The Importance of Knowing the Rulings of Hajj.

The Shaykh : It is obligatory for a person who intends to perform Hajj to understand the rulings of Hajj before he performs it. Pay attention: it is obligatory for whoever intends to perform Hajj to understand the rulings of Hajj before he performs it, because one of the conditions of worship is: sincerity to Allah and following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And following him is not possible except by knowing how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj. So, learn the rulings of Hajj before you perform it. On this occasion, I urge our brothers, the imams of the mosques, to read the rulings of Hajj to the people and explain them to them to the best of their ability. And, praise be to Allah, the books are available. There are books specifically on Hajj. For example: the book of Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz, *Al-Tahqiq wa al-Iyadhah* (The Verification and Clarification), and our book, *Al-Manhaj li-Murid al-'Umrah wa al-Hajj* (The Methodology for the One Seeking 'Umrah and Hajj), or *Manasik al-Hajj wa al-'Umrah* (The Rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah), and other rituals books by trusted scholars. These should be read to the people, and the difficult points should be explained to them. For this reason, I say: it is recommended that those who lead groups carrying many people should have a student of knowledge with them to explain things to the people. When they sit for iftar, or sit for lunch, or sit for dinner, he should read to them and teach them. How many people come after a year or two and tell us what they did in their Hajj, only to find that they left out a pillar of Hajj! And this is a serious matter. A person comes to you and says: "By Allah, on such-and-such day, I performed the Tawaf of Ifadah. Is the Tawaf of Ifadah a pillar or an obligation? It is a pillar of Hajj. I performed the Tawaf of Ifadah and needed to break my wudu, so I went and broke my wudu, then I came back and completed the Tawaf without starting over. This Tawaf is not valid." We say: You are now required to go to Makkah, enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah from the miqat, perform the Tawaf, and shorten your hair for the 'Umrah, and then perform what? The Tawaf of Ifadah. And perhaps this poor man has married, and his marriage is not valid according to many scholars, because he did not complete the second state of release (tahallul). So the matter is serious. For this reason, I say and I repeat: No one should perform Hajj until he knows the rulings of Hajj.