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Contents Please do NOT use musical ringtones on your mobiles. Music is Haraam and it disturbs everyone that hears the music. Please remember to change it to a non-musical ringtone and switch the phone off or keep it on silent alert whilst in the Masaajid (and ask other to do the same).
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Hajj is one of the pillars in Islam and was commanded in 9A.H. It is the perfection of faith and true surrender to the Almighty. It is a stage in which man can develop himself spiritually. It is a time when the pilgrim forgets his own hearth and home, his comforts and amenities of life, his dear wives and children, his hard-earned wealth, his friends, relatives and everything he possesses, therefore leading to the conclusion that Hajj is the best training ground for absolute and complete surrender to the divine command.
Hajj teaches us complete submission to divine will, because one without sufficiently understanding the inner meaning of going round the ka‘bah, kissing the black stone, running between safa and marwa and the throwing of stones at jamrat does these things in blind submission to divine order. Therefore, God becomes pleased with his servant saying:
"Without seeking any reason or order, he obeyed me."
Hajj is obligatory upon every understanding, mature Muslim who can afford to undertake the journey. (i.e. one who possesses wealth, which is excessive than one’s need, and enough to travel to Makkah Mukarramah and back. He must also leave behind enough source for his family to live on.)
It is related by Ali 
that the Apostle of God 
said:
"Any one who God has given enough to perform the Haj, and he also has a conveyance which can take him to the House of God. If he still fails to do so then it does not matter whether he dies a Jew or Christian, and it is so because God has said: Pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) is a duty men owe to God – those who can afford the journey." Tirmizi
It has been stated in one hadith that one should
perform Hajj as quickly as possibly. One does not know if he is to become
ill, or if any necessities will arise. Therefore, when one has the intention
and the means are also available it should not be delayed. If a person
completes his pilgrimage in the right manner and completes it only for
the sake of Allah then the Hajj can compensate for his every sin. This
is shown in the following hadith related by Hazrat Abu Hurairah
that the Apostle of Allah
said:
"Whoever performs the Hajj and commits no lustful act during it nor disobeys God (in any other way) shall return from it as pure and sinless as he was at the time of his birth." Bukhari & Muslim
We can understand from the hadith that if anyone performs the Hajj and during it, abstains from all lustful things and every other act of defiance to God which falls within the spheres of lewdness, his sins will be forgiven and he will return from it as spotless as he was when he had been born. This type of Hajj is called Hajj-e-Mabroor and if this is granted to him then he has obtained a great gift and favour in this world as well as the hereafter. Regarding Haj-e-Mabroor (accepted Haj), it has been reported as one the best of actions in Hadeeth.
The reward for Hajj-e-Mabroor is more clear in
the following hadith which is related by Hazrat Abu Hurairah ,
that the Apostle of God
said:
"From one Umra to another (i.e. the two Umras)
become an atonement for the sins committed during the period
intervening between them and the reward on Hajj-e-Mabroor
(i.e. pure and untainted Haj) is paradise itself and
nothing less." Bukhari & Muslim
Similarly paradise
is mentioned in a different Hadith related by Abdullah Ibn Masud
that the Apostle of God
said:
"Perform the Hajj and Umra again and again for both the Hajj and the Umra remove poverty and sins in the same way as the furnace removes the impurities of gold, silver and iron and there is no lesser recompense on a pure and sincere Haj than paradise". Tirmizi & Nasai
It shows us that whoever performs the Hajj and Umra with sincerity of the heart takes a dip, as it were, in Allah’s river of mercy and as a consequence of it, the filthy effects of sins are washed away from him. Also, in the world, the favour of Allah upon him is that he is relieved of poverty and indigence and bestowed upon him is the tranquillity and prosperity of the heart and again the granting of paradise in return for a pure Hajj is the firm and positive promise of Allah.
Pilgrimage is performed in the sacred months of Shawwal, - and first 9 days of =. In these months, every one stops his hands from foul things of every description. The Qur‘an says:
"Whoever determines the performance of pilgrimage therein, there shall be no amorous speech, no abusing and no disputing in Hajj." – 2:197 Q
By acting upon the above verse and leaving aside the petty jealousies and enmities of life, the pilgrim enters into a heavenly life wherein there is nothing but divine glory.
There are numerous Ahaadith in which the Prophet
has stated the virtues of a person who performs Hajj. In the following
two Ahaadith, our beloved Prophet
explains to us, that the supplication of a pilgrim will surely be accepted.
It is related on the authority of Hazrat Abu Hurairah
that the Apostle of God
said:
"Those who make the pilgrimage for the Hajj or Umra are the guests of God. The petitions they make will be granted and if they seek deliverance from sins, their sins will be forgiven." Ibn-Maja
It is related by Abdullah ibn Umar
that the Apostle of God
said:
"When you meet anyone who has performed Hajj, greet him, shake hands with him, and beseech him to pray for the forgiveness of your sins before he reaches his home, for he is in the state that decision of forgiveness has been taken for him (and it is confidently expected that his supplication will be accepted)." Musnad Ahmed
By reading the above Ahaadith we can understand that a pilgrim should always try to engage himself in supplication and take advantage of the invaluable favour that Allah has bestowed upon him. He should make special du‘as for himself, his family, relatives, neighbours, the muslims of his locality, country and of the whole world, for his teachers, forefathers, and all those pious servants of Allah through whom he received this great gift of Imaan, especially the Prophet
and his companions.
When someone ses ot for Hajj or Umra and dies on the way they will be rewarded as those that have performed Hajj or Umrah.
It is reported by Hazrat Ayesha 
that I asked permission of the prophet
to make Jihad. He said:
"Your Jihad is pilgrimage." Bukhari & Muslim
1. All travel must be carried out in the presence
of her husband or Mahram (to whom marriage is absolutely prohibited
e.g. father, son, grandfather, grandson, maternal
uncle, paternal uncle nephew).
However, if a Mahram is non-existent then the female should secure a wasiyat for her Hajj to be performed after her death. This is wajib!
2. A woman can wear any kind of clothing for Ihram with no restriction regarding colour, however it is wajib to cover the head.
NOTE: Thin or semi- transparent or tight fitting clothing is prohibited.
3. No clothing should come into contact with the face, therefore whilst observing the purdah/hijab, the niqab should be worn so that it is slightly raised from the face however still concealing it.
4. It has come to our knowledge that the use of a small scarf to cover the hair is under stood to be a part ‘Ihram’. This believe is however incorrect.
5. The recitation of the Talbiyah (labbaik) of a female pilgrim must not be audible by other pilgrims and therefore it should be recited quietly.
6. It is preferable for female pilgrims to be selective of the times i.e. the night in which they carry out the tawaaf and the duties whilst at Arafat and Muzdalifah (including rami). Even so, where there is no choice of time the female pilgrim should refrain from joining the heart of the crowd or pushing and brushing against fellow pilgrims.
7. It is forbidden for female pilgrims to carry out ramal (brisk walking whilst in tawaf) and the running within the ‘green light zone’ when carrying out saee.
8. If menstruation occurs before the Ihraam stage, it is preferable to bathe and then carry out the obligatory ‘Ihraam’. Due to menstruation, the tawaf and the saee are not to be carried out. All other procedures regarding Hajj must be observed and then after menstruation is over the tawaf and saee must be recovered.
NO COMPENSATION IS DUE FOR DELAY.
9. If menstruation continues over the period in which ‘Tawaaf-e-Wida’ is to be carried out, the ‘Tawaaf-e-Wida’ becomes omitted.
10. After Ihraam, the cutting of hair is often cut in the presence of a ‘Ghair Mahram’, however this is forbidden and should be refrained from.
11. When visiting the sacred grave at Madinah, all pilgrims should ensure that they do not fight or quarrel. Females should pray in a quite tone so as not to be dis-respectable.
12. Performing one obligatory salaah at Masjid-e-Haraam reaps the reward of 100,000 salaah. However, this applies only for men.
Thus for women it is preferable to perform salaah within the privacy of one’s compartment/home.
Starting from home, a pilgrim shall enter into Ihraam at least at Miqaat. When reaching Makkah, he shall make tawaaf seven times and saee between safa and marwa seven times. If the Ihraam ends there, he shall shave or cut the hair of his head. Then with a fresh Ihraam on the 8th or 9th Zil-Hijjah, he shall start for Arafat and reach there for waiting at noon. In the evening of the same day, he will return to Muzdalifah and spend the night there. In the early dawn of 10th Zil-Hijjah, he shall start for mina reaching there at noon and instantly proceed to throw stones at Jamrah Aqabah. Finishing there, he shall return to mina and after shaving shall offer animals for sacrifice. On the 11th and 12th of Zil-Hijjah, he will remain at mina throwing seven stones in the afternoon of each day in the jamrahs. Then he may remain at mina on the 13th or return to Mecca on the 12th evening. After returning, he shall proceed to make Tawaf and saee. When leaving, he shall make a final tawaf.
There are three ways to perform Hajj: -
(i) Ifraad: To reach Makkah Mukarramah in the state of Ihraam with the intention of Hajj only.
(ii) Qiraan: To combine the Haj with Umrah from the very beginning in such a way that when one puts on the Ihraam he should read ‘Labbaik’ for both, Hajj and Umrah, at the same time. A person with the intention of Qiran must stay in the state of Ihraam after performing Umrah until he fulfils all the essentials of Hajj.
(iii) Tamattu‘: To combine Hajj and Umrah in such a manner that firstly one should put on the Ihraam for Umrah. After performing Umrah and having the head shaved or the hair trimmed one should take off his Ihraam. Thereafter, on the 8th of = one should put on the Ihraam for Hajj in Makkah Mukarramah and then perform the act of Hajj.
For a complete guide on the Performance of Hajj
and Umrah- Talimul Haq (Part 14)
The Mosque famous with its ‘Qumbad-e-Khadhra’
(green dome), is the Masjid the Holy Prophet
built soon after migrating to Madinah Munawwarah. This Masjid holds special
value for salaah as mentioned in the hadith. Hazrat Anas Ibn Malik radiyallahu
anhu has quoted the Holy Prophet
saying, "...A person’s salaah in my Masjid (Masjid-e-Nabawi) is equal to
fifty thousand (50,000) salaah ..." (Ibn Majah)
Therefore, if only one day’s five salaah with congregation, at Masjid-e-Nabawi are valued they equalize six million, seven hundred and fifty thousand (6,750,000) salaah (since one salaah with congregation holds 27 times more value). Besides, if you consider a year to consist 360 days, there will only be one thousand and eight hundred (1,800) salaah in the whole year, one hundred and eighty thousand (180,000) in a hundred years and one million and eight hundred thousand (1,800,000) in a thousand years. Therefore, even a thousand years’ salaah cannot bear comparison with only one days’ five salaah with congregation at Masjid-e-Nabawi.
Note: The above calculation has been made like this:
1 salaah performed with confiltered= 27
1 salaah performed @ Masjid-e-Nabawi = 50,000
1 salaah performed @ Masjid-e-Nabawi with confiltered= 27 times 50,000 = 1,350,000
Therefore, 1 days salaah performed @ Masjid-e-Nabawi with congregation = 5 times 1,350,000 = 6,750,000
May Allah Taa’laa fill our hearts with the light of Imaan and give us the true guidance to practice on His book and deen. Ameen)
