10 Things To Know Before Doing Hajj or Umrah
Hajj is [during] well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of iúram], there is [to be for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj. And whatever good you do — Allah knows it. And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O men of understanding! — Quran 2[Al-Baqarah]:197
Glorified and Exalted is Allah above all His creations. May His endless blessings be showered upon the best of mankind — Muhammad peace be upon him. We ask Allah to accept all our acts of worship in the just concluded month of Ramadan. May we be among those who have been forgiven and emancipated. Ameen! As to what follows, this will be our first Jum’ah Nugget after Ramadan 1443H and we’d touch on an important aspect of our faith as Muslims — pilgrimage.
The journey to the holy land in Makkah is one of the obligatory pillars of Islam. Hajj is the fifth pillar and one which requires you to travel away from your comfort zone. Umrah on the other hand is similar to hajj but with lesser rites. Allah’s Apostle peace be upon him had performed umrah previously before observing his only famous hajj — the farewell pilgrimage. So if you don’t have adequate funds for hajj yet, I’d recommend you go for umrah, and when you get there ask Allah to bless you to make hajj.
In this piece, in sha Allah we’d examine ten things to look into before embarking on the journey. As Allah ordained, I was blessed with an opportunity to perform Umrah this Ramadan. I’m not mentioning this for show-off — may Allah save me from that. This is only for an illustrative purpose as many of the thoughts are based on experience and I hope some of our brethren will find this beneficial ahead of their journey. Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty…
- Make preparations for the journey: There’s a need for one to be well prepared ahead of this trip. The travel check here is not all about packing food, medications, and appropriate clothes alone. It starts with a good intention — knowing that you’re going there to worship The Lord of the worlds. Let this be your primary focus and nothing else should be done unless that mission is accomplished. It’s highly recommended that you do a medical checkup and be cleared that you’re physically fit. This is a rigorous act of worship that requires mental alertness and physical wellness. Above all, the best preparation is piety as mentioned in the verse quoted above.
- It’s a call from Allah, answer appropriately: Know that hajj/umrah is a call from Allah and only those who are called get the opportunity to make it. A brother narrated his story that he’s always had the money but never had the time. Another mentioned that he’s been trying to make it down for five years until now. So if you’re blessed to be here, then take advantage of this and do what’s required of you adequately. Don’t join the ‘selfie gang or IG live crew’ who put themselves online while doing acts of worship.
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. — Qur’an 6[Al-An’am]:126
3. Have basic knowledge of what you’re about to do: This act of worship isn’t child’s play as it is one of the most energy sapping. It’s quite unfortunate that many people solely rely upon their travel agents for guidance on how to perform these obligations. Learn how to perform the rites, know the supplications to recite, wear your ihram at the miqaat and don’t wait for anyone to spoon-feed you before embarking on the journey. If you don’t do the right act appropriately, it may result in a penalty against you.
4. Have good companions: This can not be over-emphasized and it starts with you choosing the right agent to help with facilitating your trip. I traveled with Hajj Miqat from Nigeria and the service was not only exceptional but excellent. Besides, we planned the trip with one of my affable buddies so this also helped a lot. He’d always wake us up early and go to the haraam, encourage us not to give up visiting the Rawdah until we entered there to pray, and even led people through the Umrah rites. May Allah bless and reward Abu AbdulBarr. This was why Allah’s Apostle explained this with a good parable:
Abu Musa reported: The Prophet, peace, and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, the similitude of a good company and a bad company is only that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk will give you some perfume, you will buy some, or you will notice a good smell. As for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell.” — Mutaffaqun Alayhi
5. Humble yourself this isn’t a tourism trip: This act of worship breaks the barrier of class. You’re encircled by the richest of the rich and the ones who are barely on an average standard of living. We saw presidents of great nations in Ihram circumambulating the Ka’bah. The point here is that you shouldn’t expect a rosy luxurious trip. It’s an opportunity for you to humble yourself before your Creator.
6. Exhort yourself in patience: You might experience some discomfort in the cause of your journey. Hospitality service might not be at its best, transportation could be hectic and sometimes the pilgrims will annoy you as well. Do not lose your head in these instances but remain focused as the goal is golden and worth the trouble. Hence, have beautiful patience O prospective pilgrim!
Narrated Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah, peace, and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever would be patient, then Allah will make him patient. There is no gift that is better and more comprehensive than patience. (Bukhāri)̄
7. An opportunity for accepted dua’: The haram in Makkah and the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah are two sanctuaries and holy sites for accepted prayers. Imam Abu Hanifah mentioned that the first glance at Kabba is the most powerful time for dua acceptance. There are several other places for accepted whispers including the mataaf, hatim, safa and marwah, rawdah, after drinking zam-zam water, and many more. The most important thing is to seize the opportunity to supplicate to your Lord for indeed dua’ is accepted in this holy land.
8. Connection with Allah and Islamic heritage: Except if you’re not answering Allah’s call indeed, then you may not feel the connection with Allah upon making hajj/umrah. There’s this feeling of tranquility and security when you’re in the haram — sanctuary. Barely seeing the Ka’abah in real life should give you goosebumps. Giving salaam to the prophet will make you feel emotional. Hearing your favorite reciters lead you in salat is nothing short of amazing.
9. Reminder about Death: If there’s nothing you’d go back home with, be sure you’d remember that death is real and near. For every solah that you observe in the haram, there’s a dead body waiting to be prayed upon. At times, it’s even children or pilgrims as well. Also, visiting Al-Baqi’ and Uhud reminds you of death as well. May Allah have mercy on the companions and the generality of the Muslims who have preceded us.
10. Have a positive mindset: As Muslims, we are meant to be an optimist who often sees the glass as half full. Be positive when it comes to everything that has to do with this journey. Even if everyone is going through hardship in fulfilling their obligations, tell yourself you’d complete your task with ease. Do not attract yourself to negativity and don’t allow pessimists to discourage you.
That’s it in sha Allah, I hope you found it beneficial in some ways and I pray that Allah accepts all our acts of worship in Ramadan. May He save us from Shirk, kufr and riyaa.
Yaumul Jum’ah 5th Shawaal 1443H//Friday May 5th, 2022.
PS : Success comes only by the will of Allah! If you find this piece beneficial, it’s by Allah’s Grace. It’s no scholarly work and we accept our mistakes. Suggestions are welcomed in making this effort better as well. You are free to share by any means for enlightenment purposes. Kindly give a “click-clap” to enable other readers on Medium to see this post. We ask Allah to keep us guided and steadfast upon the right path. We hope you’d read from us again next time in sha Allah!
PSS — Appreciation:
I’d like to appreciate many of us following the publication. A lot of people were concerened about the continuity of the Daily Ramadan Reminders. My sincere apologies for not completing it as intended. It’s just as Allah destined that we couldn’t publish beyond Day 24. The rigorous scale of events, internet, and Medium limiting mobile writing mode were factors that led to a halt. We ask Allah to accept the ones done as worthy acts, forgive where we err and make it beneficial to our readers.
