In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 



All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. 



Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying the Zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan." (Reported by Al-Bukhari) 

Hajj contains many lessons that Muslims should learn. It assures the fact that all Muslims are one Ummah and inculcates in the pilgrims the unique values of Islam. 

Focusing more on this point, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states the following: 




  In the Qur'an, Allah says: (By the Break of Day; By the Ten Nights; By the Even and Odd (contrasted); And by the Night when it passes away; Is there (not) in these an adjuration (or evidence) for those who understand?) (Al-Fajr 89: 1-5) 

  (And proclaim the Pilgrimage among people; they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of 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, over the cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice). So eat you thereof and feed the distressed ones in want. Then let them complete the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again) circumambulate the Ancient House.) (Al-Hajj 22: 27-29) 

  (The first House (of worship) appointed for people, was that at Bakkah; full of blessing and of guidance for all beings. In it are Signs manifest; the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.) (Aal `Imran 3: 96-97) 

  The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the most sacred days of the year. They are mentioned as special days in Surat Al-Fajr. These are the days of special blessings. Muslims are urged to do more dhikr (remembering Allah), charity and good deeds during this time. Fasting in these days is prescribed as nafl (supererogatory act of worship) from first to the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (At-Tirmidhi) 

  At this time millions of Muslims are gathering in and around the sacred city of Makkah. They are coming from every corner of the globe to perform the sacred rites of Hajj. We pray to Allah to bless all Muslims and accept their Hajj and devotions. 

  Hajj is an important pillar of Islam. It has many benefits. It is a command of Allah. It is obligatory once in life on every adult Muslim, male or female, who can afford it physically and financially. Muslims perform Hajj every year in millions in number. They go there with great love and devotion. 

  Hajj has a form and a spirit. Its form is to have ihram, perform tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah) and sa`i (walking between the two hills), go to Mina, `Arafat, Muzdalifah, do the ramy (throwing pebbles) at the Jamarat and make sacrifice of a sheep, goat or camel. There are detailed rules that Pilgrims learn. Here at this time, however, I want to discuss a few points about the spirit of Hajj for our benefit and let us think about it in these days. This will help us here also. 

  1. Hajj is a ceremony of love and devotion to Allah. A Muslim's relation with Allah is that of deep love, devotion and obedience. We love Allah because He loves us. (He loves them and they love Him...) (Al-Ma'idah 5: 54). Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) loved Allah and Allah took him as a friend (khalil). (Allah took Ibrahim as a friend.) (An-Nisa' 4: 125) Hajj is deeply associated with Prophet Ibrahim and his life-story. Hajj gives us a sense of history. Our faith is deep-rooted in history. This is the religion of Allah given to us by His many prophets: Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Isma`il and finally Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all). These were the people who loved Allah, and Allah loved them and made them the guides of humanity. 

  2. Hajj gives the universal spirit of Islam. People of all races, colors and nationalities go there. They become one people without any class or distinction. They look alike and do the same things. The spirit of Hajj is to foster unity and universal brotherhood and sisterhood among the believers. 

  3. Hajj gives us a focus, center and orientation. We have one Qiblah and that is our direction for worship. But we should not have only one Qiblah for worship; we should also have unity of purpose and mission in our life. Muslims should be the people of a focus and direction, not a confused people or a people without any orientation and direction. Our focus of life is Allah and the House of Allah, the Ka`bah, on this earth. We have with us Allah's Book that we must hold fast together. (And hold fast all together Allah's rope and be not divided.) (Aal `Imran 3: 103) 

  4. Hajj is the ceremony of peace and harmony. The pilgrims come in peace and spend their time together in the most peaceful and respectful manner. They respect every person and every thing. They do not harm anyone or anything. This is also the spirit of Islam. Islam is a total commitment to care, compassion and kindness. Hajj is the symbol of this commitment and it must be manifest in our daily life. 

  5. Hajj is also a movement, action and sacrifice. The pilgrim keeps on moving all the time, with tawaf, sa`i, going to Mina, `Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina again, around the Jamarat and other places. It is a dynamic ceremony and this is the way a Muslim's life should be. Motion, action, and sacrifice - these things bring success in this life and salvation in the Hereafter. 


  Muhammad's Hajj and his everlasting message to Humanity:- 


  A Khutbah delivered by Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, at ISOC - Dhul Hijjah 8, 1424/ January 30, 2004: 


  Almighty Allah says: (For Hajj are the months well known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj and whatever good ye do, (be sure) Allah knows it. And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, O ye that are wise! It is no crime in you if ye seek of the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage). Then when ye pour down from (Mount) Arafat, celebrate the praises of Allah at the Sacred Monument, and celebrate His praises as He has directed you, even though, before this, ye went astray. Then pass on at a quick pace from the place whence it is usual for the multitude so to do, and ask for Allah's forgiveness. For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (Al-Baqarah 2:197-99) 

  As far as Prophet Muhammad's Hajj and his everlasting message during the Hajj are concerned, the Hajj of the Prophet is known as the Hijjat al-Wada` (the Farewell Pilgrimage), because upon returning from Hajj the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left this world within three months. This Hajj is also known with other names: It is called "Hijjat al-Islam" because this is the only Hajj that the Prophet performed after receiving the message of Islam. It is also called "Hijjat al-Balagh" because in this Hajj the Prophet conveyed the final message of Islam. It is called "Hijjat al-Kamal and Hijjat at-Tamam" because in this Hajj Allah revealed to him the good news that the message of Islam is perfected and Allah's favor is fully granted for those who shall follow the way of Islam. 


  This Hajj took place in the 10th year of Hijrah. Many details about this Hajj are available in the books of Hadith and Sirah. One can prepare a whole diary of this Hajj from Prophet's departure from Madinah to his return to Madinah. 


  The Prophet left Madinah on the 25th of Dhul Qi`dah. People kept joining him from all directions. When he arrived in Makkah, the number of those who joined him reached to about 125,000 people. The Prophet explained to them at every step the basic rules and principles of Hajj. 


  In `Arafat he gave his famous Khutbah and then next day in Mina he repeated some of its points and gave some more points. The speech had many important points and it was communicated by different people in the crowd who would repeat after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The main theme of this famous speech can be summarized as: "Do not wrong any one." 

  Here are some basic points of this speech: 
  "O People, do you know in what month, what day and in what city you are?" They said, "In a sacred day, in a sacred city and a sacred month." He said, "Your blood, your properties and your honor is as sacred among you as the sacredness of this day of yours, this month of yourS and this city of yours." 
  Then he said, "Listen to me and you shall live (happily): Behold do no injustice, Behold do not injustice, Behold, do no injustice. 


  It is not permissible to take the money of a Muslim without his/her good pleasure. Behold, every blood demand, every money demand or any special privilege that you held in the time of Ignorance (before accepting Islam) are under my feet until the day of Judgment. Every demand of interest is cancelled. You can only have your capital with doing wrong or being wronged. 


  All people are equal like the teeth of the comb. All of you are descendants of Adam and Adam was created from dust. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab or for a white person over a black person except in the matters of piety. 


  A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. All Muslims are one brotherhood. 


  Behold, do not turn infidels after me by striking at the necks of each other. 


  Behold, Satan has lost all hope that the people of Salah will worship him, but he shall still try to create dissentions among you. (So beware of Satan and his plots.) 


  Be conscious of Allah concerning women. They are your helpmates. They have some rights on you and you have some rights on them. 


  Behold, whosoever has any thing entrusted to him by someone else, he should give it back to the one who entrusted him." 


  Then he spread his hands and he said, "Behold, I have conveyed. Behold, I have conveyed." Then he said, "Let those who are present convey this message to those who are not here. Indeed some who may receive it later may follow it better than those who heard it." 
  Here the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasized the following principles: 


  1. Honor the life, dignity and property of others. 


  2. Do not do injustice and oppression. 


  3. Be honest in your business and financial dealings 


  4. All human beings are equal. 


  5. Muslims are brothers to each other. 


  6. Do not fight each other 


  7. Avoid quarrels and disputes among yourselves 


  8. Recognize the rights of women 


  9. Fulfill the trusts 


  10. Convey the message of the Prophet to others. 


  This message was delivered more than fourteen hundred years ago and it is always needed. Muslims need it and the whole world needs it. This is the message that we have to live with and should convey to the world.I hope those who have gone to Hajj will learn good lessons from this journey, and we here also should keep these lessons in our minds and lives. 

  Are you planning your next holiday? if so why not visit the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. 

1. Q. Why is the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem important for Muslims?
A.1-- The Prophet was asked which mosque was the first to be built, and his answer was: "The Sacred Mosque" in Makkah. His interlocutor then asked him which was the second mosque to be built, and he answered: "The Aqsa Mosque" in Jeruslaem. A further question asked about the time gap between building them, and the Prophet said: "Forty years." It is well known that the two prophets built the Sacred Mosque, or the Kaabah: Abraham and his son Ishmael. The Aqsa Mosque was built by Abraham's grandson, Prophet Jacob, (peace be upon them all). 
To emphasize the unity of the divine faith, in all its forms and all periods of history, God took His final messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), from Makkah to Jerusalem, where at the place of the Aqsa Mosque all past prophets were gathered, and he led them in a devotional prayer. 

Thus, the Aqsa Mosque takes its position alongside the Sacred Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah as the only three mosques built by prophets and to which people may travel to offer their worship. No special travel may be taken to pray in any other mosque on earth.

 Please note the following hadith:- 

1. There are ahaadeeth which state the virtues of praying in the Sacred House of Allaah in Makkah, in the Prophet's Mosque [in Madeenah] and in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa [in Jerusalem].

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than one thousand prayers anywhere else, apart from al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah]."

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1133; Muslim, 1394).

It was reported that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than one thousand prayers anywhere else, apart from al-Masjid al-Haraam, and one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers anywhere else."

(Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1406; Ahmad, 14847. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Boosayri in al-Zawaa'id. Haamish Sunan Ibn Maajah).

With regard to praying in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), the correct view is that its virtue is equal to one-quarter of that of a prayer in the mosque of Madeenah.

It was reported that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: when we were with the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we were discussing which was better, the mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the mosque in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than four prayers there, and how good a place of worship it is."

(Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 4/509; al-Dhahabi and al-Albaani agreed with him, as stated in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, at the end of the discussion of hadeeth #2902).

With regard to the famous hadeeth which says that a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa is like five hundred prayers, this hadeeth is weak (da'eef).

(See: Tamaam al-Minnah by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 292).

2. Concerning the timing of one's visits to the Sacred House of Allaah, it has been reported that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

"Allaah says: if my slave is sound in body and has an ample provision, and five years pass [without him visiting My House], he is truly deprived [of mercy]."

(Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 960; Abu Ya'laa, 1/289; al-Bayhaqi, 5/262. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 1662).

The more often one visits the House of Allaah, the better, as the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Keep on following Hajj with 'Umrah, and 'Umrah with Hajj, for they wipe out poverty and sins."

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 810)

Q.2 If one has just started praying a Sunnah prayer, and the congregational obligatory prayer is called, should he continue his Sunnah, or terminate it to join the congregation? If one has missed the Sunnah offered normally before Zuhr and joined the congregation, should one pray that Sunnah after the obligatory prayer? Could this be done with regard to the Sunnah before Fajr? It is well known that prayer at the time of midday is forbidden; yet people do it on Friday. Please advice. If you have missed two rak'ahs with the imam and you stand up to complete your prayer after the imam has finished, should you treat these as your initial rak'ahs?

A.2-- Scholars differ on whether such a worshipper should interrupt his prayer in order to join the congregation, or he should finish his voluntary prayer quickly and then join the congregation. Both views are valid. The basis for both rulings is the Hadith that says: "When the congregation is called, i.e. iqamah, the only valid prayer is the obligatory one." Those who say that the worshipper should terminate his voluntary prayer take this Hadith at face value and consider that the calling of the obligatory prayer renders the voluntary one invalid. Those who take the other view understand the Hadith as meaning that one cannot initiate any prayer other than the obligatory one with the imam. A person who has already started a voluntary prayer is already engaged in prayer and he should not interrupt it.

If one comes into the mosque and finds that the obligatory Zuhr prayer has started or about to start, he should join the congregation. The voluntary prayer before Zuhr is thus missed. One does not offer this prayer after the obligatory prayer, because its time has lapsed. One may offer any number of voluntary rak'ahs after Zuhr, but it would not be the one he missed. 

With regard to Fajr prayer, the situation is different. This Sunnah is offered after one completes the obligatory prayer either because the congregation has already started or because sunrise is close at hand and he fears that if he were to offer the Sunnah first he will miss the obligatory prayer. In these cases, he may offer the missed Sunnah either shortly after the obligatory prayer, or he waits until the sun has risen well into the sky.

Prayer when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, i.e. at midday, is discouraged, but not forbidden. The reason is that we should not appear as though we are glorifying the sun or praying to it. 

Once the sun starts to move down, i.e. a few minutes later, we may pray as usual. The people who offer their prayer on Friday after the athan is called are doing well, because the sun would have already started on its way down from its highest point.

Different scholars have different views on the rak'ahs you offer after the imam has finished in order to complete your prayer, because you joined the congregation late. Those who say that the rak'ahs you pray with the imam are counted according to the imam's prayer require that you offer the earlier rak'ahs when the imam has finished. This means that if you offer with the imam two out of four rak'ahs, these two are your third and fourth. 

The ones you have to compensate are your first and second, and this is how you offer them. Other scholars consider your prayer as starting with your first. Therefore, what you pray after the imam has finished are your third and fourth. I prefer this last view, which means that you read only the Fatihah in these rak'ahs.

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