Alhamdulillah, we are upon that time of year once more when those who have been chosen by Allah to visit His blessed house and perform Hajj are preparing to leave by reading up on how to perform Hajj in the correct manner. Though this is good and necessary, I would like to propose some points regarding extra actions you can do to magnify your reward by the will of Allah, as well as to share with you some advice that is not commonly given.

1) From the moment you enter the state of iḥram, the best dhikr you could make is the Talbiyah,

لبيكاللهم لبيك،لبيك لا شريكلك لبيك، إنالحمدوالنعمة لكوالملك لاشريك لك

Some scholars have said that during this time, this dhikr is even better than reciting the Quran. You stop saying it when you begin umrah. You start again when you enter the state of iḥram for Hajj, and you stop once more when you throw the stones (jamarat) on the day of Eid.

It is narrated that when the saḥabah entered the state of iḥram, by the time they had traveled to الروحاء (one day’s travel from Madinah), they had lost their voices from the constant saying of the Talbiyah.[1] When saying the Talbiyah, be conscious that what you are saying is literally affirming your answer to Allah’s call so have this in the back of your mind whenever you are performing the Talbiyah so that you are constantly affirming your intention to carry out this great act of worship. What an honor it is and what a great matter you are embarking upon.

2) When you are on the plains of Arafah, sit down to conserve your energy, just as the Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wasallam) sat on his camel, [2] and make plenty of dua, not stopping except to drink water, until the sun has set. These few hours are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so do not let them pass easily. If you ever get stuck on what to say, then constantly repeat the best dua a person can make on the best occasion for them to make a dua (at Arafah), which is to say لااله الا اللهوحده لا شريكله له الملكوله الحمد وهوعلى كل شيقدير.

Be conscious that at this very moment, Allah is showing off to the Angels telling them “Look at my slaves”.[3] He is pleased with you at this very moment so seize this moment to ask Him what you desire, and do not waste this opportunity or your time. Making dua on the plains of  Arafah is one of the greatest actions you can do in your entire life, [4] so stay away from the people and find a secluded spot or a place where no one you know is around you so there is nothing to distract you from seizing this moment.

–  When you sleep in muzdalifah, wear a face mask. Depending on where you are, it may be very dusty, which will prevent you from sleeping properly (to get energy for the most eventful day) as well as probably make you feel ill.

–  Contrary to what we are commonly told, you CAN slaughter the sacrificial animal yourself. After throwing the stones at the jamarat, follow the signs leading to the slaughterhouse (under 1hr walk). When you get near it, you will begin to see farms with animals. Pass these and go to the slaughterhouses, where you will not see any animals, just long (not tall) buildings with a booth at the front of each. Here you pay, receive a ticket and are able to enter to witness or carry out the slaughter yourself.

– Have you ever considered sacrificing a camel instead? It is the Sunnah that you sacrifice a camel, as that is the biggest and best sacrificial animal and is what the Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wasallam) sacrificed. A few years ago this was not possible due to a disease spread within camels, but this may not be the case now.

– Have you ever considered sacrificing more than one animal? The Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam) sacrificed 100 camels during his Hajj.[5] He knew that to sacrifice an animal is a part of Ḥajj and a form of glorification of Allah, and therefore sacrificed the best and the most he could. If you can afford it, sacrifice more than one animal, up to as many as you can afford. If you are reading this before you’ve set off, then take extra cash with you for this. Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so glorify Allah and sacrifice the best you can give. The pious people would never haggle when buying a sacrificial animal, nor allow anyone to carry the sacrificial animal for them because they wanted to glorify Allah and show Him that they were exerting their best effort for His sake regardless of the cost. Their only concern was the reward.

– Get a data pack and save your location in Mina in Google Maps. You will constantly be leaving it for either Arafah or the Jamarat, so this will help you return easily without getting lost. Google Maps will also help if you decide to go to the slaughterhouse as you may not be able to return via the same route, and you will also need it on your return from tawaf al-ifadah.

– It is the Sunnah that after you throw the first two sets of stones at the jamarat on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul Hijjah that you make dua. The dua that the Prophet(sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam) made was equivalent to a person reciting Surah al-Baqarah i.e. about 1 hour.[6] The throwing of the stones is the only ritual act of Hajj made during these days so spend the extra time making dua because this opportunity only comes once in a lifetime (for most of us). Try to, at least once, make dua the length that the Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to make it and remember; dhikr of Allah is dua and you could therefore also repeat:

لااله الا اللهوحده لا شريكله له الملكوله الحمد وهوعلى كل شيقدير

– Glorify Allah and spend your time humbled before Him for choosing you to complete Hajj. When the Prophet (sall Allahualayhi wa sallam) entered Makkah as a victor, he entered with his head lowered out of humility before Allah.

– From the purposes of Hajj are to have Taqwa of Allah and to glorify Him.[7] With this in mind, do not become overwhelmed by logistics whilst neglecting the purpose of Hajj. Remember, you will not find the pleasure of Allah where you want, but rather where He wants, so even if you find yourself stuck in major congestion, or are delayed, or are prevented from making Sunnah acts such as kissing the black stone, it is all fine, as long as you are focusing on the purposes of Hajj which include glorifying Allah and having Taqwa.

– Never say, “Hajj cost me such and such”, rather glorify Allah, and be happy with what you have spent without showing any signs of displeasure. Imagine you are buying forgiveness of your sins, [8] with that money, and then ask yourself if it is not worth it.

I ask Allah to allow you to perform Hajj as He pleases, to accept it from you, and to allow us all to return to His house to perform Umrah and Hajj numerous times. Ameen.

Notes:
[1] Reported by Anas and Aisha (Radi Allahu anhuma) in al-Sunan al-Bayhaqi
[2] According to the famous hadith of Jabir in Sahih Muslim
[3] Reported by Abu Hurayrah (Radi Allahu anhu) recorded by Ahmed, Ibn Hibban andal-Hakim
[4] The Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The best dua is the one made on the day of Arafah.” Recorded in Tirmidhi and the Muwatta of Imam Malik
[5] Hadith of Jabir, as mentioned above
[7] Al-Quran 2:203 and 22:32
[8] Bukhari and Muslim