The status of hajj in Islam; Allah, the Exalted, ordained it
in the ninth year after Hijrah (the Prophet’s sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam
(may Allah exalt his mention) migration from Makkah to Madinah), according to
the preponderant opinion.
Allah Almighty Says (what means): {and [due] to Allah from
the people is a pilgrimage to the House—for whoever is able to find thereto a
way. But whoever disbelieves—then, indeed, Allah is free from need of the
worlds.} [Quran 3:97]
Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime on every sane Muslim
who has reached the age of puberty and is physically and financially capable of
performing it. If you want to perform hajj then visit
Cheapest Umrah Packages
UK. It
is one of the best deeds that draws the person closer to Allah, the Exalted.
There are many authentic Hadeeth that were narrated concerning the virtues of
Hajj, and we will mention some of them.
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah
be pleased with him, that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam (may Allah
exalt his mention) was asked: “What is the best deed?” He said: “To believe in
Allah and His Messenger.” He was asked, “Then what?” He answered: “Performing
Jihad in the path of Allah.” He was asked, “Then what?” He said: “(Performing
an) acceptable Hajj.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah, May Allah be pleased with
her, said, “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! We find Jihad to be the best of
deeds. May we (i.e. women) participate in it?’ He replied: ‘The best Jihad for
you (i.e. women) is an accepted Hajj.’” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Abu Hurairah, May Allah be pleased with him, narrated that
the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention) said:
“The ‘Umrah to the following ‘Umrah expiates the sins committed in between
them, and there is no reward for an accepted Hajj except Paradise.”
[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] The accepted Hajj is the one in which one does not commit
sins.
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah
be pleased with him, that he heard the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam
(may Allah exalt his mention) saying: “Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of
Allah during which he neither has sexual relations (with his wife) nor commits
sins will return (after Hajj, as sinless) as he was on the very day his mother
gave birth to him.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
After learning about the great reward of Hajj, in addition
to its being one of the pillars of Islam, no Muslim should miss out on it;
rather, he should hasten to perform it as soon as he is capable of doing so.
This is because one does not know when he will die, and he should take
advantage of his life before his death. We seek the Help of Allah to enable us
to do well.
The
Pilgrims’ Chant (The Talbiyah):
“Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la shareeka laka
labbayk. Innalhamda wanni‘mata laka walmulk, laa shareeka lak.” (O Allah, here
I am, at your service. There is no partner to be associated with you. Praise,
grace and sovereignty are yours. There is no partner to be associated with
you).
Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means): {and proclaim to the
people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean
camel; they will come from every distant pass.} [Quran 22: 27]
The Scholars of Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran) said
that when Ibrahim, may Allah Exalt his mention, completed building the Sacred
House, Allah Almighty ordered him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim, may
Allah Exalt his mention, said, “O Lord, my voice will not reach them?” Allah
Almighty Says, “Call them, and I will make it reach them.” So Ibrahim, May
Allah exalt his mention, ascended the mountain of Abu Qubays and said, “O
mankind! Your Lord has established a House, so come for pilgrimage to it.” It
is said that the mountains lowered themselves so that his voice would reach all
the corners of the earth, and those who were still in their mothers’ wombs and
their fathers’ loins would hear the call. The response came from everything
that heard him, from stones, trees, and those for whom Allah has decreed to
make Hajj, until the Day of Resurrection: “We answer your call, O Allah, we
answer your call.”
“Come to you on foot,” means that they will walk to perform
the Hajj, as Ibrahim and Ismaa‘eel, May Allah exalt their mention, performed
pilgrimage walking on foot. Also, Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali performed the Hajj
twenty-five times on foot while there were camels with him. Imam Ahmad ibn
Hanbal may Allaah have mercy upon him performed Hajj on foot twice.
A Story
and a Lesson Learned:
When Ja‘far As-Saadiq may Allaah have mercy upon him set out
for Hajj and intended to recite the Talbiyah, the color of his face changed,
and his body trembled. It was said to him, “What is wrong with you?” He said,
“I intend to say the Talbiyah, but I fear I would hear something else (other
than the response to the Talbiyah).”
‘Abdullah ibn Al-Jallaa’ said:
I was in Thul-Hulayfah and I saw a young man who wanted to
assume the state of Ihram, so he said: “O Allah, I want to say ‘Labbayka
Allahumma labbayk’ (O Allah, here I am at your service), but I am afraid that
you answer me by saying that my Talbiyah is not accepted.” The man kept
repeating this while shedding tears, then he said, “O Allah, I respond to your
call.” He said this with a prolonged pronunciation, and he died on the spot may
Allaah have mercy upon him.
When Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh may Allaah have mercy upon him
stood at ‘Arafah while other pilgrims were invoking Allah Almighty, he was
crying like a bereaved mother who lost her child and could not even supplicate
Allah Almighty. When it was almost sunset, he clutched at his beard and raised
his sight to the sky and said, “O Allah, how ashamed I am of my sins before
you, even if you have forgiven me!”
The Story
of Building the Sacred House
Ibrahim, may Allah exalt his mention, took Ismaa‘eel and his
mother Haajar and went to the place of the Sacred House. When they reached
Makkah, he made her sit under a tree at a place near Zam Zam where neither
people nor water could be found. He left them there and left a water-skin
containing some water and a bag of dates with them and went away. Ismaa‘eel’s
mother followed him and asked: “Are you going to leave us in this valley where nobody
lives?” She repeated the question but he ignored her, so she asked: “Did Allah
order you to do so?” He answered: “Yes.” She said, ‘Then He will not let us go
to waste.’ She returned to her place and Ibrahim went away until he reached a
place where they could not see him; he faced the place of the House, raised his
hands, and supplicated Allah saying: {Our Lord, I have settled some of my
descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that
they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them
and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.} [Quran
14:37]
Haajar drank from the water-skin and suckled her child until
all the water was used up and she and her son became thirsty. He was writhing
with thirst, so she left him, hating to see him in that state. She ascended
Mount Safa, which was the closest mountain to where she was, and looked around,
hoping to see somebody, but in vain. She came down to the valley and ran in a
state of exhaustion till she reached Mount Marwa. She ascended it and looked
around, hoping to see somebody, but in vain. She ran to and fro (between the
two mountains) seven times. Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said
that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam (may Allaah exalt his mention)
said: “That is why people perform Sa‘y between them (meaning As-Safa and
Al-Marwah).”
When she was near Al-Marwah, she heard a voice, so she kept
silent to make sure of it. It was the angel Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt
his mention, and he hit the earth with his heel or with his wing, so water
gushed out. Ismaa‘eel’s mother was astonished and collected the sand around it
to make a basin. She drank from the water and suckled her child, and the angel
said to her: “do not be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of
Allah that will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects
His people.’ [Al-Bukhaari: Kitaab Al-Anbiyaa’]
How great is reliance on Allah, and how beautiful is
submission to the Orders of Allah. Hajar was subjected to a hard plight, but
her trust in Allah was not shaken, and then Allah sent the solution and the
water of Zam Zam gushed out, so Haajar, her son Ismaa‘eel, and his descendants
became a large Ummah (community), and the seal of the Prophets and Messengers
(Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam (may Allaah exalt his mention))
was from his descendants. This small blessed family became the core of life and
the origin of prosperity in this place. Days passed and Allah ordered Ibrahim
to build the Sacred House. So, Allah responded to Ibrahim’s supplication and
the hearts of people became inclined to this House. The Sacred House continued
to be under the protection of Allah and continued to be treated with
glorification, honor and respect throughout all times and generations.
