The Hajj (Pilgrimage) – Fifth Pillar of Islam:
Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a mandatory act of worship (Ibadat); means to visit the Kaa'ba in Makkah on the specified dates in the month of Zul-Hijjah (Dhul-Hijjah) and perform the religious rites in accordance with the Islamic Laws.
 |
The Hajj (Pilgrimage) – Fifth Pillar of Islam
|
Following conditions have to be fulfilled before Hajj becomes a compulsory duty on mankind.
The first condition is that of being a Muslim. Non-Muslims are, first and foremost, obliged to become Muslims after which the daily, monthly, yearly and once in a lifetime duties of Islam successively become requirements. Hajj is a religious duty which must be accompanied by the correct belief in order for it to be accepted by Allah.
The second and third conditions are those of sanity and puberty. A Muslim has to have reached puberty and be of sound mind for his or her Hajj to become a duty. Divine rewards and punishments are given as a result of human choice between good and evil. Since a child or an insane person lack the ability to distinguish between good and evil, no religious duties are required of them. This principle of non-obligation is based on the following Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon Him)was reported to have said: "The pen is raised from (the book of deeds) of three: the sleeper until he awakes, the child until he becomes a young man, and the insane until he regains his sanity."
The fourth condition is that of ability based on the following Quranic verse:
And, pilgrimage to the House is duty on mankind to Allah for those who can find a way there.
[Noble Quran 3:97]
The fifth condition is that of a Mahram, concerns women only and could be included under the condition of ability. Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade women from traveling for a distance requiring more than twenty-four hours unaccompanied by a male relative whom she can not marry (Mahram),women are not obliged to make Hajj unless they have a Mahram to accompany them. Thus, a woman without a Mahram is recommended not to try to make Hajj. However, if the woman has the means and the Mahram, she is obliged to do so.
Hazrat Ayshah asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): "O, Messenger of Allah, are women obliged to make Jihad (holy war)?" he replied, “They must make Jihad in which there is no fighting - Hajj and ‘Umrah.”
Forms of Pilgrimage (Types of Hajj):
There are three forms of Hajj:
Tamattu'- Ifrad - Qiran
Tamattu': A pilgrim wears Ihram for Umrah only during the months of Hajj, which means when he reaches Makkah, he makes Tawaf and Sa'i for ‘Umrah. He then shaves or clips his hair. On the day of Tarwiyah, which is the eighth of Zul-Hijjah (Dhul-Hijjah), he puts on his Ihram for Hajj only and carries out all of its requirements.
Ifrad: A pilgrim wears Ihram for Hajj only. When he reaches Makkah, he performs Tawaf for his arrival and Sa'i for Hajj. He doesn't shave or clip his hair as he doesn't disengage from Ihram. Instead, he remains in Ihram till after he stones Jamrat Al-'Aqabah on the Eid day. It is permissible for him to postpone his Sa'i for Hajj until after his Tawaf for Hajj.
Qiran: A pilgrim wears Ihram for both ‘Umrah and Hajj or he wears Ihram first for ‘Umrah, then makes intentions for Hajj before his Tawaf for Hajj. The obligations on one performing Ifrad are the same as those on one performing Qiran, except that the latter must slaughter whereas the former is not obligated to do so. The best of the three forms is Tamattu'. It is the form that the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged his followers to perform. Even if a pilgrim makes intentions to perform Qiran or Ifrad he is allowed to change his intentions to Tamattu'; he can do this even after he has performed Tawaf and Sa'i.
The Journey of Hajj:
In the forenoon of the eighth day of Zul-Hijjah (Dhul-Hijjah), a pilgrim purifies himself once again by bathing as he did before ‘Umrah in the place in which he is staying, if convenient. He puts on his Ihram and says: "Here I am for Hajj. Here I am, oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partners."
If he fears that something will prevent him from completing his Hajj he should make a condition when he makes his intentions, saying: "If I am prevented by any obstacle my place is wherever I am held up." If he has no such fear, he doesn't make this condition.
A pilgrim goes to Mina and there prays Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha' and Fajr, shortening his four unit prayers so as to make them two units each, without combining them.
When the sun rises, he goes to Arafah and there prays Dhuhr and Asr combined at the time of Dhuhr, making each one two units. He remains in Namira Mosque until sunset if possible. He remembers Allah and makes as many supplications as possible while facing the Qiblah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed thus: "There is no Deity but Allah alone. He has no partner. All dominion and praise are His and He is powerful over all things.
If he grows weary it is permissible for him to engage in beneficial conversation with his companions or reading what he can find of beneficial books, especially those concerning Allah's grace and abundant gifts. This will strengthen his hope in Allah.
He should then return to his supplications and be sure to spend the end of the day deep in supplication because the best of supplication is the supplication of the day of Arafat.
At sunset he goes from Arafah to
Muzdalifah and there prays Maghrib, Isha, and Fajr. If he is tired or has little water, it is permissible for him to combine Maghrib and Isha. If he fears that he will not reach Muzdalifah until after midnight, he should pray before he reaches it for it is not permissible to delay prayer until after midnight. He remains there, in Muzdalifah, making supplications and remembering Allah till just before sunrise.
.jpg)
If he is weak and cannot handle the crowd during
Ar-Ramy, it is permissible for him to go to Mina at the end of the night to stone the Jamrah before the arrival of the crowd.
Near sunrise, a pilgrim goes from Muzdalifah to Mina. Upon reaching it he does the following:
He throws seven consecutive pebbles at Jamrat Al-Aqabah which is the closest monument to Makkah, saying Greatest," as he: "Allah is the throws each pebble.
He slaughters the sacrificial animal, eats some of it, and gives some to the poor. Slaughter is obligatory on the Mutamatti' and Qarin.
He shaves or clips his hair; shaving is preferable. A woman clips her hair the length of a finger tip.
These three should be done in the above order if convenient, but there is no restriction if one precedes another.
With that, one is allowed to come out of Ihram. He can wear other clothing and do everything that was lawful before Ihram except engaging in marital relations.
He goes to Makkah to perform Tawaf Al-lfadah and Sa'i, also for Hajj. It is Sunnah to put perfume on before going to Makkah.
With the completion of this Tawaf and Sa'i, a pilgrim is allowed to do everything that was lawful before Ihram, including engaging in marital relations.
After performing Tawaf and Sa'i, he returns to Mina to spend the nights of the eleventh and twelfth days there.
He stones the three Jamrah in the afternoon of both the eleventh and twelfth days. He starts with the first Jamrah, which is furthest from Makkah, then the middle one, and lastly Jamrat Al-Aqabah. Each one should be stoned with seven consecutive pebbles accompanied by
Takbir. He stops after the first and middle Jamrah to make supplications facing the Qiblah. It is not permissible to stone before noon on these two days. It is best to walk to the Jamrah, but riding is permissible.
If he is in a hurry after stoning on the twelfth day, he leaves Mina before sunset. But if he wishes to prolong his stay, which is best, he spends the night of the thirteenth in Mina and stones that afternoon in the same manner as on the twelfth day.
When he is ready to return to his country, he makes
Tawaf Al-Wada', which is seven circuits around the Ka'bah. Menstruating women and women experiencing postnatal discharge are not obligated to perform Tawaf Al-Wada'.
Visiting The Prophet's Mosque (Masjid-e-Nabvi):
A pilgrim goes to
Medina before or after Hajj with the intention of visiting the
Prophet's mosque
and praying in it. Prayer there is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere except in the Holy Mosque in Makkah.
Upon reaching the mosque he prays two Rak'ah of salutation or performs any obligatory prayer that is due.
He goes to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he stands before it. He greets him saying the "May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, oh Prophet. May Allah grant you a good reward on behalf of your people."
He takes a step or two to his right to position himself before
Abu Bakr and greets him saying: "May the peace, mercy, and blessing of Allah be upon you, oh Abu-Bakr, Caliph of the Messenger of Allah. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people."
Then he takes a step or two to his right to position himself before
Umar and greets him saying: "May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, oh Umar, Prince of the believers. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people."
In a state of purity, he goes to pray in
Quba' Mosque.
He goes to
Al-Baqi' to visit
Uthman's grave. He stands before it and greets him saying: "May the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you,
Oh Uthman Prince of the believers. May Allah be pleased with you and grant you a good reward on behalf of Muhammad's people." He greets any other Muslims in Al-Baqi'.
He goes to
Uhud and visits the grave of
Hamzah and the other martyrs there with him. He greets them and prays to Allah to grant them forgiveness, mercy, and pleasure.
(also called Eid-ul-Azha and Bakra Eid). I've collected few very cool videos and photographs of beautiful sacrificial animals from different cattle markets of different cities, that are worth-sharing with my readers. This is the first episode of many to come here on my blog, 
.jpg)
.jpg)
