Introduction to Hajj (Mentioning the rules, conditions, and benefits of Hajj)

The Shaykh : The current curriculum is al-Bukhari and Muslim. We have given you permission to return from Hajj, if Allah wills. Before we enter the topic of hadith, we would like to first provide some rules: Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. What is the evidence? When was Hajj made obligatory? Come on, Sa'd.
The student: In the ninth year.

The Shaykh : The ninth year. What is the evidence? The saying of Allah the Exalted: Complete. This verse was revealed in the ninth year... All of Surah Al-Imran was revealed in the ninth year. Good. Some people said that it was made obligatory in the seventh year. Yahya, what is their evidence?
The student: Their evidence is the saying of Allah the Exalted: They used this verse as evidence.

The Shaykh : Good. Is this evidence correct?
The student: It is not correct.

The Shaykh : It is not correct. What is the reason?

The questioner : The reason is that this is a command to complete, not a command to

The Shaykh : begin. Complete. And supporting this is that the conquest of Makkah was?

The questioner : In the eighth year. It is not wise to make Hajj obligatory while Makkah is still under the control of the polytheists.

The Shaykh : Complete. And for this reason, they prevented the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from performing 'Umrah. Good.
Second: Hajj has conditions. And the conditions, as is known from the Islamic Shari'ah, are a means of regulating obligations and duties. Because if the duties remained without conditions, it would become chaos. So the conditions are, in reality, part of the completion of the Shari'ah. And the saying of some modern people that these detailed conditions, pillars, and obligations are a religious innovation, we say: it is not a religious innovation. These are means. Why? To regulate the Shari'ah and make it accessible to those obligated. And their being conditions, or obligations, or pillars is also part of the discipline of the Law itself, so that people do not remain in chaos. Therefore, the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) established the conditions, pillars, and obligations with what is almost scholarly consensus, before these modern people, to establish the conditions, pillars, and obligations. Even if they differ on whether this is a condition, a pillar, or an obligation, that is another matter. The important thing is that the principle exists. And it is not permissible to object to the practice of the scholars, nor to object to a matter in which Allah the Exalted has made an ease for preserving the Shari'ah, perfecting it, and disciplining it. Good. Hajj has conditions, among which is Islam. This is a condition in all acts of worship. All acts of worship require Islam. Because if one is not a Muslim, it is not accepted by Allah Mighty and Majestic. Allah the Exalted said: And He the Exalted said: Even though the benefits of expenses are transitive, and yet they are not accepted. Islam is a condition in all acts of worship, even in wudu'? Even in wudu'. So if a disbeliever performs wudu' and then Allah grants him Islam, we tell him: you must repeat the wudu' if you want to pray, because your first wudu' occurred while you were in a state of disbelief, so it is not valid.
The second condition: intellect. So there is no Hajj upon the insane person. And this is a condition in all acts of worship except zakah. For zakah, intellect is not a condition, because its obligation is in the wealth. As Allah the Exalted said: And He the Exalted said: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh ibn Jabal: And because the poor person's concern is not with the doer, but with the wealth. The poor will say: Where is our share of this wealth? Therefore, intellect is not a condition for the obligation of zakah.
The third condition: reaching maturity. This is a condition for the obligation, not a condition for validity. As for it being a condition for the obligation, it is for the famous hadith that people accepted: And among them he mentioned: And as for it not being a condition for validity, it is for the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) regarding the woman who was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and she said: O Messenger of Allah, does this woman have a Hajj? He said: So the condition for the obligation of Hajj is... what is it?
The student: Reaching maturity.

The Shaykh : Reaching maturity. Good. Maturity is achieved by one of three things: Complete. Fifteen years of age. The second is the growth of pubic hair, which is the coarse hair around the private parts. The third: the emission of semen with desire. These are three. The woman increases by a fourth thing, which is menstruation. So when she menstruates, even if she is only nine years old, she is mature. Good.
The fourth condition: freedom. This is a condition in every act of worship that requires ownership of wealth. For example, zakah is not obligatory upon a slave because he has no wealth. And Hajj is not obligatory upon a slave because he has no wealth, and because the slave is occupied with serving his master. So if we obligated him to pray, it would lead either to his sinning or his master's sinning. If we obligated him to perform Hajj, it would lead either to his sinning or his master's sinning. Either his sinning if he performs Hajj without his master's permission, or his master's sinning if he prevents him. Therefore, we say: there is no Hajj upon him until he is free from sin, and so is his master. If someone asks: What do you say if his master gave him permission and gave him money, or gave him permission while he was in Makkah and enabled him to perform Hajj on foot? Is Hajj obligatory upon him or not? The famous position in the school of thought is no, even if his master gave him permission, or gave him money to perform Hajj with, or he did not need it because he was in Makkah, Hajj is not obligatory upon him. Because freedom is a description that must be present for the obligation of Hajj. And the correct view is that Hajj is obligatory upon him in this case, because the ruling follows its cause in existence and absence. Now this person is able, and Allah the Exalted says: And this is a person of ability. So his master says: Welcome, I will help you and give you permission. So what happens after that?!
The fifth: ability. And Allah the Exalted mentioned it in His saying: And Allah the Exalted specified ability in Hajj, even though this is a condition in all obligations. Because Hajj usually involves hardship. The usual case is that it involves hardship, because most people are outside Makkah and far from Makkah, so hardship befalls them, especially in the early times when people used to perform Hajj on foot or on camels. So for this reason, Allah the Exalted specified ability, even though it is a condition in all obligations. And ability is of two types: ability by wealth only, or by body only, or by both. Three categories. If he has ability by his wealth and his body, along with the other conditions, what is it? Hajj is obligatory upon him, and there is no doubt. If he has ability by his wealth but not by his body, he can with his wealth but not with his body, the bodily obligation falls off him because he is not able, and it becomes obligatory upon him to spend the money to appoint someone to perform Hajj and 'Umrah on his behalf. And if he is unable by his wealth but able by his body, is it obligatory upon him? Able by his body, is he near or far? Able, a brave and strong man? Is it obligatory or not? May Allah help us... Where are you? Where is your fiqh? Is this a person of ability or not? A strong, brave man, if a wolf sees him, it runs away from him, and if a person sees him, he runs away, he does not fear for his life, and he is strong. Is it obligatory upon him or not?
The student: It is obligatory.

The Shaykh : It is obligatory, O brothers. It is obligatory. If he is in Kuwait or beyond Kuwait, yes, it is obligatory. Is it clear, everyone? Because we have a verse from the speech of Allah the Exalted, not from the speech of so-and-so. Is it clear? Good. If he is not able by his wealth or by his body, what is it? It falls off him, there is no doubt, because Allah made ability a condition for the obligation. And is the legal ability a condition for the obligation or a condition for the performance? Pay attention. Is the legal ability a condition for the obligation or a condition for the performance? An example of that: A rich woman who is able by her body but did not find a mahram. She is now able in a sensory sense, but legally she is not able. Why? Because she has no mahram, and she is legally prevented from traveling. So is it obligatory upon her to perform Hajj or not? We say: As for by her body, it is not obligatory. And as for by her representative, it is obligatory, because she is able. But the school of thought of the Hanbalis is that that is a condition for the obligation. And on this, the legal and sensory ability is required for the obligation of Hajj. And by this, we reassure our sisters who will be upset and sad if they do not have a mahram. And we say: Be happy. If you meet Allah without Hajj, there is nothing upon you. Why? Why, everyone? Because Hajj is not obligatory upon them. Just as if a poor person meets his Lord and he has not given zakah, is there anything upon him? There is nothing upon him, because he has no wealth. So praise be to Allah for His blessings. It means we should reassure the women, because some women are extremely sad, until some of them disobey Allah and perform Hajj without a mahram. And glory be to Allah, how do they draw near to Allah by disobeying Him?! This is a great error and foolishness. So these are the conditions for the obligation of Hajj. The one who composed these conditions said:
Hajj and 'Umrah are obligatory *** Once in a lifetime without delay
On the condition of Islam, and likewise freedom *** intellect, maturity, and clear capability
Let me repeat it a second time:
Hajj and 'Umrah are obligatory *** once in a lifetime without delay
On the condition of Islam, and likewise freedom *** intellect, maturity, and clear capability
And the third:
Hajj and 'Umrah are obligatory *** once in a lifetime without delay
On the condition of Islam, and likewise freedom *** intellect, maturity, and clear capability
Yalla, O 'Abdullah:
The student: Hajj and 'Umrah are obligatory on the condition of Islam

The Shaykh : I made a mistake, I dropped a whole quarter of the verse, I left it out
The student: Once in a lifetime without delay, on the condition of Islam, and likewise freedom, intellect, maturity, and clear capability

The Shaykh : Well done, perfect. And his saying "without delay" means that one must perform Hajj immediately. Pay attention, this is also an important point. If a person is able to perform Hajj, must he do it immediately, or is it allowed to be delayed? The scholars differed on this issue. Some said it is allowed to be delayed because the entire lifespan is the time for Hajj, right, Waleed? So, just as a person in prayer has the option to pray at the beginning of the time or at the end of the time, these scholars say that Hajj is not obligatory in a lifetime except once, so the entire lifespan is its time. They also say that Allah made Hajj obligatory in the sixth or seventh year, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Hajj until the tenth year. However, this opinion is weak. As for the evidence, you have known that the evidence indicates that Hajj was only made obligatory in the ninth year. But even according to this opinion, they say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Hajj in the ninth year; he postponed it to the tenth. We say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) postponed Hajj for a great benefit that would be lost if he performed it, whereas Hajj would not be lost if he postponed it. And what is that benefit? Receiving the delegations that would arrive in Madinah as Muslims to learn the rulings of their religion from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Also, in that year, the ninth year, there was a mix of polytheists among the pilgrims because the Conquest of Makkah had occurred a year before, so many polytheists performed Hajj. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted his Hajj to be what? Yes, pure for the believers. Therefore, in that year, the year nine, the mu'adhdhin (the one who calls to prayer) announced that no polytheist should perform Hajj after this year, and no one should circumambulate the House naked. The correct view is that Hajj is obligatory immediately once the conditions of obligation are met. And you have known the invalidity of their argument using the verse: And you have known the invalidity of their argument using the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) postponement of Hajj from the ninth year. As for their saying that Hajj is not obligatory in a lifetime except once, and the entire lifespan is its time, so it is permissible at the beginning and the end, it is said: Who guarantees that a person's ability to perform Hajj will remain? Is it not possible that he may fall ill? Is it not possible that his wealth may be taken? Is it not possible that the road may be dangerous? Is it not possible that he may die? All of this is possible. So how can he delay what Allah has made obligatory after Allah has blessed him with the availability of its conditions? Therefore, the correct view is that it is obligatory immediately. If someone says: We know that it is a pillar of Islam, but what is the wisdom, and what benefits the heart from this Hajj? We said the wisdom is to magnify Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by magnifying the greatest house on earth, which is the Ka'bah, as He (Mighty and Majestic) said: And magnifying the places is part of magnifying the One who dwells in them, and it is known that Allah is above everything. But according to the saying of the poet: "I passed by the houses, the houses of Layla," and the pronoun "I" refers to Majnun Layla, he says:
I passed by the houses, the houses of Layla *** I kissed this wall and this wall
Majnun is walking on the walls and kissing them, and the second wall he kisses, and the third and the fourth
I kissed this wall and this wall
And it is not the love of the houses that has captivated my heart *** but the love of the one who dwells in the houses
The important thing is that in the delegations to the House of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) there is a magnification of Allah the Exalted that is not hidden. And for us, it is following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulating him, and what a good example he is, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him. For this reason, when 'Umar kissed the Black Stone, he said: "By Allah, I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits, and were it not that I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you" Praise be to 'Umar, so that no one's heart falls into magnifying stones and relics, as the Ummah has been afflicted with in the present time, except whom Allah protects. And it is known that were it not that Allah legislated for us to worship Him with this worship and to emulate His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in it, we would not have gone to it. Otherwise, someone might say: What is the benefit of taking seven pebbles and throwing them in a specific place? The benefit is worshipping Allah above all else and emulating the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is the wisdom. And therefore, you find that when people come to these great sites with sincerity to Allah and emulation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), their faith increases. Ask people from before, you will find a delicious taste of Hajj. In the present time, Hajj is a struggle, and the truth of the hadith has become clear, which was clear before: Now, for example, those who are circumambulating, you find that one's heart is preoccupied with what? With life or death, whether he will come out safe or not, so he loses the tranquility and humility that was there before. But a person must prepare himself that he is in worship, and that this hardship in worship is nothing but an elevation of his ranks and an expiation of his sins, and the reward is according to the hardship. And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'A'ishah: Likewise in stoning the pillars. The one who stones the pillars is between life and death, and between harm and being harmed, but what does he do? Were it not that he believes this is worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and following the Messenger of Allah, he would not do it. But in the beginning, meaning I experienced the rest, you find people in tranquility. I mean, we found people going to the pillars. As for the circumambulation, the circumambulation is less than this in the beginning, and yet it does not fill up, and you can kiss the Black Stone in every lap on the days of Hajj in the season. In the pillars, you find people few, meaning very few. We descend at the Musalla al-Khaif in our tent, and you find the second tent far from us, and the third far, and in the same Mina, piles of firewood because there is no electricity, firewood piles as if you are in firewood markets. And we are at the Musalla al-Khaif watching people stone the pillars, there are no buildings, no cars, no crowding, nothing. A person goes with tranquility and calmness, and takbir and talbiyah before the Jamarat al-'Aqabah, and he finds, meaning, glory be to Allah, a delicious taste of Hajj. But as I told you, the toil of people today, with the intention of seeking reward, increases their reward, because the more the hardship in worship is on a face that cannot be repelled, look, pay attention to the condition "on a face that cannot be repelled," the reward becomes greater. But if it can be repelled, no, like what some people do, for example, the weather is cold and the water is cold, he says, O so-and-so, heat the water, he says no, from Rabat, perfecting the ablution in the ablutions, he says let it become cold. Allah is Great. Allah says: And if Allah has blessed you, then enjoy His blessings. Yes, a thing that is necessary, meaning it comes without intention, a person is rewarded for it. But to intentionally seek punishment, no. Good, also among the wisdoms of Hajj is that it combines the physical worship with its hardship and the financial worship sometimes... because those who perform Hajj from Makkah do not incur financial cost, they do not have a sacrificial animal, and they eat the ordinary food they eat in Makkah and in the sites, there is no cost, meaning there is no increase. But the same physical hardship and mental fatigue, no doubt that this is a test for the servant, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) tests the servant with such hardships. If he is sincere in his faith and his sincerity and his love for meeting his Lord in a way that pleases Him, he endures and endures. And the opposite is the opposite. So, for the completeness of the test, Allah made the five acts of worship different: purely physical, purely financial, and sometimes a combination of both. Then, worship is either an action or an omission. Fasting is omitting the beloved, Zakah is giving up the beloved. All of this is for Allah to test the servant: does he worship his desire or does he worship his Lord? According to what issues from him.
Among the benefits of Hajj is that people get to know one another and form bonds. Unfortunately, in our current time, this is very limited. Otherwise, if this gathering and assembly were utilized in ways that benefit Muslims, it would have a tremendous impact. But the problem now is that Muslims speak different languages. Can you express what is in your heart to someone who does not know your language? You cannot. How do you convey your message to them? It might be said that he sends it through an interpreter. If the interpreter is... what do we do? I will tell you about my own experience. We were speaking in the airport mosque in Jeddah, and most of what we were saying was about the oneness of Allah (tawhid) and the pillars of Islam. This man came to me and said, "Your speech is good. I do not like to say which side he is from, but he is from Africa, but we cannot say anything." He said, "This speech of yours is good and fine. Do you permit me to translate it?" I saw his appearance; he was a respectable person, so I said, "Fine, there is no harm." So I would speak and he would translate. We were doing well, praise be to Allah, when another man entered from the street, from outside the mosque, and said, "What is this interpreter you have?" I said, "May Allah reward him with good; he is volunteering." He said, "No, he is translating against your words. You are saying tawhid, and he is saying shirk (associating partners with Allah). Glory be to Allah! Who do we believe? Do we now believe the first one or the second?" So I said, "Then it is over; we have stopped. The one who knows Arabic, praise be to Allah, and the one who does not know it has brought harm upon himself." So we abandoned the translation. I am saying that if this great assembly had interpreters who connected with these foreigners, especially the elders like scholars, it would be a great good. Also, this great benefit is prevented by the fact that some people are extremely fanatical about their school of jurisprudence (madhhab), whether in matters of tawhid or in matters of actions. You find them very fanatical about their madhhab; they do not accept [other views], and this is another problem that people and callers to Allah (da'is) suffer from. This is countered by the fact that some callers to Allah are very, very rigid and do not care to say, "This is a disbeliever; leave him in the Fire of Hell," or... And some people are soft, but they do not have knowledge that can be overcome, so it is a problem. Once, and there is no harm in mentioning what we have heard, two groups came to us, and they were also from the West. Two groups came who declared each other disbelievers. They went to the manager of the awareness department, and he spoke to them and asked, "What do you have?" Each one said the other is a disbeliever and cursed him, may Allah protect us from that. Why? One of them, when he stands in prayer, extends his hands. One group extends their hands, and the other does not; they hold them. He said, "This is a disbeliever. Why?" He said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And these people have turned away from the Sunnah of the Messenger, and the others said the same about them. It is a problem, ignorance. But praise be to Allah, after research and discussion, we said this is a minor issue that does not necessitate declaring someone a disbeliever, even if a person leaves it intentionally. My point with this is that people are fanatical. This fanaticism is a problem. Otherwise, Hajj would be a great conference for Muslims. Allah the Exalted said: But praise be to Allah, you and those like you have a blessing. You can call people during Hajj, those whom Allah has decreed to perform Hajj, in the best manner, with gentleness and kindness. By doing so, you earn reward for yourselves and reward for these poor people who have no one to guide them. Much good comes from this, and praise be to Allah. Yes.