The Muslim's Actions Before Going to Hajj

The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.

The questioner:
This questioner, Ahmad Abdullah, asks: What are the things a Muslim does before going to Hajj? May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
It is obligatory for the Muslim to care about all matters of his religion, Hajj and other matters of religion, and to prepare for them in the best possible state. However, Hajj has a special characteristic in that it requires travel, which may be a long journey, and it requires expenses, and it requires more knowledge of how to perform its rites than other acts of worship. Therefore, it has importance in these aspects and others. The first thing a Muslim must do is to make his intention sincere for Allah the Exalted and Mighty. He must make his intention in Hajj sincere, so that his purpose is not showing off, nor seeking fame, nor greed for this world, nor a leisure trip. Likewise, he must make the expenses for it from lawful money, good earnings, because Allah is Good and accepts nothing but what is good. The poet says: If you perform Hajj with money whose origin is illicit, you have not performed Hajj, but rather the caravan has performed it. Allah does not accept any work except what is good. Not everyone who performs Hajj at the House of Allah has a blessed Hajj. It is obligatory for the Muslim to care about this. Likewise, the most important matter is creed. If a person has a deviation in his creed, he must correct it, especially if he has things involving shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah the Exalted and Mighty, such as calling for aid from the dead, slaughtering for the dead, making vows for the dead, or attaching oneself to the dead, as is the case with many who claim to be Muslims. He must repent to Allah and make his creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) sincere for Allah the Exalted and Mighty, so that his Hajj is not rejected. Likewise, he must repent from the rest of his sins with a repentance that involves no return, not just for the sake of Hajj, but because he is required to do this in any case, in any place. So he must repent to Allah. If he has rights owed to the creation, he must settle them. If he has trusts or deposits belonging to people, he must disclose them and make a bequest regarding them. He must also choose good company that helps him in obeying Allah the Exalted and Mighty. He must also gain knowledge of the matters of Hajj so that he performs it in the prescribed manner, because Allah the Glorious and Exalted says: The phrase "complete it" means to perform its rites in the prescribed manner. This does not happen except by gaining knowledge of how to perform the rites and how to carry them out.
For Allah, meaning exclusively for Allah, so that Hajj and 'Umrah are pure for Allah, with no showing off, no seeking fame, no worldly greed. Allah does not accept any work except with these two conditions: sincerity to Allah and following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) by performing the work in the prescribed manner. So the Muslim must pay attention to these matters when he resolves to perform Hajj. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you.