● Hajj is a great journey of faith that the hearts of believers yearn for and the souls of lovers yearn for; as answer to the call of our master Ibrahim, peace be upon him, as Allah Almighty says: {O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House in order, O our Lord, that they may perform Salah. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks}.
● Hajj is one of the greatest acts of worship in which the perfection of faith is demonstrated by complete submission to Allah Almighty. This is a stone that we kiss, and this is another stone that we stone Satan with.
Our true religion is based on facilitation. One of the matters in which the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, facilitated the most is Hajj, in his famous saying, (Do it and do not be embarrassed). Despite this great ease, it is a disciplined ease (no negligence or excess), and it is based on ability.
● What the pilgrim should do before traveling:
1- Sincere intention to Allah Almighty:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj must sincerely intend to Allah Almighty, as:
– Allah Almighty says: {And complete Hajj and `Umrah for Allah}.
– God Almighty says: {Say: Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists}.
– He, ﷺ said: (Actions are but by intentions, and each person will have but what he intended).
2- Sincere repentance:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj must repent to Allah sincerely, and this repentance must include abstaining from the sin, then regretting what he missed, then resolving not to repeat it.
3- Redressing grievances to their people:
The one who intends to perform Hajj, if he has committed a wrong, must return this wrong to its people, as the Prophet, ﷺ , said: (He who has done a wrong affecting his brother’s honour or anything else, let him ask his forgiveness today before the time (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) when he will have neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he has done some good deeds, a portion equal to his wrong doings will be subtracted from them; but if he has no good deeds, he will be burdened with the evil deeds of the one he had wronged in the same proportion).
4- Paying off debts:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj must pay off the debts he owes before traveling, as the Prophet, ﷺ said: (Whoever accepts other people’s wealth intending to pay it back, Allah will pay it back for him. And whoever accepts it intending to waste it, Allah, the Most High, will waste (destroy) him).
5- Appeasing opponents:
The one who intends to perform Hajj must appease his opponents if there is a dispute between him and one of the people, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: (Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer and almsgiving (sadaqah)? The people replied: Yes, Prophet of Allah! He said: It is putting things right between people, spoiling them is the shaver (destructive)).
6- Investigating halal money:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj must perform his Hajj with lawful money and not contain anything unlawful
Where he, (ﷺ)’ said: (God is good and accepts only what is good, Then he mentioned a man who makes a long journey in a dishevelled and dusty state, who stretches out his hands to heaven saying, “My Lord, my Lord,” when his food, drink and clothing are of an unlawful nature, and he is nourished by what is unlawful, and asked how such a one could be given an answer).
7- Purity of heart:
The one who intends to perform Hajj must purify his heart of discord and bad morals, and rid his heart of envy, hatred, and malice, so that his heart will be pure and free of impurity, so that it will be like milk without turbidity, or like light without darkness.
8- Knowledge of Hajj rituals:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj have to know the rituals of Hajj and how to perform them correctly. And to ask if he doesn’t know.
Thus, we see that whoever wants his Hajj to be justified, his sins to be forgiven, and his efforts to be thanked have to do these eight things, that we mentioned, before his travel.
Oh God, grant us a pilgrimage to Your Sacred House many times and for many years..
Imam Dr. Khaleal
