Please select from the following topics:
- Upon whom is Hajj obligatory?
- Fundamental Constituents (Arkan) of Hajj
- Compulsory Acts (Wajibat) of Hajj
- Things forbidden to a person in the state of Ihram
- Rules for perpetrators of the prohibitions of the state of Ihram
- The sacrificial animals, their types and conditions
1. Upon whom is Hajj obligatory?
Hajj is a pillar of Islam, it is obligatory on:
- The Muslim; it is not obligatory on the Kafir or the apostate from Islam.
- One in his right mind; it is not Wajib on the insane.
- The freeman; it is not obligatory on the slave, who is the property on his master.
- One who has attained puberty; it is not obligatory on the child; if the child performed Hajj, it doesn't absolve him of the obligation to perform it when he attains puberty.
- One who is healthy; it is not obligatory on the sick person until he gets well.
- One who has the ability; it is not Wajib on one too poor to make the journey.
- It is obligatory only once in a lifetime; if a person performs note than once, he will get reward, and women and men are the same in this regard.
- For a woman; she has to have a Mahram to accompany her, since the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A woman should not travel except wit a Mahram Is with her." (Bukhari and Muslim)
(Ref: Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Dar-us-Salam Publications, Riyadh-KSA)
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2. Fundamental constituents (Arkan) of Hajj
The Hajj has some fundamental constituents, if any one of these is missing, the Hajj will not be valid. They are:
- Entering the state of Ihram. It is the intention, plus the wearing of unstitched cloth, for men: one piece wrapped around the upper part and one piece wrapped around the lower part of the body. Women would remain in their normal clothing.
- Staying at 'Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijja from the time the sun passes the zenith of high noon until sunset. (For latecomers, their Hajj is valid as long as they can get to 'Arafat before the start of Fajir Salat on the 10th).
- Tawaf-al-ifadah: It can be performed anytime after Fajr on the 10th of last day of Dhul-Hijja.
- Sa'y between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. Start from As-Safa and make 7 passages back and forth (3.5 round trips).
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3. Compulsory Acts (Wajibat) of Hajj
If any compulsory act is not performed, one must offer a sacrifice of an animal to compensate for the omission. These compulsory acts are as follows:
- Assuming Ihram from the Miqat.
- Extending one's stay at 'Arafat from the afternoon until a part of the night
- Spending the night at Muzdalifah or Mina.
- Stoning the Jamarat (pillars)
- The Farewell Tawaf (except on a woman who is menstruating at the time she's about to travel).
(Ref: Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Dar-us-Salam Publications. Riyadh, KSA)
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4. Things forbidden to a person in the state of IHRAM
- Sex, and anything which might lead up to it such as kissing or touching with desire.
- Doing bad deeds and sins which expel a person from the obedience of Allah.
- Arguing with one's companions, servants, or anyone else. The basis for the prohibition of these three things is the statement of Allah, the Almighty: "... So whosoever intends to perform Hijj (therein by assuming Ihram), then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the hajj..." (V. 2:197)
- Wearing of sewn clothes (for men) such as shirts, hooded rubes, pants, and covering the head with a cap or turban or shawl, etc. Also, it is forbidden to wear clothing that is dyed with a fragrant dye; also it is forbidden to wear leather socks; but it is permissible to wear sandals. If one cannot find sandals, the leather socks should be cut so that they don't come up to the ankle.
- All scholars agree that the prohibitions in item 4 are for men only.
- As for women, they can wear all of that, except for a garment that has perfume on it and the Niqab (veil) which covers her face and gloves, as it is reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A women in Ihram should not wear a Niqab, nor should she wear gloves." (Bukhaari). It is permissible to cover her face from men by using an umbrella or to let a portion of her outer garment hang over it.. 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: Riders would pass us while we were with Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, in Ihram, when they drew close, each of us would let a part of her outer garment hang over her face, and when they would pass, we would uncover our faces." (Abu Dawud)
- If a man is unable to find or acquire the two sheets normally worn from Ibrahim, or sandals, he should wear what he has. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "When a Muslim can't find the Izar and Rida (the two sheets), he should wear pants/trousers, and if he can't find sandals he should wear leather socks." (Bukhari and Muslim)
- It is forbidden for a person in Ihram (for Muhrim) to arrange a marriage for someone else, or get married himself, or to propose marriage; based on the statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, "The Muhrim should not marry, nor arrange for another marriage, nor propose." (Muslim).
- It is prohibited for a Muhrim to trim his nails, or to remove any hair by shaving or clipping, or by any other method; based on Allah's Statement: "... And do not shave your heads until the Hady (sacrificial animal) reaches the place of sacrifice..."(v.2:196).
- It is prohibited for the Muhrim to hunt land animals, or slaughter it; he may not even point towards it or make it flee so another person could kill it. but it is permissible to catch fish or take any sea dwelling animal out of it, as well as eating it. Allah, the Almighty, said: "Lawful to you is (the pursuit of) water-game and its use for food - for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel, but forbidden is (the pursuit of) land-game as long as you are in a state of Ihram (for Hajj or 'Umrah)..." (V. 5:96)
- It is prohibited for the Muhrim; men and women to use perfumes on their bodies or garments.
(Ref: Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Dar-us-Salam Publications. Riyadh, KSA)
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5. Rules for perpetrators of the prohibitions of the state of Ihram
- If one has an excuse and had a need to do a prohibited act of Ihram, other than sexual intercourse, like
shaving the head, or wearing stitched clothing to protect oneself from heat or cold etc., he has to sacrifice
a sheep; or feed six poor people, providing each poor person 1/2 Sa' of food (2.6 Kg, (the food can be any grain,
rice, wheat etc.)); or fast for three days; he can choose any one of these three alternatives. Allah, the Almighty,
said:" ... And whosoever of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp (necessitating shaving),
he must pay a Fidyah (ransom) of either fasting (three days) or giving Sadaqah (feeding six poor persons) or
offering sacrifice (one sheep)..." (V. 2:196).
- There is no penalty for one who wore something or applied perfume forgetfully or out of ignorance. Ya'la bin Umaiyah reported: A man came to Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, at (a place called) Ji'ranah, wearing a robe with saffron on his beard and head; he said; "O Messenger of Allah, I entered into the state of Ihram from Umrah in the condition you see me in." he, peace be upon him, said to him; "Wash away the saffron and take off the robe, and what you used to do in Hajj, do in you 'Umrah" (Bukhari and Muslim)
This allowance is not made for one who kills a game animal, forgetfully or in ignorance of the prohibition. He has to pay the penalty, because he is responsible for destroying property, for which there is no differentiation between knowledge and ignorance nor between forgetfulness and intent, similar to the responsibility for destroying property of humans.
- If a Muhrim has intercourse with his wife, his Hajj is rendered invalid. He must continue with the rituals to their end, but he must also come back in a future year to make up for it, and he must sacrifice an animal.
(Ref: Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Dar-us-Salam Publications. Riyadh, KSA)
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6. The sacrificial animals, their types and conditions
The sacrificial animals (Hady) of the Hajj are those camels, cattle, sheep, or goats which are sacrificed in the vicinity
of the Haram to be distributed among its poor. The Hady can either be Mustahab (desirable) or Wajib (compulsory).
- The Mustahab Hady is that which is sacrificed by a person performing Hajj Ifrad (i.e. Hajj by itself wothout an
'Umrah performed along with it) or by one making an 'Umrah only.
- The Wajib Hady is for the following situations:
- Wajib on someone performing Hajj Qiran (i.e. to perform 'Umrah before Hajj and stay in the state of
Ihram, then to perform Hajj with the same Ihram) and on the person performing Hajj Tamattu'
(which is to perform 'Umrah, then to enter Ihram a second time for Hajj); in these situations,
the person offering the sacrifice may eat from the meat of the hady.
- Wajib on someone who failed to perform a Wajib act of Hajj, such as stoning the Jamarat, or
putting on Ihram at the Miqat, or staying into a part of the night after the afternoon spent at 'Araft,
or spending the night at Muzdalifah, or Mina, or the Farewell Tawaf.
- Wajib on someone who did something prohibited to a person in the state of Ihram. Such as using
perfume or shaving the hair.
- Wajib due to a transgression on the sanctity of the Haram area, such hunting an animal or cutting
tree within its boundaaries.
Conditions for the acceptability of the Hady (sacrificial animals):
1.
Animal |
old (should be) |
Camel |
at least five years |
cow |
two years |
goat |
one year old |
sheep |
can be six months old, if it is fat |
2. The animal must be free of defects, it will not be accepted by Allah if it is one eyed, or lame, or mangy, or thin.
The proper time and place for slaughtering the Hady:
The 10th of Dhul_Hijjah and the three days after that which are called the days of Tashriq (which means:
to cut meat into strips for drying, which was the traditional way of preserving meat which couldn't be eaten right away).
It is permissible to slaughter in Mina or Makkah.
(Ref: Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno. The Pillars of Islam & Iman. Dar-us-Salam Publications. Riyadh, KSA)
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