(This article is an adaptation of a sermon delivered by Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi at the Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in Doha on July 31, 2001, with slight modifications, as sourced from the website).
The pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah is a great physical and spiritual journey, one that offers numerous virtues and impacts on the soul. For this journey to bear its intended fruits, the pilgrim must consider the following:
First: When intending to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah
Begin with sincere repentance from past sins and wrongdoings, so you may undertake this sacred ritual in the best state. Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow." [At-Tahrim/8].
Make your intention solely for Allah in performing the Hajj, as Allah Says (What means): "And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah." [Al-Baqarah/196]. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Actions are judged by intentions, and each person will have what they intended." [Al-Bukhari].
Choose lawful earnings for your journey, for a Muslim is required to avoid prohibited sources of income and sustenance. Allah Says (What means): "O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship." [Al-Baqarah/172]. This is essential for every journey, especially the journey of Hajj and Umrah, as it is most fitting to be free from forbidden earnings and unlawful food. If a pilgrim performs Hajj or Umrah with ill-gotten gains, their supplication is not accepted, and their pilgrimage is not valid. An authentic meaning, though not necessarily a verified narration, conveys: "When a person sets out for Hajj with lawful provision, and he puts his foot in the stirrup [or boards his vehicle or plane] and says: "Here I am, O Allah, at Your service (Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk)" a caller from the heavens responds, "Here I am, and may you prosper! Your provision is lawful, your mount is lawful, and your pilgrimage is accepted without sin." However, if someone sets out with ill-gotten provision, places his foot in the stirrup, and says: "Labbayk," a caller from the heavens responds, "There is no labbayk and no prosperity for you; your provision is forbidden, your mount is forbidden, and your pilgrimage brings sin, not reward." [Al-Targhib Wal-Tarhib, Al-Mundhiri/Vol. 2/P.175].
Prepare a will, particularly if you have outstanding debts. If you owe debts with no means to settle them, it is not permissible to perform Hajj. Repayment of debts takes precedence over Hajj unless the creditor permits you to proceed.
Provide for those who depend on you financially, as their sustenance takes precedence over your Hajj.
Choose, for this blessed journey, righteous companions who are mindful of Allah, so you may benefit from their company and avoid negative influences, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "A person follows the religion of their close companion."
Prepare yourself for patience in the face of hardships, as Hajj is a journey that demands endurance, and your reward will be proportional to your effort.
Second: Upon Departure
Bid farewell to family and friends with the words: "I entrust Allah with your religion, your trusts, and the last of your deeds."
When preparing for travel, recite the travel and boarding supplication, as narrated about Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). When a riding animal was brought for him to mount, he placed his foot in the stirrup and said, "In the name of Allah." Once he was settled on its back, he said: "All praise is due to Allah." Then he recited (What means): "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have otherwise subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will surely return." [Al-Zukruf,/13-14]. He then continued, saying: "All praise is due to Allah" three times, followed by "Allah is the Greatest" three times, and concluded with, "Exalted are You, O Allah, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You." After this, he smiled. When asked why he smiled, he replied that he had seen the Prophet (PBUH) do the same and then smile. Ali asked the Prophet (PBUH) why he smiled, and the Prophet replied: "Your Lord, Exalted and Glorified, is pleased with His servant when he says: "O my Lord, forgive me my sins,’ knowing that no one forgives sins except Me." [Narrated by Abu Dawood and authenticated by Al-Albani in Al-Kalim Al-Tayyib/p.173].
Additionally, while traveling, it is recommended to say: "O Allah, we ask You in this journey for goodness, piety, and deeds that are pleasing to You. O Allah, make this journey easy for us and fold its distance. O Allah, You are the Companion on the journey and the Successor over our families. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the hardships of travel, from a gloomy sight, and from an unfavorable return in our family, wealth, and children." Upon returning, add the following phrase to the above: "Returning, repenting, worshipping, and praising our Lord." [Moslim].
Get to know your fellow pilgrims, treating them with kindness and good manners.
Third: During the Journey
1. You should glorify Allah at every elevation and praise Him at every descent.
2. When you settle in a place, rest area, or village, say what was narrated by Khawla Bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her): I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: "Whoever settles in a place and says: I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created; nothing will harm him until he leaves that place." [Moslim].
3. You should maintain the morning and evening remembrances, including reciting the Mu’awwidhat (the last two chapters of the Qur'an) three times. Among them is what was reported by the Prophet (PBUH): "Whoever says in the morning and evening: Glory be to Allah and praise Him one hundred times, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with anything better than what he brought, except for someone who said the same or increased upon it." [Moslim].
4. You should endure the harm of others, for ‘the believer who mingles with people and patiently bears their harm has a greater reward than one who does not mingle with them and does not bear their harm." [Narrated by Ahmad, and its chain of narration was deemed good by Ibn Hajar in "Fath Al-Bari, Vol.10/P.528].
5. You should advise your brothers in what benefits them in their religion, worldly affairs, and the Hereafter, for "religion is advice," as the Prophet (PBUH) said. They asked: For whom? He said: "For Allah, for His Book, for His Messenger, for the leaders of the Muslims, and for their common folk." [Moslim].
6. You should strive to honor the Muslims, even with the smallest gestures.
Fourth: In Medina, Mecca, and at Other Ritual Sites
Engage in abundant worship through remembrance, prayer, supplication—especially on the Day of Arafah—Quran recitation, and performing the rituals with excellence, as commanded by Allah the Almighty and clarified by His Messenger (PBUH).
Avoid all acts of disobedience to Allah, so that your Hajj may be blessed and accepted.
Show respect towards Allah and His servants, especially in the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina.
Refrain from being overly occupied with worldly affairs, such as buying and selling.
Fifth: The Final Message
"Performing the pilgrimage is a journey of peace for the Muslim. This journey is one of peace, to the land of peace, in a time of peace. It is a peaceful journey where the Muslim abstains from anything that harms others, even arguments, and hunting is not permitted, neither for oneself nor for others. Even pulling up grass in that sacred land is not allowed. It is a state of peace for everything around him and for those around him. He cannot cut his hair or trim his nails; these actions are prohibited.
People in our time call for peace, and Islam teaches the Muslim this peace in the land of peace. It is a place where anyone who enters is secure, to the extent that Umar said: "If I saw the killer of my father in it, my hand would not touch him." Security and peace abound. This great obligation is a significant conference called by Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and people respond from every direction and from every deep valley. As the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "The pilgrims and those performing Umrah are the guests of Allah. He invited them, and they responded to Him. They asked Him, and He granted their requests." [Ibn Majah and Al-Tabarani in the "Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir" and "Al-Awsat"]. They are the guests of Allah, Exalted be He, to His House, to the land of Allah."
