Hajj & Umrah, - Hajj to the House: Virtues and Secrets - I

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It is a sign of the infinite mercy of Allaah The Almighty towards His slaves that He has legislated for them several acts of obedience, opened the gates of mercy before them, encouraged them to attain His reward and invited them to draw closer to Him. When they do so, in turn, He will love them, and if He loves a slave, He will become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his feet with which he walks.
PerformingHajjto the Sacred House of Allaah is the foremost of the acts of worship that are a means of having one's misdeeds forgiven, ranks elevated and a cause of people being made to enter Paradise. Thus, Allaah The Almighty encourages His slaves to observe this act of worship and urges them to performHajj, Saying )what means(:}And ]due[ to Allaah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way.{]Quran 3: 97[
On the other hand, Allaah The Exalted warns against abandoning this act of worship while one is able to perform it, indicating that this action reflects denial of the favor of Allaah. Although Allaah has enabled His slave to come to His House and has subjected various means for him, the slave turned away, rejected the call and showed laziness and weak will. Thus, Allaah The Almighty Says at the end of the aforementioned verse )what means(:}But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allaah is free from need of the worlds.{]Quran 3: 97[
Likewise, the Prophetwarned against neglecting this religious obligation and commanded people to make haste in this respect. The Prophetsaid:"Whoever intends to perform Hajj should hasten to it; for one could get sick, his mount could be lost or he could face poverty and need."]Hasan Hadeeth[ ]Ahmad and Ibn Maajah[
‘Ali ibn Abi Taalibsaid,"Circumambulate the House )of Allaah( often before you are prevented from doing that."Indeed,Abu Al-Hasan,‘Alisaid the truth. Performing the obligation ofHajjtoday has become financially and physically difficult and many Muslims who are willing to perform it are no longer able to do so due to financial incapability or the difficulty in going to the Sacred House of Allaah.
Purification before beautification:
It is well-known to scholars that purification precedes beautification. Thus, whoever intends to performHajjto the Sacred House of Allaah should prepare himself first for the light he wants to receive. The best way to achieve this is by sincere repentance to Allaah and giving back people's dues.
Some think thatHajjexpiates sins even if one did not repent of them before going toHajj. This is a mistake and reflects lack of understanding, forHajjactually is expiation and reward for the slave who repents and returns to Allaah The Almighty. It was narrated on the authority of‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘oodthat he said,"Some people said to the Messenger of Allaah'O Messenger of Allaah! Will we be questioned for our deeds during the pre-Islamic era?'The Prophetsaid:'Whoever is a good Muslim of you will not be questioned, but whoever is a bad Muslim of you will be questioned for his misdeeds before and after Islam.'"]Muslim[
Some etiquettes ofHajj:
When one intends to perform Hajj, he should observe certain etiquettes, including:
*.Dedicating the intention solely for the sake of Allaah The Almighty. Allaah accepts only the )good( deeds which are solely dedicated to Him.
*.Ensuring sufficient resources to cover the expenses of one's dependents and advising them to be pious.
*.Learning the rulings of Hajj and ‘Umrah.
*.Giving back people's dues or asking for their pardon.
*.Using lawfully gained expenses for Hajj. Allaah is Good and He accepts only what is good.
*.Choosing righteous companions and good friends for the journey. Choosing a good companion takes precedence over anything else.
*.Observing the etiquette of travel while going and coming.
*.Training the self in patience, enduring the hardships of travel, suppressing anger, acquiring good morals and abandoning dispute and argument.
*.Keenness to do many acts of obedience as well as righteous deeds which bring one closer to Allaah The Almighty. The opportunity of Hajj may not come again.