📝 A Heart-Touching Story of an Old Pilgrim (Haji)

♦️ An elderly man set out for Hajj along with a young man. When they donned the Ihram and cried out "Labbaik" (Here I am, O Allah! Here I am), a voice from the unseen (Ghaib) resonated: "La Labbaik" (Your presence/plea is not accepted).

The young pilgrim asked in astonishment: "Did you hear this reply?"

The old pilgrim shedding tears replied:

"Yes, I have been hearing this same reply for 70 years. Every time I say 'Labbaik', the reply comes 'La Labbaik'!"

The young man said: "Then why do you take this trouble and keep coming?"

The old man replied weeping:

"Then whose door should I go to? Whether I am rejected or accepted, I have to come only to His door. There is no sanctuary for me other than Him!"

At that very moment, a voice from the unseen called out:

"Go! All your attendances (Hajj visits) have been accepted!"

• [Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan, Vol. 10, Pg. 176]