Virtues of HAJJ and UMRAH

General

• One of the most important of all advices: Safeguard your eyesight. When travelling and especially in Makkah when men and women tend to mix more.
• Protect your women; each woman travelling will have a maHram whose responsibility it is to ensure that no harm comes her way. The worst men are the dayyooth (those who lack ghayrah, i.e. do not care if (non-maHram) men approach their wives, mothers, sisters or daughters) and the worst women are those that flirt.
• Don’t intermingle with the opposite sex (non-maHram), particular those in your group/hotel; this is impermissible under all circumstances… Tour leaders/representatives take note: beware of being over-friendly with the females!
• Seek some necessary ‘ilm (knowledge) from trustworthy sources before going so you can perform your acts of worship independently and with confidence.
• Spread Salâm wherever you go; remember: everyone’s a Muslim in the Haramayn, alHamdulillâh! The lack of greetings is a sign of Qiyâmah.
• Always give precedence to the elderly and help them whenever you can.
• Agree the price before making any transaction to avoid unnecessary disagreement later; situations where this will apply include shopping, having your luggage trolley pushed by persistent airport workers and getting the laundry done via one of the hotel workers.
• Musical ringtones are a no-no; it’s beyond me why so many Muslims cannot comprehend this simple fact. This includes the Nokia tune as well. Change your mobile phone ring tone to the basic “ring ring” tone right now. And, whatever you do, do not answer your phone/talk while doing Tawâf; those who do this are showing scant regard for the sanctity of the blessed place they’re in.
• Don’t take photos; unfortunately, that’s all you see nowadays: Muslims taking pictures/videos of anything or anyone in sight as if they need to prove to the world they were there. My advice: have some sincerity; you are there for Allâh and He doesn’t need you to record anything for He is All-Knowing of everything you do.
• Be patient; you will meet all sorts of characters! You’re bound to come across situations where your patience will be tested; remain calm and don’t lose your temper. That way you won’t regret it later.
• Be friendly; you will meet the most pleasant and interesting of Muslims. Don’t shy away from striking up a conversation. At the very least smile, for that in itself is a virtue.
• Learning a bit of basic Arabic beforehand will prove very handy.
• If you’re a smoker, please try to quit. If you can’t, please limit it to your hotel (room).
• If you get into a taxi, don’t be surprised if one of the side mirrors is missing or the windscreen is cracked; just don’t forget to fasten your seatbelts!
• Some Muslims (more likely in Makkah) might offer you some Naseehah, especially if you make a mistake. Be humble and accept it. If it is within your ability and the situation demands, do not shy away from giving Naseehah but be courteous and respectful.

• Virtues of Hajj

  Hajj, being the fifth pillar of Islam, needs to be performed by every Muslim once in their lifetime so that they may preserve their religion. But why is Hajj such a big deal for Muslims to perform, and why is it referred to as the Journey of a Lifetime? In this section Hajjplans.com will look deeply into both the virtues and conditions of performing such an important pillar of Islam.
  
  The Virtues
  The virtues of Hajj are many and those who have performed Hajj are indeed aware of the spiritual contentment and uplifting experience such an act plants in the hearts of mankind; forever. The Prophet Muhammad (S) has spoken endlessly on the virtues of Hajj throughout his lifetime. We at Hajjplans.com have broken down a few of the mentioned virtues from the Prophet Muhammad (S) below along with the proper references from the Hadeeth.
  
  1. The act of Hajj is amongst the best deeds one can perform when pleasing Allah (swt). This is known from the saying of the Prophet (S) when his companions asked him about the absolute best deed in the eyes of Allah. The Prophet replied "Belief in Allah and His Messenger." Then he was asked: "what else?" He said, "striving and struggling for the sake of Allah" Then he was asked: "what else?" He said, "a Hajj, which is free from vice - accepted and complete." [Agreed upon, Bukhari & Muslim]
  2. The ones who perform Hajj, in its proper and complete form, has all their past sins forgiven from Allah and they return to their homes as a newborn comes into this world; sinless. The Prophet Muhammad (S) said "Whoever performs Hajj to this house - Ka'bah- and does not commit any obscenity and wrongdoing, he, or she, will come out as the day he, or she, was born - pure and free from sins." [Agreed upon, Bukhari & Muslim]
  3. The reward for completing a Hajj and having it accepted is nothing less than Paradise itself. The Prophet Muhammad (S) said "An 'Umrah is a means of expiation of sins committed between it and the next and a Mabroor Hajj - complete and accepted - has no reward for it but Jannah." [Agreed upon, Bukhari & Muslim]
  4. When performing Hajj, we are known as the guests of Allah (swt) and will be fully taken care of by Him (swt). The Prophet Muhammad (S) said "The people performing Hajj or 'Umrah are the guests of Allah. If they ask Him something He answers them and if they ask him forgiveness He forgives them." [Related by an-Nassaa'i, ibn Maajah, ibn Hibbaan and ibn Khuzaymah]
  5. One who sets forth and leaves for Hajj is in the state of a pilgrim till he/she reaches back home, and therefore remains a guest of Allah (swt) throughout the entire journey until he/she returns home. The Prophet Muhammad (S) said "When you meet anyone who has performed Hajj, greet him, shake hands with him, and beseech him to pray for the forgiveness of your sins before he reaches his home, for he is in the state that decision of forgiveness has been taken for him (and it is confidently expected that his supplication will be accepted)." [Musnad Ahmed]
  
  These are just some of the virtues mentioned about Hajj. Indeed the virtues of Hajj are priceless to any Muslim and it is therefore referred to as the Journey of a Lifetime.

  Virtues of Umrah

Let us start with the virtues of Umrah in order to truly understand the immense amount of impact the journey has on one’s spiritual state. The Prophet (S) has related various ahadeeth about the great blessings and rewards of performing Umrah throughout one’s life. We at Hajjplans.com have taken amongst the strongest sayings of the Prophet (S) and compiled them into one easy-to-read summary of the different virtues, each with a proper reference from the books of Hadeeth.

1. The act of Umrah is known to cleanse one’s soul from past committed sins. It is advised to do Umrah more than once in your lifetime so that it can act as a washing of the sins from the last time one performed Umrah. Abu Hurairah (R) narrates that the Prophet(S) said, ‘An Umrah to another Umrah will be redemption of sins for whatever (minor) occurs between them.’ (Bukhari, Muslim).
2. Performing Umrah also protects one from poverty since they are there solely for the sake of Allah(SWT) spending their wealth and time in completing the deed. Ibne Mas’ood (R) said that the Prophet (S) said, ‘Follow up the Hajj and Umrah, because they certainly remove poverty and sins as fire separates the impurities from iron, gold and silver.’ (Tirmidhi, Ibne Khuzaimah, Ibne Hibbaan). Also Umar bin Khattab (R) said that Nabi (SAW) said, ‘Follow up between the Hajj and Umrah, because certainly succession between the two of them increases the life span and dispels poverty and sins as fire removes impurities.’ (Baihaqi)
3. Like Hajj, the act of Umrah is amongst the best deeds one can perform when pleasing Allah (swt). Allah (SWT) loves those who strive in his path in hopes of pleasing Him alone and Umrah is an act in which Allah (SWT) considers the pilgrim to be answering His call. Ibne Umar (R) narrates that Prophet (S) said, ‘The warrior in the cause of Allah, the pilgrim and the one who is performing Umrah are all the delegation of Allah. He called them and they responded and they will ask of His bestowals and He will give it to them.’ (Ibne Majah, Ibne Hibbaan)
4. In the blessed month of Ramadan, the reward of performing Umrah is equal to that of performing Hajj with the Prophet (S). On many different occasions, the Prophet (S) has told his companions that performing Umrah in the blessed month of Ramadan has rewards which are equal to performing Hajj with the Prophet (S) himself. In one Hadith, a women heard that the Prophet of Allah (S) was going for Hajj and had asked her husband to allow for her to go with the Prophet (S). Her husband said to her, ‘I do not possess a conveyance with which I can carry you upon.’ She said, ‘Take me on such and such a camel of yours.’ The husband said, ‘that is held up in the path of Allah.’ The man then went to Nabi (SAW) and said, ‘My wife conveys her Greetings to you and she has asked me to carry her on hajj with you.’ I told her, ‘I do not have something to carry her upon.’ She then told me to carry her upon such and such a camel of mine.’ I told her that it is kept in the path of Allah.’ Nabi (SAW) told him, ‘If you carried her upon it for Hajj, it will still be in the path of Allah.’ She also told me to ask you (SAW), ‘What equals a Hajj with you O Nabi of Allah? Nabi (SAW) said, ‘Convey my greetings to her and inform her that Umrah performed in the month of Ramadhaan is equal to Hajj performed with me.’ (Abu Dawood). In another Hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (R), Umm Sulaim (R) came to Prophet (S) and said, ‘Abu Talha and his son have both went for Hajj and they left me.’ The Prophet(S) said, ‘O Umm Sulaim, Umrah done in Ramadhaan equals Hajj done with me.’ (Ibne Hibbaan). And finally, amongst the strongest hadith in this regard is the one related again by Ibn Abbas in which he said he heard the Prophet (S) say ‘Umrah performed in the month of Ramadan will equal (in rewards) to that of Hajj or Hajj performed with Me (SAW).' (Bukhari, Muslim)
5. Another absolutely breathtaking virtue of Umrah is that if one passes away in their journey of Umrah, the reward for them is Jannah. ‘Aisha (R) said that the Prophet (S) said, ‘Whoever leaves his home only for the purpose of Hajj or Umrah and he dies, nothing will be presented to him nor will he have any accountability on the day of Reckoning and it will be said to him, enter into Jannah.’ (Tabraani Baihaqi)

Virtues of Umrah