The Importance of Performing Hajj- Moulana Ifdhal

The Importance of Performing Hajj

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness.

We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide him. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

The Age of Fitnah and Allah's Ongoing Opportunities

The time and the era we are living in now is a time of fitnah. A time in which the entire world is engulfed in tribulations, in difficulties, and so much ma'asiyah and disobedience of Allah that it has become hard to discern between good and bad. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in the midst of these trials, in the midst of this fitnah, gives us opportunities over opportunities, chances over chances, so that we could improve and get closer to Him.

Just a few months ago, we had the blessed month of Ramadan, only to know that now we are in the month, or almost into the month of Dhul-Hijjah. And if we closely look at the tarateeb and the order of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then we will find it very unique, because how Allah has maintained this order is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants to keep opportunities for insan throughout the entire year, that he keeps himself attached to Him. So you have the blessed month of Ramadan, and immediately after that starts the six fasts of Shawwal.

And as a matter of fact, Shawwal and Dhul-Qa'dah are also months of Hajj. So if a person wants, he can even put on the ihram from Shawwal and start his Hajj from there. So today I would like to speak about some virtues of Hajj, and the ten days that are about to enter — the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

Hajj: The Fifth Pillar of Islam

First of all, Rasulullah ﷺ said that the foundation of Islam lays on five pillars. Number one is the Shahadatain, that a person proclaims Allah is One and that Rasulullah ﷺ is the last Messenger of Allah. Wa-iqamat al-salah — he establishes Salah. Wa-ita' al-zakah — he pays his Zakah. And sawm. And lastly, wal-Hajj — that a person goes to Hajj and he performs Hajj.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 8; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 19)

This is a fard on every single Muslim who has the ability — the financial ability — to go there and to do this, and to carry out this ritual of Islam.

Misconceptions and Deceptions of Shaytan

There are many misconceptions that lie in this. And one of the misconceptions and confusions is that many people say that since they are in their youth, or perhaps the prime of their youth, they find themselves not prepared. They are so involved in sins that they wish to delay this to the end of their lives — that after they have done everything, then perhaps they would want to go and wash themselves and become clean from sins.

So this is but a deception of Iblis. This is but a deception of Shaytan, where he gives you this hope that you will live for a long life, so delay it until you have become old, and then do Hajj. And then what he tells you is to delay it so that whatever you have done for your entire life — all the sins — will be wiped away. So this is again a talbis, a deception of Iblis, that he gives you hope of a long life. He says that you will live for long, so remain where you are. Don't be too concerned about it.

Also, another misconception about this huge and virtuous act of Islam is that many people rely on and wait for them to earn a certain amount of money. So for example, the price of Hajj — around 12,000 or 13,000 dollars, whatever it is now — they wait until they could make that much amount of money. Are they not ready to accept it for something lower than that? Hajj can also be done for less, although the quality of your staying and your accommodation will not be as good. But since it is a faridah, for you to make that amount of money is not an excuse. As a matter of fact, the more you delay it every single year, you get a sin. The more you delay your Hajj because you don't have the means to live in a five-star hotel, or because you don't have that level of accommodation, you are only accumulating sins on yourself. Because Hajj can be done with something less than that.

In South Africa, once there was a person — when there was a soccer tournament taking place there — who had literally paid about 30 to 40 thousand rands just to sit in the first row in the stadium. When he was asked, "Brother, have you done Hajj?" he said, "No, that is very costly," — whereas the amount he had paid just to sit in the first row in the stadium was much more than a person would have to pay in Hajj from that country. So people have excuses, and that is what Shaytan will tell you. Shaytan will tell you that you are so busy at work, or it is too much, and all these other things. Put all those excuses aside, and a person should really go there.

The Virtues of Hajj

The virtues of Hajj are enormous. Rasulullah ﷺ said in one hadith:

"O Allah, forgive the person who goes to Hajj, and equally forgive that person for whom the haji makes du'a." So forgive the person who goes and does his Hajj, and also forgive that person for whom the haji makes du'a. That is why it is recommended that perhaps if we are not going, we ask du'a from those people who are going.

Imam Ghazali writes in his book:

That it was a practice amongst the salaf and the pious predecessors that when the hujjaj would return from Hajj, they would rush towards them, they would kiss them on their foreheads, and they would do this before the haji could spend too much time in an environment of sin. Because right after he returns from Hajj, he comes with a clean slate — whatever du'a he makes, hopefully it is accepted by Allah. So the more you delay it, the more he is committing sin, and so there is less chance of his du'a being accepted.

Mujahid writes that:

When the hujjaj enter Makkah, the mala'ikah and the angels receive them and do musafaha with the hujjaj. Perhaps you cannot feel it, perhaps you cannot see it, but it is there — as you enter Makkah and as you are reading the talbiyah, the angels are there to receive you.

So it is important — it is important — for the person who has the bare minimum money to afford it, that he does not delay it.

Shaytan on the Day of Arafah

One hadith says that you will not see Shaytan more humiliated, more disgraced, more broken than on the Day of Arafah. On that day he laments and on that day he cries, that millions of people have converged here and all these millions of people will go back to their countries with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's forgiveness. He is very angry on that day, very disgraced and humiliated, that all his efforts are going to waste — that these people come, they spend some money, and they are earning Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's maghfirah.

And that is what we need to target — we need to target those means and those causes by way of which we could anger Shaytan. We need to look at those reasons how Shaytan can become angry with us and Allah can become happy with us.

That is when one hadith, quoted by Faqih Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi, mentions that Shaytan presented himself before Rasulullah ﷺ, and Rasulullah ﷺ asked him, "O Shaytan, how many enemies do you have?" — and that is what we need to become: we need to become from Shaytan's enemies. He said, "I have fifteen enemies," and then he quoted a list of his enemies. He said, "First of all, let me be very blunt — my first enemy is you, O Messenger of Allah." And then he said another is a person who is rich but at the same time humble — a person whom Allah has given wealth but it does not take him to arrogance and does not lead him to pride. He is rich but at the same time very humble. A businessman who is truthful in his business — he doesn't lie when a customer comes to his shop, he doesn't hide faults, he doesn't commit fraud. A believer who is compassionate and has a soft heart. And he carried on the list. He said, "These are my enemies, O Messenger of Allah." So this is what we need to target — how we can anger Shaytan.

The Four Types of Pilgrims Near the End of Times

Rasulullah ﷺ said in one hadith that near the time of Qiyamah, there will be four types of people going for Hajj. He said: the kings and ministers will be going to Hajj as a tour — something to see, something to enjoy. The rich people will be going there for tijara — to earn some business, to make some profit. The ulama will go there to impress others, to promote their names — "I've done so many Hajj." And the poor will go there to ask and to beg for money.

So that is why we need to examine our intentions. What reason are we going there? Is it just so that I could have the title Haji attached to my name? Is it so that I could compete with other people? Or is it only and solely for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Because we know that even the greatest virtue, the greatest deed — if your intention is corrupt, then there is no reward for it.

Al-Hajj al-Mabrur

Rasulullah ﷺ said:

"The reward of an accepted Hajj is nothing but Jannah." That is what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives a person whose Hajj has been accepted.

Then Imam al-Nawawi said: how do you identify that this person's Hajj has been accepted? He says that when he returns from Hajj, if he has changed his life, then consider his Hajj to be accepted. But if you see him — unfortunately — that his life after Hajj is the same as it was before Hajj, then consider his Hajj not accepted. Perhaps his faridah is done, his responsibility is over, but the sawab he was supposed to attain and the reward he was supposed to gain has not been achieved.

The Farewell Khutbah of the Prophet ﷺ

I share with you some advices which Rasulullah ﷺ delivered in front of the Sahabah when he was performing his Hajj — Hajjatul Wada'. He said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2159)

"O my Sahabah, remember — Shaytan is now despondent that anyone will worship idols in Hijaz. He knows that no one is going to worship idols in Hijaz. However, I warn you, my Sahabah, that he will still try his tricks by putting you in this delusion — 'this is but a small deed, there is nothing wrong in doing it' — bimuhaqaratil a'mal, deeds that are insignificant to people, sins that are insignificant to people. And they will say, 'It is but a makruh, it is but a lighter sin, it is not a major sin.' So beware of that, O my Sahabah. Do not let Shaytan put you in this delusion."

And then what happens? A time comes — as you are committing these minor sins — that you even start to disregard them as sins altogether. So once upon a time, gheebah was considered from the kaba'ir, from the major sins. But today every single man and every single woman is committing gheebah without even knowing that he is doing a sin.

What did Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه say — such a beautiful statement. He said to the Tabi'in: "O my Tabi'in, I am seeing you perpetrate such deeds and such sins which you consider more trivial, more insignificant than a hair. You consider them more trivial than a hair, whereas in our time, when Rasulullah ﷺ was alive, we would consider them from the major sins."

Make a list for yourself and read the book of Imam al-Dhahabi where he quotes a list of the kaba'ir and the major sins, and see how many of those sins today we consider as minor sins.

I ask you — do we not consider taking photos as a minor sin, or perhaps not even a sin? I ask you — do we not consider looking at a non-mahram as a minor sin, or perhaps not even a sin? I ask you — do we not consider not attending the jama'ah, not attending the masjid, as a minor sin, or perhaps not a sin at all? "O my Tabi'in, you would consider this as a minor sin — at the time of Rasulullah ﷺ, we would consider this from the major sins. It is more trivial to you than a hair."

He also said, "O my Sahabah, your Lord is One, your father is One, so remember — do not create differences and racism amongst you and say that he is an Arab or he is an Ajami, or he comes from that country and I come from that country. There is nothing like that. Virtue — fadilah — is only through taqwa. The one who is most honorable in the eyes of Allah is the one who has taqwa."

He also said, "Now you are about to return — this is my last Hajj. Do not return as kuffar, do not return as ungrateful, such that you start to say that he is a Muslim but he is not a proper Muslim, so his blood is halal for me. Do not return as kuffar after me, such that you start to say that a Muslim's blood is halal for you. A Muslim's blood is never halal, nor is a non-Muslim's blood ever halal, in the circumstances in which we are living now."

The Virtues of the First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

Coming to some of the virtues of these ten days — if Eid is on Wednesday or Thursday, depending, we will enter Dhul-Hijjah on Monday or Tuesday. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala swears by these nights and says:

In one hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ said that every single day of fasting in these ten days equals to fasting the entire year, and standing in qiyam during the nights of these ten days equals to standing in the reward of Laylatul Qadr.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 969; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 2438)

This is the reward Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives. If a person can, let him fast all nine days. And if he cannot, then let him at least fast on the Day of Arafah. Rasulullah ﷺ said that he is very hopeful from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that by fasting on the Day of Arafah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will wipe away the sins of the previous year and the coming year.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala loves the deeds of these days more than any other days. So he said, "O my Ummah, make sure that you recite excessively سُبْحَانَ اللَّه, and you recite excessively الْحَمْدُ لِلَّه, and you recite excessively اللَّهُ أَكْبَر."

The Etiquette of Those Performing Qurbani

Another etiquette is that a person who intends to do Qurbani — to sacrifice an animal — he is required, and it is mustahab, that he does not clip his nails and does not cut his hair. It is but a tashabbuh — to copy and imitate the people who are there in Hajj, just like they are not allowed to clip their nails or cut their hair. We should also try to do the same.

And understand that the tashabbuh and copying someone — imitating someone — is so loved by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. When Musa عليه السلام confronted the magicians, long story short, they accepted Islam. So Musa عليه السلام said to Allah, "These people came to challenge me and You gave them Islam." So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, "O Musa, they came in your garb, they were wearing your garment, they looked like you — so I said, since they look like you, let me make them like you."

Remember, it is very serious at the same time. Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4031)

"Whoever imitates a certain nation, then he is amongst them." I ask you — so many of our youth have t-shirts and shoes with the names of kuffar on them. Is it not imitating them? Is it not holding them in esteem? See how our youth are imitating them — in their walk, in their talk, and even in their dress — just because they are famous people, or just because they know how to score some shots, or just because they know how to sing. Whoever imitates a person is from that group.

Conclusion

Hence we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He gives us the ability to practice on what was said.