Plan for Hajj NOW! - Shaykh Muhammad Ali

Opening

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon him and his family and companions, and those who follow them with good till the Day of Recompense. Indeed, the truest hadith is the word of Allah, and the best gift is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon him.

And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance. May Allah protect us from it.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it a wife, and gave birth to many men and women from them. And fear Allah, with whom you ask for forgiveness and mercy. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words. He will correct your deeds and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.

O Allah, make us of the winners in this world and the Hereafter.

A Reflection: Two Years Ago

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, I want you to pause for a moment and just go back a couple of years ago. What is the date today? Today is the 20th of May, 2022. Just go back a couple of years and ask yourself this very question — the 20th of May, 2020. Where were you this time? What was happening in this world? What was going through your mind as you had been witnessing the last days of Ramadan? And you weren't able to come to the Masjid to perform Salat al-Tarawih. You weren't able to come to the Masjid to witness Salat al-Jumu'ah. You were not able to come and congregate with your Muslim brothers and sisters in the Masjid at all.

All of us, we were locked up in our own houses. We were fasting the month of Ramadan. We were praying at home. No one was able to come to the Masjid and perform Salat al-Jumu'ah.

We didn't know what was going to happen, but we knew as soon as Ramadan finished, the season of Hajj was about to begin. But also we were expecting that that year no one was going to be able to go to Hajj. And that very year, we know many of our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world have passed away. Many of them probably feeling very regretful for not performing Hajj.

Hajj: The Most Neglected Pillar of Islam

As we all know, the pillar of Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. But one might say this pillar is the most oppressed pillar of Islam. How many of us right now, if you were asked this question — how many of us can say I have performed Hajj? How many of us can say I am expecting, or I'm hoping, or I'm planning to perform Hajj this year? How many of us are planning to do Hajj this year? How many of us are thinking about Hajj?

If someone asks you right now this question — my dear brother, my dear sister in Islam, what is stopping you from performing Hajj? — people will give different answers. Someone might say, I don't have money. Someone might say, I don't have good health. Someone might say, I'm too busy. Someone might say, I'm too young. I will perform Hajj when I am 60 years old.

Who told you that you're going to live until you're 60 years old? Who told you that you're going to live until you become very pious and then go and perform Hajj? What's the point of performing Hajj after you become very pious? Some people, this is what they say — I will only go to Hajj when I become very pious. So if you wait until you become very pious and perform Hajj, wait for it. SubhanAllah.

The Season of Hajj

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told us the pillar of Hajj has prescribed months, and we are already in that season right now. The season of Hajj has already begun from the first day of Shawwal and it will continue during this month, then the month of Dhul Qa'dah, and then the month of Dhul Hijjah up to the 10th or the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah. These are the Ashhur al-Ma'lumat — the well-known months.

The Command of Allah to Perform Hajj

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has commanded Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, to proclaim to the people the Hajj:

They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant mountain pass.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has also said — it is an obligation upon all of us to go and perform Hajj:

And if someone disbelieves, if someone does not perform Hajj, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is not in need of the Aalameen — the creation.

Hajj: The Fifth Pillar of Islam

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, as we also know, the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, has said that Islam was built upon five pillars. We know that Islam is built upon these five pillars, and the final pillar is the pillar of Hajj.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 8; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 16)

Some of us, many of us, haven't performed Hajj yet. But what is even worse than that is many of us were not even planning to go to Hajj. Maybe it was not a priority to you. If you were asked what was your priority for this year, what were you trying to achieve this year — was Hajj among them? Were you thinking about Hajj?

Ask yourself this question, dear brother and sister in Islam: what is it that is preventing you from Hajj? Why are you not performing Hajj? Why haven't you performed Hajj yet? As I said to you, just two years ago — just last year itself — many of us, even if we wanted to go to Hajj, we were not able to go to Hajj. But alhamdulillah, this year we are hoping that Hajj will be accessible to the people.

The Prophet's Warnings: Hasten to Hajj

Are you planning to go to Hajj? Are you ready for it? Look at what the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, has said regarding Hajj. The Prophet has said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 2867; also reported by Abu Dawud)

Hasten in performing the Hajj — especially the obligatory Hajj — because one of you does not know what will happen to him.

Just a couple of years ago, in 2019, no one was expecting COVID-19. No one thought that in the year 2020 or the year 2021, people — even if they wanted to go to Hajj — would not be able to go to Hajj. We don't even know what is around the corner right now. That's why the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, has said: hasten in performing the Hajj. As soon as Hajj becomes obligatory upon you, you need to go. Because you don't know what is going to happen to you.

The Best of Deeds

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, was once asked:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1519; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 83)

Which deed is the best? And the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, said: to have faith in Allah and His Messenger. Then, to perform Jihad in the way of Allah. And the third? Hajj al-Mabrur — the accepted Hajj.

The Reward of an Accepted Hajj

And the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, in another hadith has said:

The accepted Hajj has got no reward except Jannah. So the question now is — do you want to get Jannah?

The Hadith Qudsi: A Stern Warning

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, has also reminded us in a hadith Qudsi the following:

(Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith 3703; reported as a Hadith Qudsi)

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has said: a servant whom I have given good health physically, and I have provided for him an expansive sustenance — and five years come and go by and he has not visited Me. Meaning, he has not visited Makkah to perform Hajj or Umrah. Such a person is truly deprived.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we can see the virtue and the importance of performing Hajj. What is it that is preventing you from going to Hajj?

Second Part of the Khutbah

For Those Who Have Already Performed Hajj

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, some of us are probably thinking like this right now: "Alhamdulillah, I have performed Hajj al-Islam. I don't have to listen to this khutbah because I've already performed my Hajj. This khutbah doesn't really concern me at all." Is that the way you should think?

Look at what the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, has said:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 2631; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 810)

Whenever you perform Hajj, follow it up with Umrah. Whenever you perform Umrah, follow it up with another Umrah. When you perform Hajj — why? The Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, said: they wipe away two things — poverty and sins.

An Inspiring Story

I had the pleasure to meet someone, SubhanAllah, someone that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed with wealth. And he told me and other mashayikh — he told us that since 1958, he has not missed one single Hajj, apart from 1987. And the time he told us this was 2017. 1957 to 2017.

That gentleman said to us — that uncle said to us — "I have missed one Hajj." And the only reason he missed that Hajj? Because his country was not allowed to perform Hajj that year. That was the only reason. SubhanAllah. Yes, you can. MashaAllah, that's a great inspiration. SubhanAllah. Yes, it's possible.

Dear brothers, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give you rizq if you go and perform Hajj as many times as you can. I know sometimes the system doesn't allow you, but every five years you might be able to go. If you can afford it, you can go. Perform Umrah, visit the House of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Common Excuses for Delaying Hajj

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, some of the excuses people make when you say to them, why are you not performing Hajj? Some of them I've already mentioned. Someone might say, "I'm too young, I haven't committed enough sins. When I commit enough sins, I'll go to Hajj, otherwise I'll have to go back." Yes, that's some sort of excuse.

Someone might say, "I haven't been to Hajj yet because I'm not pious enough. I need to become really pious. After that, I'll go to Hajj."

Someone might say, "I haven't been to Hajj yet because I want to actually pay for the Hajj of my parents first." Is that allowed? If you haven't performed your Hajj and you have enough money for one person, you cannot send your mother or your father to Hajj. You have to perform your own Hajj. Now it is obligatory upon you.

The Words of the Salaf

Some of the salaf, such as Sa'id ibn Jubayr, used to say: "If my neighbor — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave him sustenance, provisions, and he has enough wealth, and he has good health, but he does not perform Hajj — I'm not going to pray Janazah on him." It's quite serious.

Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say: "If somebody who is able to go to Hajj doesn't go to Hajj, let him die as a Jew or as a Christian." It's quite a serious matter.

Plan for Hajj Now

We need to plan for our Hajj. Even if you're not able to go this year, plan for it next year. And let me tell you this — Hajj is not getting cheaper. It's just getting more and more expensive. But remember this: whatever money that you spend on Hajj, do not think that you've wasted money. Every penny is going to go into your account.

Jannah. You can never buy Jannah with your money. There's no money in this world that can buy Jannah. And الْحَجُّ الْمَبْرُورُ لَيْسَ لَهُ جَزَاءٌ إِلَّا الْجَنَّةُ — the accepted Hajj, the only reward Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is going to give you for that Hajj is Jannah.

How many people went to Hajj, and after they came back, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala changed their lives for the better. And now they are strong people, MashaAllah. Their iman, everything. You can see that the Hajj was accepted, MashaAllah.

So brothers and sisters, don't let Shaytan play with your mind and say to you: "Wait until you become too old." Who told you that you're going to live that long? Who told you that you're going to have health until that time? Who told you that you're going to have money that day?

Some people will say, "I'm only going to go to Hajj when I have enough money for me and for my wife." If you have enough money for yourself, Hajj becomes obligatory upon you. And if you die without performing Hajj at that time, you are sinful. You need to go. And Hajj is not going to be obligatory upon your wife until she has the money for it. We have to think. InshaaAllah ta'ala.

Closing Du'a

Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. And establish the prayer.