What is Hajj? Posted by Arabic language teaching online

 

Hajj (pilgrimage) is one of the five pillars of Islam, and is the worship of the Supreme Creator both in body and property. However, the spiritual side of the Hajj is more important than the physical one: pure intention, sincerity of heart, renunciation of all previous sins, dua (prayer), tuba (repentance) and istifar (cry for forgiveness) - make the Hajj perfect, bring the believer closer to Allah, who forgives all sins. Arabic language teaching online has  a mission to guide the students.

he Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever performs the Hajj for the sake of Allah and refrains from bad words and attitudes, will return as pure from sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth."

The word "hajj" is translated as "pilgrimage". But literally it means "effort." The believer, fulfilling one of the obligatory precepts of Allah, makes a great effort, surrendering himself to the will of the Creator. According to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), an impeccably performed Hajj is the best zeal for a believer. It makes it possible to experience a semblance of the Day of Judgment, liberates from nafs (passions), strengthens faith, and cleanses the soul and heart from everything sinful.

Hajj acquired the status of compulsory worship nine years after the Prophet Muhammad performed the Hijra (resettlement) in Radiant Medina in 622. The obligation of the Hajj is proclaimed both in the Holy Quran and in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Thus, the Almighty Creator indicates: “... People are obliged before Allah to perform the Hajj to the House (Kaaba) if they are able to make this path. If someone does not believe, then Allah does not need the worlds. " (surah "Al-Imran"; 97)

 

   The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also clarified that the Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, saying: “Islam was established on five pillars. This is a confirmation of the unity and oneness of Allah and the prophetic mission of Muhammad, performing namaz, paying zakat, performing Hajj and observing fasting in the month of Ramadan. “The legend from Abu Huraira says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), addressing Muslims, once said: “O people! Allah has entrusted you to perform the Hajj as a farz, so try to do it. "

Hajj is obligatory worship of the Creator, farz-ain (individual duty). Anyone who is able to do this should perform this worship. Hajj is a farz only once in a lifetime. One day a Sahab named Aqra bin Harris asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whether it was obligatory to perform the Hajj every year, to which he replied: “He is a farzah only once in his life. The one who is perfect above this performs the Hajj - nafil. " It is a farzah to perform the Hajj in the year when the opportunity to perform it appeared. It was said by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Hurry to perform the Hajj: after all, none of you knows what can interfere with him." There are conditions under which the Hajj becomes mandatory.

 

The person must be:

 

1)     Muslim

2)     Reasonable

3)     Adults

4)     Free

5)     Must be financially secure. Funds must be earned in a halal (authorized) way.

6)     Healthy

7)     The path to Hajj must be safe

8)     With regard to a woman, there is one condition: she must perform the Hajj accompanied by her husband or relative, the degree of kinship with whom does not allow marriage with him. If she does not have such a person, then she should not perform the Hajj in accordance with the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Do not allow a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to go on a journey that will take one day, otherwise accompanied by a close relative”.

9)     Widowed or divorced women who wish to perform the Hajj must wait for the iddah (the period of time during which a woman after the death of her husband or divorce is not allowed to remarry). In the event of the death of the husband, this period is 4 months and 10 days, in the case of divorce - 3 months.

10) You need to perform the Hajj at the set time. It is said in the Qur'an: “Hajj is performed in the prescribed months” (Surah “Al-Bakara”; 197) After the Hajj becomes obligatory, it is impossible to skip it without good reason. Hajj is performed to sacred places for every Muslim: Kaaba, Mecca, Medina. The Kaaba is the House of Allah (Baytullah), where the first man and prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) worshiped his Creator. The meaning of the Kaaba, as a sacred temple for all Muslims, is established by the Koran and Sunnah. Allah said: “Indeed, the first house that is erected for people is the one that is in Bek (Mecca). He was erected as a blessing and guidance for the worlds "(Surah Al-Imran; 96)" Allah made the Ka'ba, the Protected House, and also the forbidden month ... "(Surah Al-Maida; 97)

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once said about the Kaaba: “This House is the support of Islam. A person who goes to him with the aim of performing Hajj or 'die, Allah, great and glorious, promises paradise if He calls him down before returning home; reward and profit - if you return it back unharmed "

 

  Over time, the Kaaba collapsed; the temple disappeared from the face of the earth. Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) together with his son Ismail, at the behest of the Almighty, rebuilt it. “Here We showed Ibrahim (Abraham) to the place of the House (Kaaba): “ Do not attach anything to Me as a companion and cleanse My House (Kaaba) for those who make a detour, stand prayers, bow down and prostrate themselves ”(surah“ Al- Hajj "; 26)

 

   Muslims turn to the Kaaba during prayer, millions of them annually make pilgrimages to it. The Kaaba is located in the blessed city of Mecca. Mecca has about 50 names, some of them are mentioned in the Quran: Safe City, Mother of Cities, Safe Sanctuary, Protected Mosque, etc. In Surah of the Quran "At-Tin" Allah Almighty swears: "I swear by the fig tree and the olive! By Mount Xining! I swear by this safe city! " (surah "At-Tin"; 1 - 3)

 

  By choosing Mecca as the subject of his oath, Allah showed how important it is to Him. In Mecca, the first people - Adam and Eve - lived and repented of their sin. Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) settled his family in this sacred place: “Here Ibrahim (Abraham) said: “Lord! Make this city safe and keep me and my sons from worshiping idols. Our Lord! I have settled part of my offspring in a valley where there are no cereals, at your sacred house. Our Lord! Let them perform namaz. Fill the hearts of some people with love for them and give them fruits - perhaps they will be grateful "(Surah Ibrahim; 35-37)

 

  The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born and lived in Holy Mecca, and the first Muslims were his Sahaba (companions). Here the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) received the first and many subsequent revelations of the Almighty. Peaceful conquest of Mecca by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after years of difficult struggle for the establishment of the religion of monotheism meant the complete victory of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forgiving even his most vicious enemies, entered the Kaaba, broke all the idols and performed 2 rakah prayer in the House of Allah, saying: "The truth appeared and the lie disappeared" (surah "Al-Isra "; 81). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) loved his hometown very much. According to hadiths, forced to leave Mecca in 622 and resettled in Medina, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no better city than you and more beloved by me. And if your inhabitants had not expelled me, I would not have begun to live elsewhere. " Mecca is the birthplace of the religion of Islam. It contains its main shrines: the Kaaba, the Al-Haram mosque, the Zam-Zam spring, the As-Safa and Al-Marwa hills. And not far from the holy city are the Mina and Arafat valleys. During the Hajj, pilgrims visit another shrine - the city of Medina, where in 622, pursued by the Quraysh, the Messenger of Allah moved from Mecca (performed hijra). The people of Madina met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions (Sahaba) enthusiastically, gave them their property, housing and began to be called ansaras, i.e. assistants. In Medina, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) founded a mosque, which began to bear his name. In the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), pilgrims perform namaz and visit his grave. Indeed, during his earthly life, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:"Who will visit me after my death is the same as visiting me during my lifetime!"

 

Medina before Hijri was an ordinary city and was called Yasrib. She became Medina al-Munawwara (Radiant Medina) thanks to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he said: “... As Ibrahim made Mecca al-Mukarram a forbidden city and performed dua to achieve this, so I made it forbidden the city of Medina al-Munawwara ...”The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Medina safe. Allah Almighty mentions Medina three times in the Qur'an, in the suras "Al-Munafikun" and "At-Tuba". Medina is a holy city for Muslims. Here is the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) - "al-Masjid al-Nabawi" - the second most important after the Forbidden Mosque in Mecca. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Prayer in my mosque is preferable to a thousand prayers in any other, except al-Masjid al-Haram. Prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is preferable to one hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque. ”Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) highly appreciated Medina, expressing his love to her. He addresses the Great Lord:"O Allah, make us love Medina as much as we love Mecca, or even more! O Allah, grant Medina twice as much grace as you gave her to Mecca. "

 

Visiting Medina is not a prerequisite for performing the Hajj, however, by visiting it, a Muslim shows the deepest respect for the city of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his mosque. For every believer, visiting the holy places is a godly deed. After all, Allah said: "... Whoever honors the holy things of Allah, he acts for his own good before his Lord ..." (Surah "Al-Hajj"; 30) If you want read Quran then click on Arabic language teaching online.