He is travelling for Hajj and business

Is it permissible to travel for Hajj and to buy some goods from Makkah
and sell them in my country to make a profit from them?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible to engage in trade during the Hajj season.
Al-Tabarinarrated in his Tafseer with his isnaad that Ibn 'Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said concerning the verse (interpretation
of the meaning), "There is no sin on you if you seek the Bounty of
your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading)" [al-Baqarah 2:198]:
There is no sin on you if you buy and sell before and after ihraam.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Effects and purposes of Hajj

I watched scenes of the pilgrims on TV, and saw them coming to visit
the sacred House of Allaah. I was overwhelmed and my eyes filled with
tears when I saw this great scene, and I wished that I could be with
them anddo this great deed.
My question is this: does this great gathering have any effect on the
Muslims and the people of Islam? What should the pilgrim remember when
he is facing the sacred House of Allaah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
We thank you for your question and appreciate your concern. We ask
Allaah to bless those who perform Hajj with forgiveness of sins, and
for those who have not done Hajj we ask Him to grant them what they
hope for and save them from that which they fear.
The aims and purposes of Hajj and great and sublime. There follows an
outline of some of them:
1 - A sense of connectionwith the Prophets (peace be upon them) from
our father Ibraaheem who built theHouse, to our Prophet Muhammad the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
his respect for the sanctity of Makkah. When the pilgrim visits the
sacred places and performs the rituals, he remembers the visist of
those pure Prophets to this sacred place.
Muslim (241) narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas said: Wetraveled with the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
between Makkah and Madeenah, and we passed by a valley. He said, "What
valley is this?" They said, "The valley of al-Azraq." He said, "It is
as if I can see Moosa the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) putting his fingers in his ears beseeching Allaah,
reciting the Talbiyah andpassing through this valley."
Then we traveled on until we came to a mountain pass. He said, "What
mountain pass is this?" They said, "Harsha or Lift." He said, "It is
as if I can see Yoonus on a red camel, wearing a woollen cloak, the
reins of his camel made from fibres of date-palm, passing through this
valley reciting the Talbiyah."
2 - The whiteness and cleanness of the pilgrims' clothes is a signof
inward purity, cleanness of heart and the purity of the message and
the method. This means putting aside all adornment and showinghumity,
and it is a reminder of death whenthe deceased is shrouded in similar
cloths. So it is as if he is preparing to meet Allaah.
3 - Entering ihraam fromthe meeqaat is a physicalexpression of worship
and enslavement to Allaah, and of submission to His commands and laws.
No one passes it (without entering ihraam) because it is a command
from Allaah and a law that He has prescribed. This confirms the unity
of the ummah and its following one system with nod differentiation or
exemptions with regard to the definition of the meeqaats.
4 - Hajj is the symbol of Tawheed from the first moment the pilgrim
enters ihraam. Jaabir ibn'Abd-Allaah said, describing the Hajj of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Then he started
to say the words of Tawheed, '"Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka
laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa'l-ni'mata laka wa'l-mulk,
laa shareeka lak (Here I am, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am, You have
no partner, here I am. Verilyall praise and blessings are Yours, and
all sovereignty, You have no partner).'"
Narrated by Muslim, 2137; see question no. 21617
5 - It is a reminder of theHereafter when all the people come together
inone place in 'Arafah and elsewhere, with no differentiation between
them. All of them are equal in this place and no one is better than
anyone else.
6 - Hajj is a symbol of unity, because Hajj makes all people the same
in their clothing, deeds, rituals, qiblah and the places they visit.
So no one is better than anyone else, king or slave, rich or poor, are
all the same.
So the people are equal in terms of rights and duties. They are equal
in this sacred place, and differences in colour andnationality do not
matter; no one has the right to differentiate between them.
Unity of feelings, unity of rituals.
Unity in purpose, unity in action.
Unity in words. "People come from Adam, and Adam came from dust. No
Arab is superior to a non-Arab and no white man is superior to a black
man, except in terms of piety (taqwa)."
More than two million Muslims all standing in one place, wearing the
same clothes, sharing one aim, with one slogan, calling upon one Lord
and following one Prophet... what unity can be greater than this?
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of
Allaah, and from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (at Makkah) which We have made
(open) to (all) men, the dweller in it and the visitor from the
country are equal there [as regards its sanctity and pilgrimage (Hajj
and'Umrah)] -- and whoever inclines to evil actions therein or to do
wrong (i.e. practise polytheism and leave Islamic Monotheism), him We
shall cause to taste from a painful torment"
[al-Hajj 22:25]
7 - It trains him to be content with modest clothing and
accommodation, when he wears two pieces of cloth and it is sufficient
for him, and his accommodation gives him just enough room tosleep.
8 - Terrifying the kaafirs and followers of misguidance with this huge
gathering of Muslims. Even though they are scattered and different,
the simple factthat they come together despite those differences at a
certain time and in a certain place is indicative of their potential
to unite at other times and in other places.
9 - Pointing out the importance of Muslims coming together and
establishing harmony. For we see usually each person travelling on his
own, whereas in Hajj wesee people coming in groups.
10 - Getting to know thesituation of the Muslims from trustworthy
sources, since the Muslimcan hear directly from his brother about the
situation of his Muslim brothers in the land from which he has come.
11 -Exchanging benefits and experience among the Muslims in general.
12 - Meeting scholars and decision makers from all countries and
studying the situation and needs of the Muslims, and the importance of
cooperating with them.
13 - Achieving true submission to Allaah by standing in the holy
places when the pilgrim leaves al-Masjid al-Haraam which is the best
of spots, and standing in 'Arafah.
14 - Forgiveness of sins, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever does Hajjand does not speak any
obscene words or commit any sin will go back cleansed of sin as on the
day his mother bore him."
15 - Opening the doors of hope to those who commit sin, and teaching
them to give up their sin in these holyplaces, so that they will give
up a lot of their badhabits during the periodof Hajj and its rituals.
16 - Proclaiming that Islam is the religion of organization, because
during Hajj the rituals and time are organized, with every action done
in the place and at the time defined for it.
17 - Training oneself to spend in charitable waysand to avoid
miserliness.The pilgrim spends a great deal of money for the sake of
Hajj, on travel expenses, on the road and in the sacred places.
18 - Increasing piety andmaking the heart fit to honour the Symbols of
Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and whosoever honours the Symbols of Allaah, then it is truly, from
the piety of the hearts"
[al-Hajj 22:32]
19 - Training the rich to give up their distinct clothing and
accommodation and making them equal withthe poor in clothing and in
the rituals of tawaaf, saa'i and stoning the jamaraat. This teaches
them to be humble and to realise the insignificance of this worldly
life.
20 - The pilgrim persists in worshipping and remembering Allaah during
the days of Hajj, moving from one sacred place to the next, from one
action to another. This is a kind of intensive training in worship and
remembrance of Allaah.
21 - Training oneself to be kind to people - so the pilgrim guides
those who are lost, teaches those who are ignorant, helps the poor,
and supports the disabled and weak.
22 - Developing good characteristics such as forbearance and puttingup
with annoyance frompeople, because the pilgrim will inevitably
beexposed to crowding and arguments, etc. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"The Hajj (pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar year) months
(i.e. the 10th month, the 11thmonth and the first ten days of the 12th
month of the Islamic calendar, i.e. two months and ten days). So
whosoever intends to perform Hajj therein (by assuming Ihraam), then
he should not have sexual relations(with his wife), nor commit sin,
nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj."
[al-Baqarah 2:197]
23 - Training oneself to be patient and to put up with difficulties
such as heat, long distances, being apart from one's family, going
back and forth between the holy sites and crowded conditions therein.
24 - Learning to give up one's usual habits and the things that one is
comfortable with, because the pilgrim has to uncover his head and give
up his regular clothes, and leave behind the accommodation, food and
drink that he is usedto.
25 - When the pilgrim does saa'i between al-Safa and al-Marwah, he
remembers that the one who obeys Allaah and puts his trust in Him and
turns to Him, He will not let him down, ratherHe will raise high the
esteem in which he is held. When Haajar the mother of Ismaa'eel (peace
be upon them both) said to Ibraaheem,"Has Allaah commanded you to do
this?" he said, "Yes." She said, "Then Hewill not let us down." So
Allaah raised high the esteem in which she washeld and the people,
including the Prophets, started to run between the two hills as she
had done.
26 - Teaching oneself not to despair of the mercy of Allaah, no matter
how great one's worries and distress. For the way out is in
Allaah'shand. The mother of Ismaa'eel thought her son was about to
die, and she started to run from one mountain to the other, looking
for a solution, and it came to her from a source she could never
imagine when the angel came down and struck the ground, and out came
the water of Zamzam with its healing for diseases of the heart
andbody.
27 - The pilgrim remembers that in doingthese rituals he is the guest
of the most Merciful. The gathering of Hajj is not at the invitation
of any government or organization or king or president, rather it is
theinvitation of the Lord of the Worlds Who has made it an occasion on
which the Muslims meet on a footing of equality in which no one is
superior to anyone else. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you
on foot andon every lean camel, they will come from every deep and
distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj).
That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward
of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also someworldly gain from trade)"
[al-Hajj 22:27-28]
Al-Nasaa'i (2578) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The guests
of Allaah are three: the warrior for the sake of Allaah, the pilgrim
performing Hajj and the pilgrim performing 'Umrah." Classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa'i, 2464.
28 - Strengthening bonds with the believers, as representedin the
words of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): "Your blood, your honour and your wealth are sacred to you
as this day of yours in this month of yours in this land of yours is
sacred." Narrated by al-Bukhaari,65; Muslim, 3180.
29 - The season of Hajj isdistinguished by complete separation from
the people of shirk and kufr who are forbidden to attend any part of
it. It is forbidden for them to enter the Haram at any time, no matter
what their purpose. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe (in Allaah's Oneness and in His Messenger
Muhammad)! Verily, the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters,
disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah, and inthe Message of Muhammad)
are Najasun(impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haraam
(at Makkah) after this year; and if you fear poverty, Allaah will
enrich you if He wills, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allaah is
All-Knowing, All-Wise"
[al-Tawbah 9:28]
Al-Bukhaari narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) sent me as an announceron that Hajj [which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed Abu Bakr
to lead in 9 AH], to announce on the Day of Sacrifice in Mina that
after this year no mushrik might perform Hajj and no one might
circumambulate the House naked."
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhamamd and upon his family and companions.

Should he do more Hajj or is once enough?

Is it good to do more than one hajj or is it better to do only one hajj?.
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to what is obligatory, Hajj is only required once in a
lifetime. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed us and
said: "O people, Allaah has enjoined Hajj on you, so perform Hajj." A
man said: "Is it every year, O Messenger of Allaah?" Heremained silent
until (the man) said it three times. Then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If I said yes it
would be obligatory andyou would not be able to do it." Then he said:
"Be content what I leave with you, for those who came before you were
destroyed because they asked too many questions and argued with their
Prophets. If I tell you to do something then do as much of it as you
can, and if I tell you not to do something then abstain from it."
Narrated by Muslim, 1337.
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that al-Aqra' ibn Haabis asked the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "O Messengerof
Allaah, is Hajj every year or just once?" He said: "It is only once,
andwhoever does more than that, it is a voluntary (act of worship)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1721; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
With regard to what is preferable, the more a Muslim does of Hajj, the
better, even if he can do Hajj every year. There are reports which
encourage doing Hajj a great deal, such as the following:
1 – It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasasked: which deed is
best? He said: "Believing in Allaah and His Messenger." He was asked:
Then what? He said: "Jihad for the sake of Allaah." He was asked:Then
what? He said: "An accepted Hajj." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 26;
Muslim, 83.
2 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) say: "Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allaah, and does
not utter any obscenity or commit any immoral action, will go back
(sinless) as on the day his mother bore him." (al-Bukhaari,
1449;Muslim, 1350).
3 – It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood said: The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Make the
Hajj and 'Umrah follow each other closely, for they remove poverty and
sins as the bellows removes the dross of iron, gold and silver, and an
accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
And Allaah knows best.

The meaning of being sincere towards Allah and how the Muslim can achieve that

Worship has three pillars, one of which is being sincere towards
Allah. How can we be sincere towards Allah? I am very ambitious, and
Iwant to acquire the greatest amount of shar'i knowledge, and I want
to be a daa'iyah. Allah has blessed me with many talents whichare
needed for da'wah and spreading knowledge, and I want to be strong
enough to pray qiyaam and fast. I have memorised the Book of Allah in
full and now I am in the process of reinforcing my memorisation and
learning how to recite it properly. I am learning shar'i knowledge and
I have a number of projects and ideas for serving the Book of Allahand
supporting the Deen, but my progress is slow for a number of reasons
and because of many obstacles, especially from my family and the
society around me -- how much I am suffering from them! Because of
physical weakness and health problems, I am not able to expend a great
deal of effort, and if I do, I will spend several days unable to move.
I always write out schedules for all these tasks and I try to follow
them, but I cannot do that because of changing circumstances. I live
on my own and I cannot find a sister to share my goals or a leader to
help me and follow up with me so that I can fulfil my ambitions. I
have lookeda great deal but I cannotfind anyone and I do notknow the
reason why I am so slow; is it because sincerity towards Allah
issomething that I have not achieved yet or what? This makes me very
sad and pains me a great deal, and holds meback from reaching my
goals. If there is any advice, then do not withhold it from me,
because I am in the greatest need.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Sincerity towards Allah isthe best type of sincerity. The Muslim is
being sincere towards his Lord if he achieves sincerity in three
aspects: faith and properbelief, acts of obedience,and morals and
manners. Faith does not mean mere wishful thinking. The one who
issincere in his faith is the one who attains faith in the way his
Lord wants from him, which includes sincerity in faith, sincerity in
intention, and sincerity in fear of Allah, may He be exalted. Not
every actof obedience is sincere unless it is done, both outwardly and
inwardly,in a manner which Allah likes.
Allah has described the sincere in one verse, in which He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of
obedience to Allaah) that you turn your faces towards east and (or)
west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who
believes in Allaah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets
and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the
orphans, and to Al-Masaakeen (the poor),and to the wayfarer, andto
those who ask, and toset slaves free, performs As-Salaah
(Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and gives theZakât, and who fulfil their covenant
when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment
(disease) and at the timeof fighting (during the battles)." Then Allah
says,after listing all these attributes: "Such are the people of the
truth and they are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)"
[al-Baqarah 2:177].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This verse includes a number of great meanings, important principles
and sound beliefs.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/485.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanal-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Such" means those whohave the characteristics mentioned, such as
goodbeliefs and actions which are the effect, evidence and light of
faith; the morals and manners which lend dignity to man and are the
essence of humanity.These are the ones who are "the people of the
truth", whose faith is sincere, because their actions confirm their
faith. "And they are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)", because they refrained
from what is forbidden and did what is enjoined, because these things
include all good attributes by implication, and becausefulfilling
one's covenant is the essence of the entire religion, and because the
acts of worship mentioned in this verse are the greatest acts of
worship and the one who does them will undoubtedly do other acts of
worship.They are the righteous, the sincere people of truth, the
pious.
Tafseer al-Sa'di, p. 83
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Among the things we learn from this verse is that what is mentioned is
true sincerity towards Allah and towards His creation, because Allah
says: "Such are the people of the truth"; they are sincere
towardsAllah, as on the basis of these good beliefs they establish
faith and beliefin Allah, the Last Day, theAngels, the Book and
theProphets, and they establish prayer, pay zakaah, and give what
isdear to them to the charitable causes mentioned. As for their
sincerity towards Allah's creation, that is includedin the words of
Allah: "who fulfil their covenant when they make it", which is one
ofthe signs of sincerity. Hence Allah says: "Such are the people of
the truth", as they are sincere in their beliefs, in their
interactions withAllah and with other people.
Tafseer Soorat al-Baqarah, 2/293, 294
Secondly:
You should note that sincerity with Allah is notsomething that we can
make a show of and convince ourselves of whilst abandoning righteous
deeds. Rather sincerity towards Allah isin the intention and in the
action when we do it and when the means of doing it become available.
The one who is sincere towards his Lord will, by means of the
sincerity of his intention, attain that (reward) which the one who
does the action attains, if something keeps him from doing the action.
It was narrated from Sahl ibn Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever sincerely asks Allaah for martyrdom, Allaah will cause him to
attain the status of the martyrs, even if he dies in his bed."
Narrated by Muslim, 1909.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
A person can have nothing more beneficial than sincerity towards his
Lord in all his affairs, along with sincerity of resolve, so he should
be sincere towards Him in his resolve and in his actions. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "And when the matter (preparation for
Jihaad) is resolved on, then if they had been true to Allaah, it would
have been better for them" [Muhammad 47:21]. So his happiness lies in
sincerity of resolve and sincerity of action. Sincerity of resolve
means certain desire to do an action and not hesitating to do it. If
his resolve is sincere, all that is left is sincerity of action, which
is doing one's best and striving one's utmost when doing it , and not
letting anything,outward or inward, holdhim back from it. Resolveof
purpose prevents him from becoming weak-willed and sincerity of action
prevents him from becoming lazy or lethargic. If a person is sincere
towards Allah in all his affairs, Allah will give him more than He
gives to others, and this sincerity results from true love of Allah
and true trust in Him. So the most sincere of people isthe one who is
loves Allah most and puts mosttrust in Him.
Al-Fawaa'id, p. 186, 187
Thirdly:
A Muslim may be confused as where to begin, and how he should order
his affairs by night and day. But this should not form an obstacle for
the one whoseeks to do good or seekknowledge or call people to Allah.
The Muslim may rid himself of this confusion by organising his time.
He can allocate the first partof his day for memorizing Qur'aan, and
he can organise the rest of his days for seeking knowledge by means of
tapes, reading books, and attending classes and study circles, and
fulfilling whatever duties he or she may have as a husband or wife,
whether he or she is working or not.
What we advise our sister to do is to start and not delay, and to be
sincere in your intentionso that Allah will make your affairs easy for
you.
For more information please see the answer toquestion number 105308 .
We ask Allah to help you to obey Him and to guide you and give you strength.
And Allah knows best.