Matters to be observed in performing the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed: This is the final meeting of this year (1413 AH), which took place after the Hajj season. We ask Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, to conclude our year with forgiveness, pardon, and pleasure, and to conclude our lives with tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and faith.
We remind you of the grace of Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, upon the pilgrims this year. Indeed, this year, praise be to Allah, was one of the easiest years for the pilgrims, in terms of travel, the preparation of the sacred sites, and the pleasant atmosphere that involved no hardship.
We also remind you that Hajj is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, so it necessarily involves hardship. Many of the pampered, ruined people, when they see the slightest hardship, leave the ritual, exit its state, and return to their countries, as if they want the ritual to be a leisure trip, like when they go out to parks, valleys, sands, and mountain tops. This is part of their foolishness, for Hajj is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, as the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), said: “O Messenger of Allah, is there jihad for women?He said: Yes.
A jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and 'Umrah.” And Allah pointed to this in His Book,Where He, the Mighty and Majestic, said: [al-Baqarah: 195-196] Therefore, whoever begins Hajj or 'Umrah, even if it is voluntary, is obligated to complete them, just as it is not permissible for one who has begun jihad and the two lines have met to flee.By the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): [al-Anfal: 15-16] .
I also remind you that Hajj is a great act of worship and a great responsibility, so it is not permissible for a person to be negligent with it by going out for it without knowing anything about its obligations, pillars, and prohibitions; because he will make mistakes. If he makes a mistake and then comes to ask about this mistake after it has occurred, it may be a mistake that cannot be rectified.And we give an example for this: Some people, when they saw the crowd at the Tawaf, started entering between the Hijr and the Ka'bah because it is shorter and easier. This is undoubtedly a mistake; because if a person does that, his lap in which this violation occurred is not valid. Although this year—as I was told—the officials placed a barrier at the door of the Hijr on the eastern side so that no one would cross it, but perhaps some people are negligent and move this barrier and enter.
The important thing is that a person should be cautious about this ritual before entering it, and should be cautious about this ritual after entering it. If he falls into something he sees as a violation, he must hasten to ask about it as long as he is in Makkah, so that it is easy for him to rectify the mistake and complete the ritual. And he should not ask except from one whose knowledge and trustworthiness he is confident in, just as a sick person does not go to just anyone to be treated; rather, he does not go except to one from whom he hopes for correct and sound treatment.
So likewise in matters of worship, it is not permissible for a person to ask except from one he knows or strongly suspects is qualified to answer; because he knows that he is a scholar, trustworthy, and reliable, so that he may be aware of his affair. How many are those about whom we are informed of answers regarding Hajj and 'Umrah that have no basis, neither from the Sunnah nor from the statements of the scholars, but are pure error. But the layperson is like a drowning man clinging to everything; so if he finds someone he thinks is a scholar, either because of his appearance, his clothing, or something similar, he goes to ask him, even though he is ignorant, and he misguides him.
All these are matters that a person must observe, not only in Hajj; but in Hajj, fasting, zakah, prayer, ritual purity, and others, so that he worships Allah with awareness.
To proceed: This is the final meeting of this year (1413 AH), which took place after the Hajj season. We ask Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, to conclude our year with forgiveness, pardon, and pleasure, and to conclude our lives with tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and faith.
We remind you of the grace of Allah, the Exalted and Sublime, upon the pilgrims this year. Indeed, this year, praise be to Allah, was one of the easiest years for the pilgrims, in terms of travel, the preparation of the sacred sites, and the pleasant atmosphere that involved no hardship.
We also remind you that Hajj is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, so it necessarily involves hardship. Many of the pampered, ruined people, when they see the slightest hardship, leave the ritual, exit its state, and return to their countries, as if they want the ritual to be a leisure trip, like when they go out to parks, valleys, sands, and mountain tops. This is part of their foolishness, for Hajj is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, as the Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), said: “O Messenger of Allah, is there jihad for women?He said: Yes.
A jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and 'Umrah.” And Allah pointed to this in His Book,Where He, the Mighty and Majestic, said:
(195) And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. (196) And complete the Hajj and 'umrah
وَأَنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ وَأَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ * وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ(15) O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [for battle], do not turn to them your backs [in flight]. (16) And whoever turns his back to them on such a day, unless swerving [as a strategy] for war or joining [another] company, has certainly returned with anger [upon him] from Allah, and his refuge is Hell - and wretched is the destination.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفاً فَلا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَارَ * وَمَنْ يُوَلِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ دُبُرَهُ إِلَّا مُتَحَرِّفاً لِقِتَالٍ أَوْ مُتَحَيِّزاً إِلَى فِئَةٍ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَأْوَاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُI also remind you that Hajj is a great act of worship and a great responsibility, so it is not permissible for a person to be negligent with it by going out for it without knowing anything about its obligations, pillars, and prohibitions; because he will make mistakes. If he makes a mistake and then comes to ask about this mistake after it has occurred, it may be a mistake that cannot be rectified.And we give an example for this: Some people, when they saw the crowd at the Tawaf, started entering between the Hijr and the Ka'bah because it is shorter and easier. This is undoubtedly a mistake; because if a person does that, his lap in which this violation occurred is not valid. Although this year—as I was told—the officials placed a barrier at the door of the Hijr on the eastern side so that no one would cross it, but perhaps some people are negligent and move this barrier and enter.
The important thing is that a person should be cautious about this ritual before entering it, and should be cautious about this ritual after entering it. If he falls into something he sees as a violation, he must hasten to ask about it as long as he is in Makkah, so that it is easy for him to rectify the mistake and complete the ritual. And he should not ask except from one whose knowledge and trustworthiness he is confident in, just as a sick person does not go to just anyone to be treated; rather, he does not go except to one from whom he hopes for correct and sound treatment.
So likewise in matters of worship, it is not permissible for a person to ask except from one he knows or strongly suspects is qualified to answer; because he knows that he is a scholar, trustworthy, and reliable, so that he may be aware of his affair. How many are those about whom we are informed of answers regarding Hajj and 'Umrah that have no basis, neither from the Sunnah nor from the statements of the scholars, but are pure error. But the layperson is like a drowning man clinging to everything; so if he finds someone he thinks is a scholar, either because of his appearance, his clothing, or something similar, he goes to ask him, even though he is ignorant, and he misguides him.
All these are matters that a person must observe, not only in Hajj; but in Hajj, fasting, zakah, prayer, ritual purity, and others, so that he worships Allah with awareness.