THE BUSINESSMAN WHO FOUND SIMPLICITY
I Was Used To People Standing When I Entered A Room. But In Makkah, No One Even Knew My Name.
He shared this reflection with tears in his eyes after returning from Hajj. For years, he had been known as the businessman the man with the corner office, the polished suit, the long list of achievements. His calendar was filled with meetings, and his phone never stopped buzzing. Success, status, and recognition had become his everyday reality.
But nothing could have prepared him for what Hajj would teach him.
FROM SUITS TO IHRAM
On the first day, he folded away his tailored clothes and slipped into the ihram. Two plain white sheets. No expensive watch on his wrist, no shining shoes on his feet. He looked around and saw millions of others dressed the same.
For the first time in years, there were no signs of rank, no differences between rich or poor. Everyone was just a pilgrim.
He whispered to himself:
“Here, I am not a CEO. I am not a wealthy man. I am simply a servant of Allah just like everyone else.”
A NIGHT IN MINA
In Mina, he slept on the floor of a crowded tent. The man beside him was a farmer from a small village; across from him was a young student with barely enough savings to make the trip. They ate simple meals together, prayed shoulder-to-shoulder, and exchanged smiles as if they had known each other for years.
No one asked what he did for a living. No one cared what he owned. In that simplicity, he felt a peace he had never experienced in boardrooms or luxury hotels.
A LESSON AT ARAFAH
On the plain of Arafah, as he stood with millions raising their hands in dua, he felt the weight of his worldly titles fade completely. All the deadlines, contracts, and profit margins that once consumed him seemed so small compared to the reality of standing before Allah.
Success, he realized, was not about climbing ladders or building empires. True success was leaving this world with a clean heart and a record of sincere deeds.
COMING HOME DIFFERENT
When he returned from Hajj, his colleagues noticed a change. He was still hardworking, still driven but he no longer spoke only of numbers and deals. He spoke of gratitude. He gave more freely, smiled more often, and listened more deeply.
He had discovered that real dignity does not come from what we achieve in this world, but from who we are before Allah.
LESSON FOR US ALL
We may not all be businessmen, but we all carry labels titles, roles, reputations. Hajj strips those away and reminds us of the truth: before Allah, none of that matters. In the white garments of ihram, there is no rich or poor, no leader or follower only servants standing equally before their Creator.
And in that simplicity lies the freedom our hearts have always been searching for.
