Conditions of Hajj

1- Islam: Faith is the first requirement and without it the prescribed deeds are not valid or accepted as acts of worship. As we have seen previously, there is a strong relation between Hajj and its rituals with the religion of Ibraheem (A), which is the religion of Tawheed.

2- Sanity: Anyone who is not sane-minded - somebody who is proven to be is mentally ill - is not held responsible for his, or her, actions. The Prophet (S) said,

"There are three kinds of people who are not held responsible for their actions: The sleeping person until he wakes up, the child until he reaches the age of puberty, and the mentally ill until he becomes sane." [Related by the Five and ad-Daarimi]

3- Puberty: As understood from the above hadith.

4- Ability: It was explained by the Messenger of Allah (S) as the transportation and the provision during the journey. Today, Hajj is done through special arrangements and requirements. Anyone who can fulfill those requirements and can afford to pay for his journey without begging others or taking loans should go for Hajj.

"Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey"

AFTER HAJJ

How fortunate are these souls who are blessed with the following words from Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

"Whoever performs Hajj for the Pleasure of Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from it (free from sin) as the day on which his mother gave birth to him."

Bukhaari, Muslim

"Verily there shall be no reward for a Mabroor Hajj except Jannah."

Bukhaari, Muslim

It is hoped that all the pilgrims were sincere in their intentions and had traveled thousands of miles only to secure the Pleasure of Allah by fulfilling the obligation laid down upon them. May Allah the Almighty grant all the pilgrim’s acceptance and grant them opportunity again and again to visit the Sacred bud. Aameen.

Virtues of the Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah

Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of Dhu?l-Hijjah, which Allah has preferred over all the other days of the year.

Ibn ?Abbas reported that the Prophet Muhammad said: ?There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.? The people asked, ?Not even jihaad for the sake of Allah?? He said, ?Not even jihaad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing.? (Reported by al-Bukhaari,

This indicates that these ten days are better than all the other days of the year, with no exceptions, not even the last ten days of Ramadan. But the last ten nights of Ramadan are better, because they include Laylat al-Qadr (?the Night of Power?), which is better than a thousand months.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 6

This a Hajj / Umra Documentary providing guidance to the pilgrims going on their journey to Makkah and Medina. It is in Urdu language. It is a step by step guide providing details of the Hajj religious rituals, history of the Holyland and Duas. It comes in 6 parts.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 5

This a Hajj / Umra Documentary providing guidance to the pilgrims going on their journey to Makkah and Medina. It is in Urdu language. It is a step by step guide providing details of the Hajj religious rituals, history of the Holyland and Duas. It comes in 6 parts.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 4

This a Hajj / Umra Documentary providing guidance to the pilgrims going on their journey to Makkah and Medina. It is in Urdu language. It is a step by step guide providing details of the Hajj religious rituals, history of the Holyland and Duas. It comes in 6 parts.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 3

This a Hajj / Umra Documentary providing guidance to the pilgrims going on their journey to Makkah and Medina. It is in Urdu language. It is a step by step guide providing details of the Hajj religious rituals, history of the Holyland and Duas. It comes in 6 parts.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 2)

This a Hajj / Umra Documentary providing guidance to the pilgrims going on their journey to Makkah and Medina. It is in Urdu language. It is a step by step guide providing details of the Hajj religious rituals, history of the Holyland and Duas. It comes in 6 parts.


If you wish to download the video files in WMV format. With request for prayers, if any one of you in fortune to goes on hajj or umra.

Hajj / Makkah and Medina Pilgrimage Guide Video (Urdu) Part 1)

Difference between Hajj Types

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

The types of Hajj are as follows:

Tamattu`: At or before reaching the miqat (the place where one must enter ihram), the person enters into ihram for `Umrah only. He performs `Umrah first, then goes out of ihram until 8 Dhul-Hijjah, when he or she enters into ihram again for Hajj. This is the most common type for people from outside ofSaudiArabia.

Qiran: The person enters into ihram for both `Umrah and Hajj, and does not go out of ihram until the Day of Sacrifice (`Eid Al-Adha) at Mina. In this type of Hajj, the pilgrim has to stick to the restrictions of ihram for a longer period of time.

Ifrad: The person enters into ihram only for the Hajj and takes it off only on the Day of Sacrifice.

Fulfilling the Rights of Others Before Performing Hajj

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger.

Elaborating more on this, Dr. Husam al-Din Ibn Musa `Afana, professor of Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence at Al-Quds University, Palestine, states:

Almighty Allah says: (And eat not up your property among yourselves in vanity, nor seek by it to gain the hearing of the judges that ye may knowingly devour a portion of the property of others wrongfully. ) (Al-Baqarah 2: 188) Almighty Allah also says: (O ye who believe! Fulfill your undertakings…) (Al-Ma’idah 5: 1) 

Tips to Maximize Hajj Benefits

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is the peak and culmination of the acts of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever performs the rites of Hajj, while having refrained from acts of lewdness, obscenity and wrangling, will return home like a new born (i.e., free from all sins).” He (peace and blessings be upon him) also said, “A virtuous Hajj entails no other reward than Paradise.”

The question, however, remains: What is meant by a virtuous Hajj?

The answer is not hard to find when we closely peruse the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) as well as the wise instructions of the scholars and imams.

The Best Type of Hajj

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

The types of Hajj are as follows:

Tamattu`: At or before reaching the miqat, the person enters into Ihram for `Umrah only. He performs `Umrah first, then goes out of Ihram until 8 Dhul-Hijjah, when he enters into Ihram again for Hajj. This is the most common type for people from outside ofSaudiArabia.

Qiran: The person enters into Ihram for both `Umrah and Hajj, and does not go out of Ihram until the Day of Sacrifice (`Eid al-Ad-ha) at Mina. In this type of Hajj, one has to stick to the restrictions of Ihram for a longer period of time.

Ifrad: The person enters into Ihram only for the Hajj and takes it off only on the Day of Sacrifice.

Hajj A Universal Message for Peace

Inner Peace

Hajj rituals fill a Muslim’s heart with inner peace and tranquilly. Inner peace is one of the significant blessings and fruits of hajj. Various rituals of hajj purify one’s body and soul. Hajj is all about the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), repentance, du`aa’, seeking Allah’s forgiveness, devotion, and acquiring refined morals and values, which all lead to inner peace.

From the very beginning of the hajj trip, a Muslim declares “labayka Allahumma hajjan (O Allah, I wholeheartedly resolve to offer hajj only for Your Sake)”. When a pilgrim departs his homeland, he leaves his family and money in Allah’s Trust. This implants in one’s heart true reliance on Allah. When the pilgrim puts off his normal clothes and wears the clothes of iharm, he then remembers that one day he will leave this world with nothing, and that what counts are only good deeds. Throughout the hajj trip, a Muslim engages himself in much dhikr and reflection on Allah’s creation. This meaning is clear in the following Qur’anic verses on hajj and its rituals:

Conditions of Hajj being obligatory

Praise be to Allah.

The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have stated the conditions of Hajj being obligatory, which, if they are met, make it obligatory for a person to perform Hajj, and without them Hajj is not obligatory. There are five such conditions: being Muslim, being of sound mind, being an adult, being free and being able to do it.

1 – Being Muslim

This applies to all acts of worship, because worship done by a kaafir is not valid. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allaah and in His Messenger” [al-Tawbah 9:54]

About Zakat

One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.

The word Zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

Zakat is the amount of money that every adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, has to pay to support specific categories people.

This category of people is defined in surah at-Taubah (9) verse 60: "The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise." (The Holy Qur'an 9:60).

Zakat

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. It has been mentioned, along with daily Prayers (Salaat / Namaz), over seventy times in the Quran. Allah's word commanding ".....and establish regular Salaat and give regular Zakat....." are referred to in many parts of the Quran. From this we can conclude that after Salaat, Zakat is the most important act in Islam.

Just as Salaat is the most important act of worship which has to be performed bodily, so is Zakat the main act of worship which has to be performed monetarily. Those who fulfill this duty have been promised abundant reward in this world and hereafter. Whoever evades Zakat has been sternly warned in the Qur'an and Hadith of the consequences.

About Zakat

One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.

The word Zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

Zakat is the amount of money that every adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, has to pay to support specific categories people.

This category of people is defined in surah at-Taubah (9) verse 60: "The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise." (The Holy Qur'an 9:60).

One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj

One fifth of humankind shares a single aspiration: to complete, at least once in a lifetime, the spiritual journey called the Hajj. Listen Here

The hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, a central duty of Islam whose origins date back to the Prophet Abraham, brings together Muslims of all races and tongues for one of life's most moving spiritual experiences.

For 14 centuries, countless millions of Muslims, men and women from the four corners of the earth, have made the pilgrimage to Makkah, the birthplace of Islam. In carrying out this obligation, they fulfill one of the five "pillars" of Islam, or central religious duties of the believer.

Short History of Hajj

Hajj literally means 'to set out for a place'. Islamically however it refers to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah with the intention of performing certain religious rites in accordance with the method prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad .

Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Allah in the time of the Prophet lbrahim [Abraham] and he was the one who was entrusted by Allah to build the Kaba - the House of Allah - along with his son Ismail [Ishmael] at Makkah. Allah described the Kaba and its building as follows:

"And remember when We showed Ibrahim the site of the [Sacred] House [saying]: Associate not anything [in worship with Me and purify My House for those who circumambulate it [i.e. perform tawaaf] and those who stand up for prayer and those who bow down and make prostration [in prayer etc.]."

[Surah Al-Hajj 22:26]