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10 Hadiths About Hajj

Today, we witness the beginning of the rituals of Hajj. Millions of Muslims are gathering in Makkah and the sacred places to respond to Allah’s invitation to visit His House; an invitation announced by Prophet Ibrahim and then renewed by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on them).
In the following lines, we explore some of the Prophet’s hadiths related to Hajj that reveal the significance of this great worship and how pilgrims are received and perceived by Allah the Almighty.

A Pillar of Islam
Among the numerous and diverse rituals of Islam, Hajj is a main component; it is an indispensable pillar of Islam:
1. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “Islam has been built on five [pillars]: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, performing the prayers, paying the zakah, making the pilgrimage to the House, and fasting in Ramadan.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Once in a Lifetime
Despite the great significance of Hajj, it is sufficient to do it only one time in your whole life. Islam is easy and takes into consideration the burdens and difficulties that pilgrims go through:
2. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that one day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed people saying: “O people! Allah has prescribed Hajj upon you, so perform it.” A man asked, ‘Every year, O Messenger of Allah?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent. When the man repeated his question thrice, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Had I answered in the affirmative, it would have become a (yearly) obligation, and this would have been beyond your capacity.”
Then he added:
“Leave me alone so long as I leave you alone (i.e. do not ask questions about things I didn’t mention). What caused the destruction of the people before you was that they used to ask so many questions, and disagree with their Prophets. So when I command you to do something, do it to the extent of your ability, and if I forbid you from doing something, avoid it.” (Muslim)

A Special Rank and Value
The Companions were keen to know the best deeds so that they could prioritize their good actions according to their values. In the following hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) highlights the special position of Hajj:
3. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet was asked, “Which deed is the best?”
The Prophet said, “Belief in Allah and His Messenger.”
He was asked again, “What is next?”
The Prophet said, “Jihad [striving] in the cause of Allah.”
He was further asked, “And what is next?”
He said, “Hajj mabroor [i.e. Hajj accepted by Almighty Allah]” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Jihad without Conflict
Going through the difficulties of travel and crowd, the physical effort excreted while doing the different rituals of Hajj, the movement from one place to another, and the sacrifice of money and time all make Hajj a form of Jihad. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recommended it for women and for weak men who are unable to participate in Jihad on the battlefield:

  1. A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet, “As jihad is the best deed, shouldn’t we [women] make jihad?”
    The Prophet replied, “The best jihad for you [women] is a Hajj mabroor.”
    A’ishah later said, “I have been keen to regularly perform Hajj since I heard that from the Messenger of Allah” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

  2. Al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying that he was weak and cowardly. The Prophet told him to participate in a type of Jihad that does not involve any fight, namely, Hajj. (Authenticated by Al-Albani)

Generous Reward for Ethical Pilgrim
The following hadith highlights two things:
a. Hajj is a training course for Muslims on sticking to the highest manners whatever the circumstances are,
b. and Hajj is an effective means to erase your sin records:
6. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say, “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or transgression shall return [free from sins] as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Ultimate Success
In one Qur’anic verse (Aal-Imran 3:185), Allah tells us that getting protected from hell fire and being admitted to the Jannh is the real success. That is exactly what Hajj earns you:
7. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“The reward for a Hajj mabroor is nothing but Paradise” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

  1. A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
    “There is no day on which Allah frees servants of His from Fire more than [those freed on] the Day of  Arafat. And, verily, He draws near and then proudly speaks about them [i.e. the pilgrims] before the angels, saying, ‘What do these seek?'” (Muslim)

The Honorable Delegation
Pilgrims are the guests of Allah and you can imagine how much Allah will honor His own guests:
9. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The one striving in the cause of Allah and the one performing Hajj and the one performing `Umrah are all the delegation of Allah. He calls them and they respond to His call, and they ask Him and He answers their supplication.” (Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani)

Special Days and Precious Opportunities
The days of Hajj are very special. Their blessings are not restricted to those performing Hajj only. It is a season of goodness for everyone:
10. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.”
The people asked, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?”
He said, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause (of Allah), and came back with nothing.” (Al-Bukhari)

By Muhammad Fathi

The Month Of Dhul Hijjah Is The Last Month Of The Islamic Calendar

Literally it means “ The Month Of Hajj.” This name Of the month indicates that the great annual worship of “ Hajj ” is performed in this month.

Allah says in The Quran:- ” Verily, The Number Of Months With Allah is Twelve Months (in a year), So it Was Ordained By Allah On The Day When He Created The Heavens And The Earth; of Them Four (Zul-Qidah, Zul-Hijjah,Muharram and Rajab) Are Sacred. That is The Right Religion, So Wrong Not Yourselves Therein…” [Surah Tawbah (9): 36]

Allah has commanded us to give special attention to the sanctity of these four months and refrain from committing sins in them. Allah says in the Qur’an:” O you who believe! violate not the sanctity of the symbols of Allah, nor of the sacred month…” [Surah Al-Ma’idah (5):2]

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith Hadith 6.184 Narrated by Abu Bakr: The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) Said, “Time has come back to its original state which it had when Allah created the heavens and the earth; the year is twelve months, four of which are sacred. Three of them are in succession; Zul-Qa’da, Zul-Hijja, and Al-Muharram, And (The fourth is) Rajab Mudar (named after the tribe of Mudar as they used to respect this month) which stands between Jumad (Ath-Thani) and Sha’ban.”

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.419 Narrated by Abu Bakr: The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “(The division of time has turned to its original form which was current when Allah created the heavens and the earths.

The Year is twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Zul-Qa’da, Zul-Hijja and Muharram, and ( the fourth is) Rajab of (the tribe of ) Mudar which comes between Jumadi-Ath-Thaniyah and Sha ban.”

Merits And Rules Relevant To ZULHIJJAH
FIRST Ten Days
The first ten days of the month of Zulhijjah are among the most magnificent days in the Islamic calendar.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) has said, “ One fast during these days (1-9 of Zulhijjah) is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the Lailatul-Qadr”.

Every Muslim should avail of this wonderful opportunity by offering during this period as much ‘Iba’dah (act of worship) to Allah as he or she can.

Summer Is Here!

Ahh, good ole summer vacation! Time to chill, kick back, and relax huh? No more school and no more homework. That time of the year when you count down the days until school is out is upon us again. Some of us are fortunate enough to witness this time again, while others unfortunately did not make it and had their time come when they were to meet Allah, and in His Hand is all that is good.

The funny thing is, although we look forward to the end of school so much, it seems we are all bored to death within five, six, or maybe 15 days into summer vacation.

We either stare at the television for six hours straight or sleep for 14 hours a day. It seems many of us get into that mode: sleep, wake up, eat, watch TV, chat online, sleep, wake up…. etc. And don’t act like you guys don’t know what I am talking about.

So, to avoid yet another boring and wasted summer vacation, here are some ideas that maybe we can try. Because as Muslims, we want to, now more than ever, try and utilize our time as much as possible. One way to do that is to have some goals for yourself, both short-term and long-term.

Once, there were four young men chilling at the Ka’ba talking. By the way, look where the teenagers of the Prophet’s time would be, while the teenagers of our time are chilling at malls and movie theaters. Subhan Allah, how times have changed.

The youth of the early generations of Muslims had lofty long-term goals. They stuck to them and by the will and mercy of Allah, they were able to fulfill them. Some became great scholars while others became powerful leaders. Our youth, however, are chilling at malls and watching movies all day long.

If we want to be as successful as they were, we should have some long-term goals in our lives. Where do we want to be in 10, 20, or 50 years from now?

We also need some short-term goals as well, which is the point of this article. Since summer vacation is near, and we know that we are going to end up being bored to death, let’s set some goals to utilize our time and accomplish some things. Here are some ideas. Set your goals in three areas that we’ll call the Three E’s.

The first “E” is in your E-man (faith). Set some goals to work on your Iman. We consistently must watch our Iman-o-meter and make sure it’s at a high level.

This will better our relationship with Allah. How do we achieve that? By doing more worship; by praying all five times regularly and with concentration; and by making sincere Du’a. We can review the Qur’an we memorized and learn new Surahs with their meaning. We can commit ourselves to reading one page of the Qur’an every day in Arabic along with its meaning in the language we understand.

How about some fasting, charity, serving our parents, or praying late at night? The list is endless. Don’t overburden yourself in the starting step. The key is to be consistent. Choose some and stick to them. You can increase it slowly later on.

The second “E” is E-ducation. Increase your knowledge, both worldly and religious. Read beneficial books. There are a variety of books to choose from.

You could take up science books that reveal some interesting facts or guide you to do some cool projects. You could read history and Seerah.

The third “E” is E-xercise. It is important to take care of the body that Allah has blessed us with. Enroll yourself in some physical activity – be it sports, gymnasium, or aerobics. Keep your body fit and fine.

Lastly, have a good timetable to achieve these things. Without a timetable and good eating and sleeping habits, it will be difficult to do anything. How much can one achieve by sleeping all through the day and evening, while staying awake at night?

A good way to jump-start your activity is to form a group and have some “group goals”. Doing it together will help you and others. It would be like a competition as to how much every one of you is achieving in each of the three “E’s”. And together your group could also have a blast of Halaal fun. All the best for your summer!

– By Rashid Ridhwan

Allah, The Exalted, Commands: No Distinction Between Messengers

[Allah’s Quran – 2:136] Say, [O believers], “We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.”

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has said:
[Bukhari, Book #60, Hadith #128] “Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Whoever says that I am better than Jonah bin Matta, Is a liar.”

[Bukhari, Book #41, Hadith #594] “Narrated Abu Huraira: Two persons, a Muslim, and a Jew, quarreled. The Muslim said, “By Him Who gave Muhammad superiority over all the people! The Jew said, “By Him Who gave Moses superiority over all the people!” At that, the Muslim raised his hand and slapped the Jew in the face. The Jew went to the Prophet and informed him of what had happened between him and the Muslim. The Prophet sent for the Muslim and asked him about it. The Muslim informed him of the event. The Prophet said, “Do not give me superiority over Moses, for on the Day of Resurrection all the people will fall unconscious and I will be one of them, but I will. be the first to gain consciousness, and will see Moses standing and holding the side of the Throne (of Allah). I will not know whether (Moses) has also fallen unconscious and got up before me, or Allah has exempted him from that stroke.”

[Muslim, Book #030, Hadith#5854] “Abu Fluraira reported that two persons, one from amongst the Jews and the other from amongst the Muslims, fell into dispute and began to abuse one another. The Muslim said: By Him Who chose Muhammad (may peace be upon him) in the worlds. And the Jew said: By Him Who chose Moses in the worlds. Thereupon the Muslim lifted his hand and slapped at the face of the Jew. The Jew went to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and told him about his affair and the affair of the Muslim. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) laid: Don’t make me superior to Moses for mankind will swoon and I would be the ‘first to recover from it and Moses would be at that time seizing the side of the Throne and I do not know (whether) he would swoon and would recover before me or Allah would make an exception for him.”

Be In This World As A Stranger Or A Traveler

[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 421] Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas (Radi Allah Anhu): The Prophet (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) Health and free time for doing good.”

[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 425] Narrated Mujahid (Radi Allah Anhu): ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (Radi Allah Anhu) said, “Allah’s Apostle (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” The sub-narrator added: Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”

[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 426] Narrated ‘Abdullah (Radi Allah Anhu): The Prophet (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines attached to that central line, and said, “This is the human being, and this, (the square) in his lease of life, encircles him from all sides (or has encircled him), and this (line), which is outside (the square), is his hope, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, an-other will snap (i.e. overtake) him, and if the other misses him, a third will snap (i.e. overtake) him.”

[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 8, Book 76, Number 427] Narrated Anas bin Malik (Radi Allah Anhu): The Prophet (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) drew a few lines and said, “This is (man’s) hope, and this is the instant of his death, and while he is in this state (of hope), the nearer line (death) comes to Him.”

Our Lord! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire.