Articles

Peace and Security during Hajj
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 25-06-2023

Peace and Security during Hajj

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of The Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "Remember Abraham said: "O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security: and preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols." {Ibrahim, 35}. He also says {What means}: "whoever enters it attains security;" {Al-Emran, 97}.

 

The greatest purpose for Hajj is safety and security, so this great blessing enables the believers to perform this ritual properly and in the best form possible. His saying {O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security} indicates that Prophet Ibrahim is showing us today that life can`t be stabilized save with peace and security and a person can`t perform acts of worship if they are missing. Therefore, the symbolism of Hajj reminds the Muslim nation every year that the duty of worshipping Allah can`t be performed without peace and security.

 

Accordingly, Allah gave Mecca this special status making it a place to which the hearts of the believers aspire and feel safe for their life and property. Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety" {Al-Baqarah, 125}. Glorifying the House of Allah (Kabah) is tied with the peace and security that prevails in it and a pilgrim experiences this feeling during this journey of Hajj. It is as if he/she has entered into a fortified fortress protected by Allah, the provider of peace and security. Kabah is the source of peace and security and Allah has blessed the people of Mecca with this great blessing where He said {What means}: " Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger)." {Quraish, 4}.

 

As we are experiencing the season of Hajj, we realize the greatness of time and place, the symbol of peace and security. A meaning that many Muslims have missed because of the heinous crimes committed by terrorist and extremist groups under the name of Islam although Islam is innocent of them. One group would terrorize civilians thinking that doing so will bring them closer to Allah while another would accuse Muslims of disbelief (Takfir) where a time would come when the murderer would not know why he has committed the murder, and the victim would not know why he has been killed. In these blessed days, we call upon Allah the Almighty to bless Muslims with permanent peace and security.

 

Delivering the sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage on the day of Sacrifice at Mina, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily your blood, your property and your honour are as sacred and inviolable as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this town of yours. Verily! I have conveyed this message to you." {Transmitted by Muslim}. He (PBUH) also said: "Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable for a Muslim; his honour, his blood and property." {Transmitted by Muslim}.

By this invocation of Ibrahim (PBUH), Makka became a safe place and will continue as such, God willing, until Allah inherits this earth and whatever is on it. Al-Kortobi said: "Ibrahim invoked Allah for his offspring and others to be blessed with peace and security at a time when Makka was a barren place." {Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Atheem}.

 

Some commentators of Quran said: "Before the invocation of Ibrahim, Makka was a place where every unlawful matter was lawful, but after the invocation it became a sacred and inviolable place, and the same applies to Madinah before and after the arrival of the Prophet (PBUH). Allah says {what means}: " Do they not then see that We have made a sanctuary secure, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? Then, do they believe in that which is vain, and reject the Grace of God?" {Al-Ankaboot, 67}.

 

Allah also says {what means}: "For Hajj are the months well known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein, Let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good ye do, (be sure) God knoweth it. And take a provision (With you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, o ye that are wise." {Al-Baqarah, 197}.

 

This verse reflects meanings of great beauty and perfection as far as the etiquettes of Hajj are concerned, which helps establish the concept of peace and security during Hajj. These divine directives steer the pilgrim towards shunning the ephemeral worldly pleasures and seeking the pleasure of Allah alone. Thus, it doesn`t befit a pilgrim to dispute with others or use vile language because the manners of the one seeking to please Allah are elevated by reading this verse, following its orders and avoiding its prohibitions, before heading to perform this great ritual.

 

The implementation of the content of this verse is reflected in the tranquility and serenity that we observe during Hajj and hastening to please Allah through self-discipline and enjoying the great Islamic morals.

 

We ask Allah to preserve the blessing of safety and security in Makkah and all Muslim countries, and all praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

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Summarized Fatawaa

A man wishes to offer more than one uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering), and intends by these sacrifices "on behalf of everyone whom Allah and His Messenger love." Is this intention valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering) is not valid with this intention, because if the sacrificial animal is from sheep or goats, it suffices for one person only; and if it is from cattle or camels, it suffices for seven persons.
However, one may sacrifice it on his own behalf, and then gift the equivalent of its reward to whomever he wishes.
Imam ar-Ramlī (raḥimahullāh) says: "Ash-Shāfi‘ī (raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) said: It is within the vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted, that He rewards the one giving charity as well. From this, the scholars of the madhhab said: it is recommended for a person to intend the charity on behalf of his parents, for example — for Allah, the Exalted, will reward them, without this diminishing his own reward in any way." He then relates, as the relied-upon position, the permissibility of saying: "O Allah, convey the reward of what I have recited specifically to so-and-so, and to the Muslims generally." Az-Zarkashī said: "For reward varies in degree — its highest form is what one designates specifically, and its lowest form is what one dedicates generally [alongside others]." [End of quote from Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it a condition for the mosque where I‘tikaf is performed to hold Jumu‘ah prayers?

No, it is not a condition for the mosque where I‘tikaf is performed to have Jumu‘ah prayers. However, if a person vows to perform continuous I‘tikaf, and Jumu‘ah occurs within that period, then they must observe I‘tikaf in a mosque where Jumu‘ah is held so that they do not break their continuity by leaving for Friday prayer.

I broke my oath and am now obligated to pay the expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn). Would it be valid to fulfill this by inviting the poor and needy to a meal for them to eat from?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn) is given to the poor (fuqarā') and needy (masākīn), and it must be given in the form of ownership (tamlīk) transferred to them of the required amount — namely, one mudd of the staple food of the locality, or its equivalent monetary value. It isn`t valid to invite the poor or needy to a meal prepared for them to eat from, as this does not constitute "ownership" (tamlīk) but merely "permission to partake" (ibāḥah).
Imam al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is intended is that ownership be transferred to them; therefore, providing them with lunch or dinner [as a meal to eat from] isn`t valid." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muhtāj,Vol. 5/P.50]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.