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Hajj: Leaving Worldly Matters and Preparing for the Hereafter
Author : An Article by the Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassanat
Date Added : 25-06-2023

 

Hajj: Leaving Worldly Matters and Preparing for the Hereafter

 

After making the intention of entering into the holy rite of Hajj, a pilgrim takes off worldly pleasures the moment he takes off his clothes and wears the Ihram clothing. He/she resembles the angels in shunning desires and ornaments, and dedicating themselves for worshipping Allah, their Lord. Just as a pilgrim casts off his everyday clothes, he/she should cast off sins and seek refuge in Allah.

 

During this holy rite, people become as equal as the spikes of a comb in the sense that there is no difference between a white man and a black man. A pilgrim answers the call of the truth: "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;" {Al-Hajj, 27} by chanting Talbiyah (“Labbayka Allahumma labbayk (Here I am, O Allah, here I am)." By doing so, he/she seeks the mercy and bounty of Allah to be admitted into Paradise and spared Hellfire.

 

Hajj isn`t a journey for seeing sights and discovering places. Rather, it is about seeking the pleasure of Allah and coming closer to Him. The moment a pilgrim takes off his/her clothes, he/she knows that Allah looks at the hearts and intentions, not the form or appearance. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Allah does not look at your figures, nor at your attire but He looks at your hearts and accomplishments".[Muslim].

 

The heart casting off worldly concerns is what is required in this sacred journey of Hajj and this is the gist of the supplication of Our Father Ibrahim, which reads: "So fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks." {Ibrahim, 37}. During this journey, a pilgrim leaves his/her homeland and family, races to Mecca to which his/her heart yearns, and escapes to Allah seeking His forgiveness.

 

Once a pilgrim arrives in Mecca, it welcomes him/her warmly. On Seeing the Ka’abah for the first time, he/she says the Du`a: "O Allah! Increase this House in honor and reverence and nobility and awe, and increase those who honor and revere it as pilgrims for Hajj and Umrah in nobility and goodness and status and righteousness." 

 

Next, a pilgrim makes the Tawaf of arrival, like a mother hugging her long gone children. During this Tawaf (Circumambulation around the Kabah), he/she makes the Du`a: "O Allah! This House is Yours, this Haram is Yours….."

 

Then, pilgrims go to perform Sa`ee ( the act of Sa'ee refers to the ritual of walking or running between the two hills of Safa and Marwa) with sincere hearts putting their trust in Allah and remember the words of Hajar who said: "Allah won`t cause us to be lost."

 

They perform Sa`ee and ask their Lord for forgiveness and mercy. They keep repeating this seeking to please Allah the Almighty and win Jannah. Allah says {What means}: "And there are others who say, 'Our Lord, give to us in this world good, and good in the Hereafter, and guard us against the chastisement of the Fire'." {Al-Baqarah, 201}.

 

After that, pilgrims gather in the plain of Arafah the land of the mercies of Allah." the day when neither wealth nor children will avail, except him who comes to God with a heart that is sound." {Al-Shu`ara`, 88-89}. Indeed, on that day nothing avails but coming to Allah with a sound heart.

And all perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it required for a discerning child to make the intention at night if they wish to fast?

If a discerning child wishes to fast during Ramadan, they must make the intention at night because intention is one of the pillars of fasting, even though fasting is not obligatory for them.

What is the ruling on discharging one's zakāh obligation through the provision of a specific benefit (manfa‘ah) — such as performing a surgical operation for a patient, or providing housing to a tenant, and counting the value of this service as zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory to pay zakāh from the actual asset (‘ayn al-māl) upon which zakāh is due, except in the case of zakāh on trade goods ('urūḍ at-tijārah), which is paid based on their monetary value. In all cases, zakāh must be given in the form of tamlīk (a full transfer of ownership), based on the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic (which mean): "Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy, and for those employed to collect [zakāh], and for bringing hearts together [for Islam], and for freeing captives [or slaves], and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler — an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise" [at-Tawbah/60]. The letter "lām" (لِ) in this verse — as in "lil-fuqarā'" ("for the poor") — indicates possession/ownership (lām al-milk).
It is not permissible to fulfill one's zakāh obligation by providing a benefit or service (manfa‘ah) — such as housing, education, or medical treatment — in place of the zakāh itself. This is because zakāh must be paid as wealth (māl) that is transferred into the ownership of the poor recipient, whereas such services are intangible benefits that are not, in themselves, capable of being formally transferred in ownership (ghayr qābilah lit-tamlīk). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on combining (jam‘) and shortening (qaṣr) prayers when travel is repeated on a daily basis?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
A traveler is permitted to avail himself of the concessions of shortening and combining prayers once the distance of his journey reaches (81 km) or more. This is on condition that his journey is a permissible one, and that he begins shortening and combining only after setting out and passing beyond the built-up limits of the city in which he resides, or beyond the administrative boundaries of the area where he lives.
Accordingly, if the distance between one's workplace and one's place of residence reaches the distance upon which the concession of combining and shortening depends, then combining and shortening are permissible once he leaves the built-up area, even if this travel is repeated on a daily basis.
Ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It is permissible to combine Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr, either as an early combination (taqdīm) in the time of the first, or as a delayed combination (ta'khīr) in the time of the second; and likewise Maghrib and ‘Ishā' — either early, in the time of the first, or delayed, in the time of the second — during a long, permissible journey, in following [the Prophet's practice]. As for the delayed combination, it is established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from the ḥadīth of Anas and Ibn ‘Umar (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhum). As for the early combination, Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Bayhaqī graded it ṣaḥīḥ from the ḥadīth of Mu‘ādh, and at-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan." [Quoted with slight abridgment from Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.1/p.529]
The conditions for combining and shortening have already been explained in Fatwa No. 14 and Fatwa No. 842. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Does Laylat al-Qadr move between the nights of Ramadan?

Laylat al-Qadr is definitely in Ramadan, and it is most likely in the last ten nights, especially on the odd-numbered nights.
For this reason, the Prophet ﷺ commanded observing worship in the last ten nights, and he himself used to dedicate those nights to worship. Many people put special effort into the 27th night of Ramadan, and they are rewarded in any case, whether they actually coincide with Laylat al-Qadr or not, because worshiping on any night of Ramadan carries great rewards.
 

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