2017-08-18 Fri

“Labbaik Allah Humma Labbaik Labbaik Laa sharika laka Labbaik”

Here I am O Allah, here I am
Here I am, there is none comparable to you, here I am.
Indeed all praise, grace & sovereignty belongs to you
You have no partner...

These very words are chanted annually from Mount Arafat by multitudes of Muslims from all over the world. These chants which are a part of annual rites of Hajj (the sacred pilgrimage) commemorate Prophet Adam's first building of the house of God, known as Kaba which was later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham with his son.

Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth of the fundamental Muslim practices known as the ‘Five Pillars of Islam’, which every adult Muslim must take at least once in his or her lifetime if they’re physically and financially able. The pilgrimage rite begins on the 7th day of Zil – Hijja (the last month of the Islamic year) and ends on the 12th day.

The duty of Hajj was imposed upon Muslims to confirm the worship of one god and attach them to this one centre where they are required to assemble annually. The devotees perform the circuit round (Tawaf) the Holy Kaba clad in the simple pilgrim’s garb (Ihram) and mix together without any distinction of race, nationality, colour or status. The annual pilgrimage is thus a visible manifestation of the universal brotherhood of Islam.

A 50 Baisa stamp of Sultanate of Oman issued in the year 1407-H (1987 CE) depicts devotees stoning the Wall of Satan, one of the rituals of Hajj. Apart from Oman, even other countries like Saudi Arab, Libya, and Pakistan etc have issued postal stamps to highlight the Hajj Pilgrimage.

Hajj notes were also produced by both Pakistan and India in the late 1940s. But the Indian notes of Hajj were used for one year only. In June 2010, an Indian 100 rupees Hajj issue note was displayed at the Memphis International Paper Money Show. The note had the word HAJ inscribed above Reserve Bank of India with a prefix of HA before the serial number. However, even before the show commenced and the dealer was able to communicate note’s rarity, it was sold to an unknown collector privately. The amount was undisclosed but was reportedly between $50,000 and $65,000 which comes to about 35 Lakhs!

Yet another 100 Rupee Hajj Pilgrim note of Reserve Bank of India issued in the year 1950 with serial number HA 078400 was sold for 44000 Pounds (Hammer Price) at Spinks Auctions on 25th April 2017.