HOW TO PERFORM HAJJ
Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. Hajj is performed when you visit the House of Allah and practice certain rituals that is situated in Makkah the Holy City of Muhammad (S.A.W). Allah has made Hajj compulsory for people who are healthy and financially able and he mentions the importance of Hajj in the Quran as well.
Allah Almighty describes the importance of hajj in Surah Al Imran Ayat: 97.
The Quran says: (Translated) “And for the sake of Allah, the people are to perform pilgrimage to this House, who could find a way there. And for the one who denies, then Allah is independent of entire world.”
In this article you will find the details about the rituals that you have to follow in order to perform Hajj. It is important that you should be aware of your “Fiqh” before you start your journey. In addition to that you should also be aware of the ways that have to be followed in Hajj. Thus it is necessary for people to read proper guideline before going for Hajj.
There are numerous books and other forms of resources available and we would advise you do research these to maximise your knowledge and gain rewards from Hajj
There are three types of Hajj:
Hajj Ifraad
In this type of the Hajj people intend for Hajj after starting Shawwal. S/He wears Ehram with the intention of Hajj only and s/he does not intend to perform Umrah during this time period.
Hajj Qiran
This method type is when the person intends for both Umrah and hajj in the same Ehram (Please Click Here on How to Perform Umrah).
Hajj Tamattu (This is the most common type of Hajj)
This is when one who wears Ehram with the intention of Umrah not for Hajj (Please Click Here on How to Perform Umrah), intention of Hajj is made within the boundaries of Makkah.
Vital Information for Pilgrims
Following is the list of information that is necessary for the pilgrims to know before they intend to go for Hajj.
• The sole intention should be to perform hajj in order to fulfil Allah’s command
• Try to avoid all major or minor sins from core of your heart. Try to pray and ask forgiveness from Allah and all the people for any wrong doing.
• Make sure you pray 5 times a day
• You should be strong to bear the troubles and the difficulties with patience on Hajj.
• It is advised to wear the Erhaam at the airport or on the plane.
• Make sure that you have all your medication and you have taken the necessary vaccination as well.
• Your passport and travelling documents are extremely important thus you should have some carry bags that can hold all your important things.
On this day the pilgrims start to move towards Mina early morning after Fajr. On this day the Ehram is worn (If you are doing Hajj Tammatu-You will wear your Ihram at your hotel) and two Sunnah are offered with the intention of Hajj. It is preferred to read Surah Al Kafiroon in first rakat and Surah Al Ikhlas in second rakat. Intend for Hajj after reading the following prayer.
اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الحَجَّ فَيَسِّرْهُ لِي وَتَقَبَّلْهُ مِنِّي
Transliteration:
Allahumma inni urīdu al-Ḥajja fa-yassirhu lī wa taqabbalhu minnī
“O Allah, I intend to perform Hajj, so make it easy for me and accept it from me.”
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ
لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ
إِنَّ الحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالمُلْك
لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Transliteration:
Labbayka Allahumma labbayk,
Labbayka la shareeka laka labbayk,
Innal-hamda, wan-ni’mata, laka wal-mulk,
La shareeka lak.
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am.
Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.
Verily all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You.
You have no partner.”
After reaching Mina the pilgrims are bound to offer five prayers in Mina. That means that you have to offer prayers from Duhr to the Fajr prayer. Try to keep yourself busy in the remembrance of Allah.
On this day the pilgrims move towards Arafat after offering Fajr prayer. Gathering in the grounds of Arafat on 9th Dhul Hijja is important because it is one of the most important ritual of Hajj. If you are not present on Arafat on the sunset of 9th Dhul Hijja and the sunrise of 10th Dhul Hijja then your Hajj will be incomplete.
Jabl-e- Rehmah is the mountain on which holy prophet ﷺ addressed the Khutba Hijjatul Wida. After reaching Arafat you may want to pray Duhr and Asr prayer together behind the imam in Masjid Namra (Although nowadays it is very busy and depending on your location it may not be possible). The time of Waqoof-e- Arafat is extremely important as you can pray for yourself and your loved ones on this occasion.
Now it’s the time to move on to Muzdalifah from Arafaat. Without offering Maghrib prayer after sunset you have to move to Muzdalifah. As soon as you reach it you should offer both Maghrib and Isha. for both the prayers there is one call of prayer and one takbeer. Now you could rest for a while because the next morning on the 10th of Dhul Hijja you have to move back to Mina. The pilgrims need to collect 49 stones (70 if you plan on staying until the 13th Dhul Hijja, also a few extra’s just incase you loose a couple) of the size of peas that will be used to hit Jumrat in Mina.
As mentioned above you have to move back to Mina after offering Fajr prayer. When you reach Mina the first task you have to perform is pelting of the Jamrat Kabira. You have to hit seven stones to the largest pillar which is constructed to identify the location. Do not use a pebble from the ground to pelt. Elderly people can perform this ritual at night or they can assign someone else to perform in their place (Please refer to your guide).
You need to hold the pebble with thumb and forefinger and recite:
اللّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Transliteration:
Allāhu Akbar
Translation:
“Allah is the Greatest.”
And throw the pebble towards the pillar, please make sure that your pebble falls within the walled area of the piller and not bounce back outside it.
The second task is to make an animal sacrifice in the name of Allah. The people who are performing Hajj Qiran and Hajj Tamattu are bound to sacrifice an animal on this occasion. While the people who are performing Hajj Ifraad are not bound to do so. It is mustahib for the people performing Hajj Ifraad. That means that if they have the ability to afford it then they can perform the sacrifice.
After this the third task is to shave off the head. Men are bound to completely shave the head while women could cut a part of their hair. This is the third task of hajj. After this the boundaries of Ehram are finished. The only thing that is prohibited is the relationship between husband and wife.
The fourth part of the hajj is the Tawaf-e-Ziyarat. This is one of the most important part of hajj and without performing the Tawaf your Hajj is not complete. After the Tawaf you have to make sure that you perform the Sayee of Safa & Marwa. After completing all the rituals you need to move back to Mina. It is Sunnah to stay in Mina and you need to pray for forgiveness while your stay in Mina.
On the fourth day of Hajj there is only one obligation and that is pelting of all three jamarats. You should start from the smallest jamarat and move to the biggest. You should hit seven stones to each of the pillars. Do not pick up the stones from the floor to hit the pillar and try to collect some extra stones from Mina if needed. While hitting the jamarat you have to follow the method that was told before by holding the stone in the thumb and the index finger. Now while hitting Satan recite the following prayer.
اللّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Transliteration:
Allāhu Akbar
Meaning in English:
“Allah is the Greatest.”
It is sunnah to face the Qibla after pelting each of the small and medium Jamarat and NOT the large jamarat.
On the fifith day of Hajj you have to perform the same rituals as you did on the fourth day. You have to pelt the jamarat pillars after noon and move ahead in the same order.
Now only your Alwida Tawaf is left and you should perform this Tawaf before coming back to your country.
Since now all the Fardh and Wajibah are complete you have the option to move out of Mina back to Makkah to the place where you were staying before. You can even stay back in Mina.
Those people who stayed back till dawn in Mina after the 12th Dhul Hijjah then they are bound to carry out pelting of the jamarats on 13th Dhul Hijjah.
Before departing from Makkah you are bound to perform a Tawaf which will be your last Tawaf and it is known as Tawaf-e-Wida. It is a must Tawaf but women can skip it because of mensuration. Those who did not go to Madinah before Hajj will go to Madinah while the others will come back to their homelands. This tawaf is performed in the same way as Nafli Tawaf.
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