Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Umrah and related issues in hadith

Praise and thank Allah the Majestic, dear brothers and sisters in Islam, for having extended our life to see the successive days and months, for before us now is the occasion of the Haj (Pilgrimage). So many pilgrims have already begun filling the sky with talbiyyah (declaration of answering the call to Haj) and takbeer (declaring Allah’s greatness). They come from the corners of the earth, both east and west, some having saved every penny they could for years struggling to save enough to fulfil this awesome obligation.

Allah the Most High Says: And Haj to the House (Al-Ka’aba) is a duty mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses and whoever disbelieves, then Allah is not in need of any of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn, and all that exists). [Ale-Imraan 97]

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

How Hajj Prepares Us to Do the Hard Work

By the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), my family and I were fortunate to perform our Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah last year. We had a very pleasant journey and a great experience to remember for the rest of our lives. When I started writing about my experience, I realized that much of my feelings about Hajj are difficult to express and perhaps can only be duly expressed by an accomplished orator or writer. The following paragraphs are just a mere attempt to share a few select thoughts.

“[…] And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (Qur’an 4:64)”

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

6 top tips for Hajj


With the Hajj being one of most populated events in the world, anyone taking part in it has to take some precautions with regards to his health safety.
  1. Keeping hydrated: drinking plenty of water hydrates and allows the system to repair itself.
  2. Personal mats: using a personal prayer mat prevents the spread of germs from person to person.
  3. Antibacterial wipes: As Hajj consists of several stages and constant movement from place to place among millions of people, keeping your hands clean is vital.
  4. Mask: airborne microbes can easily spread. Wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth lowers the risk of direct infection.
  5. Eating Honey: Natural honey is filled with nutrients to keep you energized and also works as a natural antimicrobial.
  6. Oregano oil: daily dosage of 2-3 drops of Oregano oil will disinfect and protect against microbes that enter directly into the respiratory system.
Article source alarabiya.net

Monday, 21 September 2015

Hajj getting stoned

At Fajr time, there was a frantic rush as everyone around us was getting ready for salah. The queues to the toilets and ablution area were huge. Everyone was desperate to wash, perform salah and get moving. I lay there, still half a sleep, thinking Alhamdu-lillah knowing I was well-prepared. The voice of the brother saying “take plenty of water” was replaying in my mind over and over again. I had a bit of a sly grin as I got up and casually open a bottle of water and performed the Wudhu. A minute later I was ready for salah.

I had brought lots of water so there was plenty for the rest of the brothers in our group. They also quickly made wudhu with the remaining water. Within a few minutes we were standing before our creator, performing the Fajr salah.

Friday, 18 September 2015

First day of Hajj starts in Mecca

Some 3 million Muslims from around the world marched through a desert valley outside Mecca on Thursday on the first day of the annual hajj pilgrimage. According to the AP, the pilgrims hiked through the eight-mile valley to Mina, starting a series of rituals to cleanse themselves of sin. 
This year's hajj takes place amid increasing worries across the Islamic world - over the bloodshed in Iraq, violence in the Palestinian territories and a new war in Somalia. "We will not allow sectarian tensions from any party during the hajj season," Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz told reporters ahead of the rituals. 

Thursday, 17 September 2015

History of Hajj

Hajj literally means ‘to set out for a place’. Islamicly, however, it refers to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah with the intention of performing certain religious rites in accordance with the method prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.

Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Allah in the time of the Prophet Abraham (AS) and he was the one who was entrusted by Allah to build the Kaaba – the House of Allah – along with his son Ishmael at Makkah. Allah described the Kaaba and its building as follows:

“And remember when We showed Abraham the site of the [Sacred] House [saying]: Associate not anything [in worship with Me and purify My House for those who circumambulate it [i.e. performTawaaf] and those who stand up for prayer and those who bow down and make prostration [in prayer etc.].” (Quran 22:26)

After building the Kaaba, Abraham would come to Makkah to perform Hajj every year, and after his death, this practice was continued by his son. However, gradually with the passage of time, both the form and the goal of the Hajj rites were changed. As idolatry spread throughout Arabia, the Kaaba lost its purity and idols were placed inside it. Its walls became covered with poems and paintings, including one of Jesus and his mother Mary. Eventually over 360 idols came to be placed around the Kaaba.

During the Hajj period itself, the atmosphere around the sacred precincts of the Kaaba was like a circus. Men and women would go round the Kaaba naked, arguing that they should present themselves before God in the same condition they were born. Their prayer became devoid of all sincere remembrance of God and was instead reduced to a series of hand clapping, whistling and the blowing of horns. Even the Hajj call was distorted by them with the following additions:

Sacrifices were also made in the name of God. However, the blood of the sacrificed animals was poured onto the walls of the Kaaba and the flesh was hung from pillars around the Kaaba, in the belief that God demanded the flesh and blood of these animals.

Singing, drinking, adultery and other acts of immorality was rife amongst the pilgrims and the poetry competitions, which were held, were a major part of the whole Hajj event. In these competitions, poets would praise the bravery and splendor of their own tribesmen and tell exaggerated tales of the cowardice and miserliness of other tribes. Competitions in generosity were also staged where the chief of each tribe would set up huge cauldrons and feed the pilgrims, only so that they could become well-known for their extreme generosity.

Thus the people had totally abandoned the teachings of their forefather and leader Abraham. The House that he had made pure for the worship of Allah alone, had been totally desecrated by the pagans and the rites which he had established were completely distorted by them. This sad state of affairs continued for nearly two and a half thousand years. But then after this long period, the time came for the supplication of Abraham to be answered:

“Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them your verses and instruct them in the book and the Wisdom and sanctify them. Verily you are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Quran 2:129)

Sure enough, a man by the name of Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was born in the very city that Abraham (AS) had made this supplication centuries earlier. For twenty-three years, the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) spread the message of monotheism – the same message that Abraham and all the other Prophets came with – and established the law of Allah upon the land. He expended every effort into making the word of Allah supreme and his victory over falsehood culminated in the smashing of the idols inside the Kaaba which once again became the universal centre for the worshippers of the one True God.

Not only did the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) rid the Kaaba of all its impurities, but he also reinstated all the rites of Hajj which were established by Allah’s Permission, in the time of Abraham. Specific injunctions in the Quran were revealed in order to eliminate all the false rites which had become rampant in the pre-Islamic period. All indecent and shameful acts were strictly banned in Allah’s statement:

“There is to be no lewdness nor wrangles during Hajj.” (Quran 2:197)

Competitions among poets in the exaltations of their forefathers and their tribesmen’s’ achievements were all stopped. Instead, Allah told them:

“And when you have completed your rites [of Hajj] then remember Allah as you remember your forefathers; nay with a more vigorous remembrance.” (Quran 2:200)

Competitions in generosity were also prohibited. Of course, the feeding of the poor pilgrims was still encouraged as this was done in the time of Abraham, but Allah commanded that the slaughtering of the animals which was done for this purpose should be done seeking the pleasure of Allah rather than fame and the praise of the people. He said:

“So mention the name of Allah over these animals when they are drawn up in lines. Then, when they are drawn on their sides [after the slaughter], eat thereof and feed the beggar who does not ask, and the beggar who asks.” (Quran 22:36)

As for the deplorable practice of spattering blood of the sacrificed animals on the walls of the Kaaba and hanging their flesh on altars, then Allah clearly informed them that:

“It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is Taqwaa (piety) from you that reaches Him.” (Quran 22:37)

The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, also put a stop to the practice of circling the Kaaba in a state of nudity and the argument that the pagans put forward to justify this ritual was sharply rebutted in Allah’s question:

“Say: Who has forbidden the adornment [i.e. clothes] given by Allah which He has produced for His Slaves?” (Quran 7:32)

Another custom which was prohibited through the Quran was that of setting off for Hajj without taking any provisions for the journey. In the pre-Islamic period, some people who claimed righteousness, having total dependency on Allah, would travel to perform Hajj begging food the whole journey. They considered this form of behavior a sign of piety and an indication of how much faith they had in God. However Allah told mankind that to have sufficient provisions for the journey was one of the preconditions for making Hajj. He said:

“And take a provision [with you] for the journey, but the best provision is piety.” (Quran 2:197)

In this way, all the pre-Islamic practices, which were based in ignorance, were abolished and Hajj was once more made a model of piety, fear of Allah, purity, simplicity and austerity. Now, when the pilgrims reached the Kaaba, they no longer found the carnivals and the frolic and frivolity that had once occupied the minds of the pilgrims there before. Now, there was the remembrance of Allah at every step and every action and every sacrifice was devoted to Him alone. It was this kind of Hajj that was worthy of the reward of paradise, as the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:

“The reward for an accepted Hajj is nothing less than paradise.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Article source siasat.com

Monday, 14 September 2015

Hajj: Spiritual & Pragmatic

Hajj is a very spiritual journey, but it is important to be pragmatic when planning your journey.

Vaccinations, visas, air-bookings, all of this has to be done much before you actually travel. The tour operator you are travelling with will arrange most of this for you, but it is a good idea to always double check.

Friday, 11 September 2015

Hajj: A Lesson in Humility

Ask anyone who’s gone to Hajj what lessons he or she learned, and you’ll receive a multitude of answers.

My own Hajj taught me a number of lessons, but perhaps one of the things I most remember about it was how humbling an experience it was.

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Selfless Brotherhood - Hajj

For someone who has never gone for Hajj, I do not think any amount of literary research, academic classes, or wistful anticipation can prepare them enough for what the journey entails, and what they will bring away from it eventually, in the form of practical lessons, life-changing experiences, and long-lasting memories.

Image by Flickr
Hajj is an experience and journey like no other. You have to go on Hajj yourself to be able to fully learn, decipher and fathom just what it entails.

Monday, 7 September 2015

How to Maintain the Peace and Unity of Hajj?

Reflecting on the meaning of Hajj or pilgrimage, a Muslim realizes that this is about a long journey to the most sacred place, Makkah.

Traveling to Hajj is more than just a physical journey, it is also a spiritual one. A pilgrim leaves home in one state of mind and over the course of their trip they ascend to a much higher one.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

Imam Malik RA never left Madinah he went to perform his Hajj and Umrah.

The Maliki Madhab named after Imam Malik, is one of the four schools of jurisprudence that are followed by Sunni Muslims to this day. Imam Malik was a student of Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq. Imam Malik was born the son of Anas ibn Malik (not the Sahabi) and Aaliyah bint Shurayk al-Azdiyya in Madinah around 711. His family was originally from the al-Asbahi tribe of Yemen, but his great grandfather Abu ‘Amir relocated the family to Madinah after converting to Islam in the second year of the Hijri calendar, or 623 CE. According to Al-Muwatta, he was tall, heavyset, imposing of stature, very fair, with white hair and beard but bald, with a huge beard and blue eyes

Imam Malik was a man of aura, meaning he was a man of respect. Every scholar was a man of respect. When you looked at Imam Malik, even if you didn’t know that he was an imam, his features struck you. You would find something inside of you forcing you to respect this man. In Arabic this is called aura. He used to say there is nothing harder upon me in life than when I was asked a question on Halal and Haram because I am representing the Hukm, the ruling of Allah Himself, the Creator of the world.

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

Saudi Arabia has hosted 25 million hajj pilgrims in 10 years

Saudi Arabia hosted 24.8 million pilgrims from all over the world over the past 10 years.

Over the past decade the largest number of pilgrims was witnessed in 2012 when 3.16 million of them performed hajj and the lowest in 2013 with only 1.98 million pilgrims, Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported.

Tuesday, 1 September 2015

Which vaccines do I need for Hajj?

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the most important parts of the Islamic religion. Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford to do so is required to make Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. This pilgrimage to various locations in Saudi Arabia can be demanding, and there is some preparation that is required before leaving. 


A recent release by the Saudi government made some changes to the vaccination and health policy in relation to Hajj. In addition to those requirements, there are also some recommendations from the Kingdom and other health organizations, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that all travelers should heed: