Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Book of Hajj.
Chapter: The Obligation and Excellence of Hajj.
Allah the Almighty says:
“Wherein are plain memorials (of Allah's guidance); the place where Abraham stood up to pray; and whosoever entereth it is safe. And pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto Allah for mankind, for him who can find a way thither. As for him who disbelieveth, (let him know that) lo! Allah is Independent of (all) creatures.” (3:97)
“Wherein are plain memorials (of Allah's guidance); the place where Abraham stood up to pray; and whosoever entereth it is safe. And pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto Allah for mankind, for him who can find a way thither. As for him who disbelieveth, (let him know that) lo! Allah is Independent of (all) creatures.” (3:97)
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
Islam is built upon five [pillars]:
The testimony that there is no god but Allah,
And that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
Establishing prayer,
Giving zakat,
Pilgrimage to the House (Hajj),
And fasting Ramadan.
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, delivered a sermon to us and said:
"O people,
Allah has ordained Hajj upon you, so perform Hajj."
A man asked:
"Is it every year, O Messenger of Allah?"
He remained silent,
Until the man repeated it three times.
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"If I had said 'yes,' it would have become obligatory,
And you would not have been able to fulfill it."
Then he said:
"Leave me as I have left you,
For those who came before you were destroyed
By their excessive questioning
And their disagreement with their prophets.
So if I command you to do something,
Perform of it as much as you are able,
And if I forbid you from something,
Then avoid it."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Hajj is not obligatory upon the legally responsible person
Except once in a lifetime, by textual evidence and consensus.
There is no legal ruling before the arrival of the Shari'ah.
Matters about which silence is maintained
Retain their original state of permissibility.
The default state for things and worldly customs
Is permissibility.
As for acts of worship,
Their basis is restriction to what is prescribed.
Prohibition is more stringent than command,
Because the prohibition allows for no concession in committing any part of it,
While the command is qualified by one's ability.
Whoever is unable to perform the entirety of a commanded act but is capable of a part of it,
Shall perform what he is able to,
And that is what is required of him.
The hadith is evidence of the tolerance and ease of Islam,
And that its fundamental principle is the removal of hardship from the Ummah.
The compassion of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for his Ummah,
And that their suffering is grievous to him,
He is concerned for them,
And to them, he is kind and merciful.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was asked:
"Which deed is best?"
He said:
"Faith in Allah and His Messenger."
It was asked:
"Then what?"
He said:
"Jihad in the cause of Allah."
It was asked:
"Then what?"
He said:
"An accepted Hajj (mabrur)."
Agreed upon.
The 'mabrur' Hajj is one in which the performer commits no sin.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of referring to faith in Allah and His Messenger as a 'deed'.
Clarification of the ranks of virtuous deeds.
Whoever performs jihad for other than the cause of Allah,
His deed is rejected.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever performs Hajj and does not engage in sexual relations (rafath) or commit sin (fusuq),
Returns as the day his mother bore him."
Agreed upon.
'Rafath' is sexual intercourse,
And it also refers to allusions to it,
And to obscenity in speech.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Hajj purifies the soul from acts of obscenity and sin.
An accepted Hajj is among the expiations for sins and misdeeds.
A human is born without sins, cleared of faults,
For he does not bear the sin of another.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"An 'Umrah to an 'Umrah is an expiation for what is between them,
And an accepted Hajj has no reward other than Paradise."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to perform many 'Umrahs.
Scholars agree on the permissibility of 'Umrah on all days
For one who is not currently engaged in the rites of Hajj.
The permissibility of performing 'Umrah before Hajj.
Hajj is of a higher rank than 'Umrah.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
We consider jihad to be the best of deeds;
Shall we not then perform jihad?"
He replied, "But the best jihad is an accepted Hajj."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"We consider" means we believe and know.
There is a difference in the vocalization of the word.
The most likely is with a damma on the 'kaf' (nara),
Addressing the women.
In another narration,
It is with a kasra on the 'kaf' and an added alif before it (la-kinna),
In the sense of a corrective conjunction.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Hajj is the jihad of women,
Though it involves no combat.
The virtues of jihad in the Qur'an and Sunnah are numerous and well-attested.
That is why ‘A’ishah believed it was the best deed.
On the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no day on which Allah frees more of His servants from the Fire
Than the day of ‘Arafah."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The virtue of the day of ‘Arafah,
And that it is a day in which Allah draws near to His servants,
Forgiving them and having mercy upon them,
Answering their supplications,
And freeing their necks from the Fire.
The recommendation to fill the day of ‘Arafah with acts of obedience, dhikr, and recitation of the Qur'an,
As well as seeking forgiveness and turning in repentance to Allah the Almighty.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"An 'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to a Hajj,
Or a Hajj with me."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj in reward,
Not that it takes its place in fulfilling the obligation.
The reward of a deed increases with the increased nobility of the time,
Just as it increases with the presence of the heart and the sincerity of intention.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That a woman said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
Allah’s obligation of Hajj upon His servants
Has reached my father when he is a very old man,
He cannot sit firmly on a mount.
Shall I perform Hajj on his behalf?"
He said, "Yes."
Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Laqit Ibn ‘Amir, may Allah be pleased with him:
That he came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said:
"My father is a very old man,
He cannot perform Hajj, nor 'Umrah, nor travel."
He said:
"Perform Hajj and 'Umrah on behalf of your father."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
'Al-za'n'
Means traveling and setting out for Hajj and 'Umrah.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Whoever is unable to perform Hajj
Is required to appoint someone else to do it on his behalf,
And he is not excused for neglecting this if he is capable of it.
Interpretation of 'ability' (istita'ah):
It is not limited to provisions and a mount only,
But also relates to wealth and physical capacity.
On the authority of al-Sa'ib Ibn Yazid, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I performed Hajj with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
During the Farewell Pilgrimage,
While I was seven years old.
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From the benefits of the hadith:
If a child who has not reached puberty performs Hajj,
It counts as a voluntary act for him.
On this, the scholars have agreed,
Because it is established from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
"Any child whose family performs Hajj with him, then he reaches puberty,
He must perform another Hajj."
On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Met a caravan at al-Rawha',
And said, "Who are the people?"
They said, "The Muslims."
They asked, "Who are you?"
He said, "The Messenger of Allah."
A woman lifted a child and said,
"Is there a Hajj for this one?"
He said, "Yes, and you have a reward."
Narrated by Muslim.
Al-Rawha' is a place near Medina,
Thirty-six miles away from it.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Some of the people of Islam
Might recognize the person of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The permissibility of asking about a group,
And the permissibility of identifying oneself to the questioner.
The child has the reward of Hajj,
And his mother receives a reward equal to his.
Because she is the cause of that.
For the one who guides to good is like the one who performs it.
The reward for a voluntary Hajj is recorded for the child.
Yet it does not suffice him for the obligatory Hajj.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
performed Hajj upon a simple saddle.
And it was a pack-camel.
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
A saddle (rahl).
Meaning everything prepared for travel.
Such as the baggage container and the camel's mount.
The intent is that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
performed Hajj on the camel's saddle frame without a litter.
A pack-camel (zamilah).
Meaning the camel upon which food and baggage are carried.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, did not have
during the Farewell Pilgrimage a separate pack-camel
to carry his baggage and food.
Rather, that was carried with him on his own mount.
Thus, his mount served as his pack-camel.
This demonstrates the humility of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and his detachment from worldly goods while setting out for Hajj.
Among his supplications during this journey was:
"O Allah, make it a Hajj in which there is no showing off and no seeking of reputation."
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
'Ukaz, Mijannah, and Dhu al-Majaz
were markets during the pre-Islamic period.
The people felt it sinful to trade during the pilgrimage seasons.
Then it was revealed: ﴾There is no sin upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord﴿
during the Hajj seasons.
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Felt it sinful" means they felt uneasy and feared falling into sin.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
It is evidence that the Companions would not perform an action
if they feared it might result in sin,
even if it held benefit for them, until they understood the wisdom behind it.
The permissibility of trade during Hajj.
And that this is among the benefits in which there is no harm.
Riyad al-Salihin.