I performed Hajj for the first time in my life, and I did not know about the obligations of Hajj or its pillars, and I cannot read or write, so I wore the niqab and a covering over it.

The questioner : The questioner says: I performed Hajj for the first time in my life, and I did not know about the obligations of Hajj or its pillars, and I cannot read or write, so I wore the niqab and a covering over it. When we arrived in Mina, I combed my hair at night. What is the ruling on my Hajj?

The Shaykh : Your Hajj is valid, as long as the negligence that occurred on your part was only this, because the most that can be said is that you did these prohibited things out of ignorance, and Allah the Exalted does not hold an ignorant person accountable for what he did out of ignorance, due to the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: So Allah said: This is a general rule regarding all prohibitions in acts of worship: if a person leaves them off out of forgetfulness or ignorance, he is not held accountable for that, and he owes no ransom payment, no expiation, and no sin. This is part of Allah the Exalted’s facilitation for His servants, and it is in accordance with His wisdom, Mighty and Majestic, and His mercy, and the fact that His mercy precedes His wrath.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.