PREFACE
Praise be to You O Allah! We ask You for assistance and guidance towards what is good; We ask You for success in our deeds and words and peace and blessings be upon Your truthful Messenger, our master Mohammed, the seal of prophets and messengers.
To proceed:
This is an abridged release on the rites of hajj and 'umrah intended for those upon whom Allah has destined to visit His Sacred House and perform the fifth pillar of Islam. This booklet will guide them [on the manner of] performing these rites with the facilitation and munificence afforded by Islam, following the words of Allah, Glory be to Him, Who says,
He … has imposed no difficulties on you. [Al-Hajj, 78]
Through this work, we seek the reward of Allah and His satisfaction, as well as the prayers of the pilgrims on hajj and 'umrah whom Allah has given the bounty of answering their prayers made in the places where supplications are accepted.
O Allah! We have wronged ourselves so forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the Lord of righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness; there is no might or power except through Allah, the Most High, the Great.
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This booklet is part of a long fatwa from the archives of Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah by Grand Imam Gad al-Haqq 'Ali Gad al-Haqq, former Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar and Grand Mufti of Egypt. Necessary changes were made to clarify some of the rulings and facilitate them for the pilgrims. Other rulings were added, in conformity with the legal opinion adopted by Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah. The booklet is supplemented with illustrations to help the reader picture the rites.
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INTRODUCTION
Hajj means going to Mecca to perform tawaf (circumambulating the Ka'bah) and the rest of the rites during the months of hajj in response to the command of Allah and seeking His pleasure.
It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and an obligation that is known in religion by necessity. Allah the Almighty says,
Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,--those who can afford the journey. [Al-'Imran, 97]
"And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to Thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, Lean (on account of journeys) through deep and distant mountain highways; That they may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and celebrate the name of Allah, through the days appointed." [Al-Hajj, 27-8]
Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet said, "Whoever performs hajj without committing rafath (immorality)2 or fisq (indecency), returns [free from sins] as the day on which he was born" [Recorded by Bukhari, Ahmed, An-Nisa`i, and Ibn Majah].
'Abdullah Ibn Jarad reported that the Prophet said, "Perform hajj for it removes sins as water removes dirt" [Recorded by At-Tabarani in Al-Awsat].
Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet said, "Pilgrims on hajj and 'umrah are the guests of Allah; if they supplicate him, He answers their prayers and if they ask for His forgiveness, He forgives them" [Recorded by An-Nisa`i, Ibn Majah, and others].
On the virtue of spending money for [the journey of] hajj, Buraida reported that the Prophet said, "Expenses paid during hajj are similar to those made for the sake of Allah, a dirham is seven hundred times its worth in reward" [Recorded by Ahmed, Al-Baihaqi, and others].
2 Al-Rafath refers to spoken immorality. It has been reported that it also refers to sexual intercourse (Sharh An-Nawawi 'Ala Muslim, vol. 9, p. 119).
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Hajj is an obligation upon every able adult and sane Muslim, male and female. It is recommended to hasten to undertake this obligation as soon as one is able to.
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