Hajj
- Thread starter zarah
- Start date
:salam2:
bro i think its a bit late..I am not to sure how to do it..I have tried edit but it didn`t work.(I cannot go that advance!
)
alkathiri
As-Shafaa'i(Brother)
:salam2:
bro i think its a bit late..I am not to sure how to do it..I have tried edit but it didn`t work.(I cannot go that advance!
but i thought u are a moderator....
try again...Bismillah
:salam2:
Lol...I know I didn`t go that deep with the thread bro...(I am at work.....give me some break...LOL)
Assalamu Alaikum,
I did my Hajj together with my mom.. alhamdulillah.. It was one of the best moments of my life.
:salam2:
:ma: that is good akhi,how was it???
I think you should do it when you get the chance before you run out of time...
Salam
thanks for the poll
yeh i agree ^ dont want to run out of time. i feel left out a little cos all of my family have been cept me and my younger brother (i know its so rude of them!) but me an him are going together inshallah. (when hes just a tiny bit older)
wasalam
thanks for the poll
yeh i agree ^ dont want to run out of time. i feel left out a little cos all of my family have been cept me and my younger brother (i know its so rude of them!) but me an him are going together inshallah. (when hes just a tiny bit older
) wasalam
Salam
thanks for the poll
yeh i agree ^ dont want to run out of time. i feel left out a little cos all of my family have been cept me and my younger brother (i know its so rude of them!) but me an him are going together inshallah. (when hes just a tiny bit older
wasalam
:salam2:
Oh Mashallah that is great news...:tti_sister:
Globalpeace
Banned
W-Salam,
This is a common myth!
As soon as you have the means, do your Hajj. Insha'Allah.
This is a common myth!
As soon as you have the means, do your Hajj. Insha'Allah.
Assalamu aleykum,I`ve heard some ppl saying that u must be mature and made ur parental obligation,I mean ur children should already be married,before u doing Hajj, is that true? I really don`t know
Happy 2BA Muslim
Islamophilic
:salam2:
I performed hajj more than once walhamdulillah, and pray to do more. May Allah SWT accept all our hajjs.
No Sister, you don`t have to wait until your children get married.
Question:
What constitutes being able to go for Hajj?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The definition of being able to go for Hajj is: a person should be physically healthy; he should have the means of travelling to the Sacred House of Allaah by plane, car or riding-beast, or have the money to pay for transportation; and he should have sufficient provision (food) for the journey there and back. This should be over and above what he needs to cover the costs of expenses for those whom he is obliged to spend on until he comes back from his Hajj. A woman should also be accompanied by her husband or a Mahram when she travels for Hajj or ‘Umrah.
From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, Kitaab al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah wa’l-Ziyaarah, page 17
I performed hajj more than once walhamdulillah, and pray to do more. May Allah SWT accept all our hajjs.
Assalamu aleykum,I`ve heard some ppl saying that u must be mature and made ur parental obligation,I mean ur children should already be married,before u doing Hajj, is that true? I really don`t know
No Sister, you don`t have to wait until your children get married.
What constitutes being able to go for Hajj?
Question:
What constitutes being able to go for Hajj?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The definition of being able to go for Hajj is: a person should be physically healthy; he should have the means of travelling to the Sacred House of Allaah by plane, car or riding-beast, or have the money to pay for transportation; and he should have sufficient provision (food) for the journey there and back. This should be over and above what he needs to cover the costs of expenses for those whom he is obliged to spend on until he comes back from his Hajj. A woman should also be accompanied by her husband or a Mahram when she travels for Hajj or ‘Umrah.
From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, Kitaab al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah wa’l-Ziyaarah, page 17
Asalamu Alykum,
Does this mean, i could go ten times or would that be selfish and it would be more rewarding for me to send someone else?
Wasalam
Does this mean, i could go ten times or would that be selfish and it would be more rewarding for me to send someone else?
Wasalam
:salam2:
I performed hajj more than once walhamdulillah, and pray to do more. May Allah SWT accept all our hajjs.
No Sister, you don`t have to wait until your children get married.
What constitutes being able to go for Hajj?
Question:
What constitutes being able to go for Hajj?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The definition of being able to go for Hajj is: a person should be physically healthy; he should have the means of travelling to the Sacred House of Allaah by plane, car or riding-beast, or have the money to pay for transportation; and he should have sufficient provision (food) for the journey there and back. This should be over and above what he needs to cover the costs of expenses for those whom he is obliged to spend on until he comes back from his Hajj. A woman should also be accompanied by her husband or a Mahram when she travels for Hajj or ‘Umrah.
From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, Kitaab al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah wa’l-Ziyaarah, page 17
Happy 2BA Muslim
Islamophilic
:salam2: Brother,
Nice question. Let me clarify one thing. I live in Jedah, so going to Hajj isn`t difficult for me walhamdulillah.
Question:
Is it good to do more than one hajj or is it better to do only one hajj?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to what is obligatory, Hajj is only required once in a lifetime. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed us and said:
“O people, Allaah has enjoined Hajj on you, so perform Hajj.” A man said: “Is it every year, O Messenger of Allaah?” He remained silent until (the man) said it three times. Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If I said yes it would be obligatory and you would not be able to do it.” Then he said: “Be content what I leave with you, for those who came before you were destroyed because they asked too many questions and argued with their Prophets. If I tell you to do something then do as much of it as you can, and if I tell you not to do something then abstain from it.” Narrated by Muslim, 1337.
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-Aqra’ ibn Haabis asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“O Messenger of Allaah, is Hajj every year or just once?” He said: “It is only once, and whoever does more than that, it is a voluntary (act of worship).” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1721; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
With regard to what is preferable, the more a Muslim does of Hajj, the better, even if he can do Hajj every year. There are reports which encourage doing Hajj a great deal, such as the following:
1 – It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked: which deed is best? He said: “Believing in Allaah and His Messenger.” He was asked: Then what? He said: “Jihad for the sake of Allaah.” He was asked: Then what? He said: “An accepted Hajj.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 26; Muslim, 83.
2 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allaah, and does not utter any obscenity or commit any immoral action, will go back (sinless) as on the day his mother bore him.” (al-Bukhaari, 1449; Muslim, 1350).
3 – It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Make the Hajj and ‘Umrah follow each other closely, for they remove poverty and sins as the bellows removes the dross of iron, gold and silver, and an accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 810; al-Nasaa’i, 2631. Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1200.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Nice question. Let me clarify one thing. I live in Jedah, so going to Hajj isn`t difficult for me walhamdulillah.
Should he do more Hajj or is once enough?
Question:
Is it good to do more than one hajj or is it better to do only one hajj?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to what is obligatory, Hajj is only required once in a lifetime. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed us and said:
“O people, Allaah has enjoined Hajj on you, so perform Hajj.” A man said: “Is it every year, O Messenger of Allaah?” He remained silent until (the man) said it three times. Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If I said yes it would be obligatory and you would not be able to do it.” Then he said: “Be content what I leave with you, for those who came before you were destroyed because they asked too many questions and argued with their Prophets. If I tell you to do something then do as much of it as you can, and if I tell you not to do something then abstain from it.” Narrated by Muslim, 1337.
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-Aqra’ ibn Haabis asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“O Messenger of Allaah, is Hajj every year or just once?” He said: “It is only once, and whoever does more than that, it is a voluntary (act of worship).” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1721; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
With regard to what is preferable, the more a Muslim does of Hajj, the better, even if he can do Hajj every year. There are reports which encourage doing Hajj a great deal, such as the following:
1 – It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked: which deed is best? He said: “Believing in Allaah and His Messenger.” He was asked: Then what? He said: “Jihad for the sake of Allaah.” He was asked: Then what? He said: “An accepted Hajj.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 26; Muslim, 83.
2 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allaah, and does not utter any obscenity or commit any immoral action, will go back (sinless) as on the day his mother bore him.” (al-Bukhaari, 1449; Muslim, 1350).
3 – It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Make the Hajj and ‘Umrah follow each other closely, for they remove poverty and sins as the bellows removes the dross of iron, gold and silver, and an accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 810; al-Nasaa’i, 2631. Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1200.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
How bad you want to go to Hajj
salaam alikom
This is a recent story from last year Hajj, so it's not from the past ...
but amazing well mash Allah Allah made his journy easy with all the problems he could face and he faced,
the story from 2 news agencies.
this pic. from :rferl.org>>
source : Middle East Online
63-year-old man finishes 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres on rusting bike from village in Chechnya to Mecca.
URUS-MARTAN, Russia - Cycling across continents in search of inner fulfilment has become commonplace for young adventure-seekers from developed countries.
But Dzhanar-Aliev Magomed-Ali is not young, his bike is old and rickety and he lives in Chechnya, a republic in southern Russia where separatists and Russians have fought two wars since 1994.
Last week, however, the 63-year-old finished a 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres (7,456 miles) on a rusting bike from his village in Chechnya via Iraq and Iran to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
"It was a very tough route, I wouldn't allow anybody else to do it," Magomed-Ali said at his home in Urus-Martan, 30 kilometres outside the destroyed Chechen capital of Grozny.
One of the hardest legs was in Iraq where, he said, US soldiers stopped him because he did not have an Iraqi entry visa. He said they threw his bicycle to the ground in an argument.
Magomed-Ali, like the vast majority of ethnic Chechens, is Muslim. The haj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to make the journey once in their lifetime.
Inspiration came to Magomed-Ali from his mother who, he said, told him in a dream to make the haj.
"I replied that I couldn't do this as I didn't have any way of getting there," he said. "She replied that I had a bike and I should use it."
Mogomed-Ali wore a traditional sheepskin hat and a woollen jumper as he posed next to his purple, mud splattered bike.
He had made two modifications: A thick cloth had been wrapped around the saddle for comfort and a green metal sign hung under the main frame, mapping out his route.
"Urus-Matan - Grozny - Khasavyurt - Makhachkala - Baku - Tehran - Baghdad - Damascus - Mecca - Medina - Jerusalem - Urus-Matan," it read in printed white Russian Cyrillic letters.
As the crow flies Grozny and Mecca are a 5,000-kilometre round trip apart, but Magomed-Ali said he clocked up nearly 12,000 kilometres because of his circuitous route.
.velonews
He faced scorpions, snakes and hostile U.S. soldiers and his bicycle took a beating, but the 63-year-old Chechen now back home after cycling to and from Mecca says he is counting his blessings.
Dzhanar-Aliyev Magomed-Ali returned to this war-torn Chechnya town on January 18. His pilgrimage, or hajj, to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, had little in common with the exploits of most Western adventurers. But his story reflects the dogged determination of many older people in this battle-scarred region of southern Russia, which has spent most of the last 12 years in armed conflict with Moscow and where day-to-day survival has often required near-superhuman effort.
In an interview in Urus-Martan, near Chechnya's main city of Grozny, Magomed-Ali showed off an article from a Jordanian newspaper about his epic cycle-ride, published as he passed through that country. It was one of 13 states he said he criss-crossed on his winding route before returning last week.
The impulse for the journey came when his mother visited him in a dream, recalled this slight man who sports the tall lambskin hat worn by respected elders in this mostly Muslim mountain region.
"She told me... 'You should do the hajj Magomed-Ali.' And when I asked her how I was supposed to do it she answered 'You've got a bicycle. Go on that and I'll help you along the way,'" said Magomed-Ali.
He took the precaution of training for the journey, taking short cycle-rides around Chechnya's war-ravaged landscape, and also equipped himself with 11 spare bicycle chains and six replacement inner tubes for his bicycle, which he bought for the equivalent of 70 dollars (55 euros).
In search of the most direct route, he headed south last November 8 out of Russia to neighboring Azerbaijan, where he camped outside the Saudi embassy hoping for a visa.
The disbelief he encountered from consulate officials was perhaps not surprising -- it was hardly cycle-friendly territory that lay before him.
"The consulate's employees took me to be abnormal and couldn't understand how I planned to get to their country by bicycle," he recalled.
After 18 days he gave up and headed south across the border into Iran and then, for perhaps the most perilous part of his journey, into strife-torn Iraq - a lengthy and perilously wrong turn.
Having reached Baghdad and witnessed what he calls the country's "terrible war," Magomed-Ali ran into a group of American soldiers. "Because I hadn't got a visa, they broke my bicycle, smashed it against the ground and called me a Russian pig. I told them I wasn't Russian but a Muslim and they seized my passport and pointed to the crosses on the cover," he recalled.
He was then forced to turn around and head back to Iran and around Iraq through Armenia and Georgia, down through Turkey, Syria, Jordan and finally -- after further border wrangles -- into Saudi Arabia and to his destination, Mecca.
There he was well-received and offered prayers for his family and homeland, before turning round and heading back home.
Beyond the Jordanian newspaper report the details of this extraordinary tale cannot all be confirmed. Magomed-Ali clearly revels in the more hair-raising aspects of his tale, including encounters with wolves in Azerbaijan and also with a fierce hyena while sleeping under the stars.
But while it is impossible to vouch for every detail there is no mistaking the determination of this innocuous-seeming figure, who recounted his adventure with all the traditional passion of story tellers in this part of the world.
He clearly has no love for Chechnya's Moscow-backed rulers and his bicycle - his "iron horse" as he calls it - is adorned with a symbol showing a wolf under the moon, the emblem of Chechen independence fighters.
He insists that along his route, even in Iraq, he was not afraid.
"I was only afraid, and am afraid, of God -- and that I might not reach my goal," he said. "I did the hajj in order to fulfill the will of my mother, who gave me life and taught me love for my homeland, which for me is priceless," he told AFP.
salaam alikom
This is a recent story from last year Hajj, so it's not from the past ...
but amazing well mash Allah Allah made his journy easy with all the problems he could face and he faced,
Epic Bicycle Ride
URUS-MARTAN — Seeking the greatest spiritual experience in a Muslim’s life, a 63-year-old Chechen criss-crossed 13 countries on his rusting bicycle to join nearly three million Muslims from across the world in performing hajj.
URUS-MARTAN — Seeking the greatest spiritual experience in a Muslim’s life, a 63-year-old Chechen criss-crossed 13 countries on his rusting bicycle to join nearly three million Muslims from across the world in performing hajj.
the story from 2 news agencies.
source : Middle East Online
63-year-old man finishes 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres on rusting bike from village in Chechnya to Mecca.
URUS-MARTAN, Russia - Cycling across continents in search of inner fulfilment has become commonplace for young adventure-seekers from developed countries.
But Dzhanar-Aliev Magomed-Ali is not young, his bike is old and rickety and he lives in Chechnya, a republic in southern Russia where separatists and Russians have fought two wars since 1994.
Last week, however, the 63-year-old finished a 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres (7,456 miles) on a rusting bike from his village in Chechnya via Iraq and Iran to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
"It was a very tough route, I wouldn't allow anybody else to do it," Magomed-Ali said at his home in Urus-Martan, 30 kilometres outside the destroyed Chechen capital of Grozny.
One of the hardest legs was in Iraq where, he said, US soldiers stopped him because he did not have an Iraqi entry visa. He said they threw his bicycle to the ground in an argument.
Magomed-Ali, like the vast majority of ethnic Chechens, is Muslim. The haj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to make the journey once in their lifetime.
Inspiration came to Magomed-Ali from his mother who, he said, told him in a dream to make the haj.
"I replied that I couldn't do this as I didn't have any way of getting there," he said. "She replied that I had a bike and I should use it."
Mogomed-Ali wore a traditional sheepskin hat and a woollen jumper as he posed next to his purple, mud splattered bike.
He had made two modifications: A thick cloth had been wrapped around the saddle for comfort and a green metal sign hung under the main frame, mapping out his route.
"Urus-Matan - Grozny - Khasavyurt - Makhachkala - Baku - Tehran - Baghdad - Damascus - Mecca - Medina - Jerusalem - Urus-Matan," it read in printed white Russian Cyrillic letters.
As the crow flies Grozny and Mecca are a 5,000-kilometre round trip apart, but Magomed-Ali said he clocked up nearly 12,000 kilometres because of his circuitous route.
.velonews
He faced scorpions, snakes and hostile U.S. soldiers and his bicycle took a beating, but the 63-year-old Chechen now back home after cycling to and from Mecca says he is counting his blessings.
Dzhanar-Aliyev Magomed-Ali returned to this war-torn Chechnya town on January 18. His pilgrimage, or hajj, to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, had little in common with the exploits of most Western adventurers. But his story reflects the dogged determination of many older people in this battle-scarred region of southern Russia, which has spent most of the last 12 years in armed conflict with Moscow and where day-to-day survival has often required near-superhuman effort.
In an interview in Urus-Martan, near Chechnya's main city of Grozny, Magomed-Ali showed off an article from a Jordanian newspaper about his epic cycle-ride, published as he passed through that country. It was one of 13 states he said he criss-crossed on his winding route before returning last week.
The impulse for the journey came when his mother visited him in a dream, recalled this slight man who sports the tall lambskin hat worn by respected elders in this mostly Muslim mountain region.
"She told me... 'You should do the hajj Magomed-Ali.' And when I asked her how I was supposed to do it she answered 'You've got a bicycle. Go on that and I'll help you along the way,'" said Magomed-Ali.
He took the precaution of training for the journey, taking short cycle-rides around Chechnya's war-ravaged landscape, and also equipped himself with 11 spare bicycle chains and six replacement inner tubes for his bicycle, which he bought for the equivalent of 70 dollars (55 euros).
In search of the most direct route, he headed south last November 8 out of Russia to neighboring Azerbaijan, where he camped outside the Saudi embassy hoping for a visa.
The disbelief he encountered from consulate officials was perhaps not surprising -- it was hardly cycle-friendly territory that lay before him.
"The consulate's employees took me to be abnormal and couldn't understand how I planned to get to their country by bicycle," he recalled.
After 18 days he gave up and headed south across the border into Iran and then, for perhaps the most perilous part of his journey, into strife-torn Iraq - a lengthy and perilously wrong turn.
Having reached Baghdad and witnessed what he calls the country's "terrible war," Magomed-Ali ran into a group of American soldiers. "Because I hadn't got a visa, they broke my bicycle, smashed it against the ground and called me a Russian pig. I told them I wasn't Russian but a Muslim and they seized my passport and pointed to the crosses on the cover," he recalled.
He was then forced to turn around and head back to Iran and around Iraq through Armenia and Georgia, down through Turkey, Syria, Jordan and finally -- after further border wrangles -- into Saudi Arabia and to his destination, Mecca.
There he was well-received and offered prayers for his family and homeland, before turning round and heading back home.
Beyond the Jordanian newspaper report the details of this extraordinary tale cannot all be confirmed. Magomed-Ali clearly revels in the more hair-raising aspects of his tale, including encounters with wolves in Azerbaijan and also with a fierce hyena while sleeping under the stars.
But while it is impossible to vouch for every detail there is no mistaking the determination of this innocuous-seeming figure, who recounted his adventure with all the traditional passion of story tellers in this part of the world.
He clearly has no love for Chechnya's Moscow-backed rulers and his bicycle - his "iron horse" as he calls it - is adorned with a symbol showing a wolf under the moon, the emblem of Chechen independence fighters.
He insists that along his route, even in Iraq, he was not afraid.
"I was only afraid, and am afraid, of God -- and that I might not reach my goal," he said. "I did the hajj in order to fulfill the will of my mother, who gave me life and taught me love for my homeland, which for me is priceless," he told AFP.
Asalamu Alykum,
Alhamdulilah. Mashallah that is amazing. What a way to go and perform Hajj, while looking forward to his goal, he also went into different countries and Iraq to witness what was happening. Alhamdulilah indeed.
Jazakallah Khair Brothers for the article and the answer to the question. Although one thing that bugs me is that some individuals will perform Hajj every year although return to their old lifestyles, if you get what i mean. Would this mean their Hajj is rejected? Thats a scary sight, because while performing Hajj, you have the thought of whether it will be accepted or not.
Wasalam
Alhamdulilah. Mashallah that is amazing. What a way to go and perform Hajj, while looking forward to his goal, he also went into different countries and Iraq to witness what was happening. Alhamdulilah indeed.
Jazakallah Khair Brothers for the article and the answer to the question. Although one thing that bugs me is that some individuals will perform Hajj every year although return to their old lifestyles, if you get what i mean. Would this mean their Hajj is rejected? Thats a scary sight, because while performing Hajj, you have the thought of whether it will be accepted or not.
Wasalam
Happy 2BA Muslim
Islamophilic
Brother,Wa jazaka!! Nobody knows which hajj is rejected and which is accepted except Allah SWT. If you mean returning back their old sinning lifestyle, then this person did not really benefit from his hajj. Hajj is supposed to affect the life of a Muslim.
Affect of Hajj on the soul and life of a Muslim
Question:
How does participating in Hajj affect the life of a Muslim?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Performing the rituals of Hajj has many virtues and there is a great deal of wisdom behind them. The one who is enabled to understand them and do them is blessed with a great deal of good. We will try to list as many as we can here.
1- Travelling for Hajj to perform the rituals; his journey reminds him his journey to Allaah and the Hereafter. When he travels he leaves behind his loved ones, family, children and homeland, and the journey to the Hereafter is like that too.
2- The one who goes on this journey takes with him supplies that will help him reach the holy land, and this reminds him that for the journey to his Lord, he must have with him provisions that will help him to arrive safely. Concerning this, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness)” [al-Baqarah 2:197].
3- Just as travelling is a kind of torment, the journey to the Hereafter is like that too, and many times greater. Ahead of a person there is the agony of death, death itself, the grave, the gathering, the reckoning, the weighing in the Balance, and al-Siraat (a bridge across Hell, over which all must pass), then Paradise or Hell. The blessed one is the one whom Allaah saves.
4- When the pilgrim wears the ihraam garments (two pieces of unsewn white cloth), this reminds him of the shroud in which he will be wrapped. This motivates him to give up sin. Just as he sheds his clothes, he should also shed his sins; just as he puts on two clean white garments, his heart and limbs should also be clean and untainted with sin.
5- When he says at the meeqaat (the point at which pilgrims enter ihraam), “Labbayk Allaahumma labbaayk (Here I am at Your service, O Allaah)”, which means that he has responded to his Lord, may He be exalted, how can he remain in a state of sin without saying to his Lord, “Labbayk Allaahumma labbaayk (Here I am at Your service, O Allaah)”, meaning, I have responded to Your prohibition of them. This is the time to give up sin.
6- When he gives up the things that are forbidden when in ihraam, and keeps busy with the talbiyah and dhikr (remembering Allaah), this shows the state that the Muslim should always be in. This is a means of training and disciplining himself, because he is disciplining himself by giving up what is basically permitted, but Allaah has forbidden it to him in this situation. So how can he transgress the sacred limits that Allaah has set for all times and places?
7- When he enters the sacred House of Allaah, which Allaah has made a place of safety for mankind, this reminds him of safety on the Day of Resurrection, and that no one can attain it without effort and striving. The greatest source of safety on the Day of Resurrection is Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allaah) and avoiding shirk (associating others with Allaah). Concerning this Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their Belief with Zulm (wrong, i.e. by worshipping others besides Allaah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided” [al-An’aam 6:82].
When he kisses the Black Stone, which is the first ritual that he does, this trains the visitor to venerate the Sunnah (the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)), and not to transgress against the law of Allaah on the basis of his flawed reasoning. He knows that what Allaah has prescribed for mankind is wise and good, and he trains himself to submit fully to his Lord, may He be exalted. Concerning that, ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, after kissing the Black Stone:
“I know that you are just a stone and you can neither cause harm nor bring benefit. Were it not that I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1520) and Muslim (1720).
8- When he circumambulates the Ka’bah, that reminds him of his father Ibraaheem (Abraham, peace be upon him), and how he built the Ka’bah as a place of safety for mankind and called them to come on pilgrimage to this House. Then came our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who also called people to come to this House. Moosa (Moses) and ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon them both) also came on pilgrimage to this House, which is therefore a symbol of these Prophets. How could it be otherwise when Allaah commanded Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) to build it and venerate it?
9- When he drinks the water of Zamzam, this reminds him of the blessing that Allaah has bestowed upon people in this blessed water, from which millions of people have drunk for many centuries, and it still has not dried up. He is encouraged to say du’aa’ (supplication) when drinking it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for.”
Narrated by Ibn Maajah (3062) and Ahmad (14435). It is a hasan hadeeth which was classed as such by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Zaad al-Ma’aad (4/320).
10-The saa’i (running) between al-Safa and al-Marwa reminds him of the great hardship undergone by our mother Haajar (Hagar), and how she ran between al-Safa and al-Marwa looking for someone to save her from the trouble in which she found herself, and especially for water to give to her young son Ismaa’eel (Ishmael). This woman bore this test with patience, and turned to her Lord. In her we have a good example, because when a man remembers the striving and patience of this woman, his problems seem less significant, and when a woman remembers one of her own gender, her hardship becomes easier to bear.
11-Standing in ‘Arafah reminds the pilgrim of the great gathering of mankind on the Day of Gathering. If the pilgrim suffers exhaustion because of the crowding together of thousands of people, then how about when all of mankind are gathered, barefoot, naked and uncircumcised?
12-As we said with regard to kissing the Black Stone, so too when stoning the Jamaraat (stone pillars representing the Devil), the Muslim trains himself to be obedient and to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Thus he manifests pure submission to Allaah.
13-When he offers the sacrifice, this reminds him of the important incident when our father Ibraaheem submitted to Allaah’s command to sacrifice his only son Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), and that there is no room for compassion which goes against the commands and prohibitions of Allaah. It also teaches him to respond to the command of Allaah, as Ismaa’eel said:
“ ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, In sha’ Allaah (if Allaah wills), you shall find me of As‑Saabiroon (the patient)’” [al-Saffaat 37:102].
14-When he exits ihraam and that which Allaah had forbidden to him during ihraam becomes permissible to him again, this trains him to be patient, and teaches him that with hardship goes ease, and that the outcome for the one who responds to the command of Allaah is joy and happiness. This joy can only be felt by the one who tastes the sweetness of obedience, like the joy that the fasting person feels when he breaks his fast, or that the one who spends the night in prayer feels after he has prayed.
15-When he has finished the rituals of Hajj and done them as Allaah has prescribed and as He likes, and has completed his rituals, he has the hope that his Lord will forgive him all his sins, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) promised when he said:
“Whoever comes to this House and does not utter any obscene speech or do any evil deed, will go back as his mother bore him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1449) and Muslim (1350).
This motivates him to turn over a new leaf in his life, free from sin.
16-When he goes back to his wife and children, the joy of meeting them reminds him of the greater joy he will feel when he meets them in the Paradise of Allaah, may He be exalted. This reminds him that true loss is loss of oneself and one's family on the Day of Resurrection, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): The losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, that will be a manifest loss!” [al-Zumar 39:15].
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
SORRY SISTER ZARAH FOR GOING OFF TOPIC A LITTLE BIT
Asalamu Alykum,
Sorry about that i was the one who initiated and now i will finish it. Although considering its related to Hajj its still in some way relevant.
Subhanallah that verse really is powerful. Alhamdulilah. I now realise how can one who has performed Hajj turn back to how they were. And now i also relise why the khateeb at a mosque i used go to used to say perform Hajj when you are young. Because it will change you for the rest of your life.
Alhamdulilah
Wasalam
Sorry about that i was the one who initiated and now i will finish it. Although considering its related to Hajj its still in some way relevant.
Subhanallah that verse really is powerful. Alhamdulilah. I now realise how can one who has performed Hajj turn back to how they were. And now i also relise why the khateeb at a mosque i used go to used to say perform Hajj when you are young. Because it will change you for the rest of your life.
Alhamdulilah
Wasalam