Completing Hajj and ‘Umrah‎ the Right Way

23/10/2011| IslamWeb

Allah The Almighty Says ‎ (what means):‎ {And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah….} [Quran 2:196] This verse contains two great commands. ‎

‎The first is to complete Hajj and ‘Umrah by performing their rites according to what Allah The Almighty and His Messenger ordained, not according to what any other person says or does. This is because some knowledgeable persons induce other people to use some of the concessions that were stated by some scholars as a result of their personal reasoning. They do not consider the concessions granted by Allah The Almighty to His slaves, about which the Prophet said: “Indeed, Allah likes that His concessions are observed just as He hates that sins be committed.” People who do so want to add concessions that were not legislated by Allah The Almighty or His Messenger but were merely said by some people.

This was the reason for the destruction of the Children of Israel, as they took their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah The Almighty, and those very scholars permitted them to do what was prohibited and prohibited what was lawful. Thus, pilgrims should be wary of such concessions and should perform Hajj according to what Allah The Almighty and His Messenger legislated. The Prophet performed Hajj along with his Companions and said: "Take your rites from me." This indicates that Muslims should perform the rites just as the Messenger of Allah did.

The rites should be performed in an unhurried manner, and one should seize the chance to perform every rite at its due time, either in the beginning, middle or end of the due time. Indeed, people's behavior is the reason for shortening the time of performing the rites or in making the places of performing the rites crowded. Muslims should be keen on performing the rites as perfectly as possible, even if they perform it at the end of the time – provided that one does not miss the due time of performing the rites. However, some people, if not most of them, want to return to their homeland as soon as possible, even if the result of this is not completing the rites of Hajj. Some people assign a proxy to complete the rites so that they can return home. In doing so, their Hajj is not completed according to what Allah The Almighty ordained, despite the fact that the person has incurred the expenses of Hajj and the tiredness of travelling. This is the plot of Satan and the soul which is a persistent enjoiner of evil.

Some people add some Bid‘ahs (innovations) to the rites, such as visiting historical places. This leads to wasting the pilgrims’ time and money and it breaches the rites because of following customs and traditions as well as the advocates of Bid‘ahs and deviation. People who do so do not learn the essence of Hajj, which is to perform it according to what Allah The Almighty ordained: {And complete the Hajj.} This is because following Bid‘ahs invalidates Hajj or makes it incomplete, and doing them is a result of blind imitation and of disregarding what the Prophet said: "Take your rites from me.”

The second command in this verse is: {For the sake of Allah.} This refers to sincerity when performing Hajj, as Hajj must be performed for the Sake of Allah The Almighty Alone, not in order to attain any worldly gains. Hajj, like all other deeds, must be performed sincerely for the Sake of Allah The Almighty, or it will not be accepted. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion….} [Quran 39:3] All the rites and sayings of Hajj are directed to Allah The Almighty, therefore, when repeating the Talbiyah, pilgrims say, "Labbayka Laa Shareeka Lak."

The best supplication is that of the Day of ‘Arafah, and the best thing that the Prophet and all the other Prophets before him said, is, "La Ilaaha Illallaahu wahdahu Laa Shareeka Lah, Lahul mulk wa lahul Hamd wa Huwa ‘ala kulli Shay’in Qadeer (There is none worthy of worship except Allah Alone and He has no partners, dominion and praise belong to Him, and He is over all things Omnipotent)."

When touching the Black Stone or pointing to it at the beginning of Tawaaf, one should say, "Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)." When one is standing on As-Safa and Al-Marwah while performing Sa’y, he should say, "La Ilaaha Illallaahu wahdahu Laa Shareeka lah, lahul mulk wa lahul Hamd wa Huwa ‘ala kulli Shay’in Qadeer (There is none worthy of worship except Allah Alone and He has no partner; dominion and praise belong to Him, and He is over all things Omnipotent)." When throwing every pebble, one should say, "Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)." The Prophet said: "Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah, Sa‘y between As-Safa and Al-Marwah and throwing the pebbles are all for the establishment of the remembrance of Allah The Almighty."

Hajj is based on Tawheed and sincerity to Allah The Almighty, so pilgrims should not seek the help of a Prophet, Waliyy (ally of Allah The Almighty) or any other creature. They should not seek the blessings of any tree, stone, mountain, or any remnants of the alleged righteous people or perform Tawaaf around any building or grave other than the Ka‘bah. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {…and perform Tawaaf around the ancient House.}[Quran 22:29]

In order to complete Hajj and ‘Umrah, one should avoid sexual relations, disobedience and dispute. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {…so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of Ihraam], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj….} [Quran 2:197] The Prophet said: “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or transgression, he returns free from sin as the day his mother gave birth to him.” Therefore, we should feel the greatness of Hajj and perform it in accordance with what Allah The Almighty and His Messenger legislated without following other opinions that contradict the guidance of the Prophet .