A sermon by the Shaykh on the exaltation of the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and from the badness of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomsoever He leaves to misguide, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, His chosen one and His intimate friend. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon him, upon his family, upon his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence, and may He send abundant peace.
As for what follows: O people, fear Allah the Exalted and know that Allah, in His mercy and wisdom, has made obligatory upon you certain duties, so do not neglect them. He has set limits, so do not transgress them. Allah has made it obligatory upon you to exalt His symbols and His sacred things. He said in His Book: And He said: O people, among the symbols of Allah are the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah, as Allah the Exalted said: So exalt, O Muslims, these rites. Exalt the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah. By the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah, I mean the actions of Hajj and the words of Hajj, for Hajj is a great act of worship and a type of jihad in the path of Allah. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): Exalt Hajj and 'Umrah by fulfilling what Allah has made obligatory upon you and staying away from what Allah has forbidden upon you. And listen to the words of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: Exalt Hajj and 'Umrah by being sincere to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and by following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Fulfill what is obligatory upon you regarding ritual purity and congregational prayer at their appointed times. Fulfill what Allah has made obligatory upon you regarding enjoining good and forbidding evil, giving sincere advice to Muslims, and being gentle with them as much as you are able. Avoid what Allah has forbidden upon you from the general prohibitions, from open sinfulness in all its forms. So avoid lying, deception, betrayal, backbiting, talebearing, and mocking Muslims. Avoid listening to musical instruments and forbidden songs. Avoid smoking, which is inhaling smoke, for it is forbidden due to the harm it causes to the body and the waste of money. It is forbidden in Hajj and 'Umrah and in other times; it is forbidden in every state, for this is the requirement of the Islamic Shari'ah. O people, know that Allah, in His wisdom, has made certain things specifically forbidden in acts of worship. For example, in prayer, speaking is forbidden; in fasting, eating and drinking are forbidden; and in the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah, it is forbidden for a person when in the state of ihram to do things that scholars call the prohibitions of ihram. So avoid rafath, which is sexual intercourse and its preliminaries, such as touching, kissing, looking with desire, and taking pleasure. Sexual intercourse is the greatest of the prohibitions of ihram and the most severe in its effect. If a person has sexual intercourse in Hajj before the first tahallul, five consequences follow from his intercourse: the invalidity of his Hajj, the obligation to continue with it, the obligation to make it up in the following year, and a fidyah of a camel which he must slaughter and give in charity to the poor.