Hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah) in perspective (1)
By Qasim Alabi
In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the world. We testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that the prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His last messenger.
HAJJ is one of the pillars of Islam and its performance is compulsory just like any other pillar of Islam. The prophet (SAW) said "Islam is built on five pillars: to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship and that prophet Muhammad is His messenger, to pray five times daily, to fast in the month of Ramadan, to give alms to the poor and to go on pilgrimage for those who have the means". However, it will not be an understatement to state that Hajj is compulsory even for those who do not have the means. This is based on one of the sayings of the prophet that every Moslem must have the intention of performing Hajj as Allah will raise him up among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) if he dies with that intention even though he does not have the means to perform physical Hajj. In the same vein, a person without the intention and without the means to go on pilgrimage would have died as a disbeliever. There is a consensus among the scholars that Hajj is compulsory only once in the life time of a Moslem except for a person who has vowed to perform extra Hajj and such a person must fulfill his vow. Allah (SWT) says "The first House of worship appointed for men was that at Bakka (another name for Makkah), full of blessings and guidance for all kinds of beings: in it are signs manifest (for example), the station of Ibrahim -whoever enters it attains security, pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah - those who can afford the journey, but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures" (Q3.96-97). "And complete Hajj and Umrah in the service of Allah." (Q2:I94). These verses of the Qur'an point out the fact that the divine law-giver, Allah has made it compulsory on Moslems to perform pilgrimage to His house.
The prophet (SAW) also established the importance of Hajj when he says, "Alternate between Hajj and Umrah (regularly), for these two remove poverty and sins just as the blacksmith's bellows remove all impurities from metals like iron, gold and silver. The reward for Hajj Mabrur (an acceptable hajj) is nothing short of paradise" Tirimidhi.
It is however sad to note that a lot of Muslims from Nigeria will embark on this life time journey but may end up not getting reward from Allah just because they have failed to perform their Hajj using absolute frame of reference which is Qur'an and Sunnah. How do we explain a situation where for donkey years, a lot of pilgrims from certain parts of Nigeria have consistently not been meeting the requirements of wearing their Ihram (pilgrim's special garment) at Miqat (specified destination) designated for them and no atonement is made to correct such anomaly? How do we explain pilgrims leaving Minna on the night of 8th of Dhul Hijja for Arafat only in the name of convenience? How about neglecting the stop at Muzdalifah and series of errors when throwing pebbles at Jamrat? These are just a few of the problems encountered yearly by pilgrims and no effort is being made to correct this. One of the aims of this write up is keep the Moslems abreast of the correct ways to perform Hajj and Umrah using the absolute frame of reference (Qur'an and Sunnah).
There are lots of benefits for a Moslem who is able to perform Hajj and it is expected that all Moslems will aspire to achieve this. There is no doubt about the fact that Hajj is one of the best deeds as explained in the hadith reported by Abu Hurairah (RA) when he (Abu Hurairah) asked the prophet (SAW) what is the best deed? He replied: "to have faith in Allah and His messenger". He asked again what next? He said, "to strive in the cause of Allah." He then asked what the next best thing is. He replied, "Hajj Mabrur (a faultless Hajj that is free of sin and is graced with divine acceptance and pleasure)."
Hajj is also a form of Jihad as the prophet (SAW) was reported to have said that, "Hajj is the jihad for the old, the weak and the women". Hajj wipes off past sins and this is evidenced in one of the sayings of the prophet (SAW) that "he who performs Hajj for Allah's pleasure and avoids all lewdness and sins will return after Hajj free from all sins as he was the day his mother gave birth to him". It should also be mentioned here that any amount of money spent to perform Hajj is not in vain. Buraidah reports that the prophet (SAW) says, "spending during Hajj is akin to spending in the cause of Allah, and every dirham spent will be rewarded 700 times over." Pilgrims are no doubt the guests of Allah. Their prayers are answered and their supplication for forgiveness is granted. The prophet (SAW) was reported to have said: "And Allah's guests are three: A pilgrim performing Hajj, one performing Umrah and a person who fights in the cause of Allah."
Bearing these benefits in mind, we implore all the Moslems to have good intention before embarking on this life-time journey. At this juncture, we need to quickly mention that all the scholars of Islam have reached a consensus concerning the prerequisite that must be found in a person before Hajj can be incumbent on him:
- he must be of a sound state of mind;
- he must have the necessary power and ability.
This means that the person must be healthy and be physically fit. In the same vein, a sick person with an incurable disease or a person who cannot travel due to old age but have the financial capability can send somebody to perform Hajj on his behalf.
All these conditions are also valid with respect to all others forms of worship in Islam. This is based on the saying of the prophet (SAW) that: "Three persons are not to be held accountable: a sleeping person until he awakes; a minor until he comes of age; and a mentally disturbed person until he regains his reason. One needs to be free before one can perform Hajj. This aspect of our worship requires time as well as financial wherewithal. A slave lacks this given the fact that all his time is spent in the service of his master and he also lacks the financial ability to embark on the journey.
Allah says in the Holy Qur'an: "Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah-those who can afford the journey" Q3:97.
In our subsequent sermons, In sha'Allah, efforts would be made to examine how the prophet performed his Hajj with a view to passing the correct information to those who intend to embark on this journey. This is in line with the saying of the prophet: "Take all your hajj rites from me." Meaning worship the ways you have seen the prophet worship.
- Alhaji Alabi is a company executive in Lagos.
