The Pillars and Obligations of Hajj

The Tenth Topic

The Pillars and Obligations of Hajj

The pillars of Hajj:

The pillars of Hajj without which Hajj is not valid are four:

1. Ihram: the intention of entering the Hajj. The place of intention is the heart, and it is not permissible to utter it—one does not say “O Allah, I intend to perform Hajj for myself or for so-and-so.” No act is valid except with intention, as evidenced by the hadith of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: “Actions are but by intentions, and every person shall have only what he intended.” (1)

The time of ihram for Hajj: begins with the entry of the month of Shawwal—from the sunset of the last day of Ramadan the permissibility of ihram for Hajj begins, as Allah

said: ﴿فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي ٱلۡحَجِّۗ﴾ […nor wickedness, nor quarreling in the Hajj.] (Al-Baqarah 197) and the months of Hajj are: Shawwal, Dhul-Qa‘dah, and ten of Dhul-Hijjah. Ihram is entered from the five places of ihram, already mentioned and explained.

2. Standing at ‘Arafah: as Allah Most High said: ﴿فَإِذَآ أَفَضۡتُم مِّنۡ عَرَفَٰتٖ فَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلۡمَشۡعَرِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۖ﴾ [And when you press on from ‘Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash‘ar al-Haram.] (Al-Baqarah 198) and from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ya‘mar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I witnessed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when some people came and asked him about the Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The Hajj is ‘Arafah; whoever catches the night of ‘Arafah before dawn rises on the night of Jam‘, his Hajj is complete.” (1)

The time of standing at ‘Arafah: begins at the sun’s zenith on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) only stood at ‘Arafah after the zenith—from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: “When the sun passed its zenith, he ordered al-Qaswa’ to be saddled for him; it was saddled, and he came to the bottom of the valley and addressed the people… then he rode

al-Qaswa’ until he stood at the standing place.” (1) And from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, who said: ‘Abd al-Malik wrote to al-Hajjaj not to oppose Ibn ‘Umar in the Hajj. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came on the day of ‘Arafah—while I was with him—when the sun passed its zenith, and he called out at al-Hajjaj’s pavilion. He came out wearing a saffron-dyed wrap and said: “What is it, O Aba ‘Abd al-Rahman?” He said: “Depart, if you want the Sunnah.” He said: “At this hour?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Give me time to pour water over my head, then I will come out.” He went down until al-Hajjaj came out and walked between me and my father. I said: “If you want the Sunnah, shorten the sermon and hasten the standing.” He kept looking at ‘Abdullah; when ‘Abdullah saw that, he said: “He spoke the truth.” (2)

The standing at ‘Arafah ends: with the rising of the second dawn on the tenth day (the Day of Sacrifice), by consensus (3), as also shown by the hadith of ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ya‘mar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I witnessed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when some people came and asked him about the Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The Hajj is ‘Arafah; whoever catches

the night of ‘Arafah before dawn rises on the night of Jam‘, his Hajj is complete.” (1)

The place of standing: all of the sacred site of ‘Arafah—all of ‘Arafah is a place of standing; wherever the pilgrim stands in it, his Hajj is valid. From Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both): the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “I stood here, and all of ‘Arafah is a place of standing.” (2)

3. Tawaf al-ifadah: also called the tawaf of Hajj and the tawaf of visitation—it is tawaf around the House. The evidence that it is a pillar is His saying, Most High: ﴿وَلۡيَطَّوَّفُواْ بِٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلۡعَتِيقِ﴾ […and perform tawaf of the Ancient House.] (Al-Hajj 29) and from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: Safiyyah bint Huyayy menstruated after she had performed the ifadah. ‘A’ishah said: I mentioned her menstruation to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Is she going to detain us?” She said: I said: “O Messenger of Allah, she has already performed the ifadah and made tawaf of the House, then menstruated after the ifadah.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Then let her depart.” (3) The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying “Is she going to detain us?” is proof that the ifadah tawaf is an indispensable pillar—otherwise it would not have been a cause of detaining them from leaving

Makkah and returning to their countries. That is why, when ‘A’ishah told the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that Safiyyah had performed the ifadah tawaf, he permitted her departure.

The time of tawaf al-ifadah: begins after standing at ‘Arafah and staying at Muzdalifah, as Allah Most High said: ﴿ثُمَّ لۡيَقۡضُواْ تَفَثَهُمۡ وَلۡيُوفُواْ نُذُورَهُمۡ وَلۡيَطَّوَّفُواْ بِٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلۡعَتِيقِ﴾ [Then let them complete their prescribed rites, fulfill their vows, and perform tawaf of the Ancient House.] (Al-Hajj 29) and the completion of the tafath (cleansing rites) and the fulfillment of vows only occur after standing at ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah. Its earliest time is after midnight of the tenth for one who spent the night at Muzdalifah. The Sunnah is to perform tawaf in the forenoon of the tenth day.

As for its end: it has no fixed time—if he performs tawaf on the twelfth, thirteenth, or fourteenth, and so on, there is no harm. 4. Sa‘i between al-Safa and al-Marwah, as Allah Most High said: ﴿إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلۡمَرۡوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِۖ فَمَنۡ حَجَّ ٱلۡبَيۡتَ أَوِ ٱعۡتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيۡهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَاۚ﴾ [Indeed al-Safa and al-Marwah are among the rites of Allah; so whoever performs Hajj to the House or ‘Umrah—there is no blame upon him for walking between them.] (Al-Baqarah 158) and from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Then he commanded us—meaning the Prophet (peace be upon him)—on the evening of Tarwiyah to enter ihram for Hajj; when we finished the rites we came and made tawaf of the House and between al-Safa and al-Marwah, and

our Hajj was complete, and the hady was upon us. (1) And from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) established the tawaf between them, so no one may abandon the tawaf between them.” (2) And in a narration, ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “Allah does not complete the Hajj of anyone, nor his ‘Umrah, who does not make tawaf between al-Safa and al-Marwah.” (3)

The time of sa‘i:

For the qarin and the mufrid: its time begins for them after the arrival tawaf—it is Sunnah for them to perform it after the arrival tawaf before the day of ‘Arafah, and permissible to delay it until after the day of ‘Arafah, performing sa‘i after tawaf al-ifadah. For the mutamatti‘ and the one who stayed at Muzdalifah: its time begins after standing at ‘Arafah, staying at Muzdalifah, and tawaf al-ifadah—so he performs sa‘i after tawaf al-ifadah. The Sunnah is to perform sa‘i after tawaf al-ifadah in the forenoon of the tenth day.

As for its latest time: it is like tawaf al-ifadah—there is no limit to its end.

Note: A condition of sa‘i is that a rite tawaf precede it— such as the arrival tawaf, tawaf al-ifadah, or the farewell tawaf. If he performs sa‘i without a preceding tawaf, his sa‘i is void and invalid.

The obligations of Hajj:

The obligations of Hajj are seven: 1. Ihram from the miqat deemed by the Sharia, as evidenced by the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): a man stood in the mosque and said, “O Messenger of Allah, from where do you command us to enter ihram?” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The people of Madinah enter ihram from Dhu’l-Hulayfah, the people of al-Sham from al-Juhfah, and the people of Najd from Qarn.” (1) And in a narration, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded the people of Madinah to enter ihram from Dhu’l-Hulayfah, the people of al-Sham from al-Juhfah, and the people of Najd from Qarn.” (2) And in a narration, from Zayd ibn Jubayr: he came to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both)

at his residence, where he had a pavilion and tent, and asked him: “From where may I enter ihram for ‘Umrah?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) designated Qarn for the people of Najd, Dhu’l-Hulayfah for the people of Madinah, and al-Juhfah for the people of al-Sham.” (1) 2. Standing at ‘Arafah until sunset for whoever stands by day; for the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood there until the sun set, and he did not permit the weak to leave ‘Arafah before sunset as he permitted them at Muzdalifah—although the need existed at ‘Arafah likewise. This proves the obligation to stand there until sunset, combining day and night. As for whoever stands by night and did not stand by day, the briefest standing suffices him and nothing is upon him—per his (peace be upon him) saying: “The Hajj is ‘Arafah; whoever comes on the night of Jam‘ before dawn rises has caught the Hajj.” (2) 3. Staying the night at Muzdalifah on the night of the Festival of Sacrifice until after midnight for whoever reaches it before midnight; whoever arrives after midnight—the briefest stay suffices him, and he may leave thereafter.

The evidence for the obligation of staying at Muzdalifah: His saying, Most High: ﴿فَإِذَآ أَفَضۡتُم مِّنۡ عَرَفَٰتٖ فَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلۡمَشۡعَرِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۖ﴾ […remember Allah at al-Mash‘ar al-Haram.] (Al-Baqarah 198)

and the evidence that its time extends until dawn: the hadith of ‘Urwah ibn Mudarris al-Ta’i, who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever catches this prayer with us and came to ‘Arafat before that, by night or by day, his Hajj is complete and he has completed his tafath.” (1) And the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent the heavy baggage and the weak ahead at night before dawn from Muzdalifah to Mina— from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: “I was sent ahead—or: the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent me ahead—among the heavy baggage from Jam‘ by night.” (2) And from ‘Abdullah, the mawla of Asma’, from Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both): she stayed the night of Jam‘ at al-Muzdalifah and stood to pray—she prayed for a while, then said: “My son, has the moon set?” I said: No. She prayed for a while, then said: “My son, has the moon set?” I said: Yes. She said: “Then depart.” So we went on until she stoned the jamrah, then she returned and prayed fajr at her camp. I said to her: “It seems to me we went too early.” She said: “My son, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) granted a concession to the camel-litters (al-zu‘un).” (3)

And from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, who said: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to send ahead the weak ones of his family; they would stand at al-Mash‘ar al-Haram in al-Muzdalifah by night, remembering Allah as long as they could, then return before the imam stood and before he departed—some of them reaching Mina for the fajr prayer, and some reaching it after that. When they arrived they stoned the jamrah, and Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) granted a concession to those.” (1) The Sunnah is to stay at Muzdalifah until dawn, pray fajr there, and remain until it is very bright— this being the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as will come later. 4. Stoning Jamrat al-‘Aqabah alone on the Day of Eid, and stoning the three jamarat on the days of Tashriq at their times, as evidenced by the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s action: he stoned the jimar on the Day of Sacrifice and on the days of Tashriq, and said: “Take your rites from me.” (2) 5. Shaving or shortening for men, and shortening only for women, as evidenced by the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him)

arrived in Makkah, he commanded his Companions to make tawaf of the House and between al-Safa and al-Marwah, then exit ihram and shave or shorten.” (1) And the hadith of Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), in which it is: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded his Companions to make it an ‘Umrah, make tawaf, then shorten and exit ihram.” (2) And from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Shaving is not upon women; only shortening is upon women.” (3) 6. Staying the nights at Mina during the days of Tashriq, which are the nights of the eleventh and twelfth for one who hastens; whoever delays adds the night of the thirteenth. Evidence of the obligation is the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for permission to spend the nights of Mina in Makkah because of his duty of providing water to the pilgrims—“and he permitted him.” (4) Were the stay not obligatory, al-‘Abbas would not have needed to ask the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s permission; and were it not obligatory, permission would not have been granted to al-‘Abbas alone apart from others, other than the shepherds.

And it is established from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab that he said: “Let no pilgrim spend the nights of Mina beyond al-‘Aqabah.” (1) 7. The farewell tawaf, which is waived for menstruating and postpartum women—it is not obligatory upon them, and they do not perform it. It is evidenced by the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: “The people were commanded that their last contact be with the House, except that the menstruating woman was excused.” (2) And in a narration, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “People used to depart in every direction, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘Let no one depart until his last contact is with the House.’” (3) These are the obligations of Hajj, which the pilgrim must perform; whoever leaves one owes a fidyah of a sheep, or a seventh of a badanah, or a seventh of a cow—slaughtered in Makkah and given to its poor people.

The rest of the acts and sayings of Hajj, as will come in the description of Hajj: are Sunnahs the pilgrim should perform as much as he is able: such as the arrival tawaf, going to Mina on the Day of Tarwiyah, staying the night of ‘Arafah there, idtiba‘, ramal in their places, kissing the Stone, the adhkar, the supplications, and ascending

al-Safa and al-Marwah.