Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah in the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said:
“Islam is built upon five (pillars): testifying that there is no
god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
establishing regular Prayer, paying Zakaah, Hajj and fasting
Ramadan.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 8; Muslim, 16).
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Keep on
doing Hajj and ‘Umrah, for they take away poverty and sins as the
bellows takes away the impurity from iron.” (Narrated by al-Nasaa’i,
2/4; this is a saheeh hadeeth as was stated by al-Albaani in
al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1200).
On going to Makkah the
Pilgribs recite a special prayer called the Talbiyah.It may be
translated as follows: “Here I am at your service, O Allaah, here I
am. Here I am at Your Service, You have no partner, here I am. All
praise and blessings are Yours, and all dominion. You have no
partner.”]
Hajj takes place on the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar is called Dhul Hijjah.
The first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah are the best 10 days of the
whole year. Before we
look at what Hajj is. Let us first look at the importance of the first
10 daysas there are special things that all Muslims can do during these 10 days
and the 3 days that follow them, even if a person is not on the Hajj.
The First 10 days of Dhul Hijjah
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even jihad 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-Bukhari, 2/457).
Therefore All Muslims , whether on Hajj or not on Hajj should strive to do good deeds during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah
During the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah it is
Sunnah to recite the following in the Masjids, homes, streets and
every were else accept for those places were it is Islamically
forbidden such as bathrooms with toilets etc.. Muslim men should
recite loudly and Muslim women should recite quietly). This is
a nearly forgotten Sunnah.and Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
"Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my
death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who
follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward."
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadeeth because of
corroborating asaaneed).
Allaahu akbar
( This is know as Takbeer)
Al-hamdu Lillaah ( This is know as Tahmeed )
La ilaha ill-Allaah ( This is know as Tahleel )
Subhaan Allaah ( This is know as Tahleel Tasbeeh )
Detailed Article on what we should do in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah
The 9th of Dhul Hijjah is the day of Arafaah. Muslims should try to fast especially on this day
Fasting on this day is an expiation for two years.
It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allah be pleased with him)
that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He
said, "It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the
coming year." Narrated by Muslim.
This (fasting) is mustahabb for those who are not on Hajj. In the
case of the one who is on Hajj, it is not Sunnah for him to fast
on the Day of ‘Arafaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not fast on this day in ‘Arafaah. It
was narrated that he forbade fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah in
‘Arafaah.
There are many other virtues of the Day of Arafaah
Detailed Article on the virtues of day of Arafaah
10th of Dhul Hijjah is Eid Al Adha and it is haram to fast on this day.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/54): The best of days before Allah is the Day of Sacrifice, which is the greatest day of Hajj as it says in Sunan Abi Dawood (1765), where it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The greatest of days before Allah is the Day of Sacrifice."( Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)
Virtues of 10th of Dhul Hijjah (i,e day of Sacrifice (Udhiyah or Qurbani in urdu)
Sacrifice of an animal such as a sheep or a cow etc is known Udhiyah in Arabic. For those who are Urdu speaking the term Qurbani is used. This sacrifice is performed all over the world.
Eid Al-Adha Prayers, Celebrations and Etiquettes
A Muslim cannot fast on Eid nor on the days of al-tashreeq (11, 12 and 13th Dhu'l Hijjah)
The Hajj
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Kabah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allah], then Allah stands not in need of any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists) [Aal Imraan 3:97]
Thus every man or women who has the ability to go for Hajj, must go at least once in their lifetime.
A women must to accompanied by a male mahrem. If she does not have
a male mahrem then she is not required to go. But as soon as
she has a male mahrem willing to take her to Hajj then she is
required to go (assuming she has the ability to go). And the
Hajj is the Jihad for the Muslim women as women are not required
to fight in Jihad.
Hajj has its own etiquette and conditions which the Muslims must
observe, such as restraining their tongues, hearing and sight from all
that Allah has forbidden, being sincere in their intentions, using
money from good sources (for Hajj), fostering the best attitude, and
avoiding everything that could invalidate the Hajj, such as sexual
relations, sin or arguing unjustly,
If the Muslim does Hajj correctly, in the manner prescribed and
sincerely for the sake of Allah, it will be an expiation for his sins.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allah, and does not have sexual
relations or commit sins, will come back like the day his mother bore
him." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 15210)
Our prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
told us that his fellow-Prophet ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him)
will come down at the end of time and will perform pilgrimage to
this House, and he will declare his belief in Allah alone (Tawheed).
We believe that this will happen as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) told us, just as we believe that the sun
rises in the morning. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the son of
Maryam (the son of Mary, i.e. Jesus) will certainly pronounce the
Talbiyah for Hajj or for ‘Umrah, or for both in the valley of
Rawha.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1252). The valley of Rawha’ is a place
between Makkah and Madeenah.