Hajj and Umrah: Meaning, Obligation and Reward

What Hajj and Umrah are

Hajj is travelling to the Ka'bah (the House of Allah, Baitullah) in Makkah during the months of Hajj to perform a set of acts of worship in a particular way and at particular times. Its central day is the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, the Day of Arafah, and it is the fifth pillar of Islam.

Umrah is visiting the Ka'bah to perform a smaller set of acts, ihram, tawaf, sa'i and cutting the hair, and, unlike Hajj, it can be performed at any time of the year. It is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage".

In the Shafi'i school followed in Malaysia, both are obligatory once in a lifetime for every Muslim who is able. Anything more than the first Hajj or first Umrah is a voluntary (sunat) act of worship.

The call of Ibrahim and the talbiah

When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his son Ismail had raised the foundations of the Ka'bah, Allah commanded Ibrahim to call mankind to pilgrimage (Surah al-Hajj 22:27). Every pilgrim who says the talbiah is answering that call: "Here I am, O Allah, here I am."

The course teaches the talbiah as a conversation. Allah calls people to His House; the pilgrim answers. Scholars mention that a pilgrim whose intention is sincere and whose provisions and money are halal is answered with welcome and good news, while one whose money is haram is told that his call is not accepted. The lesson is simple and serious: purify your intention and your money before you leave home.

A short history of Hajj in Islam

• Hajj was made obligatory in the 5th year after the Hijrah, as the course teaches.
• In 6 AH the Prophet ﷺ set out for Umrah with about 1,500 Companions but was stopped at Hudaybiyah, where the famous treaty was signed.
• In 7 AH they returned and performed the make-up Umrah ('Umrat al-Qada').
• In 8 AH, in Ramadan, Makkah was opened to the Muslims and the idols around the Ka'bah were removed.
• In 10 AH the Prophet ﷺ announced that he would perform Hajj. He left Madinah on the 25th of Dhul Qa'dah 10 AH with his wives, followed by 120,000 Companions. This Hajj is known as Hajj al-Islam, Hajj al-Akbar and the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajj al-Wada'). It is the model every pilgrim follows, and its sermon at Arafah is one of the most important speeches in Islamic history.

Who must perform Hajj: the conditions of obligation

Hajj and Umrah become obligatory on a person who meets all of these conditions:

Ability has two forms.

1. Able in person: the pilgrim can go themselves. This requires:

1. The fare for the journey there and back.
2. Provisions and expenses for the journey, and enough left for the family they support at home while they are away.
3. Transport there and back.
4. A journey that is reasonably safe, there and back.
5. Physical health that allows the journey.
6. Enough time to get there and complete the rites.

2. Able through someone else (badal haji), a person who has the money but can never go in person, because of an illness with no hope of recovery or great old age, must arrange for someone to perform Hajj on their behalf. The same applies to a person who died after Hajj had become obligatory on them: it is paid for from their estate. The person performing badal haji must already have performed their own obligatory Hajj.

Extra conditions for women. A woman needs her husband's permission (or her guardian's, if unmarried), and she must travel with her husband, a mahram, or, for the obligatory Hajj, according to the Shafi'i school, a group of trustworthy women. See Chapter 15 for the details.

The reward of Hajj

The course lists the virtues of Hajj:

1. You gain the status of "guest of Allah" (dhuyuf al-Rahman).
2. You gain a great reward.
3. You are saved from dying as a Jew or a Christian, the warning given to one who was able to perform Hajj and did not.
4. You receive the intercession of the Prophet's ﷺ prayer for forgiveness for pilgrims.
5. You become clean like a newborn baby.
6. It is among the best forms of jihad.
7. An accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise.

Benefits in this world

1. Muslims from all over the world meet one another.
2. Trade and the economy benefit.
3. It shows the equality of all Muslims.

Benefits for the Hereafter

1. Training in devoting yourself to worship.
2. Training in building a Muslim personality.
3. Training to be ready to leave this world.
4. The reward for looking at the Ka'bah.
5. Training yourself to do every deed sincerely for Allah alone.
6. Being praised by Allah before the angels.
7. Attaining a mabrur Hajj.

What makes a Hajj mabrur

The course grades Hajj into three levels:

How do you aim for a mabrur Hajj? The course divides it into before, during and after.

Before you go

• Make your intention purely for Allah, not for a title, photographs or praise.
• Learn the rites properly (ilmu manasik) and bring enough money, from halal sources, after paying any zakat you owe.
• Make sure you are already performing the other pillars of Islam well, especially the five daily prayers.

During Hajj

• Perform every pillar (rukun) and obligation (wajib) correctly.
• Respect the prohibitions of ihram, and pay any dam (penalty) you incur.
• Avoid rafath (indecent talk), fusuq (sin) and jidal (arguing), Surah al-Baqarah 2:197.

After you return

• Stay away from sin and wrongdoing.
• Do more good deeds, so that your faith keeps growing.
• Keep improving your character and behaviour, steadily, for life.

How this guide is organised

The chapters follow the order in which you will need them:

• 1 · Meaning, obligation and reward, this chapter.
• 2 · Hajj at a glance, the whole journey in one picture.
• 3 · Preparing your heart and your affairs.
• 4 · The Holy Land, Makkah, the Ka'bah and the sites of Hajj.
• 5 · Pillars, obligations and the three ways of performing Hajj.
• 6–10 · The rites themselves: ihram, its prohibitions and dam, tawaf, sa'i and cutting the hair and tahallul.
• 11–13 · The days of Hajj: Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina and the Jamarat.
• 14 · Umrah step by step.
• 15–17 · Rulings for women, purification and prayer, and health and safety.
• 18 · The farewell tawaf and visiting Madinah.
• 19 · Planning and practicalities.