He has another question. He says that some pilgrims come to Mecca early, and every day they go down to the Haram for tawaf and to sit in it, which causes a crowd in the Haram.
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The questioner : He has another question. He says that some pilgrims come to Mecca early, and every day they go down to the Haram for tawaf and to sit in it, which causes a crowd in the Haram due to the large number of people coming for Hajj. Is this part of the Sunnah, or what is its ruling? May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : It is not part of the Sunnah for the pilgrim to repeat tawaf around the House frequently. Rather, the Sunnah for him is to follow the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), during the Farewell Pilgrimage, arrived in Mecca on the fourth day of Dhul-Hijjah, performed the arrival tawaf, then performed the tawaf of Ifadah on the day of Eid, and then performed the farewell tawaf on the morning of the fourteenth day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So he did not perform tawaf around the Ka'bah except three times only, and all these tawafs are tawafs of worship that are necessary. So the action of some people now, in their repeated visits to the House during the days of Hajj, is not prescribed. I may even say that they are closer to sin than to reward, because they restrict the space for those who are performing the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And that is not among the prescribed matters. So in their action, there is harm without a prescribed purpose. A Muslim should be a worshipper of Allah the Exalted according to guidance, not according to desire.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So worship is a path prescribed by Allah and His Messenger, and it is not a path prescribed according to what one desires. And how many are those who love good who worship Allah the Exalted according to their desires and do not follow in that what came in the Shari'ah of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this is a lot in Hajj and in other things. But what a person should do is accustom himself to worshipping only with what came from Allah and His Messenger, and to follow it. If we were to give examples of this, they would be many.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is no harm in mentioning some examples. For instance, some people, when they arrive and the imam is bowing, find that they hurry to catch the rak'ah. This is contrary to what is prescribed. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said and he said to Abu Bakrah when he hurried.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among that is also that some people in tawaf start from before the Black Stone. They say we do this as a precaution. But the precaution in reality is in following the Sunnah. What is prescribed is that they start from the Stone itself and end with the Stone itself. And what I call my Muslim brothers to do is to be followers of the Sunnah in this action and in others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So that they aim to start from the Stone and end with the Stone.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among that is also that some people, when they eat the pre-dawn meal on a day of fasting, abstain from food and drink before the dawn, believing that this is obligatory upon them. So much so that in some timetables, they say the time of abstaining is the time of dawn, making two times: a time for abstaining and a time for dawn.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this is also contrary to what is prescribed. For Allah the Exalted says[Al-Baqarah 2:187] and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said Sahih al-Bukhari 1918, 1919 So there is no basis for a person to take a precaution and abstain before the dawn appears. Rather, the Sunnah is to be as Allah commanded and as His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded.
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that taking a precaution for worship by preceding it is a matter that is not prescribed and not beloved to Allah Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In his saying (peace and blessings be upon him)Sahih Muslim 1082a So these are three examples in prayer, in Hajj, and in fasting.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not part of the Sunnah for the pilgrim to repeat tawaf around the House frequently. Rather, the Sunnah for him is to follow the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), during the Farewell Pilgrimage, arrived in Mecca on the fourth day of Dhul-Hijjah, performed the arrival tawaf, then performed the tawaf of Ifadah on the day of Eid, and then performed the farewell tawaf on the morning of the fourteenth day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So he did not perform tawaf around the Ka'bah except three times only, and all these tawafs are tawafs of worship that are necessary. So the action of some people now, in their repeated visits to the House during the days of Hajj, is not prescribed. I may even say that they are closer to sin than to reward, because they restrict the space for those who are performing the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And that is not among the prescribed matters. So in their action, there is harm without a prescribed purpose. A Muslim should be a worshipper of Allah the Exalted according to guidance, not according to desire.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So worship is a path prescribed by Allah and His Messenger, and it is not a path prescribed according to what one desires. And how many are those who love good who worship Allah the Exalted according to their desires and do not follow in that what came in the Shari'ah of Allah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this is a lot in Hajj and in other things. But what a person should do is accustom himself to worshipping only with what came from Allah and His Messenger, and to follow it. If we were to give examples of this, they would be many.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is no harm in mentioning some examples. For instance, some people, when they arrive and the imam is bowing, find that they hurry to catch the rak'ah. This is contrary to what is prescribed. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said
Do not hurry
لا تسرعواDo not return
لا تعُدThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among that is also that some people in tawaf start from before the Black Stone. They say we do this as a precaution. But the precaution in reality is in following the Sunnah. What is prescribed is that they start from the Stone itself and end with the Stone itself. And what I call my Muslim brothers to do is to be followers of the Sunnah in this action and in others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So that they aim to start from the Stone and end with the Stone.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among that is also that some people, when they eat the pre-dawn meal on a day of fasting, abstain from food and drink before the dawn, believing that this is obligatory upon them. So much so that in some timetables, they say the time of abstaining is the time of dawn, making two times: a time for abstaining and a time for dawn.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this is also contrary to what is prescribed. For Allah the Exalted says
And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread
كلوا واشربوا حتى يتبيّن لكم الخيط الأبيض من الخيط الأسود من فجرCarry on taking your meals (eat and drink) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan, for he does not pronounce it till it is dawn.
كلوا واشربوا حتى تسمعوا أذان ابن أم مكتوم فإنه لا يؤذن حتى يطلع الفجرThe questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that taking a precaution for worship by preceding it is a matter that is not prescribed and not beloved to Allah Mighty and Majestic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In his saying (peace and blessings be upon him)
Do not observe fast for a day, or two days ahead of Ramadan except a person who is in the habit of observing a particular fast; he may fast on that day.
لا تقدّموا رمضان بصوم يوم ولا يومين إلا رجل كان يصوم صوما فليصمهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.