Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Hajj Rituals

Author(s): Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Hussaini Sistani

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Obligation to perform Hajj 5

Conditions which make Hajjatul Islam obligatory 6

1. Adulthood 6

2. Reason 7

3. and 4. Freedom and Financial Ability 7

A- Time 7

B- Physical Health and Strength 7

C- No Obstruction 7

D- Expenses for the Journey 8

E- Availability of Means on Return 9

Making a will regarding pilgrimage 18

The rules on pilgrimage by proxy (Niyabah) 23

First: Adulthood 23

Second: State of Mind 23

Third: Faith 23

Fourth: The Agent's Freedom 23

Various kinds of Umrah 28

Optional Pilgrimage 30

Types of Hajj 31

Hajj-ut-Tamatu 31

Hajj-ul-Ifraad 34

Meqats for wearing Ihram 35

Rules of Meqats 36

Ihram procedure 39

First: Niyyah 39

Second: Talbiyah 39

Third: Wearing ihram garments 41

Prohibitions during Ihram 43

1. Hunting 43

Kaffarah (penalty) for hunting 44

2. Sexual Activity 45

3. Kissing a Woman 47

4. Touching a Woman 47

5. Looking at and Playing with a Woman 47

6. Masturbation 47

7. Marriage Contract 48

8. Use of Perfume 48

9. Wearing Sewn Clothes by Men 49

10. Applying Antimony (Surma) 49

11. Looking in the Mirror 49

12. Wearing Shoes, Socks or Stockings 50

13. Outrage (Fusouq) 50

14. Quarrelling 50

15. Killing of Insects Found on the Body 51

16. Self Beautification 51

17. Applying Oil 51

18. Removal of Hair from the Body 51

19. Covering of the Head for Men 52

20. Ladies' Face Cover 52

21. Remaining under Shade by Men 52

22. Removal of Blood from the Body 53

23. Cutting Nails 54

24. Extraction of Teeth 54

25. Wearing of Arms 54

Matters forbidden within (The Haram) 55

Boundaries of Haram 55

Place of sacrifice 55

Disbursement of the sacrifice 56

Tawaf 57

Conditions of Tawaf 57

First: Niyyah 57

Second: Taharah from urine and excrement 57

Thirdly, Conditions of Tawaf 59

Fourth: Circumcision for Males 60

Fifth: Covering the Private Parts 60

Obligations of Tawaf 61

Stepping out of the Bounds of Tawaf 62

Irregularities in Tawaf 63

Tawaf Prayer 64

Obligations of Sa'y 65

Rules of Sa'y 65

Doubt in Sa’y 67

Taqseer 68

Ihram for Hajj 69

Wuquf at Arafat 71

Wuquf at Muzdalifah 73

Accomplishing both the Wuqufs or one of them 73

Mina and the obligations there 75

Stoning Jamratil-Aqabah 75

Sacrificing an animal at Mina 76

Distributing the sacrifice 79

Shaving the head and Taqseer 80

Tawaf-Un-Nisa and its prayer 82

Wuquf at Mina 84

Rami of Jamarat 85

Persons prevented from performing Hajj 87

Persons prevented from completeing hajj due to sickness and the like 88

Recommended acts and supplications 91

Recommended acts in Ihram 91

Matters discouraged in Ihram 92

Matters recommended on entry into Haram 93

Countries on entry into holy Makkah and the Holy Mosque 93

Courtesies during Tawaf 95

Courtesies of Tawaf prayer 96

Courtesies in Sa'y 97

Courtesies in Ihram during Wuquf at Arafat 98

Courtesies of Wuquf at Arafat 99

Courtesies of Wuquf at Muzdalifah 100

Courtesies of Rami the Jamarat 101

Courtesies during Hady 102

Courtesies of shaving the head 102

Courtesies of the Tawaf of Hajj and Sa'y 102

Courtesies of Mina 102

Courtesies of Makkah 103

Farewell Tawaf 104

Greeting the Great Messenger (S.A.W.) 104

Obligation to perform Hajj

It is clear from the Holy Qur'an and the traditions that performance of Hajj (Pilgrimage) is obligatory on every person who has attained puberty and has the means mentioned below.

Hajj is one of the basic principles of Islam; its performance is one of its essentials, and its non-performance is a grave sin. Denial of the obligatory nature of Hajj is blasphemy (kufr). Allah states in the Holy Qur'an,

“.. and pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah, (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it; and whoever disbelieves, surely Allah is Self-sufficient, above any need of the worlds”. (3/97).

Sheikh Kulayni has reported that Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) has said, “Whoever dies without having performed obligatory pilgrimage when he was not prevented by lack of means, illness, or force, dies a Jew or a Christian”. Indeed, there are many hadiths (traditions) on pilgrimage being obligatory and on its importance, but the brevity of this work does not permit setting them all out.

In religion the performance of pilgrimage is obligatory on a person once only; it is known as ‘Hajjatul Islam’.

Rule 1: Performance of pilgrimage becomes obligatory immediately in the year in when its conditions are realised. If one fails to perform it, deliberately or for an excuse, it must be fulfilled in the ensuing year, and so on. Postponing it without valid reason is a grave sin.

Rule 2: When performing pilgrimage becomes obligatory, one must make all the arrangements for the journey to ensure the performance of the ceremonies in time. If there are several groups one could join, by any means of travel, so much so that one is confident to reach in time, it is permissible to join any one of them or take any route; yet it is preferable to choose the one that would definitely get you there in time.

Rule 3: If it was possible for a person to make the journey in the same year, pilgrimage becomes obligatory, even if leaving it to the last minute, in the hope that they would reach in time. However, if the person was not able to get there in time for pilgrimage, the obligation to perform it, most evidently, does not become obligatory on them, even though their delay was excusable.