Hajj

Importance

Hajj is one of the most integral pillars of Islam upon which Islam has been established. Imam Baqir (a) says "Islam has been established on the following five elements: prayer, zakat, fast, hajj and wilaya".

Hajj holds immense virtue and abundant reward. Many traditions have been narrated from the Holy Prophet (s) and Ahl al-Bayt (a) on the merits of hajj. Imam al-Sadiq (a) says: "Those who perform hajj and 'umra form the delegation of Allah; if they beg Him, He will grant them; if they call upon Him, He will answer them; if they want to intercede for others, He will accept it; and if they keep quiet, He will speak on their behalf, and they will be compensated with a reward of one million dirhams for the expense of one dirham".

In the light of many verses and hadiths, a person who has qualified for Hajj and is well aware that hajj is obligatory upon him and yet does not perform it has committed a major sin.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:

“

وَلِلّهِ علَیَ النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً وَ مَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ الله غَنِيّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ

Pilgrimage to the House is a duty imposed upon mankind by God for everyone who can afford a way to it. Anyone who disbelieves will find that God is Transcendent beyond any need of the Universe".

”

It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a): "If a person dies and does not perform hajj while there was no pressing need, severe illness, or any cruel ruler which may prevent him from performing it, he will die as a Jew or a Christian".

Hajj on Bahalf

Main article: Hajj on Behalf

Hajj on behalf is the hajj performed on behalf of another person, whereas hajj for oneself is hajj accomplished for oneself.

If a person was mustaṭī' for hajj and hajj became obligatory for him but now does not have power to perform hajj due to old age, sickness, or unbearable hardship and has no hope of recovery and power to perform hajj without hardship in the coming years, it is obligatory for him to hire someone to perform hajj on his behalf. However, if hajj did not become fully obligatory for him, he is not required to hire someone else for this purpose.

Recommended Hajj

Hajj for oneself is further classified into two forms: obligatory hajj and recommended hajj.

Obligatory Hajj

The obligatory hajj becomes an obligation in itself according to the Islamic law, or it becomes obligatory because of nadhr or invalidation of previous hajj.

Types

For every kind of hajj, that is, ḥajjat al-Islam and hajj on behalf there are rulings and conditions.

Obligatory hajj is further classified into three forms:

• Al-Tamattu': is obligatory for a person whose homeland is located at a distance more than 90 km from the holy city of Mecca
• Al-Ifrād,
• Al-Qirān.

Hajj al-ifrād and hajj al-qirān are obligatory for people who reside within the holy city of Mecca or those who are settled at a distance less than the aforementioned one.

Hajj al-Tamattu'

Hajj al-tamattu' differs from hajj al-ifrād and hajj al-qirān with regard to rituals.

The basic feature that distinguishes hajj al-tamattu' from hajj al-ifrād and hajj al-qirān is 'umra. Hajj al-tamattu' comprises two parts: 'umra and hajj. It starts with 'umra. A gap exists between 'umra and hajj during which the pilgrim comes out of iḥrām state and is allowed to al-tamattu' (literally enjoy) things which are prohibited for a muḥrim (a person who is in state of iḥrām). Both 'umra al-tamattu' and hajj al-tamattu' should be performed in the same year.

Hajj al-ifrād and al-qirān comprise only hajj rituals, and 'umra in these cases is considered an independent worship termed as 'umra al-mufrada. So, a person may perform 'umra al-mufrada in one year and hajj al-ifrād/al-qirān in another year.

'Umra al-tamattu' and al-'umra al-mufrada have common rites and differences.

Similar to hajj, 'umra is sometimes obligatory and other times it is mustaḥabb.

In Islamic jurisprudential rulings, 'umra is obligatory once in life. If a person fulfills the required conditions of 'umra, he should perform it. Like hajj, it is obligatory for those who are mustaṭī' to perform 'umra as soon as possible. For those who reside in Mecca or its vicinity (not further than ninety km from Mecca), being mustaṭī' for hajj is separable from being mustaṭī' for 'umra. Therefore, if a person is mustaṭī' only for one of them, he should perform it as soon as possible.

It is noteworthy to mention here that this rule is specific only for those who live in the holy city of Mecca or reside at a distance of less than ninety kilometers from the holy city of Mecca. With regard to the people living far from Mecca and their duty is to perform hajj al-tamattu', ability and qualification for hajj and 'umra is not separate from each other because hajj al-tamattu' includes 'umra al-tamattu' and hajj and both of them should be performed in the same year.

It is not lawful for a person intending to perform hajj or 'umra to enter the Holy City of Mecca without iḥrām. And if he wants to enter in the Holy city of Mecca in days other than hajj season, it is obligatory for him to enter the Holy City with iḥrām of al-'umra al-mufrada. However, the following two groups are exempted from this commandment:

• Those who frequently visit the holy city of Mecca for job/occupational purposes.
• Those who have exited the Holy city of Mecca after performing the rites and acts of hajj/'umra and want to re-enter the holy city of Mecca during the same [lunar] month.

The repetition of 'umra is recommended similar to repetition of hajj and there lies no particular gap limit between two 'umras. But, on cautionary terms one can perform only one 'umra for himself within a month. If he performs two 'umras on behalf of others or he performs one 'umra for himself and the second for another person, this caution is not necessary. Therefore, if he performs the second 'umra on behalf of another person, it is permissible for him to receive the wages of performing 'umra and 'umra al-mufrada will be sufficient for the performer whether it is obligatory or not.

Hajj al-tamattu' includes two acts: 'umra al-tamattu' and hajj al-tamattu', the two acts are essentially just one act but because there is permission to go out of ihram in between, they are considered two. 'Umra al-tamattu' is prior to hajj al-tamattu' and both these acts have specific deeds which are discussed below.

The deeds of 'umra al-tamattu':

1. Wearing iḥrām (hajj dress) from a mīqāt;
2. Ṭawāf around the Holy Ka'ba;
3. Prayer of ṭawāf;
4. Sa'y (to walk) between the mountains of Safā and Marwa;
5. Taqsīr (cutting a small quantity of hair or nail)

The deeds of hajj al-tamattu' are mentioned below:

1. Iḥrām (wearing dress of hajj) in the holy city of Mecca;
2. Wuqūf (staying) in 'Arafāt from the noon of the ninth of Dhu l-Ḥijja to sunset;
3. Wuqūf (staying) in al-Mash'ar al-Ḥarām on the night before the tenth of Dhu l-Ḥijja to sunrise;
4. Stoning at Jamara al-'Aqaba on the day of Eid al-Adha (the tenth of Dhu l-Ḥijja);
5. Slaughtering animal;
6. Shaving head or taqsīr (cutting a small quantity of hair or nail);
7. Ṭawāf around the Holy Ka'ba;
8. Prayer of ṭawāf ;
9. Sa'y (to walk) between the mountains of Safā and Marwa;
10. Ṭawāf of nisā' (women);
11. Prayer of ṭawāf of nisā';
12. To stay awake during the night before the eleventh in Minā;
13. Stoning three jamaras on the eleventh of Dhu l-Ḥijja;
14. To stay awake during the night before the twelfth in Minā;
15. Stoning three jamaras on the twelfth of Dhu l-Ḥijja.

Hajj al-ifrād and hajj al-tamattu' are similar in terms of rituals and acts of worship except for one major difference of animal slaughtering. It is mandatory in hajj al-tamattu' whereas it is a recommended act in hajj al-ifrād.

'Umra al-mufrada is similar to 'umra al-tamattu' except for the following differences:

1. The rituals of 'umra al-tamattu' comprise taqsīr as obligatory act; whereas in 'umra al-mufrada, it is optional for the men, i.e. either he can have his head shaved or perform taqsīr. The rulings for the women are that they should perform taqsīr in both 'umra al-mufrada and 'umra al-tamattu'.
2. In 'umra al-tamattu, ṭawāf of nisā' and its prayer are not obligatory. However on the basis of caution, one should perform both of them before taqsīr with the intention of rajā' (hope of being desired by Allah). In 'umra al-mufrada, ṭawāf of nisā' and its prayer are obligatory.
3. 'Umra al-tamattu' should be performed during the months of hajj: Shawwāl, Dhu l-Qa'da or Dhu l-Ḥijja; whereas 'umra al-mufrada can be performed any time during the year.
4. There are five mīqāts (the place where the dress for hajj or 'umra is worn) for 'umra al-tamattu'. Mīqāt for 'umra al-mufrada varies with distance from Mecca. People residing in Mecca have adanā al-ḥill as mīqāt whereas people living out of Mecca are obliged to wear iḥrām from one of the five mīqāts nearest to them.

Hajj al-qirān differs from hajj al-ifrād mainly in two aspects: animal slaughtering and becoming muḥrīm. During hajj al-qirān, the animal for slaughtering should accompany the person wearing iḥrām, thereby animal slaughtering is obligatory for him. Likewise, in the hajj al-qirān, iḥrām is carried out by saying "Labbayk" (specific slogan of hajj) or by ish'ār or taqlīd but in hajj al-ifrād, iḥrām is materialized only by saying Labbayk.

For the hajj al-tamattu' to be valid, there are certain conditions be fulfilled. They are as follows:

1. Intention, i.e. from the time of wearing iḥrām for 'umra al-tamattu', he should intend to perform hajj al-tamattu'; otherwise, his hajj is not in order;
2. Both 'umra and hajj need to be performed in the months of hajj;
3. Both 'umra and hajj need to be performed in the same year;
4. 'Umra and hajj should be performed for one person and by one person. This implies that a person who is performing hajj on the behalf of a dead person needs to perform both 'umra and hajj himself. Hiring two individuals to carry out the 'umra and hajj separately is not permitted.

A person, whose duty is to perform hajj al-tamattu', cannot change it on purpose and by choice to perform hajj al-ifrād or al-qirān.

A person, whose duty is to perform hajj al-tamattu' but knows that the time is too short to complete 'umra and join hajj, should change his intention from hajj al-tamattu' to hajj al-ifrād and after completing the rites of hajj, he should perform al-'umra al-mufrada.

Istita'a

In Islamic law, hajj is obligatory for a mustaṭī' (a person enjoying all the required characteristics that make hajj obligatory for him) only once during the lifetime. This is called ḥajjat al-Islam. The obligation of hajj is immediate; it means that the hajj should be performed in the same year in which a person becomes mustaṭī' and any delay in it, without an excuse is not permissible. In case, it is delayed, it would be considered a sin and they will be obligated to perform hajj the very next year or in case, they do not perform it, in the future years.

After one becomes mustaṭī', if the act of performing hajj requires travelling and managing provisions, the person should take every step possible to accomplish this noble pilgrimage the same year. When a mustaṭī' person is negligent and does not perform hajj, he has committed a sin and hajj would remain obligatory for him even if he no longer meets the conditions of being mustaṭī'.

The following conditions make hajj obligatory:

1. Being sane,
2. Being mature by shar',
3. Being mustaṭī