Khutba on the Vital Nature of the Hajj

Audio

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي فرض الحج على من استطاع إليه الطريق، وأمرهم بالسعي والقيام في عرفات والطواف حول البيت العتيق، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع 

الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. قال الله سبحانه وتعالى في كتابه الكريم: وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهُمْ مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ

Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “Announce the Hajj to mankind. They will come to you on foot and on every sort of lean animal, coming by every distant road so that they can be present at what will profit them and invoke Allah’s name on particular days over livestock He has provided for them.” These words according to one group of the mufassirin were directed to Ibrahim and according to the second to the Prophet, although in either case they apply to us. Qurtubi says in his tafsir, that Ibrahim climbed to the summit of mount Abu Qays and called out,

يا أيها الناس! إن الله قد أمركم بحج هذا البيت ليثِيبكم به الجنة ويجيركم من عذاب النار، فحُجّوا 

“Mankind, Allah has commanded you to make pilgrimage to this House so that He can reward you with the Garden and protect you from the punishment of the Fire, so make pilgrimage to it.”

فأجابه من كان في أصلاب الرجال وأرحام النساء: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمّ لَبَّيْك

“All who were as yet in the loins of men and the wombs of women responded to the call, saying, “At Your service, O Allah, at Your service.” Hajj is hardwired into our DNA – it is a part of our patterning as human beings, a part that we have all at some point in our existence gladly affirmed. It is and has been an ever-present part of this world since it first came into existence, for the House of Allah was the first structure ever constructed. Allah says,

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ

the translation of which is, “The first House established for mankind was that at Bakka, a place of blessing and a guidance for all beings,” In his tafsir of these Words, Mujahid said,   

خلق الله موضع هذا البيتِ قبل أن يخلق شيئاً من الأرض بألفي سنة

“Allah created the place where this House is two thousand years before He created anything else on this earth.” And then He placed Adam on the earth, And Adam and Prophets after him all came to Mecca to make tawaf. It is part of our human make-up, but, like much else that was part of our fitra and our patterning, the majority of mankind has forgotten or denied. And only this umma, who have heeded the call of the Messenger of Allah, remember.
If we take the second interpretation, that the one addressed by the aya is our own Prophet, then these words are an instruction to him to tell us that the Hajj is an obligation. He said,

بني الإسلام على خمس: شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وصوم رمضان، وحج بيت الله الحرام

“Islam is built upon five things: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying the zakat, fasting Ramadan, and making the Hajj pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah.” Hajj is one of the pillars of the Deen of Allah, at an individual level as well as a communal one. It is not an optional extra, it is not an icing on the cake, it is one of its core ingredients, just like the prayer, fasting or zakat. And, just like them, it applies to every sane adult Muslim, male or female. They are all commanded to make the journey to the House of Allah in the moussem of Hajj once in their lifetime if they have the capacity to do so. Allah says, 

وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حَجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا

the translation of which is, “Hajj to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all mankind – those who can find a way to do it.” This condition of capacity applies with all the five pillars – you only have to say the shahada if you have the capacity to speak, you only have to do sajda, standing and ruku in the prayer if you can physically do so without causing yourself harm, you only have to fast if you are strong enough and you only have to give zakat if you have a level of excess wealth above the nisab for a full year. But Allah mentions specifically with respect to the Hajj, because the difficulties associated with it are far greater than the difficulties associated with any of the other pillars. The journey is long and often arduous, and the financial outlay daunting, especially in this day and age when a majority live hand to mouth. In the past, people would be away from their families and friends for as much as a year, travelling overland and oversea, braving the elements and the threat of robbers. People made sure their affairs were completely in order before setting out, knowing that they might not come back.
Now the physical side of the journey is much easier, but the financial side has been placed out of the reach of many. Costs associated with the trip have become prohibitive and the limited availability of visas too has prevented many who wished to go from making the trip. If you find yourself in this position, do not despair. You have not left a pillar unfulfilled because that pillar has not fulfilled the conditions to be obligatory on you. Your deen is no deficient. The Hajj only becomes obligatory on you in this day and age when all three aspects of capacity are met. 
That you are physically able and strong enough to make the journey. If you desperately ill and frail, you need not go even if it might be your last chance to do so. 
That you can financially afford to get there, survive while you are there, and get back without getting yourself into debt or leaving those who depend upon you, such as a wife, parents or children, with insufficient funds to live while you are away. If your finances do not stretch that far, then you do not have to go, and indeed it might be reprehensible for you to go.
That you obtain the hajj visa. Now, this condition is not one that you will find in the books of fiqh, but it is part of the existential reality of the world in which we live. Without this visa, no matter how much money or how strong you are, you will not be let past the border. If you have applied and been denied, then you will have not met the condition of capacity and you will not have fallen short in your obligation.
Women should also be aware that the Saudi authorities will not let them into the country without a mahram, i.e. a close male relative, or a husband accompanying them. They say this is part of the fiqh, but in reality it is puritanism and overzealousness on their part, and unfair to a large segment of the Muslim community. When a similar ruling was made in the presence of Aisha, she rejected it out of hand, saying,

ما كلهن من ذوات محرم

“Not all women have mahrams!” In other words, no one should be prevented from fulfilling one of the great pillars of the deen because of the lack of a certain type of relative. It is simply creating barriers where there are none. This was the position of Malik, although he did stipulate that they had to travel in a group, not alone. He based this on the example of the great Sahaba and the words of the Prophet. As for the example of the Companions, Umar gave permission to the wives of the Prophet to go on hajj under the protection of Uthman and Abdarrahman, neither of whom were related to them. And as for the words of the Prophet, he said to Adi ibn Hatim,

فإن طالت بك الحياة لترين الظعينة لا زوج معها ترتحل من الحيرة حتى تطوف بالكعبة لا تخاف إلا الله

“If you live long enough, you will see women travelling in their howdahs without their husbands, coming all the way from al-Hira in Iraq to do tawaf of the Kaba, fearing nothing but Allah.” In other words, the reason for women having to travel with their husbands or mahrams was due to a lack of safety. But if the roads were made safe, then they no longer had to do so. This is the fiqh, but unfortunately we must abide by the Saudis’ rules as long as they control the haramayn. So any women desiring to go should be aware of this and take steps accordingly.
We ask Allah to enable to complete and fulfil this great part of his deen and give us the capacity to do so. We ask Him to give us firm unwavering intentions, and put a completed hajj in the scales of all those who intended to go but never found themselves able. For it is by their intention that people are ultimately judged, and one person who has not made the journey and done the rites may have a more acceptable hajj with Allah than another who has.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته. 

If you rank among those who have been granted the capacity and fulfil all the conditions we have mentioned, then do not delay. Apply now and keep on applying until you are accepted. Exhaust every possibility and try every door. For hajj is wajib ala-l-fawr according to the great alim of Madina, that is to say, “obligatory immediately as soon as its conditions are fulfilled.” The Prophet said, 

تَعَجَّلُوا إِلَى الْحَجِّ يَعْنِي الْفَرِيضَةَ فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَا يَدْرِي مَا يَعْرِضُ لَهُ

“Hurry to do your Hajj (when you have the means), for you never know what will happen to you (i.e. to prevent you going in the future).” This is an opportunity granted to you by Allah to fulfil one of the pillars of his deen. And by spurning such opportunities, you are opening yourself up to kufr and the wrath of Allah. For Abu Umamah narrated the Prophet said,

من لم يمنعه عن الحج حاجة ظاهرة او سلطان جائر أو مرض حابس فمات ولم يحج فليمت إن شاء يهودياً شاء نصرانياً

“If anyone not prevented by illness, or obvious need, or a tyrannical ruler, fails to perform hajj, he might as well die a Jew or a Christian.” This is quite a warning, so do not let the petty concerns of this world stand in your way when the time comes. Put them to one side and hurry to the House of Allah. Place yourself at His service completely and you will have success. Follow in the footsteps of your Messenger and his Companions and all those who have followed them in guidance in every age. Go where they have gone, do what they have done, and say what they have said. And gladly and joyously fulfil its pillars and obligations.
View it as an opportunity and a means of getting closer to your Lord and closer to your fellow believers. Do not waste a moment while you are there. Every act is rewarded 100,000fold. You can make great headway on the path to Allah.
See only good and never bad, no matter what you are confronted with. For if you start to see bad, all you will see will be bad and you will get nothing from your hajj. It will consume and absorb all your time and energy, and your constant state will become of disapproval – the behaviour of the guards, the encroachment of all the ugly skyscrapers onto the haram, the jostling and shoving, the preponderance of people taking selfies as they do tawaf around the House of Allah. Ignore them, do not let them bother you. Instead, concentrate on where you are, why you are there and who you are visiting. Nothing else matters.
You are the guest of All-Merciful, and are immensely privileged to have been invited to His House. It is a gift beyond compare, no journey you will ever undertake will ever have such significance and meaning. Your life has reached his pinnacle, you have fulfilled the fifth and last pillar of your deen. You are a complete human being.
And you have entered the ultimate bath house. Every wrong action is washed from your heart and body until not a single one remains. You become as blameless and unblemished as a newly-born baby. You do not return home in the same state or with the same worries and concerns weighing you down, but rather as a renewed and reinvigorated being, better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. The Prophet said,

من حج البيت فلم يرفث ولم يفسق خرج من ذنوبه كيوم ولدته أمه

“If anyone performs Hajj and keeps away from sexual intercourse and wrong action during it, then all his wrong actions will be washed away so he will be like the day his mother gave birth to him.”
We ask Allah to purify all of the Hujaj and all those who remain behind. We ask Allah to accept the Hajj of all those who go this year, and safeguard them throughout their journey. And bring them back from it refreshed and revitalised, ready to do all that is necessary to put His deen back in place. We ask Him to reunite the hearts of the Muslims through this Hajj and heal the divisions that have formed. We ask Him to make whole what has been broken and restore this Muslim umma to its former glory. And we ask Him to grant victory to all those who are fighting and struggling in His Way and keep them safe from His enemies. We ask that He grant victory to His deen and thwart the plots and machinations of those who reject Him.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.