Continuation of the tape with a sermon by the Shaykh on making the most of vacation time.

The Shaykh : As for what follows, O people: O people, fear Allah the Exalted and recognize the value of the times, which are the treasuries of your deeds. Hasten to them with righteous deeds before the time is lost and time passes. Indeed, every day, indeed every hour, indeed every minute, indeed every moment that passes you will not return to you. And every day, hour, minute, and moment that passes you is a shortening, a shortening of your lifespans and a nearing of your terms. So be alert, O servants of Allah, to this reality. It is but moments and instants, and then suddenly death befalls you, and you regret the righteous deeds you neglected in the times when you could have done good. Indeed, many people overlook this reality, so be alert to it. O people: The teachers and students among us are approaching, in these days, the end of the school year and the summer vacation. So what will this vacation be spent on? Some people spend it idly, not leaving it for trips or journeys, but rather devoting themselves to their personal affairs. I address these people to strive to make their vacation a vacation of constructive work, a vacation of beneficial work, a vacation of acquiring religious and worldly benefits. Whether in reviewing sciences in which they wish to specialize, or in gathering for a lesson in general culture, or in attending libraries to increase their knowledge, or in engaging in worldly benefits with their guardians in guarding, trade, or otherwise.
And among people: some spend the vacation traveling to Makkah and al-Madinah. What a good journey this is. They go to Makkah and al-Madinah for 'Umrah and prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram, and prayer in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) after prayer in the mosque. This is among the best of deeds. The expenditure in it is compensated, and 'Umrah to 'Umrah is an expiation for what is between them. And prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram, the mosque in which the Ka'bah is, is better than one hundred thousand prayers. This virtue is specific to the mosque in which the Ka'bah is, and not to the other mosques of Makkah and its areas. Because Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said: , and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was taken in the Night Journey from the Black Stone, which is part of the Ka'bah. And in *Sahih Muslim*, it is narrated from Maymunah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), that she heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) say regarding al-Masjid al-Nabawi: It is known that the mosque of the Ka'bah is the building surrounding it, i.e., the mosque that people call al-Haram. As for the mosques of Makkah and everything within the boundaries of Makkah, there is no doubt that prayer in it is better than prayer in al-Hill. For this reason, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) descended at al-Hudaybiyyah, part of which is al-Hill and part is al-Haram, he was staying in al-Hill, but when it was time for prayer, he would enter al-Haram, i.e., inside the boundaries of al-Haram. I address those who head to Makkah and al-Madinah to be sincere in their intention for Allah Mighty and Majestic, and to strive to apply the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and to follow his guidance. For worship will not be valid and will not be accepted until it is built on these two foundations: sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic and following his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So let them strive to pray at their times, praying them shortened from the time they leave their country until they return to it, even if the period is long, except if they pray behind an imam who completes the prayer, in which case they must complete it following their imam, whether they catch the prayer with him from the beginning or from the middle, due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): And if they are in the country they traveled to, they must attend the congregation if they are people of the congregation, even if they are travelers. But if they miss the prayer, they pray it shortened, i.e., two rak'ahs in the four-rak'ah prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha, whether their stay in this country is long or short. Because our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not set a limit for people, saying to them: If you stay so much, shorten, and if you exceed that, complete. That was not reported from him in an authentic or weak hadith. Rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) stayed for different periods, all of which he shortened the prayer in. He stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and shortened the prayer. He stayed in Makkah for nineteen days and shortened the prayer. And he stayed there in the Year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, which was his last journey, for ten days and shortened the prayer: four days before going out to Mina, and the rest before returning to al-Madinah.
As for combining prayers for the traveler: If he is traveling, it is better than leaving it, i.e., if he is walking, the best is to combine. He combines between Zuhr and 'Asr, and Maghrib and 'Isha, either combining early or combining late, according to what is easier for him, and what is easier for him is the best, whether it is combining early or combining late. But if he is staying, leaving the combination is better, and if he combines, there is no harm. And when he reaches the miqat or passes it in the plane, let him enter ihram, i.e., intend to enter the rites. And it is better for a person to take a ghusl at the miqat. And if he takes a ghusl in his house before boarding his car or plane, that is sufficient, if Allah wills, due to the shortness of the distance, rather due to the shortness of the time between his leaving his country and reaching the miqat. When he reaches Makkah, let him hasten to perform 'Umrah. Let him circumambulate the House, and pray two rak'ahs behind the Maqam, or if not, in any place in the mosque. Then he walks between al-Safa and al-Marwah, starting with al-Safa and ending with al-Marwah.
It is known: that tawaf and sa'y, each of them is seven circuits. And after sa'y, he shortens or shaves his head, and the shortening must cover the entire head, not just one side of it. Then if a person intends to leave Makkah as soon as 'Umrah is completed, the first tawaf suffices him for the farewell tawaf. And if he stays in Makkah after the end of 'Umrah, even briefly, he does not leave until he performs the farewell tawaf, due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) named 'Umrah a lesser Hajj. And if a woman is menstruating when she reaches the miqat, if she thinks she will become pure before they leave Makkah, she takes a ghusl and enters ihram, but she does not perform tawaf or sa'y until she becomes pure. She remains in her ihram until she becomes pure and performs tawaf of the House and sa'y and shortens. The meaning of our saying: she remains in her ihram: is that she avoids all the prohibitions of ihram. As for clothes, she may change them and wear others. But if she does not think she will become pure before leaving Makkah, she does not enter ihram. But if it happens that they delay in Makkah and she becomes pure before they leave, before they leave it, and she wishes to perform an 'Umrah from al-Tan'im, there is no harm.
As for al-Madinah al-Nabawiyyah, the migration destination of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the place of his burial and his resurrection (peace and blessings be upon him), in it is the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and in it is his grave and the grave of Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and all three are in one place: the chamber of the Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). And in it is al-Baqi', and in it are the graves of the martyrs at Uhud, among them is the Lion of Allah and the Lion of His Messenger, Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), may Allah be pleased with them all. And in it is the mosque founded on piety, al-Masjid al-Quba', which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit every Saturday, walking and riding. So these are five places in al-Madinah that are visited, and anything else has no basis for visiting it. Not the seven mosques they claim, nor al-Masjid al-Ghamamah, nor al-Masjid al-Qiblatayn, nor anything else. All of this has no basis for visiting it. So these are two types of people in spending the vacation: the first type is the one who stays in his country, and the second is the one who travels to the sanctified places, Makkah and al-Madinah.
As for the third category: it is the one who travels for a legitimate purpose, such as visiting a relative to maintain family ties, or traveling to seek knowledge, or traveling to visit a sick person or to reconcile people, or to admonish people and make them aware of their religion in the villages and desert areas. It is not hidden what great reward there is in maintaining family ties; so whoever maintains his family ties, Allah the Exalted will reward him. It is not hidden what there is in traveling to seek knowledge, for whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him through it.
As for the fourth category: it is the one who travels for leisure with what Allah has bestowed upon him in trips. This is of two types. The first type is the one who travels within the country to rural areas, especially in the south of the Kingdom. This person has benefited himself by enjoying the leisure that Allah has bestowed upon him and permitted, and he has benefited his country by spending money there, which strengthens its economy and benefits its individuals. However, he must fear Allah by performing his obligations and avoiding what is forbidden. He must pray with the congregation if the congregational prayer is obligatory for him, and he must strive to enjoin good and forbid evil, and to stay away from trivial matters and foolishness. As for the second type, and what makes you know what the second type is! It is the great and serious danger. It is the one who travels outside the country, especially to the lands of disbelief which have been destroyed by disbelief, lewdness, and open sinfulness, and by intoxicants of the mind and corrupters of the hearts. In them, the call to prayer is not heard, and congregational prayers are not established; rather, they are the bells of the Christians and the trumpets of the Jews. He returns with his mind contaminated by these actions, his faith diminished, his wealth lost, and his mind stolen by what he was captivated by of the adornments and vanity of this world. Thus, he becomes one of those who exchanged the blessing of Allah for disbelief, and they used what Allah provided them of wealth and health to disobey Him, so they lost their religion and their worldly life. And by that shameful action, they strengthened the economy of these enemies and brought them joy and happiness, where their lands were a desired destination and a trap for those who visit them. So let the wise and intelligent person beware of being of this type, and let him know that these travelers to the lands of disbelief, even if they pleased their bodies with the luxury they obtained, have destroyed their souls and lost their comfort due to the mental fatigue and psychological anxiety that befalls them when they return to their homelands. Perhaps they have contaminated their brains, and I do not say they have washed their brains, for washing is purification, but the correct expression is to say: they contaminated their brains with the ideas and morals they heard or witnessed. And there is no doubt, and there is no doubt, that this will have an effect on the young, on the young children who accompanied them, for the young will not forget these sights and sounds. So let a man fear Allah for himself, let him fear Allah for his family, and let him fear Allah for his society. If these contaminations and impurities are brought back to his country, they will affect those around him and everyone he is connected to, whether relatives or neighbors. And then our country will remain a prey for such people who were contaminated by the morals of the disbelievers. O my brothers: beware of this, and warn your brothers of it.