A New Life After Hajj & Umrah
NO doubt, Hajj is a golden opportunity to have one’s sins forgiven, one’s soul purified, and one’s heart filled with faith and tranquility. The one who performs Hajj is supposed to be a model for others after returning. He or she is to recall throughout the year the matchless experiences gained in Hajj.
We should stress the fact that those whom Allah favored to perform Hajj and Umrah, should be thankful to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) Who has chosen them from among His servants to perform these acts of worship, and they should implore Almighty Allah to accept their good deeds. That is very important, for it reflects their belief that being so favored by Allah to accomplish the task of traveling to the Sacred Land to perform Hajj and Umrah is a favor that deserves gratitude to Allah.
We also urge the pilgrim, after returning from the Sacred Land, to keep his mind and soul attached to Allah, remembering Him constantly because Almighty Allah says : “So when you have accomplished your Manasik, remember Allah as you remember your forefathers or with a more remembrance” (2: 200)
The new Hajji should be very keen to avoid evil and shameful deeds especially after Allah has obliterated them and forgave all his sins, as a reward of performing Hajj. This is based on the Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.”
The Prophet also said, “(The performance of) Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous one.” (Reported by Muslim)
Therefore, it is incumbent on every Hajji to be thankful and offer due gratitude to Allah for being chosen to perform those acts of worship.
We advice such a person, upon returning home, to be conscious of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) when performing all what Allah has commanded him to do of the other acts of worship such as Salah (Prayers), Zakah, Fasting, dutifulness to his parents, visiting kith and kin, being charitable and benevolent to Allah’s creatures, observing the etiquette of Islam, taking the morals of the Qur’an as a model and the like of what the Muslim should do.
The reason for all what we have said above is that the more Hajj is considered an honor and a blessing, the more it entails responsibility for what one will be asked on the Day of Judgment in case he errs after returning from Hajj.
The epitome of this is that the Hajj is a duty to be offered once in lifetime. So, the pilgrim should take that as a golden opportunity which he will make use of for the rest of his life, reminiscing about the sacred places and all rituals (of Hajj), for that will strengthen his faith and help him to obey Allah.