The Prophet's acts of worship during Hajj -I

Introduction
Hajj is one of the most prominentforms of worship in Islam. It is
anembodiment of true following of the Prophet'sexample. Unfortunately,
it has recently become apparent that too much emphasis is being placed
upon rulings pertaining to common mistakes committed by pilgrims
during Hajj, and to what validatesor invalidates this major ritual.
The fact that these rulings are indeed important, even necessary)since
the validity of Hajj is largelycontingent on them( has made people
forget other equally important aspects of the Prophet'sconduct during
the Hajj. As a consequence, pilgrims nowadays perform many acts that
do not exactly follow his guidance.
The main aim of this article is therefore, to give an accurate account
of the Prophet'sacts of worship during Hajj, with the hope that this
will help those who wish to accurately follow the Prophet'sexample.
The Prophet'sacts of worship during Hajj
Educating and leading the pilgrims, as well as caring for his wives
and household did not prevent the Prophetfrom worshipping Allaah, or
from showing submissiveness to Him. This attitude took various forms,
and here are some of the most significant examples:
1.Realizing and enhancing Tawheed)Islamic monotheism(
Tawheed is one of the fundamental principles of Islam that the
Prophetrealized and fostered. This was very evident in his conduct
during the Hajj as it was in his recitation of Talbiyah)saying
Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk(, which has become the Hajj motto. It
means that the act of Hajj is offered to Allaah, the One, Who has no
associates. The Prophetcontinued to recite Talbiyah from the moment he
began the ritual, and until he hadcast Jamratul-'Aqabah )Aqabah stone(
on the Slaughter Day )i.e. 'Eed day(. His Talbiyah went as follows:
"Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk.
Innal-hamda wan-n'imata laka wal-mulk, laa shareeka lak".
Moreover, the Prophetobserved strict devotion in all his deeds.
Healways asked Allaahto help him avoid hypocrisy and showing-off.
Anasreported that he heard the Prophetsay:"O Allaah, make my
Hajj)pilgrimage( free of hypocrisy andshowing-off."]Muslim[
While he was on the hills of Safaaand Marwah, the Prophetsupplicated
to Allaah as narrated by Jaabirwho said, "The Prophetbegan by
ascending As-Safaa until the Ka'bah was visible to him, then he faced
Qiblah and said"Laa ilaaha illallaah, Allaahu Akbar" )There is no god
worthy of worship but Allaah, Allaah is the greatest( andrepeated "Laa
ilaaha illallaah." There are no associates to Him; He is the Owner of
the universe, to Him we give thanks, He is the Omnipotent; there is no
god worthy of worship but Allaah, theOne... "He repeated this three
times until he reached Al-Marwah, where he did the same as he did on
As-Safaa."]Muslim[
The Prophetsupplicated Allaah on the Day of 'Arafah saying as narrated
in the authentic hadeeth,"The best invocation is performed on the Day
of 'Arafah, and the best supplication ever offered by me or by
previous apostles is: Laa ilaaha illallaah. There are no associates to
Him; He is the Owner of the universe, to Him wegive thanks, He is the
Omnipotent; there is-no god but Allaah, the One."]Muslim[
2.Repudiating the polytheists and insisting on acting differently from them
In many of the Hajj rituals, the Prophetinsisted on acting differently
from the polytheists and on following in the footstepsof our father
Ibraaheem. This attitude was culminated by his rejection of their
actions in the sermon he delivered on the Day of 'Arafah. "All
Jaahiliyah )pre-Islamic( traditions are under my feet," the
Prophetdeclared.]Muslim[ Some of the most important rituals that the
Prophetinsisted on changing are as follows:
Talbia:The polytheists used to associate other gods with Allaah when
they said "Except one associate; he is yours; you own him and whatever
he owns."]Al-Bukhaari[ The Prophetmade Tawheed )monotheism( pure, and
cast away the association of other gods with Allaah, repudiating such
practice.
Another example of the Prophet'sinsistence on acting differently from
the polytheists isseen in his stopping with the pilgrims at 'Arafah,
unlike the Quraysh who used to stop at Muzdalifah, saying:"We do not
perform Al-Ifaadah )departure( except from Haram."]Al-Bukhaari[
3.His overwhelming supplication, invocation and humility to Allaah
Supplication has a special status in Islam as it aims at expressing
total submissiveness, surrender and humility to Allaah. The
Prophetsaid: "Supplication is worship." ]Abu Daawood[ He used to
per-form supplication during the Hajj more than at any other time. He
would supplicate Allaah, Almighty, in Tawaaf, and while standing on
the hills of Safaa and Marwah. He also offered lengthy supplications
on the Day of 'Arafah, riding on his camel back, raising his hands
close to his chest as if he were a poor man begging for
sadaqah)charity(. Hewould remain in that condition from the moment he
had chosen the spot at which he would stop after salaah)prayer( and
until sunset. Healso did the same at Al-Mash'ar Al-Haraam )the Sacred
Monument( in Muzdalifah right after he had offered the Fajr)dawn(
prayer and almost until sunrise. ]Al-Bukhaari[ On the Daysof Tashreeq,
and when hehad cast the first two jamaraat)pebbles(, he would face
Qiblah, raise his hands, and start a prolonged
supplication.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[