Hajj: Time to connect to God

Fortunate are those from Kashmir Valley who have received the call for Hajj and have started proceeding to the holy cities of Mecca and Madina from the first of Dhul Qa’ada, 1445 (9^th of May, 2024).  Allah says in the Holy Quran, in Surah, Al-Hajj,

“And proclaim to mankind Al- Hajj (Pilgrimage).  They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from ever deep and distant (wide) mountain highway, (to perform Hajj).”

(Surah, Al- Hajj, 22, Verse, 27)

The Prophet (SAW) says, “He who performs Hajj for Allah’s pleasure and avoids all lewdness and sins, will return after Hajj free from all sins as he was the day his mother gave birth to him.”  (Bukhari:1521and Muslim:1350)                                                                    

One ought to hurry up the performance of Hajj. Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas (RA), reports that the Prophet (SAW) said,  “Hurry up the performance of the obligation of Hajj. For nobody knows what may impede one.”  (Ibn Majah: 2883 and Ahmad 1/ 214).

We need to understand, the real spirit of Hajj and we should realize the fact that we are presenting ourselves before Allah and Prophet (SAW). The Hajj in Arabic language means Pilgrimage and also making determination to achieve something which is honest, truthful and divine.  Before leaving for Hajj, one must make sure that he has left enough finance for his family to survive and  sought the permission of his parents, debtors, relatives, neighbours and friends.  One needs to settle down all disputes, issues with those who are aggrieved with him or her. The pilgrim should know that the Hajj consists of three types,

1. Hajj e Ifrad:    It means the Hajj which is performed without Umrah.
2. Hajj e Qiran: It means to intend to perform Hajj and Umrah together. And after performing Umrah, continue to perform Hajj without abandoning the restriction of Ihraam.
3. Hajj e Tamatu:  It means when one leaves for Hajj, he on reaching to Mecca performs Umrah and after Umrah abandons or opens the Ihraam and puts on normal dress and waits for the Hajj occasion and on the 8^th of Dhul- Hajj adopts Ihraam in the early morning and leaves from Mecca to Mina to perform Hajj.

The Ayam e Hajj or the Days of Hajj are  as follows,

1. 8^th  Dhul Hajj:   On this day Hajis adopt Ihraam and after offering Fajr Nimaz, leave Mecca for Mina, the City of Tents, offer prayers there and stay for the night.
2. 9^th Dhul- Hajj: On this day, the pilgrims or Hajis go to Arafat where they spend the day in supplication or worship, listen to the Hajj address (Khutba) delivered by the Imam of the Ka’aba. And offer Namz-e-Zuhar and Namz–e-Asr in a combined manner.  The Wuquf ( stay at Arafat is most important) till dusk, but today for the  first time in life, the Hajjis do not offer Maghreb Nimaz and leave the Arafat for Muzdilifah where the Hajis offer Namaz-e-Maghreb and Namaz-e-Isha together. They stay there for the night, worship and pray to Allah and collect small pebbles  at least 49 for 10^th, 11^th, 12^th Dhul Hajj  Ramee ; and if the need arises due to the stay in Mina for 13^th Dhul Hajj or as a precautionary measure 21 pebbles more making  70  pebbles in total. These pebbl;es are used  to stone, three Shaitans at Jamarat. They even sleep for some time and it is a sweat sleep there, one enjoys at this place.

Note:     On the 10^th of Dhul Hajj, only one of the three Shaitans is stoned using seven pebbles only .   All the three are stoned on the 11/ 12th, with 7 stones for each making a total of 49 for three days. One who decides to stay in Mina on 13^th  as well, has to stone all the three with seven for each making a total of seventy. So using 49 is compulsory ( 7, 21,21, spread over three days) whereas 70 ( 7, 21,21,21 spread over four days) is optional. Thus seventy pebbles need to be collected from Muzdilifa for Ramee.

3. 10^th of Dhul–Hajj:  The Hajis leave Muzdilifa after Fajr prayers and return to Mina for Rami or stoning at Jamaarat where the big shaitan is stoned by the Hajis with seven pebbles. After Rami, they can perform sacrifice of the animals and shave off their hair and go to Ka’aba for Tawaf  and  Sai’ee at  Safa and Marwa and return back to Mina.
4. 11^th Dhul- Hajj: The Hajis perform Rami or stoning of three shaitans  again at Jamaarat.   If they do not perform Tawaf of Ka’aba on 10 th Dhul- Hajj, can go today also and return back to Mina.
5. 12th Dhul- Hajj: After Rami or stoning of three shaitans at Jamaarat, Hajis on this day can leave Mina for Mecca until sunset to perform Tawaf of the Ka’aba if not performed so for. The Tawaf-e-Hajj is to be performed necessarily/ inevitably  today by every Hajji before  Maghreb Namaz  to complete all Arkans of Hajj.

( If they are not able to leave until sunset, then they need necessarily to stay for night again).

6. 13^th Dhul- Hajj: If some Hajis are not able to leave Mina on 12^th of Dhul-Hajj and stay for the night even, they have to perform Rami or stoning again at Jamaarat again and after Zuhr prayers can leave for the Holy City of Mecca.

Note:   11^th to 13^th Dhul-Hajj are called as   Ayaam- e - Tashreeq.  These are the days during which Takbeer is  recited.

“  Here  I am  O  Allah, ( in response to Your Call), here I am, here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You.  You have no partner. (Here I am O Allah in Truth, here I am.)”     

After accomplishing Arkans of Hajj, the Hajis have to perform Tawaf- e -Vida (Farewell Tawaf) as the last Rite of Hajj. After Tawaf-e-Vida, the Hajis can now return back to their home countries if they have scheduled return flights. But if they had reached Mecca straightway from their home countries but now they can visit Masjid e Nabvi (SAW) in Madina where the final resting place of our Prophet Mohammad  (SAW),  is located. The Hajis can visit the Roza Paak and offer Darood and Salam.  Prophet (SAW), says that offering of one Nimaz  in his Mosque, has  the reward of one thousand Nimaz.  And the Prophet (SAW) says that offering of one Nimaz in the Ka’aba , has the reward of Nimaz one Lakh Nimaz.

The Hajis ought to offer forty congregational prayers in the Masjid e Nabi (SAW).   And in the Ka’aba, the Hajis should offer forty prayers at least and earn the pleasure and blessings of Allah.

      The Hajj signifies Taqwa (Moral and Spiritual elevation). It gives us a choice to forget about the past blunders and re-start our lives with piety, grace and at the same time work for the fraternity and  unity of the Muslim Ummah.