their blessings, calamities are removed, Du’a is accepted, and the mercy of Allah Almighty showers down in abundance.

3. The third word, ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’, and it’s meaning

The third word used to describe sacred relics in the Holy Quran is ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’. The literal meaning of ‘شعائِر اللّٰھ’ is: The signs of Allah Almighty. This is found in four places within the Holy Quran. The renowned Quranic commentator, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ refers to anything that Allah Almighty has declared as a sign of Islam, a sign of His power or mercy, or anything which holds esteem in an Islamic context, and to honour it is a sign of being a Muslim.’ (Tafseer Na’eemi, Part 6, Surah Ma’idah, under the verse 2, V 6, p. 172)

In another place, he states: ‘The honourable Prophets, Awliya and scholars are all included within ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’. In fact, they make things into ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’, meaning, anything which establishes a connection with them, becomes ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’ itself.

For example, the Holy Ka’bah became revered and honoured because it has a connection to the Prophets. Sayyiduna Ibrahim عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام built it with the assistance of Sayyiduna Ismail عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام and the leader of the Prophets صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم possessed love for it. ‘Arafaat (where Hajj takes place), and Mina (where the people performing Hajj carry out ritual sacrifice), were also declared as esteemed and honourable places due to their connection to the close servants of Allah Almighty. In Mina, two righteous servants of Allah Almighty, Sayyiduna Ibrahim and Sayyiduna Ismail عَـلَيْهِمَا الـسَّلَام, presented their respective sacrifices, and thus, Mina became associated with two righteous people of Allah. (Mawa’iz Na’eemiyyah, p. 221, amended)

Also, Allah Almighty mentioned Safa and Marwah are ‘شَعَائِرُاللّٰھ’. Hence, it is stated: