Dear brother, we are still tackling the series of lectures about the objectives of Shari'ah, and we already have covered the topics of Salah, Saum and Zakat. We are moving now to the topic of Hajj, but let me first start with an introduction.

Forward:

1- Shari'ah manifests justice, wisdom, mercy and absolute interest:

 Some scholars said: "Shari'ah is entirely about justice, mercy, wisdom, and interests. Therefore, if whatever a religious matter deviates from mercy to cruelty, from justice to injustice, from interest to corruption and from wisdom to what contradicts it, it is not part of Shari'ah even if it has been justified by thousands of interpretations." Why (cannot it be part of Shari'ah)?Simply because Shari'ah is the Law of Allah Whose Perfection is absolute, Allah said:

((And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them))

[Al-A'raf, 180]

 Allah's Perfection is absolute and the perfection of His Shari'ah is also absolute. Hence:

((This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.))

[Al-Ma'idah', 3]

2- The perfection of Shari'ah is in quality and quantity:

 The first point: Perfection is qualitative, whereas completion is quantitative. This means that the matters covered by Shari'ah are complete in their quantity, and the method followed in tackling them is absolutely perfect in quality. Accordingly, the matters tackled by Islam are complete, and the matters which are not tackled out of profound wisdom, are not less importance than those which were tackled. Some matters are subject of change according to time and place, but the basic matters were tackled.

The objectives of Hajj from the perspective of Shari'ah:

 This leads us to the act of worship "Al-Hajj", Allah says: 

((Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, an asylum of security and Hajj and 'Umrah (pilgrimage) for mankind))

[Al-Ma'idah', 97]

 People's interests in the worldly life and in the Hereafter are based on getting acquainted with Allah the Almighty.

1- Hajj is a once in a lifetime act of worship:

 Hajj is one of the most exalted acts of worship, why? Because it is the once in a lifetime act of worship (should be performed at least once for whoever is able to), whereas Salah is a daily act of worship (daily spiritual charging), Jum'ah Salah (Friday Salah) is a weekly act of worship (weekly spiritual charging) and fasting Ramadan is an annual act of worship (annual spiritual charging). What is the utmost wisdom behind Hajj? The worldly life can be sometimes a veil between man and his Lord, so the grave situation man can be in is mentioned in the following Ayah:

((Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.). Because he considers himself self-sufficient.))

[Al-Alaq, 6-7]

2- Hajj is a journey of the body and the soul:

 In some countries, where prosperity is beyond imagination, people are far from Allah beyond imagination as well, so you can notice how few the people who go to the Masjid, how hearts are cruel and how souls are reckless On the other hand, there are countries where people are driven to Allah the Almighty because of the adversity they are afflicted with. Hence, Hajj is the act of worship for those who can afford to perform it (the rich). Those people are most likely to be veiled from Allah, because of their money, prestige, wealth, position and the enjoyment of worldly life in general. This explains why Allah ordained Hajj for those who can afford it. The other acts of worship can be performed in your country, city, village, at home and at work, while Hajj is a special act of worship that is performed in a specific place (Makkah) and in a specific time (during the month of Dhul-Hijjah). Not to mention that this act of worship combines between being physical (it requires moving from one place to another) and being financial (it requires spending money in the journey to Makkah).

It is out of Allah's wisdom to have a house for Him:

 Dear brother, since man has a materialistic nature, Allah has decreed to have a house for Him on earth, Allah says:

((Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamin (the mankind and jinns).))

[Aal-'Imran, 96]

 Although Allah exits wherever and whenever (And He is with you [by His Knowledge] wheresoever you may be.), He has intended to have a house for Him (on earth "Ka'bah"), why? Because He wants to make visiting this house costly. Let me elaborate this point by the following example: If a father is a teacher of mathematics and his son is a secondary student, he will be willing to give his son lessons for free. Therefore, you will notice that the son rarely asks his father to give him lessons claiming that his study is fine. Unlike him, if a student is not good at mathematics, and he is in dire need of mathematics lessons, he will work in summer and save the money for the lessons he needs. He will be willing to pay one thousand Liras for every mathematics lesson. Paying this amount of money will make him all ears and attentive during the lesson. Also, if the lesson is finished five minutes earlier, he will be upset because he paid (from his own pocket) for a lesson that should be finished in time.

 Accordingly, since Hajj is a costly act of worship, which requires traveling, spending money, being in very crowded places and enduring hot weather, you will pay the cost of this meeting (with Allah) when you perform it. Had it not been expensive, the meeting with Allah would not have been warm, but rather it would have been cold.

3- Hajj is a pledge of connection with Allah:

 There is a crucial point concerning Hajj, why does not Hajj is performed in a very fascinating place? There are wonderful places on earth, which are full of green mountains and lakes, so why Hajj is performed in an uncultivable valley? Because Allah decreed to eliminate all kinds of sensual pleasures; in the place where Hajj is performed there is unbearable over-crowdedness, hotness and stern scenes. In the other part of the world, there are green mountains, coasts, nice climates and pleasant breeze, whereas in Makkah there is none of these beautiful natural sceneries; there are crowds and hotness. Allah the Almighty eliminated all sensual pleasures in the place where  Hajj is performed out of profound wisdom, Allah says:

((In an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat))

[Ibrahim, 37]

 The main objective of performing Hajj is to establish a solid relation between you and Allah. It is a relation of a special kind; it demands spending lots of money. The profound wisdom is that when man entirely devotes himself to this act of worship (Hajj), Allah rewards him by removing all worldly worries from his mind. If you ask a Haajj (pilgrim) who performed Hajj sincerely and he used to have endless problems in his homeland, he will tell you that when he traveled to the Sacred House of Allah (Ka'bah ), he forgot all about his problems by Allah's will. I tried once to test this fact (when I was in Hajj), so from time to time I used to recall an issue that made me worried when I was in my country, and it was removed from my mind immediately in one second.

 When you entirely devote yourself to this act of worship, Allah will make you forget all about your worries. Every true Haajj knows this fact; while you are performing the rituals of Hajj you will be immersed in indescribable rejoice.

4- Hajj is the place of ease and rejoice:

 Let me refer to another point concerning Hajj. Performing Salah in your country sometimes entails that you go against the common stream; you pay a lot of efforts to connect your heart to Allah, whereas in Hajj, you perform this act of worship with the flow. It is much easier while performing Hajj to connect to Allah, to approach Him, to illuminate and to be humble. All these things happen because Allah decrees for you to taste the sweetness of being close to Him.

 What is the meaning of Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik (Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am)? When you say Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik, it indicates a response to an invitation; as if Allah said to you 'Come to Me O My slave, come to My Sacred House in order to taste the sweetness of being close to Me', so you answer His invitation saying, 'Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik'. As if Allah asked you to come saying, 'O My slave come to my Sacred House so that all your grieves which are as huge as mountains will be perished away.' You say Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik as an answer to Allah's call 'Come to Me My slave and rejoice being close to Me.' Hence, (Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik) indicates that there is a Divine call to you by Allah the Almighty.

((Abu Hurairah narrated: "I heard the Prophet saying, 'Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any Rafath (obscenity or sexual relation with his wife) or Fusooq (transgression or disputing unjustly during Hajj), he returns (free from sin) as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him'")).

[Agreed upon]

 I repeat again: Allah has decreed to have a house on earth (the Sacred House, which is Ka'bah at Makkah) to fit the materialistic nature of mankind. Allah says:

((Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamin (the mankind and jinns).))

[Aal-'Imran, 96]

5- Hajj is a reminder of the journey of death and resurrection:

 Now, what does accepting this invitation mean? Since it is an invitation made by Allah, it means that Allah is dearer to you than your wife, your children, your job and your elegant appearance. Actually, no one appreciates the grace of wearing comfortable tailored clothes than the Haajj. He has to put on only two pieces of simple untailored fabric; he wraps his body from the waist down by one of them, and he puts the other one on his shoulders. Do you know why (the clothes of Haajj should be these two pieces of fabric? Because these clothes remind us of the last journey we have, which is death. Also, these white pieces of fabric remind us that when man dies, he is escorted to his grave and coffined by the cheapest untailored fabric regardless of the fact that he uses to wear stylish and expensive clothes when he is alive. Thus, Hajj seems to be the journey which precedes the last one; Allah forbade you to put on perfume in Hajj and to have your hair cut. Also, He asked you to wear only two garments in order to put the richest man on an equal footing with the poorest one in Hajj. They are all wrapping themselves in the same cheap garments. Hence, during Hajj, Allah shows you a scene that is similar to the one when all people are resurrected before the Lord of the Worlds.

6- Hajj is the act of worship where equality is expressed:

 Million pilgrims in simple clothing stand at Arafat exactly like the way we will all stand equal before Allah on the Day of Resurrection when inequality does not exist. Similarly, in Hajj there are no military ranks or civil positions. The doctor, the king, the president, the vice president and the minister are all equal, and all military, civil, scientific and economic positions disappear in Hajj, simply because this act of worship is all about equality. At airports there are places for diplomatic corps and other ones for the first class passengers, but in Hajj there is no place for inequality; all people perform Tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'bah during Hajj), Sa'ee ( crossing all the distance between As-Safa and Al-Marwa back and forth) and standing at Arafat. Therefore, the greatness of this act of worship (Hajj) lies in making all people equal. Allah says:

((The Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)))

[Al-Mutaffifin, 6]

((And truly you have come unto Us alone (without wealth, companions or anything else) as We created you the first time.))

[Al-An'am, 94]

 Dear brother, the elegant appearance has to do with the worldly life, and man's prestige is shown by his appearance (the way he is dressed up). For example, the officer shows his military position by putting on his decorations, badges of honor, or the ranks he has and which he is proud of. Other people wears a very elegant clothes to show their social positions. Your worldly position is shown by your appearance, so when you put on only two untailored pieces of fabric, and you are not allowed even to wear underwear, you will find this very hard to you. These clothes should be worn by The richest man and poorest one, because they are all alike. Equality in Hajj makes it looks like the journey which precedes the final one (death).

 O believer, get yourself prepared to that final journey when people are resurrected irrespective of their classes, and when every person comes alone (without wealth, companions or anything else).

7- Hajj is the act of worship which expresses love:

 Dear brother, Hajj has so many objectives. Tawaf for example is expressing love ritual; people sometimes express their fond of something by circumambulating it, and similarly Tawaf is the circumambulating of lover around his beloved. Some people count the numbers of rounds they are circumambulating around Ka'bah by a rosary, a counter, a watch or a calculator, but when they are busy with counting the rounds, they will be driven away from Allah the Almighty. When you are in this place, you are supposed to approach Allah, and when you circumambulate the House of Allah, you are supposed as the lover of Allah to invoke Him while performing Tawaf. Unfortunately some pilgrims talk about all matters in Hajj except, Hajj, its rituals, the emotions of the believer when he performs Tawaf, his emotions during Sa'ee and his emotions at Arafat.

 Turning this journey into rituals only is a big mistake. Some people stand at Arafat talking about food, drink and politics, and they spend the time in tittle tattle. Standing at Arafat on the greatest day of your life means you are meeting the Creator of heavens and earth, so the true believer stays away from people and sits in the shade of a tree to invoke his Lord. This is the best day ever in man's life. People come to Hajj from far-flung lands; some of them come from China or America traveling long distances to stand at Arafat, so will it be rational to stand there because it is one of the rituals of Hajj (without having the emotions of the true Haajj), or to listen to a religious song? People make a big mistake when they overlook the serious nature of this day.

 Hajj is void when it turns into moves, rituals and certain behavior. Hajj is a continuous manifold meeting with Allah. Tawaf has a significance, Sa'ee has a significance, standing at Arafat has a significance, slaughtering an animal (a sheep, a cow, or a camel, etc.) has a significance shaving the hair has a significance and Tahallul (lifting the restrictions of Ihram) has a significance. I encourage you to know all about Hajj before you perform it, for this is the act of worship which is performed at least once in the lifetime, and the Haajj is supposed to be spiritually charged for the rest of his life. It has been reported that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, said, Allah said:

((Any of My slaves who is healthy and are of the means for five years, and did not visit My house (perform Hajj), he is mahroom (deprived).))

[Al Jame' Al Sagheer, Sahih Hadith by Abu Saeed Al Khidri]

8- Hajj manifests honesty towards Allah and enmity towards Shaitan:

 Hence, Hajj is a spiritual charging for the lifetime, and after performing it, you are expected to come back home with a new spirit, new knowledge and complete uprightness (you should make use of all the rituals you perform in Hajj). When you stand before the black stone and point to it, you say: 'Bismillah, wa Allahu Akbar, Allahumma Imanan Bika, wa tasdeeqan Likitabek, wa ttiba'an lisunnati nabiyika, wa ahdan ala ta'atek' ('In the name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest. O, Allah we perform this ritual with the belief we have in You, with the belief we have in Your Book, with our loyalty to You, with our compliance to the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, and with fulfilling our pledge to You to obey You). When you perform Rajm (throwing seven consecutive pebbles at Jamrah Al-Aqaba) you are in a status of faithfulness, so if you come back from Hajj and return to all your shortcomings and sins, who do you think throws pebbles at the other? In such a case, it is Shaitan who throws the stones, but who is stoned? Whoever breaks his promise (that he will not get back to committing sins). Therefore, your Rajm is invalid unless you fulfill your pledge to Allah; O Lord I take Shaitan as an enemy. Allah says:

((Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.))

[Fatir, 6]

 Hence, Rajm has a metaphorical significance.

 There are people who criticize some rituals of Hajj, because they turn away from this great religion. A person who occupied a high position in an Islamic country performed Hajj, so he liked the system, the care and the safeguard of Hajj rituals and sacred places by the people in charge over there, yet he said: 'Hajj is a great act of worship, but it should be reorganized to be performed in five different periods of time throughout the year. It is better to make it performed every two months, so that there will not be all these crowds. Another person asked me: 'Is it obligatory to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia?' As if it is acceptable to perform Hajj in another place. There are many people who are ignorant of the rituals of Hajj. You should know that performing Rajm has a purpose; it is a pledge you make to Allah to treat Shaitan as an enemy, Allah says:

((Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy.))

[Fatir, 6]

 Pay attention to the following crucial saying: It was reported, "Whoever stands at Arafat and he still doubts that Allah will not forgive his sins, his Hajj is invalid". Hajj is at top of all acts of worship, it is the act of worship that is performed (at least) once in a lifetime and the prolonged spiritual charging. It is performed in specific days; one day is dedicated to Tawaf Al Kodoom, another one is to perform Sa'ee between Safa and Marwa, another day is to go to Mina, another day is to stay in Mina, one day is to stand at Arafat, one day is to stay in Muzdalifah, one day is to throw the stones, one day is to perform other rituals of Hajj and one day is dedicated to visiting. Performing all these rituals makes it an expensive act of worship whose spiritual effects last for a long period of time. Hajj is a physical (it requires moving from one place to another) and a financial (it costs lots of money) act of worship.  Thus, Almighty Allah says:

((Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamin (the mankind and jinns).))

[Aal-'Imran, 96]

Allah the Exalted has made: 

((Allah has made the Ka'bah, the Sacred House, an asylum of security and Hajj and 'Umrah (pilgrimage) for mankind, and also the Sacred Month and the animals of offerings and the garlanded (people or animals, etc. marked with the garlands on their necks made from the outer part of the stem of the Makkah trees for their security), that))

[Al-Ma'idah', 97]

The objectives of Salah, Saum, Zakat and Hajj in brief:

 Regarding Salah, Allah says:

((As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.))

[Al-Ankabut, 45]

 Concerning Saum, Allah says:

((O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2).))

[Al-Baqarah, 183]

 As for Zakat, Allah says:

((Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them))

[At-Taubah, 103]

 Regarding Hajj, Allah says:

((That you may know that Allah has knowledge of all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth))

[Al-Ma'idah', 97]

 When you know that Allah is the All-Knowing, all your problems will be solved, Allah says:

((It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know))

[At-Talaaq, 12]

 The reason behind creating heavens and earth is:

((That you may know that Allah has knowledge of all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth))

[Al-Ma'idah', 97]

 The purpose of creating heavens and earth is to know that Allah has the knowledge of everything and that He is Able to do all things.

Beware of making Hajj void and making its place crowded with empty hearts:

 Whoever intends to perform Hajj should be aware of the purpose of the rituals of Hajj. If you have the chance to perform Hajj, and Allah rewards you to perform it and experience the feelings one has there properly, you are expected to tell people about these feelings when you come back home. You are not supposed to tell them about the roads, the cold free water and the services, for these things are totally irrelevant to the purpose of Hajj. When this act of worship (Hajj) becomes weaker (in comprehending its purposes), people will perform the form of the rituals and ignore their content. As a result, the four million pilgrims are worthless:

((An army of twelve thousand would never be defeated due to fewness.))

[Abu Dawood by Ibn Abbas]

 There are four million pilgrims (every year) who stand beside one another; shoulder to shoulder in very crowded places (in Hajj), but their gathering does not benefit them as long as they are not granted victory. What a painful truth it is! Four million Muslims say Ya Allah (O Allah) at the same time, but still they don't own the upper hand, they don't manage their own affairs and the other party (their enemy) controls them in thousand ways. This means that there must be something wrong with our lifestyle (it is not Islamic), with the performance of the acts of worship (the way they are performed do not fulfill their purpose) with our uprightness and with our comprehension of Islam.

((An army of twelve thousand would never be defeated due to fewness.))

[Abu Dawood by Ibn Abbas]

 Muslims are one billion and five hundred million, they live in the best lands on earth (they have many natural resources) and they own treasures only Allah knows about, yet they are the poorest people on earth. Hence, when people are deviated from the religion of Allah the Almighty (Islam), the acts of worship will not be performed properly (they will turn into mere rituals). For example, they perform Hajj for reputation and making benefits only.

 Dear brother, we should comprehend the purposes of Shari'ah, because as they are comprehended we will make use of performing the acts of worship, and so we will be illuminated by performing them.