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All
praise is due to Allaah. May peace and blessings be upon the
Messenger of Allaah, his household and companions.
Fellow
Muslims! Fear Allaah and be dutiful to him, for piety is the best
provision for the Last Day.
“Whoever
fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter
easy for him.”
(At-Talaaq
65:4)
Brethren
in Faith! Be aware that worship is the right of Allaah alone and
it is an obligation upon man and jinn. Allaah says:
“And
I created not the jinns and humans except that they should worship
Me.”
(Adh-Dhaariyaat
51:56)
Acts
of worship are the best with which Allaah honours His slaves and
by which He elevates the pious among them. Acts of worship
illuminate the hearts, refines the souls, reforms manners and
pleases the Lord. They elevate one’s rank in the Paradise, wipe
out sins and multiply rewards. It is part of Allaah’s favour on
us that He sent the best of His creatures to us in order to
explain to us sayings, deeds and beliefs that can make us win the
pleasure of our Lord, and to warn us against all that can make us
earn His displeasure. Allaah says:
“Similarly,
(to complete My blessings on you) We have sent among you a
Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our verses, and purifying
you and teaching you the Book and the Hikmah (the Sunnah) and
teaching you that which you used not to know. Therefore, remember
Me, I will remember you, and be grateful to Me, and never be
ungrateful to Me.”
(Al-Baqara
2:151-152)
Had
Allaah not sent the Messenger and revealed the Books, mankind
would have been worse than animals. But He blessed mankind by
establishing a religion for them and laying the straight path for
them in order that the fortunate ones may get guidance and
unfortunate ones may get lost.
Among
the blessings of Allaah upon His slaves is that He ordained for
them acts of worship that can reform their souls like prayer, alms
giving, fasting, hajj and others in order that man may be purified
in all aspects of his life. Allaah says:
“Allaah
does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify
you, and to complete his favour to you that you may be
thankful.”
(Al-Maaidah
5:6)
Hajj
is a pillar of Islaam in which Allaah combines all types of
Ibaadah (worship). Hajj comprises of Kalimatu-Tawheed,
prayer, spending in the way of Allaah, fasting for those who
cannot afford to pay for sacrificial animal, enjoining good
and forbidding evil, patience, perseverance, mercy and keeping
away from forbidden things.
Hajj
is one of the greatest signs of Allaah that what Muhammad –
Peace and Blessings be upon him– has brought is really the
religion of truth, for no human power can gather pilgrims from all
parts of the world with hearts full of yearning and love,
undergoing difficulties rejoicing at leaving homes and families,
feeling that the hours of hajj are the greatest of one’s life
and spending generously for hajj. It is only Allaah who can bring
about such a situation. He says:
“And
proclaim to mankind the Hajj. They will come to you on foot and on
every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant
(wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). That they may witness
things that are of benefit to them and mention the Name of Allaah
on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided
for them (for sacrifice). Then eat thereof and feed therewith the
poor who have a very hard time.)”
(Al-Hajj
22:27-28)
Ibn
Jareer and others reported that Ibn Abbaas said, “When Allaah
commanded Prophet Ibraaheem to proclaim Hajj among people, he
said: ‘My Lord, how can I convey the message to people while my
voice can not reach them?’ Allaah said, ‘You call. It is Our
duty to make it reach people!’ He then stood on his station and
said, ‘O you people! Your Lord has chosen a House, so perform
pilgrimage to it.’ It was said that mountains became leveled
that his voice reached all parts of the earth and all that are in
the wombs and loins of men were made to hear the call and
everything that heard the call responded. So those for whom Allaah
has decreed to perform Hajj till the Day of Judgment responded
with the saying, ‘Labbayka Allaahumma Labbayk.’ ”
Dear
Muslims! Purify your intention for Allah in your Hajj and emulate
the Messenger of Allaah in all Hajj rites, for he has said,
“Take your Hajj rites from me.” If you do this, your hajj will
be accepted. The Messenger of Allaah said, “Whoever performs
Hajj and does not engage in sexual intercourse nor acts sinfully,
he will go back to his home as pure as the day his mother gave
birth to him” (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim) He also said,
“Performing ‘Umrah after ‘Umrah will erase the sins
committed between them and the well-performed Hajj has no reward
but Paradise.” The good hajj is the one done with sincerity
according to the Prophet’s guidance and in which one abstains
from sins and all violations.
It
is incumbent on the pilgrims to know the rites of hajj and to
carry out its pillars accordingly. The pillars of hajj are: Ihraam,
standing at Arafah, Tawaaful-Ifaadah and the running
between Safaa and Marwa. He should also perform the obligatory
acts of hajj which are: Ihraam from the Meeqaat, standing at
Arafah till sunset, passing night at Muzdalifah, pelting the
stones, shaving or cutting of hair, passing nights at Mina,
sacrificing animal if necessary and making farewell Tawaaf.
On
the day of slaughtering (10th day of Dhul-Hijjah), the
pilgrim will pelt the Jamratul-Aqabah, slaughter make Tawaaful
Ifaadah and run between Safaa and Marwa. If he pelts Jamratul
Aqabah and slaughter or shave; all prohibitions of Ihraam are
removed for him except sexual intercourse. But if he has made the
Tawaaful Ifaadah in addition to the above three, he is free to do
all prohibitions including marital intercourse.
It
is recommended for the pilgrim to do a lot of acts of worship and
talbiyah till he starts throwing the stones of Aqabah. He should
endeavor to read the Qur’aan and supplicate especially on the
day of Arafah, for the Messenger of Allaah said, “The best
supplication is that of Arafah day, and the best word that I and
all Prophets had said on the day of ‘Arafah is, ‘Laa ilaaha
illallah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu lahul-mulk walahul hamd, wahuwa
‘alaa kulli shay’in qadeer. ” He should also guard his
tongue and abstain from backbiting, fighting and arguments.
The
Muslim should also be reciting the prescribed takbeer right
from after the Fajr prayer on the day of Arafah till the afternoon
of the 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah. The takbeer is as
follows, “Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar, La ilaaha illallah,
wallaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar walillaahil hamd.” It is also
recommended for the pilgrims and others to do good deeds in the
first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. The Messenger of Allaah said,
“There is no day in which good deeds are dearer to Allaah than
this days, i.e. the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah”, the
companions said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Even if it is Jihaad in
the way of Allaah?” He said, “Even if it is Jihaad in the way
of Allaah. Except for a man who goes out for Jihaad with his life
and wealth and comes back with none of the two.” (Al-Bukharee
and Muslim)
Fellow
Muslims! The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the best days in
the sight of Allaah. Allaah calls them “the known days” in His
Book according to Ibn Abbas. It is recommended to remember Allaah
much in mosques, streets, market places and everywhere in these
ten days. Arafah day falls in these days and if you do not have
the opportunity to be at Arafah, you can fast on that day. The
Messenger of Allaah was asked of the fasting of the day of Arafah
and he said, “It erases the sins of the previous and the present
years.” (Muslim)
Dear
Pilgrim! Allaah says, “The Hajj is in the well-known months.
So whoever intends to perform hajj therein, then he should not
have sexual relations (with his wife) nor commit sin, nor dispute
unjustly during hajj. And whatever good you do, Allaah knows it.
And take a provision for the journey, but the best provision is
piety. So fear Me. O men of understanding.”
(Al-Baqarah
2:197)
Hold
fast unto the sublime Islaamic manners and let your hajj be
repentance from sins and a reform and piety for the rest of your
life. Thank Allaah and praise Him for His bountiful blessings of
peace, eemaan, worldly goods; and the opportunity He
affords you to do righteous deeds and for the torments He kept
away from you.
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