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The believer needs a spiritual charge
Dear brothers, the believer is in urgent need of a spiritual charge that strengthens his faith and brings him closer to Allah the Almighty, now Allah has enjoined on us five prayers a day as daily spiritual charge, has enjoined the Friday prayer every week as a weekly charge, has enjoined fasting the month of Ramadan every year as annually charge and has enjoined on us performing Al-hajj only once in a life time as a charge of a life time.
Ibn Abbas reported that,
"Al-Aqra' bin Habis asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying: "O, Messenger of Allah, is Al-Hajj due only once or every year? The Messenger said, "It is due only once. If performed more than once, it would be by way of voluntary acts of worship."
Dear brothers, Al-hajj is a trip to Allah, His will has decreed for a wise purpose, in view of the materialistic tendency in every human being, to establish a house of His that enables those who believe in Him to head to it:
{Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and guidance for Al-'Alamin (the mankind and jinns)}
His will has decreed to establish a house of His that enables people from every far away point on earth to express their love for Allah and their yearning for Him. Allah's wisdom ordained that His Inviolable House be situated in the hot region of the earth, which is a valley that has no vegetation in order to make it clear to pilgrims that sincere communication with Allah is a source of bliss for men that enables them to dispense with all material comfortable circumstances that create an illusion of being the cause of their happiness, and to make it clear to pilgrims that man's happiness emanates from his inner self, not from the kinds of pleasure with which he surrounds himself, had Allah's Inviolable House been situated in the temperate region of the earth that abounds in green mountains, crystal-clear water, beautiful lakes, gardens, pleasant atmosphere and fresh breeze, and had Al-Hajj been ordained all the year round for precluding congestion, then all people would have rush to perform a pleasant religious duty in pursuit of enjoyment, not are prompted by the love of the Creator of the Universe.
Hajj is based on communication with Allah
In addition to the location of the Inviolable House and its climate, a pilgrim is not allowed to wear sewn clothes, to use all types of perfume, to shave his head or to shorten his hair, and is not allowed to indulge in the pleasures that are permitted outside the rituals of Hajj. All this is for enhancing his communication with Allah and enjoying His proximity alone, being remote from all earthly distractions, so that the pilgrim would become certain that if he attains to divine proximity, he would have won everything and that all the pleasures of the world could not secure sustained happiness, that is infinitely superior to the inevitably diminishing happiness that may be experienced in this life; and for him to sincerely say, "O, my Lord, what would a person miss if he finds You? And what would a person find if he misses You?
In short, Al-Hajj is a major act of worship that is based on a distinct communication with Allah the Almighty and is based on knowledge and proximity, sacrifice and love; its aim being to remove the false masques of this world, to neglect creatures and to be interested in the Creator, and to neglect the blessings and to be interested in the Bestower of the blessings...
People's rights are based on demands
For this great act of worship to be performed in acceptable manner and to be pleasing to Allah, and lest person should spend lots of money and precious time, and bear many hardships without his pilgrimage being accepted, and lest his pilgrimage be rejected, lest his pilgrimage be null and void - it is necessary for such a person, before going on pilgrimage, to repent from all sins, major and minor ones, to avoid all illegitimate gains and every relationship that is tinged with sins. He must completely discharge all his obligations, especially those connected with his fellow men, because men's rights are based on strict and scrupulous demands, while Allah's rights are built on tolerance. So he must discharge his obligations and repent from his sins. What is more important is that he should firmly resolve not to sin again after pilgrimage, failing which pilgrimage would be a mere rite not an act of worship. It is a big mistake and a serious illusion for the pilgrim to assume that as a result of pilgrimage all previous wrongs would be annulled and that every sin would be forgiven. scholars are unanimously agreed that the Prophet's Ahadith (traditions) which indicate that the pilgrim returns from Hajj as pure as when his mother has given birth to him, all his last sins having been forgiven, such sins as the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has characterized as being exclusively between a person and his Sustainer. But as to the sins that are between a person and his fellow men and the sins of which he is culpable towards sh3er and the duties he has neglected to perform, these are forgiven and dropped only in the discharge thereof or through waiver by the injured party. Thus sins are of three categories: an unforgivable sin, such as Al-Shirk; an unabated (non-neglect able) sin, which is between a person and his fellow creatures, and a forgivable sin, which is between a person and his Sustainer.
The Ability to undertake Al-Hajj
The ability which is mentioned in the noble ayah below is considered a firm basis for imposing Hajj, Almighty Allah says ;
{ In it are manifest signs (for example), the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham); whosoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allah], then Allah stands not in need of any of the 'Alamin (mankind and jinns).}
It is physical, financial, security and administrative ability, so a Muslim whose body does not definitely bear the hardships involved in performing the rituals of Al-Hajj or is so informed by a specialist, a skilful and pious Muslim physician, could have someone perform al-Hajj on his behalf during his life time or he may entrust to someone to perform pilgrimage for his behalf after his death, pursuant to the provisions of this type of pilgrimage. Allah does not consider a Muslim who does not have enough money to cover the types of travel expenses, the accommodation expenses in Mecca and Medina, the cost of food and drink, as well as the expenses of his family during his absence, able to undertake Hajj. Hence, an unable Muslim should not humiliate himself (i.e. to become burdened with debt) for raising the Hajj expenses, nor should he resort to untoward ways and means (illicit ways like paying bribe for example) in order to raise the Hajj expenses for he is not able and is exempted from performing the duty of Hajj and you should perform the acts of worship according to the Islamic laws.
Now, pay attention to this accurate point; When officials in charge (those in authority) in Islamic countries resolve to adopt a certain system that enables those who have not performed Hajj yet to do so, and allow those who have performed the Hajj duty to do that only once every five years,then the motive of such regulation is to enable those Muslims who have not
discharged the Hajj duty to do so easily and peacefully. So, one must not commit a sin to perform a voluntary pilgrimage; he should not pay a bribe to obtain a Hajj visa, as the Muslim who is not allowed to perform pilgrimage is not considered able to do so, this is the administrative ability. So there are the administrative ability, the physical ability, the financial ability and the security ability which means that the way to Hajj is secure.
Since pilgrimage is a financial type of worship that requires the spending of money, it is necessary that the money that is to be spent in the performance of this duty be legally earned and good, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"O, people, Allah is pure and will accept only that which is pure."
It is also reported on the authority of Abi Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,
"If a pilgrim heads for Hajj with legally earned money and puts his foot in the stirrup of his mount and calls: 'Here have I come my Lord" he would be called from heaven saying, 'your call is heard and yours will be double happiness, and as your provisions are legally procured and so is your mount; hence, your pilgrimage is unconditionally accepted. But if his expenditure is foul and he puts his foot in the stirrup and calls: "Here have I come my Lord, he would be called from heaven saying, 'your call is not heard and yours will not be double happiness, as your provisions are illicit and your expenditure is illicit; hence your pilgrimage is blemished and unrewarded."
Pilgrimage is ordained one those who are able:
Dear brothers, as Hajj is a religious duty which is ordained by Allah in respect of those who are able, the poor being incapable, therefore a poor person should not borrow in order to perform Hajj. Abdullah bin Abi Awfa transmitted:
"I have asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about the person who does not perform Hajj, whether he should borrow. He said, 'No'".
The pilgrimage by an indebted person is accepted only with the approval of his creditor.
A person who begins his pilgrimage with a false declaration, or if he assumes a quality that he does not possess or of which he is known and does not intend to perform, or if he pays illegal money to an illegal authority, his performance of this duty is an illegal act, as is indicated by the basic juridical rule namely everything that requires something haram (prohibited/illicit) will become itself haram. For the way to something haram is haram. The habits of believers are acts of worship and the acts of worship of Munafiqun (hypocrites) are acts of sin.
Since the Hajj act of worship is ordained by Allah on those who are capable once in a lifetime, if a pilgrim violates its rites and fails to perform one of its requirements or if he neglects a sunnah, if he sticks to a sunnah that has led to the violation of something prohibited, or if he commits an act of disobedience, if he performs a prohibited action, his pilgrimage would be null and void or he may have to sacrifice an animal, or he if he does wrong, if he neglects to do something, if he fails to perform what is a priority - if he does that he would waste a unique opportunity that is not repeated, an opportunity to have his last sins forgiven and to qualify him to be admitted to Allah's paradise. All this is due to ignorance, which is the utmost enemy of man. An ignorant person may harm himself beyond what his enemy may harm him. Therefore we say: dear pilgrims learn the provisions of pilgrimage before you go on Hajj. Thus one knowledgeable person is more difficult for Satan to seduce than a thousand worshippers, and a little knowledge of the principles of the deen of islam is better than a lot of worship:
"So ask of those who know the Scripture [learned men of the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)],if you know not"
And just as awaiting the time of Salah is considered a part of Salah, similarly preparing oneself for Hajj (learning the Hajj rituals before going to Hajj) is a part of the Hajj. Many pilgrims have failed to acquire the necessary knowledge of Hajj before going on pilgrimage and they returned from Hajj without having performed the basic tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'bah) with the result that their pilgrimage would be null and void. Many a pilgrim has crossed the miqat (local point of ihram; official commencement of the duties of Hajj) without having put on the Ihram garments with the result that he needed to sacrifice an animal. And how many a pilgrim has violated the rules of Ihram thinking that he was on the right track...
Prevention of harm takes priority over acquisition of benefits
A knowledgeable person moves about in his life according to a scale of priorities. Thus if he performs the Islamic Hajj, which is the obligatory Hajj, and if he is inclined to perform Hajj a second and third time (a voluntary Hajj), and if he is financially and physically able and has obtained the approval of the competent authority and does not contribute, by giving a statement that is contrary to fact, to the depriving of a Muslim of the opportunity of performing the obligatory pilgrimage, and if he has discharged all his duties towards his parents,
