Hajj…the required religious duty… the duty that every Muslim man and woman wants the most and thinks is the best way to worship. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and it has been very important in the history of Islam. Hajj is very important to Allah SWT and His messenger PBUH. Prophet SAW said that people who do hajj are as clean of sins as babies who have never done anything wrong. Every Muslim who is healthy and has enough money must go on Hajj once in their life. In the Quran, Allah SWT said, “And Hajj to the Kabah is a duty that all people owe to Allah, if they can pay for it” (3:97). Allah made hajj one of the five most important parts of Islam, which shows how important it is. Hajj is very important but if you cannot afford the Hajj then you can perform the Umrah by booking the Affordable Umrah Packages.
Importance OF Hajj
The importance of hajj in the Quran: Allah SWT talks about the importance of hajj in different Sorahs. Some verses that show how important hajj is are given below.
“And tell everyone about the hajj. They will come to you on foot and on every slender camel. They will come from all over the world to perform hajj. (22:27)
“We have made the shrine (The Holy Kabah) a place where people can gather and feel safe. You can use the shrine to Abraham as a place to pray. We give Abraham and Ismail the power to do this: “You will clean my house for those who come to visit, live there, and bow down and nod.” (2:125)
“They ask you what the moon looks like! Say, “They give people a way to tell time and decide when Hajj will happen.” It’s not good to dance around the issue. The only way to be righteous is to keep the commandments and be honest. You must obey God so that you can be successful. (2:189)
“It is not wrong for you to ask your Lord for help. When you leave Arafat, you must continue to honour God at the holy site (of Muzdalifah). You will remember that He helped you find your way when you were lost before. You and the other people who file will ask God for forgiveness at the same time. God is the One Who Forgives the Most. Once you’ve done your rites, you’ll keep remembering God just as well as you remember your own parents, or even better. Some people would pray, “Our Lord, give us morality in the next life and keep us from the punishment of Hell.”
“The ridge of Safa and Marwah is one of the things that God has told us to do. Anyone who does Hajj or Umrah doesn’t do anything wrong by travelling the distance between them. If someone does more good things on their own, then GOD is Thankful and All-Knowing. (2:158)
“Oh, you believers! You shouldn’t kill game while you’re in the state of ihram for pilgrimage. If you do, you’ll have to bring an animal that can be eaten to the Kabah that’s the same size as the one you killed, as decided by two fair-minded people among you, or you’ll have to feed a poor person or fast for the same amount of time to make up for what you did. Allah has forgiven what was done before, but whoever does it again will get what’s coming to him. And Allah is all-powerful and all-capable of justice. (5:95)
From the above Quran verses, it’s easy to see how important Hajj is. In return, Allah SWT gives great rewards both in this life and the next.
Importance of Hajj in Hadith: The Prophet SAW only did one Hajj during His life. He (PBUH) made it a JIHAD for women, children, the elderly, and the weak to go on hajj. Many hadith about hajj talk about how important it is. Here are some hadith about hajj:
Ibn e Umar R.A. said that the Prophet of Allah PBUH said, “Islam is built on five pillars: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad SAW is the Messenger of Allah, subsidising regular prayer, paying Zakah, going on Hajj, and fasting during Ramadan.” (Al- Bukhari 8; Muslim 16)
“Abu Hurayrah RA said that the Prophet PBUH was asked what the best action is. He said, “Belief in Allah and His messenger”. Then what? he was asked. He said, “Jihad for Allah’s sake.” Then what? he was asked. He said, “It was a good Hajj.” (Al-Bukhari 26; Muslim 83)
Abu Hurayrah RA said that Allah’s Messenger SAW had said, “Umrah makes up for the time between it and the last Umrah, and a successful Hajj is rewarded with nothing less than Paradise.” (Al-Bukhari 1683, Muslim 1349)
Ibn e Umar RA said that Hazrat Muhammad SAW said, “Whoever fights for Allah’s sake and whoever goes on Hajj or Umrah is a guest of Allah. He called them, and they answered. They asked Him for things, and He gave them. (Ibn e Majah 2893)
Abu Hurayrah RA said that he heard the Prophet PBUH say, “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not have sexual relations, sin, or fight unfairly during Hajj, will come back clean as the day his mother gave birth to him, without sins.” (Muslim 1350, Al-Bukhari 1449)
The Messenger of Allah told the people, “O people, Allah has told you to do Hajj, so do Hajj.” A man asked, “Does this happen every year, O Prophet of Allah?” He doesn’t say anything until the man has said it three times. Then he says, “If I say yes, you won’t be able to do it. Then he said, “Don’t push me to tell you more than what I’ve already told you. Those who came before you were destroyed because they asked too many questions and argued with their Prophets.” “If I tell you to do something, do as much as you can, and if I tell you not to do something, don’t do it.” (Muslim 1337)
Abu Hurayrah RA said that the Prophet SAW gave a sermon in which he told the people, “O people, Allah has told you to do Hajj, so do Hajj.” (Muslim 1337)
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn e Masood RA said that the Prophet PBUH said, “Keep doing Hajj and Umrah, because they wipe out poverty and sin just as the bawl wipes out dirt from iron, gold, and silver.”
From all of these Hadith, we can get a good idea of how important Hajj is. It helps us get rid of our sins, and in return, Allah SWT rewards pilgrims. Whoever does it with a pure heart and only for Allah Almighty’s sake will have his Hajj accepted by Allah. Amen.
