PREPARATIONS
When it comes to Hajj or Umrah, many people fail to make the
necessary spiritual preparations before they take off. As a result, they lose
the effectiveness of their acts of worship – and in some severe cases, Allah
knows best – perhaps might actually do more harm than good to themselves – and
what a waste that would be!
In the context of Hajj and Umrah, Allah Commands us in the
Qur’an –
“وَتَزَوَّدُوا
فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ ۚ”
“So make your preparations and provision – but (know, that)
verily, the best of provisions are that of Taqwa (God-consciousness)” (Surah
Al-Baqarah, verse 196)
When it comes to making the preparations for these acts of
worship, many people emphasize on the ‘physical’ aspects of the preparation –
the packing and “what-to-brings”, the physical health, the logistics
arrangements – and the Fiqh aspects of the Rituals.
And yes, this is all good – in fact this was commanded by
Allah to make preparations for as per the Verse above – but the most important,
the BEST preparations before going – are the spiritual aspects of our
preparations, to build our Taqwa.
What the pilgrims should be most concerned about is “how to
ensure my acts of worship are accepted?” – How can I best make sure that these
acts are most Pleasing to Allah?
Because at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it
really doesn’t matter how comfortable or how convenient your trip was, how good
were the facilities, or how well you resolved the physical challenges and
difficulties there : what matters is whether your acts of worship – especially
your Hajj and Umrah – are accepted!
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“الْعُمْرَةُ إِلَى
الْعُمْرَةِ كَفَّارَةٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَالْحَجُّ الْمَبْرُورُ لَيْسَ لَهُ
جَزَاءٌ إِلاَّ الْجَنَّةُ”
“(Performing) Umrah from one to another Umrah is an
expiation (means of forgiveness of one’s sins) for whatever comes in between –
And an accepted Hajj (Mabrur) – has no reward other than
Paradise (itself)!” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
“مَنْ حَجَّ لِلَّهِ
فَلَمْ يَرْفُثْ وَلَمْ يَفْسُقْ رَجَعَ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ"
"Whoever performs Hajj sincerely for the sake of Allah
and does not have sexual relations with his wife, and does not do evil or sins
then he will return (after Hajj free from all sins) as if he were just born”
(Al-Bukhari)
Clean slate - With all your good deeds intact..!
So here insha Allah I’ve compiled a list of mandatory
spiritual preparations that one should make, prior to performing Hajj and/or
Umrah. This is first and foremost a reminder for myself and the steps I
personally commit to take towards this great journey, and finally to share it
with others.
If you know of family or friends who are going any time soon
– may this be of benefit for you.
It’s interesting to note that the common mindset is that
people go to Hajj expecting that they will “change” after that. But in fact, based
on these instructions, the best thing to do is to “change” BEFORE going for Hajj
to get the best out of it – build our taqwa.
There are many many different good deeds that one can do
towards building one’s Taqwa – but based on my experience and the combined
advice from different scholars and books, these are what I feel are the top 5
things that should be given due priority.
If we look at it holistically per the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, Hajj and Umrah is really an amplification of who we REALLY are
as a Muslim between ourselves and Allah. Now you are here, in Makkah, in
Madinah – you’ve set aside your resources and time purely for the sake of Allah
: away from the burdens of responsibilities of your job, your household chores,
your family, with no WiFi in the masjid either – just you and Allah - with
hundreds of thousands – or millions – of other pilgrims around you from all
ages, cultures and backgrounds in one place with the same mission.
Now what…?
Bismillah, here it is – 5 spiritual preparations for your
Hajj and Umrah.
#1 – FOLLOWING THE RIGHT GUIDANCE
If there was only one – the BEST – piece of advice that I
have been given, and that I would like to share with others, is ALWAYS live with this golden rule:
At every turn, every juncture, every act of worship, every
conversation, every potential disagreement, every meal, every inconvenience –
ask yourself:
“What would the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
do in this case?”
It’s such a simple thing to do – yet perhaps the most
comprehensive and practical. WAllahi if all the pilgrims were to adopt this
rule, we would have such a blessed, blissful and amazing Hajj and Umrah
experience.
This golden rule – “What would the Prophet ﷺ
do?” should come from firstly, the perspective of “how” to perform your act of
worship. How to perform your Prayers, your Tawaf, your Sa’ee – in accordance to
how he taught it. When it comes to Fiqh, there’s so much difference of opinion
and disagreements these days that sometimes one gets so drowned in these
pointless debates that one has lost track of the actual objective : at the end
of the day, our objective – is to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet. Even the
great imams such as Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Ash-Shafi’ee would say “whenever
a hadith is authentic, that is my mazhab”. At the end of the day, despite their
disagreements and different conclusions: their objectives are the same and clear
for all – They are all achieving to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet. But the
context of how they received their evidences and how they understood the
evidences, and the reliability of their sources at that time – may differ.
This is also especially important in protecting yourself
from doing any pointless acts of worship which are actually innovations
(bidaah) in the religion.
The Prophet said, “مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ”
“Whomsoever performs an act of worship other than our
practice (our teachings), it is rejected” (Narrated in Sahih Muslim)
If it is rejected – don’t waste your time. It is ironic that
sometimes people go to great lengths to do certain acts which are not
sanctioned in the shari’ah – but there are so many virtuous deeds in the
shari’ah which are far easier!
So don’t go with the mindset that “I heard this ustaz say
this” or “this shaykh said this” – the primary criterion of our deeds to be
accepted is : “Is it in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet?”
Also don’t get caught up with long speculative discussions
on “What is the rationale of this act?”
The rationale for all acts of worship is – “Because that is
what Allah and the Prophet taught us: and, because Allah is the All-Wise,
All-Knowing Creator, decreed that that is what is BEST for us, for our life in
this world and Hereafter – even if we may not immediately understand its wisdom
and physical benefits”.
Brothers and sisters, Allah told us the simple Criterion of
Success – Obedience
“وَمَنْ يُطِعِ
اللَّـهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا”
“And whomsoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then verily
he has achieved a great success” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:71)
“It is not (befitting) for a believer, man or woman, when
Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter - that they should have any
option in their decision.
And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed
strayed in a plain error.” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:36)
Equally important is to apply this rule of “What would the
Prophet ﷺ do?” from the perspective of attitude and good character – when
it comes to patience in putting up with others, in guarding our tongue, in thankfulness,
in being charitable, in talking with our family members while we are there, in
interacting with potentially rude people there – always ask, “How would the
Prophet ﷺ react here?”
The Prophet said, “Verily I have only been sent to perfect
good character” (Narrated in Muwata Malik) – the entire objective of Islam as a
whole is the perfection of good manners and attitude.
Although extremely crucial throughout the performance of our
Hajj/Umrah, this rule is really something that should be applied in our
everyday lives and not just when we’re in Mekkah or Madinah.
Of course this implies studying the Prophet’s daily
activity, his mannerisms and interaction – and the qur’an itself.
So BEFORE you go, apply this in your every day lives, get
used to the mindset – and once you’re there it becomes second nature.
#2 GUARD YOUR TONGUE
Perhaps the #1 leading cause of destruction when it comes to
Umrah or Hajj.
My father once shared during his experience in Hajj, during
the time of Wuquf – undeniably the most important part of Hajj, where pilgrims
are to make their supplications – some of the pilgrims, after a while of making
du’aa, they got bored – then “lepak ramai-ramai” at the coffee shop, and
started talking politics. Slanders, criticisms, gossips, unfound rumours,
character assassinations – a guaranteed recipe to destroy your good deeds.
But it doesn’t stop there. Almost every trip I have been
there, there’s always some reason that people have to insult how (insert
negative comment here) this “Pak Arab” is, this travel agent, that mutawwif,
that hotel staff, that one asking for sadaqah, that obnoxious person in the
group, that “wahabi”, etc.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do you know who the bankrupt person
is?
The truly bankrupt person is the one who will come on the
day of judgment with his (good deeds from his) Prayers, fasting and charity,
(but) because he abused others, slandered/defamed against others, unlawfully
devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others;
so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those
(whom he wronged).
If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their
sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell)
Fire". (Muslim)
Imagine that – after all that money, time and effort spent –
if one were to end up shortchanged and come back with nothing!
Stick to this simple rule: The Prophet said,
“وَمَنْ كَانَ
يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ”
“.. and whomsoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let
him speak what is good – or remain silent!” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
When it comes to speech, you have two choices – say what is
good – or just shut up. Such a simple way of life yet many of us fail to
implement.
On the upside, Hajj and Umrah is also a great opportunity to
meet sincere people who want to do good – thus presenting opportune moments to
give good advice, say positive things and brighten up their day and increase
their motivation for being steadfast worship. Our words can have profound
impact on ourselves and others – so choose wisely. The Prophet ﷺ said
" إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ
اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً، يَرْفَعُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ، وَإِنَّ
الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا
بَالاً يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ "
“A slave (of Allah) may
utter a word which pleases Allah, without giving it much importance, but
because of that Allah will raise him to degrees (of reward);
a slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which
displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be
thrown into the Hell-Fire." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
So before you go off, prepare yourselves by minding your
words very carefully, and don’t waste time by useless and non-beneficial talks
which can reduce your rewards – in and out of hajj. (Yes, political news : I’m
referring to you)
#3 DEVELOP YOUR PATIENCE
Whilst performing hajj and umrah, there is very high
likelihood that you will come across situations that will test your patience –
to varying degrees. From the quality of services and facilities, the
inconveniences, the weather, the circumstances, the crowds, to the different
unpredictable behaviors of others – sometimes even your own family members will
show a different “side” to them when you’re there.
Instead of thinking of them as external nuisances “ruining”
your Hajj/Umrah, have a paradigm shift think about all of these as part and
parcel of the Hajj itself - your own personal tests which Allah had Tailor-made
for you, while you’re there. The degree of reward varies in accordance to its
difficulty, and Allah will Never burden a person beyond what he can bear.
إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ
وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
“Verily, he whom has taqwa and is PATIENT – verily, Allah
will never allow to be lost, the deeds of those who do their deeds with
excellence” (Surah Yusuf, verse 90)
So really start off with “PATIENCE MODE” on way before you
depart; starting this with our home and those closest to us. What normally
annoys or angers us, withhold as much possible – train yourselves to save up
those huge “bags of patience” which you will really need to cash out when you’re
out there.
The Prophet said,
“لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ،
إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ”
"The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by
his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in
anger." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
#4 MAKE LOTS OF DU’AA AND DZIKR – IMPROVE YOUR CONNECTION WITH ALLAH
If one were to really look at the acts of Hajj and Umrah,
from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
there really isn’t all that much specific rituals. In fact, even when it comes
to the specific rituals – such as tawaf (circumambulation around the Ka’bah) or
sa’ee (walking back and forth between the mount of Safa and Marwah) – the
Shari’ah has left it free for the Pilgrims to perform the specific acts of
worship – make any du’aa (supplications), perform any dzikr (words of
remembrance), recite any part of Qur’aan, that is convenient to you as you
wish.
The PROBLEM happens if, when one goes and one doesn’t
prepare oneself in this aspect.
Unfortunately, for many people, dzikr and du’aa becomes a
ritualistic act which they say “amin” to the imam, or from pre-made “scripts”
and “texts” which sometimes we don’t even know what they mean – devoid of the
spirit of du’aa – a sincere and beloved communication between a slave with his
Lord.
Hajj and Umrah presents many opportune moments in which our
du’aa, suppliations and prayers have greater chance of being immediately
accepted and responded to by Allah.
What tends to happen is that when they have those opportune “mustajab”
moments to make du’aa – after a while, they don’t know what to do! They get
bored, they run out of “texts” to read from.. and it becomes a tired exercise
of just waiting… to get from one place to the next.
And, as a Hajj course instructor once shared with us, at
this point, many people, instead of looking for “hajj Mabrur”, they look for “hajj
Marlboro”.
Jokes aside, we really should make the best of these
moments. Prepare early on, increase in uttering words of remembrance and
constantly make sincere du’aa from Allah.
Prepare a list of du’aa – what you want to ask of Allah, for
yourself, your family, and your friends – and even the Muslim ummah as a whole.
Instead of “saving this list for Hajj”, implement these du’aa immediately –
once you’re there, perhaps more idea will come: keep them coming!
As the poet once said,
“the creation Allah – when people request and ask of him, he
gets annoyed.
But as for the Creator – when people stop asking of Him, he
gets angry!”
The Prophet ﷺ said,
"
لَيْسَ شَىْءٌ أَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ”
“There is nothing more noble in the Sight of Allah other
than du’aa (supplication and prayers asking of Him)” (Sahih Hadith Narrated in
At-Tirmidzi)
وَإِذَا
سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ
“When My slave asks of Me, then (tell them), verily, I am
indeed close (to him) : I Respond to the supplication of the one who
supplicates, when he asks of Me..” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:186).
Dzikr are also very powerful acts of worship which many of
us take for granted. So get into the habit of repeating them – there are
specific words of dzikr which were taught by the Prophet (e.g. referenced in
books such as Hisnul Muslim “Fortress of a Muslim”) – memorize them by heart,
utter them habitually in our every day lives – while driving, while cooking,
while waiting for the train, while waiting for our food, etc.
It’s one of the easiest acts of worship to perform – yet also
one of the most virtuous in the Sight of Allah.
وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّـهَ
كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“And Remember Allah (make dzikr of Him) much – so that you
may be successful!” (Surah Al-Juma’ah, verse 10)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“أَلاَ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ
بِخَيْرِ أَعْمَالِكُمْ وَأَرْضَاهَا عِنْدَ مَلِيكِكُمْ وَأَرْفَعِهَا فِي دَرَجَاتِكُمْ
وَخَيْرٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِعْطَاءِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ وَمِنْ أَنْ تَلْقَوْا
عَدُوَّكُمْ فَتَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ وَيَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَكُمْ”
“Should I not inform you of the best of your deeds, and the
purest of them with your Master, and the highest of them in your ranks, and
what is better for you than spending gold and silver, and better for you than
meeting your enemy and striking their necks, and they strike your necks?”
The companions replied – “Of course!”
The Prophet then said,
“ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ
تَعَالَى”
“The Remembrance of Allah,
Most High” (Narrated in Muwatta Malik, At-Tirmidzi, and ibn Majah, graded
hasan)
A man once said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), indeed, the legislated acts of Islam have become too much for
me, so inform me of a thing that I should stick to.”
The Prophet replied,
“لاَ يَزَالُ
لِسَانُكَ رَطْبًا مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ”
“Let not your tongue cease to be moist with the remembrance
of Allah.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidzi and ibn Majah)
Through our constant remembrance and prayers, this will
inevitably make us more conscious of our deeds and indirectly have a positive
effect on our behaviour, reinforcing the first few acts we mentioned
previously.
#5 – EQUIP YOURSELVES WITH THE AUTHENTIC KNOWLEDGE
This may seem like a repeated point from the first, but for
good reason – you will see a whole range of strange practices in Hajj and
Umrah: you will even have ‘guides’ that teach Hajj/Umrah rites which are blatantly
in direct opposition of the Sunnah.
And coming across different parts of the world you will also
most likely be exposed to people performing strange un-Islamic acts of
innovation, from their own respective cultures.
Naturally, if we didn’t equip ourselves with the authentic
knowledge before we take off, we can easily get lost. We lose confidence, we
get disoriented, shaytan will disturb our peace of mind in worship, perhaps
even resulting in us getting into unhealthy disputes and argumentation with
others. All because we didn’t arm ourselves with the right knowledge
beforehand.
It is interesting to note that the many ahadith related to
Hajj of the Prophet are very clear and easy to understand – one can read them
off Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and get a very clear picture on what it’s
all about.
So start off in the sincere pursuit of knowledge, and depart
with confidence and glad tidings of Allah’s Pleasure. The Prophet said,
“مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ
بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ”
“Whomsoever Allah wants good for, He grants him an
understanding of the religion” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, ibn Majah, At-Tirmidzi
and others)
That’s it insha Allah – 5 simple steps to enhance our
spiritual preparation for the Great Journey of Hajj and Umrah.
May Allah keep us steadfast in preparation and may He grant
us the BEST of rewards from our Hajj and Umrah!!
