The Many Benefits of Hajj

The Many Benefits of Hajj

My dear brothers and sisters, as we're still living the spirit of Hajj — we're seeing people coming back almost every day — we see the signs of excitement and exhaustion at the same time from that beautiful experience. Once in a lifetime, it is required by the believer to visit the house of Allah in Mecca to perform the Hajj.

Now this is a duty that you owe to Allah, as Allah mentioned in the Quran:

People owe Allah the visit of the house for Hajj. So you owe it as an obligation — but what do I get out of it as a believer? Besides just taking this as a check mark — one of my five obligations that I owe Allah has been taken care of — but what am I getting out of it? Besides just taking that obligation off my list, what benefits do I get from it in this dunya before the akhira?

We know the reward of the akhira is great, as the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

Those who perform Hajj and they don't commit any kind of profanity, or any kind of quarrel, or any kind of insult during the time of Hajj — they return back just like the day when they were born, which means they come back with a clean slate.

That's in the akhira. What about for me in the dunya? What am I getting out of this? Allah mentioned in the Quran that there are benefits for those who go to Hajj:

Allah mentioned that in the context of the Hajj — the people go لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ — so that they might obtain the many benefits that are in store for them with Allah. So Allah is saying: in going to Hajj, there are so many benefits for you. Have you ever wondered what benefits? Besides just having that obligation taken care of and, alhamdulillah, getting your sins forgiven — what are the benefits that Allah has established for us in Hajj?

My dear brothers and sisters, there are benefits not just for those who go to Hajj — those are just reminders. This is for those who go to Hajj: they see it with their own eyes, they live it. But for us, when we come back, it is a legacy we take with us, as we move into our daily lives. I want to share with you some of these benefits — inshallah — what do we really learn from that experience when we go to Hajj?

Benefit One: Making Faith Central in Your Life

The first thing we learn when we go to Mecca is seeing Al-Ka'bah. What does that even mean? My dear brothers and sisters, I have seen those people when they first lay their eyes on the Ka'bah for the first time in their lives. Alhamdulillah rabbil 'alameen — someone like myself, and many others I'm sure, who've been to Mecca many times, been to Umrah, been to many Hajj — for them, that same moment is not as overwhelming as it is for those coming for the very first time.

I led a group of hujjaj this year and most of them were there for the first time for Hajj. Among them, there were a few who had never been to Mecca before at all. And I can tell you — the excitement, the anticipation — they just want to rush through the crowd to go there and just see it. As they walk next to me, they're anxious, making sure they don't miss that first meeting with the Ka'bah. They keep asking: "What do I need to say? Is there a special du'a?" — all of this because Allah made the Ka'bah sacred. Allah has made the Ka'bah for the people a sanctuary and a center.

That is the symbolism of the Ka'bah in our lives, brothers and sisters. When people go to Mecca, I know there are a lot of distractions, but the faithful and true believers — their heart is attached to the center of the city, to the Ka'bah. That is a reminder to you and I: Hajj is all about making faith central in your life. The whole journey is about seeing the Ka'bah, being there, making tawaf, and being around the haram. At the same time, it's about making the Ka'bah — the symbol of faith — the central thing in your life.

That's why even when people are living in five-star hotels, mashallah, they are waking up an hour or two hours early to go to the haram. They go out in the heat of the sun at Dhuhr time, at 'Asr, because they want to be there and pray in the haram. Many people even make another Umrah so they can have the opportunity to pray right next to the Ka'bah — all because they want to make the Ka'bah the center of their faith.

Brothers and sisters, that doesn't stop there in the haram or in Mecca. It continues even long after you're gone. What do we do when we pray? We face the Ka'bah. And those memories will be there with you for a long, long time. You always cherish that moment when you first saw the Ka'bah, making it the central part of your ibadah.

My dear brothers and sisters, how much do you really value this in your life? When it comes to the priorities that you live by in your daily life — how much is faith central to you, to your family life, to your personal engagement with people? How much do you really value that in everything that you do? If it's not where it should be, then this is an opportunity to remind yourself that Hajj was really about keeping faith central in everything that you do.

Benefit Two: Finding Peace and Tranquility in the House of Allah

The second thing we learn from the experience of Hajj, my dear brothers and sisters, is finding peace and tranquility in the house of Allah. Allah said about the Ka'bah — referring to it as a place frequently visited — and that is true, because the moment you visit once, you always long to be there again.

Today I received a promotional video about the Hajj experience we did, and subhanAllah, just watching it and remembering every step — it was very emotional. Imagine if you keep that in your mind every time the Hajj season comes by, when Eid comes by, when you see the image of the Ka'bah, when you see people making tawaf — you remind yourself of that moment of peace, when you left everything behind in this dunya and you just didn't worry about your job, you didn't worry about your family, you didn't worry about anything. You were just focusing on finding that peace and tranquility in those hours before Fajr time — when it's so peaceful there and you just hear the birds from above, and even just the chanting of the hujjaj and the mu'tamirin.

How amazing that is — in the middle of the chaos, you're making tawaf and finding peace. A reminder to you and I that in the middle of the chaos of this life, you can find peace. How? If you remind yourself about Allah all the time. Challenges will happen, trials will come, things will happen around us and we'll get anxious, we'll get exhausted, we'll get tired. How can I find peace in that moment?

You will find that peace if you remind yourself about Allah, as Allah says:

The human being was created in a state of anxiety — always afraid, always anxious. When they are afflicted with a calamity, they freak out, and when they are blessed with something good, they freak out for fear of losing it. Except — those who pray, those who connect. You connect with Allah in the moment of chaos, and wallahi you will find peace.

And being there is a true reminder: if you miss the opportunity to be in the house of Allah in Mecca, what is preventing you from coming to the house of Allah in this place? What's preventing you from finding that peace and tranquility in Salah? Coming to the masjid and having those moments after Salah to make your du'a and your dhikr, and finding that tranquility after Fajr as well? What's preventing you from doing that? You want peace in this chaotic life? Come to the house of Allah.

Benefit Three: Living Under the Mercy of Allah

The third thing we learn from the experience of Hajj, my dear brothers and sisters, is knowing that we live under the mercy of Allah. When you see the size of humanity — all these people with different needs, everybody raising their hands and asking for something — Allah knows what each one is asking for. And Allah knows each and everyone's need, and Allah will answer them and show them His mercy.

One of the moments of the heat of the season — subhanAllah — as we were in Mina and everybody was reaching that peak moment of heat, all of a sudden you hear thunder, and you realize: the mercy of Allah is coming! And it did — it started raining. Everyone — I had heard about it, that it rains on Arafah, in Mina — and it was a moment like... what a blessed moment. Seeing people so joyful, so excited, like children standing in the rain making du'a, because they want to expose themselves to the mercy of Allah.

Imagine on Arafah when everybody is just standing there, exposing themselves to the mercy of Allah. Brothers and sisters, Allah's mercy doesn't just exist in Mecca. It's not just in Mina or Arafah or Muzdalifah. It's everywhere — it's in your own bedroom, your own office space, in the streets, while you're driving your car. What is stopping you from soliciting that mercy of Allah? What's preventing you from calling upon Allah day and night, pleading to Him with your tears flowing, because you're looking for His mercy? What a beautiful reminder — with all the people around you, you realize that you have that very personal connection with Allah.

Allah says about the Hajj:

Allah says: it is for them — those who have received the heavenly reward from Allah for what they have earned. So Allah is saying: you're going to get your reward for it. So expose yourself to the mercy of Allah.

Benefit Four: The Reality of One Ummah

The fourth thing we learn from the message of Hajj — one of the beautiful things you see there, subhanAllah — is the concept of the ummah being one body and one community. We talk about this generally in lectures and khutbas, and we have a kind of representation of that in our own community, being extremely diverse. But it truly becomes so real and genuine when you go there. You meet people from all walks of life and every corner of the earth — people from countries you have never even heard of, flags you've never seen before.

And then subhanAllah, you feel curious, so you go and talk to them. They sit next to you in Salah and you engage in a conversation, and you feel so proud — so proud to be of the ummah of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Wallahi, in a moment of weakness — as we see the situation in Gaza, may Allah make it easy for our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Palestine — with this whole weakness of the ummah in times like ours, sometimes you wonder: are we truly one ummah? Why is no one doing anything for our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza? To the extent that in the debate for the most powerful position on earth, one of the candidates has been using being Palestinian as an insult. Wallahi, he doesn't know — he doesn't know he would be honored if he could claim even a scratch of that title. But we are in a weak position as an ummah.

When you go to Hajj, you realize why we are so weak. Unfortunately, we lack the leadership, we lack the commitment from the ummah for their faith and their deen, and there is so much work to be done. But wallahi, when you go there, you see the meaning of being one ummah. Everybody is around you and you realize the meaning of going out there to get to know about them — their condition, their affairs, their situations — and you start making du'a for them, and they make du'a for you. Wallahi, I heard around the Ka'bah and in different places, people who don't even speak Arabic making du'a for Gaza and Palestine — subhanAllah. Just like لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, regardless of where they're coming from, everybody is united when it comes to the affairs of the ummah.

Benefit Five: Living History and Leaving a Legacy

We also learn from Hajj many historic things that make us truly live in a different timeline. When you go there, you go on a time travel. You remember Ibrahim (alayhi salam), you remember Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), you remember the Hijrah, you remember the conquest of Mecca, you remember so many things. And as a Muslim who has studied that history — just being there puts you in awe.

Wallahi, it will have that kind of impact on you, making sure that you carry the same legacy that has lasted 1,400 years. What are you going to be doing afterwards? How are you going to be part of this beautiful history of the ummah? What value are you adding to the ummah, so that when people 1,400 years later look back, they see that someone like yourself did something for the ummah? History is there, and we've lived it over and over again, and every time you visit, you live it again. What legacy are you going to leave for the ummah?

Benefit Six: Worldly Gains — Networking and Brotherhood

My dear brothers and sisters, there is one more benefit that we learn from Hajj — one that is not necessarily a spiritual matter, although it has some spirituality in it — and that is worldly affairs. Allah did not neglect our personal needs as humans, even when we're in Hajj. Allah says:

There is no harm, no sin upon you if you seek the benefit — which means financial gain — while you're there in Hajj. So even in the dunya, I've seen people, mashallah, networking. I met people for the first time in my life — people I had never seen before — and now mashallah we are bands of brothers, one family, one community, connecting with each other, knowing who does what and how you can benefit from them or they can benefit from you — connecting from different sides of the world. What a beautiful thing! What a beautiful gain — expanding your network, alhamdulillah, for the matters of the dunya and the matters of the akhira. There is so much khair in going to Hajj.

Closing Advice

My dear brothers and sisters, my advice to all of you — especially the young ones — do not delay your Hajj journey to a later time. If you can do it early, do it while you're still young, healthy, wealthy, and capable, inshallah. And I guarantee you — once you try it once, you will desire to do it more than once, and that is the much benefit you will find, inshallah.

There is so much we could learn from the experience of Hajj. I ask Allah to facilitate that experience to each and every one of you, and make it easy for you to go there, ya rabbil 'alameen, and experience the blessings of Hajj all together, ya rabbil 'alameen. And I ask Allah to protect our brothers and sisters in Gaza and in Palestine and shield them from any harm that comes their way, ya rabbil 'alameen.