Guidelines for Performers of ‘Umrah and Hajj

*

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

Introduction

All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our selves and from our bad deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whoever He leads astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger and slave of Allah; may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment. To proceed:

Hajj is one of the best and most virtuous acts of worship because it is one of the pillars of Islam with which Allah Almighty sent Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). One’s religion would not be sound without those pillars.

No act of worship brings one close to Allah and is not accepted except with two things:

First: Sincerity to Allah Almighty; in other words, it should be done purely for the sake of Allah and the Hereafter, not for show-off and fame.

Second: It should be done according to the Prophet’s example in words and actions. Following the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) cannot be achieved without knowing his Sunnah. It is, therefore, necessary for anyone who wants to follow him to learn his Sunnah from the people of knowledge, either through written texts or verbal teaching. Also, the scholars, who inherited from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and succeeded him in his Ummah, are required to base their acts of worship, morals, and dealings upon what they know of the Prophet’s Sunnah, and they should convey this to the Ummah and call them thereto. Thus, they can be inheritors of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in terms of knowledge, acts, conveyance, and preaching Islam. And they will be among the winners who believed and did righteous deeds and exhorted one another to hold onto the truth and to be patient.

Here is a summary on the rituals of Hajj and ‘Umrah, which I have prepared according to the texts I know from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. I implore Allah Almighty to make it sincere for His sake and beneficial for His servants.

Author

*

The Etiquettes of Traveling

One who sets out for Hajj or other acts of worship should recall the intention of drawing close to Allah Almighty in all situations. Thus, his words, actions, and expenses will be a means of nearness to his Lord. “Indeed, the reward of deeds depends upon intentions, and each one will be certainly rewarded according to his intention.”

He should also assume noble morals, like generosity, tolerance, gallantry, and amicability with people, helping them with money and effort, and making them cheerful. This is in addition to the obligations he should fulfill and prohibitions he should avoid, as commanded by Allah Almighty.

Also, he should take adequate money and belongings for his journey, beyond his needs, as a precaution against any need that may arise.

And he should say before and during his journey the reported Prophetic supplications, including the following:

1- When he puts his legs on his mount, let him say: “Bismillah (In the name of Allah).”

And after he gets established on it, let him remember the favor of Allah upon him as He has facilitated for him various types of mounts; and let him say: “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great)” three times.