Hajj’ is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah, a sacred city in Saudi Arabia. It is a profound spiritual journey undertaken by millions of Muslims worldwide to seek reflection, devotion, and forgiveness from Allah (SWT). Hajj is obligatory on every sane Muslim adult who, after meeting the necessities of life, as well as meeting the obligatory expenses of his family, has enough surplus money to cover the necessary expenses of Hajj (staying there and food, etc.) and travel. It became compulsory to perform Hajj in the 9th Hijri. Prophet Muhammad’s “farewell pilgrimage” took place in 632 AD.
The condition of being physically and financially capable to perform Hajj is called ‘istita’ah’, and the Muslim who is able to do so is called ‘mustati’. Hajj in Arabic means “to take part in the journey,” which signifies both the outward act of travel and the inner function of intention. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with Shahadah, Salah, Zakah and Sawm.
As you prepare for this life-changing experience, remember that your duas (supplications) play a crucial role and the rituals that are needed to be followed in order to perform Hajj. This will be discussed in detail
How To Perform Hajj?
Hajj rituals are performed in five days. It begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and ends on the 12th. Dhul Hijjah is the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Detailed below are the steps one should follow to perform Hajj:
Intent (Niyyah) and ihram
The very first step of Hajj is to make a pure intention (Niyyah) and to enter ihram. There are certain duas to recite at the beginning of journey to Hajj:
Dua for leaving home:
بِسْمِ اللهِ، تَوَكَّلْـتُ عَلى اللهِ وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قُـوَّةَ إِلاّ بِالله
Bismillāhi tawakkaltu ‘ala l-lāhi wa lā ḣawla wa lā quwwata illā bi l-lāh
In the name of Allah, I have placed my trust in Allah, and there is no power or might except by Allah. (Abu Dawud)
Du’a before Entering Ihram:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أُرِيْدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرْهَا لِيْ وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّيْ
Allāhumma innī urīdu l-‘umrata fa yassirhā lī wa taqabbalhā minnī
O Allah, I intend to perform Umrah, make it easy for me and accept it from me.
Before crossing the Miqats (designated boundary points), pilgrims wear the Ihram, consisting of two unstitched white sheets for men. A woman’s Ihram has no limitations of color but it should be loose in fitting and should cover her entire body. Similarly, in the state of Ihram, women can wear socks, gloves, etc., although it is forbidden for a woman to cover her face in the state of Ihram, but it is also necessary to wear a veil. It is better for a woman to put a hat on her head and wear a niqab so that it becomes a veil and the cloth does not cover her face.
Tawaf & Sa’i
Pilgrims then perform tawaf, which involves circling the Ka’bah in an anticlockwise direction seven times reciting the ‘Talbiyah’.
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayka allāhumma labbaik, labbaika lā sharīka laka labbaik, inna l-ḣamda wa n-ni’mata laka wa l-mulka lā sharīka laka
I am present! O Allah I am present! There is no associate with You. I am present! All praise and grace is due to You, and the dominion. There is no associate with You! (Muslim)
After doing Tawaf seven times, one should pray two rak’at between Maqam Ibrahim and the Ka’bah, and then drink the ‘Zamzam’ water.
Lastly, perform ‘Sa’i’, which refers to walking between two mounts, Safa and Marwaa, back and forth seven times, According to Sunnah, on reaching the top of both Safa and Marwa, the pilgrims need to recite this dua three times:
إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِاللَّهِ. أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللَّهُ بِهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ، أَنْجَزَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ
‘Innas-Safaa wal-Marwata min sha’aa’irillaah. ‘Abda’u bimaa bada’allaahu bihi.(1)Allaahu ‘Akbar.(2)Laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa Huwa ‘alaa kulli shay’in Qadeer, laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaahu ilahaahu, ‘anjaza wa’dahu, wa nasara ‘abdahu, wa hazamal ‘ahzaaba wahdahu.(3)
Translation – Whenever the Prophet (SAW) approached Mount Safa, he would recite: “Surely Safa and Marwah are among the signs of Allah. I begin by that which Allah began”.(1) Then he began (his Sa’y) at Mount Safa climbing it until he could see the House (Kaaba). He then faced the Qiblah repeating the words: “Allah is the Most Great, Allah is the Most Great, Allah is the Most Great”.(2) Then he said: “None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, Who has no partner, His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things. None has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, He fulfilled His Promise, He aided His slave, and He alone defeated Confederates “.(3) Then he would ask Allah for what he liked, repeating the same supplication three times. He did the same at Mount Marwah as he did at Mount Safa. [Muslim 2/888].
In addition to this, the pilgrims can also make their own supplications in between each time, and can recite any prayers or supplications of their choice during Sa’i.
Mina
Mina is a small village located five or six kilometers away from Makkah. The town is also known as the “City of Tents.” Pilgrims stay in the city’s tents on their first day and night after departing from Makkah. In this second Hajj rite, pilgrims offer both obligatory and voluntary prayers throughout the course of the day and night. These tents are well- equipped with amenities.
Arafat
On the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, pilgrims start their journey from Mina to Arafat. The distance from Mina to Mount Arafat is 12.9 kilometers. The Day of Arafat is considered one of the most important days and Mount of Arafat is called ‘Mount of Mercy’ or ‘Jabal al Rahmah’, in Arabic.
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) delivered his last sermon at the time of Hajj on Mount of Arafat. Here, Muslims mostly make Istighfar and supplicate to Allah. They offer two prayers (Dhuhr and Asr), this is called ‘wuquf’.
Du’a during Arafah:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa l-lāhu waḣdahū lā sharīka lahū lahu l-mulku wa lahu l-ḣamdu wa huwa ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr
There is no God but Allah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the dominion, to Him all praise is due, all goodness is in His hand, He grants life and death and He has power overall things. (Al-Tirmidhi)
Muzdalifah
After the sunset, the pilgrims then move towards Muzdalifah, where the pilgrims will spend the night under the stars to offer their prayers and supplicate. Moreover, they begin collecting 49 pebbles here for the next day’s rites.
Nahr and stoning the devil (Rami)
The 10th of Dhul-Hijjah is Eid al-Adha, celebrated by Muslims around the world. On this day, after leaving Muzdalifah, the pilgrims arrive back in Mina before dawn to perform the first rami (throwing seven pebbles at the largest of three columns known as ‘Jamarat al-Aqaba’).
Derived from historical custom, this ritual marks the symbolic stoning of the devil. Muslims believe that Prophet Ibrahim’s son’s sacrifice was instructed by Allah as a proof of his faith. It is believed that the devil made an appearance at this location in Mina and attempted to convince Prophet Ibrahim not to follow the instructions. In response, Prophet Ibrahim scared him away by throwing stones.
The act of throwing stones is repeated for the next two days, pelting the three pillars using seven pebbles each in order by starting with: Jamarat al-Ula (the small pillar), then Jamarat al-Wusta (the second/middle pillar) and finally, Jamarat al-Aqaba (the third/large pillar).
Additionally, pilgrims should offer an animal sacrifice, or ‘nahr’ within the boundaries of ‘Haram’. A lamb or a camel would be appropriate, and the flesh would be given to the less fortunate. Pilgrims have two options: they can make their own sacrifice or purchase sacrifice coupons or vouchers that indicate the sacrifice has been made on their behalf.
Halq or taqsir
Upon completion of rami, the 12th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the men can shave their heads (halq) or trim their hair (taqsir). Women can trim their hair by the length of a fingertip.
Farewell Tawaf
The pilgrims can then take off their ihram garments following the farewell tawaf. After that, all the restrictions of Ihram will be removed except for establishing a marital relationship with the wife, the wife will be lawful after Tawaf-e-Ziyarat or farewell tawaf, now she should open Ihram and wear sewn clothes and come to Makkah and perform Tawaf-e-Ziyarat, this Tawaf is obligatory.
In case, if after putting on the Ihram of Hajj, one did not perform the Sa’i after the Nafili Tawaf, then he should perform the Sa’i after the Tawaf of the Pilgrimage, then return to Mina, stay in Mina during the night, get up in the morning (i.e. the morning of the eleventh of Dhul-Hijjah). After the sunset, starting with the first pillar of the devil following the sequence of order and throwing seven pebbles separately, then make du’a at one side. Repeat with the second devil in the same way by hitting seven pebbles and make a du’a at a distance.
Then throw seven pebbles at the third Satan and come back without praying, spend this night also in Mina, in the morning (i.e. the morning of the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah), then after sunset, throw seven pebbles at the three devils in the same way. Anyone who wants to return to Makkah can leave, and if he stays in Mina until the dawn of the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah, then he will also have to perform the rami (throwing pebbles at Satan) on the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
Before returning home, a lot of pilgrims also stop in ‘Madina’, the second-holiest city in Islam. Although Madina is not included in the trip, it is thought to be the location of Prophet Muhammad’s burial place, along with that of his closest companions
References:
https://thepilgrim.co/what-are-hajj-and-its-9-significant-rituals/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/21/what-is-hajj-a-step-by-step-guide-to-the-muslim-pilgrimage
https://thepilgrim.co/list-of-hajj-duas/
https://hajjumrahplanner.com/umrah-guide/
https://zamzam.com/blog/saee-in-umrah/
https://muslimhands.org.uk/latest/2019/08/a-list-of-essential-duas-for-hajj-and-umrah
