“The position of the heart in relation to the body is like the position of the Imam in relation to the people.”
So one must strive to put to work the penetrating and influential power of the heart in a person’s orientation and attachment. Attention to it is no less than attention to the other conditions that bring about the validity of the circumambulation, such as ability and soundness of body, purity of clothing and body, and such as the manner of circumambulation. Imam al-Jawad (a) says:
“Heading toward Allah the Exalted with the hearts is more effective than wearying the limbs with deeds.”
The heart is the center of feeling and sensation, whether we say that it is the intellect itself, or we say that the heart is the one in the chest but the intellect is the outlet and instrument from which it sets forth. In any case, it is the center of perception, and it is what turns toward some matters and turns away from others. This heart can bring a person to the ranks of the angels, and it can turn his self into a beastly self. If it becomes strong, the person draws strong support from it, and so he becomes courageous, ambitious and bold; and if the heart becomes weak, it tinges the person with the malady of weakness, fear, cowardice and the like..
And about the transformations of the heart into a hardness that exceeds stones in firmness, our Lord, Almighty, says:
“Then your hearts hardened after that; so they are like stones, or even harder. For there are some stones from which streams gush forth, and there are some of them that split, and water issues from them, and there are some that fall for the fear of Allah. And Allah is not oblivious of what you do.” (Qurʾan 2:74)
So a person can turn into one who is hard, harder than stone, if coverings and veils pile up one after another over his heart, so that he does not draw feeling and sensation from it.
And he can rise above and reach the ranks of the angels in his feeling and his faith, as Imam ʿAli (a) says:
“The hearts almost look upon the secrets of the unseen.”
And he (a) says:
“These hearts are vessels, and the best of them is the most retentive.”
The Circumambulation of the Hearts
Having become aware of the work of the angels, their sanctification of Allah the Exalted and their glorification, that they do not slacken in His worship, that nothing distracts them from Allah the Exalted, and that they draw their strength from the worship of Allah; and having become aware of the role of the heart in moving a person and the extent of its perception of matters—this brings closer to us the counsels of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) that called for emulating the angels in circumambulation, in order to achieve the great aims of the circumambulation, and so that the circumambulation may be an act of worship that sets forth from the heart and adds to the heart the light by which you walk in life.
The Exalted says:
“those who have faith and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Behold! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance!” (Qurʾan 13:28).
We can set out some points that contribute to mastering the process of emulating the circumambulation of the angels, which may not come all at once, but gradually, through training the self so that it becomes accustomed to this course:
1/ Keep Away from the Obstacles
A person’s general practice in life has a great role and effect. Committed conduct makes the heart ready to set forth and to receive the light with all ease; but if a covering and a veil come over it, that prevents it from setting forth and prevents it from receiving, so it has no effect, because it will not be able to concentrate on the lofty divine meanings that ought to be the axis of its thinking, and it will not be affected by the lights and outpourings that descend upon those circumambulating, because there is an obstacle and a veil that prevents the light from reaching the heart.
The obstacles are the sins a person commits, especially those arising from the intensity of his attachment to this world. That is why the Messenger (s) says:
“Beware of harboring greed, for it mixes the heart with intense covetousness and seals the hearts with the stamp of love of this world.”
And the Exalted says about those who follow their lusts:
“Have you seen him who has taken his desire to be his god and whom Allah has led astray knowingly, set a seal upon his hearing and heart, and put a blindfold on his sight? So who will guide him after Allah [has consigned him to error]? Will you not then take admonition?” (Qurʾan 45:23)
Preserving sound conduct, avoiding forbidden things and sins, and keeping away from the lusts that embolden a person against Allah—all of that makes the heart ready to set forth and to receive.
2/ Purify Your Intention
You must take care of your intention from the beginning, before entering the noble Sanctuary, and be aware that you are coming as a guest to Allah the Exalted, so let nothing else occupy you. Any attachments and concerns with human beings at that time, you must remove from your heart and not be preoccupied with them, for you are facing a more important task and a greater appointment than the appointments of human beings, whether those human appointments are positive or negative. If you set out to circumambulate the House, you must be occupied with the Lord of the House.
In the conversation of Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin (a) with Shibli, whom the Imam asked several questions about the Hajj, and to whom he made clear that the heart’s being devoid of those concerns is not counted as a Hajj, he points to the beginning and the attachment of the heart, and to turning one’s concern away from backbiting people.. Among what he (a) said, asking Shibli:
Did you enter the Sanctuary, see the Kaʿba and pray? He said: Yes.
He (a) said: (When you entered the Sanctuary, did you intend that you had forbidden to yourself all backbiting by which you backbite the Muslims, the people of the creed of Islam? ) He said: No.
He (a) said: (When you reached Mecca, did you intend with your heart that you were heading for Allah?) He said: No.
He (a) said: (Then you did not enter the Sanctuary, nor see the Kaʿba, nor pray!).
Then he (a) said: (Did you circumambulate the House, touch the corners and perform the saʿy?) He said: Yes.
He (a) said: (When you performed the saʿy, did you intend that you had fled to Allah, and did the Knower of the unseen know that of you?) He said: No.
He (a) said: (Then you did not circumambulate the House, nor touch the corners, nor perform the saʿy!).
3/ Call to Mind the Reward of Circumambulation
As a motive for you toward attentiveness, and so that the heart may be attached in a better way, you must remember the reward that the one circumambulating the Sacred House obtains. In addition to its symbolism, which means that all of a person’s deeds revolve around the pleasure of Allah the Exalted, one also needs to remember the great reward so as to be keen to obtain it deservedly. As an example of the reward, it has come from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said:
“My father used to say: Whoever circumambulates this House an usbūʿ—that is, seven circuits—and prays two rakʿas in whichever side of the Mosque he wishes, Allah writes for him six thousand good deeds, erases from him six thousand bad deeds, raises him six thousand degrees, and fulfills for him six thousand needs; whatever of them is hastened is by the mercy of Allah, and whatever of them is delayed is out of longing for his supplication.”
4/ Adhere to the Transmitted Texts
The texts transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt (a) regarding what is recommended for the pilgrim and for one entering the Sacred House of Allah, and adherence to the supplications recited during the circuits of circumambulation, help the heart turn toward the loftiest meanings and attach itself to the best of means. Repeating them with awareness of their contents draws a path and a ladder by which the heart moves to heaven.
Imam al-Baqir (a) says:
“When you enter the Sacred Mosque and come in line with the Black Stone, say: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. I have believed in Allah and disbelieved in the Taghut, in al-Lat and al-ʿUzza, in the worship of Satan, and in the worship of every rival that is invoked besides Allah.”
In the etiquettes of entering the Sanctuary in the counsel of Imam al-Sadiq (a), you find the meanings we mentioned earlier, such as a person purifying his intention, abandoning all negative things and seeking forgiveness for them, and calling to mind the importance of the place he is in, so as to begin the journey of ascent to Allah the Exalted with complete purity and without obstacles. Let us read this counsel from Muʿawiya ibn ʿAmmar, from Imam al-Sadiq (a):
“When you enter the Sacred Mosque, enter it barefoot, with tranquility, dignity and humility.
And he said: Whoever enters it with humility, Allah will forgive him, if Allah wills. I said: What is humility?
He said: Tranquility; do not enter it with arrogance. When you reach the door of the Mosque, stand and say: Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. In the Name of Allah, and by Allah, and from Allah, and what Allah wills. Peace be upon the prophets of Allah and His messengers, peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon Abraham, and all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.”
These meanings and the other meanings contained in the supplications transmitted from the Ahl al-Bayt (a) help the one circumambulating to achieve the technique of emulating the circumambulation of the angels, so that he may reach the mine of divine mercy.
5/ Devote All Your Attention to Allah
Like the angels, now devote all your attention to Allah the Exalted, and keep away from all other distractions, such as the crowding and all ties connected with people, and abandon obsessive whisperings, because those attachments take up a share of attention and occupy a place in the heart.
You should choose the appropriate time for circumambulation: a time that does not lead you to think about being pressed with the prayer, nor about your need for the lavatory. Do not be hungry or overfull, and do not concern yourself with the conditions of your lodging, or anything else, for here you are with Allah the Exalted. Just as the angels are absorbed in Allah and in glorifying Him, you must do so, and think about the work of the angels and how they are persistent in their movement around the Throne, glorifying. Let your aspiration set forth toward them, so that you may obtain some of the absorption in Allah that they have.
If the thinking and the preoccupation of the heart continue in this direction, the heart of the one circumambulating will become attached to Allah, the Great, the Most Exalted, and he will not feel what is going on around him of crowding or time.
On one occasion when we were about to perform circumambulation with some young men, I spoke with them about the technique of emulating the angels and paying no heed to the crowding. After finishing the circumambulation, I asked them: How much time did we take? One of them said: This is the easiest circumambulation I have performed in my life; perhaps we took ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. In fact, we had taken approximately an hour less a quarter, and the crowding was severe, but he did not feel it, because his heart had become attached to something greater and had become occupied with it.
With this technique of emulation, the pilgrim in his circumambulation is on the right path, and the more he practices this technique, the more he masters it, because the self needs training and exercise.
“May Allah, by His mercy, make us and you among those who strive with their hearts toward the abodes of the righteous.” Imam ʿAli (a).
