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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
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| Profession |
A Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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| Subject |
Fatwas on Hajj and `Umrah
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| Date |
Thursday,Dec 15 ,2005
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Time |
Makkah
From...
16:00...To...
17:30
GMT
From... 13:00...To...14:30
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Host
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| Question |
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| Answer |
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| Name |
Amjad
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| Question |
I had performed the Hajj about 20 years ago and now contemplating of doing another time as I am more prepared now. However, the pilgrims quota system imposed discourages repeated Hajj. If there is a chance should I take it at the expense of other people?
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| Answer |
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
No; you are not allowed to break the quota system in order to be approved for hajj. By doing so you are depriving others of their chances to perform Hajj; those who may may never have done Hajj.
Secondly, we are not to do anything un-Islamic or undesirable Islamically, even if it is for Hajj. Hajj, you should know, is an act of worship; the reward for it is dependent on the intention and the right conduct; otherwise, it will not be called a Hajj mabrur (virtuous hajj) which alone will merit rewards from Allah.
So you should never even contemplate such an activity in order to perform Hajj, which is indeed a most noble act of worship.
It is better for you to wait for your turn and do it whenever you are given a chance; if, God forbid, you were never to get it, you still will be rewarded for your intention, for the fault was not yours. Remember Allah rewards us for our good intentions, even if we are prevented from carrying it out because of circumstances beyond our control.
I pray to Allah to grant us rectitude in words and actions-aameen.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Omar
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Respected scholar, what are the basic essentials of Hajj to the first visitor?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Hajj in order to be valid or proper must fulfil the following pillars as well as essentials:
First let me list the pillars (arkan) without which one missese the Hajj altogether; then we will list the essentials.
The pillars of Hajj are: Intention and ihram; standing in the plains of Arafat, performing tawaf al-ifadah and the ritual of sa'y (running) between the hill locks of Safa and Marwah and finally shaving or trimming of the hair.
Although no one doubts the importance of any of the above, the above list is according to the Shafi`ie school; the Hanafis, however, do not consider ihram as a rukn but as a condition for the validity of Hajj, which is the same thing. Hanafis consider shaving or trimming hair not as a pillar but as an essential.
Now coming to the essentials or wajibat, they are the following:
1. Ihram at the prescribed station or prior to reaching there; it must be done during the months of Hajj;
2. pelting the stone pillars'
3. Sacrifice for those who perform tamattu or qiran forms of Hajj; if they cannot afford they can expeate through fasting;
4. Shunning all the sinful activities and all actions and behaviour that may invalidate the Hajj;
5. Tawaf of arrival is essential according to Malikis, although no one denies its importance;
6. Performing Salah of tawaf is essential according to Hanafis but others consider it a Sunnah;
7. Sa`y between the two hill locks is an essential, according to Hanafis, which can be compensated for by sacrifice if a person misses it, but others consider it as rukn.
8. Shaving or trimming of hair is rukn according to shafis; but it is wajib according to the other three imams.
9. Farewell tawaf is essential according to Imams: Abu Hanifah, Shafi`ie and Ahmad, but is Sunnah, according to Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with them all.
10. Spending at least some time during the night in Muzdalifah while returning from Arafat before proceeding to mina
It should be made clear that none of the above mentioned Imams consider any of the above as less important; they are only differing about the precise technicality of describing each of the above mentioned rites.
Finally, while the form of Hajj is important, the spirit and soul of Hajj are also important. They are related to focusing on the inner aspects of Hajj. At the heart of Hajj is remembrance of Allah and readiness to respond to His call, and fulfilling it with a spirit of utter love and devotion. For this I recommend that you read the Four Pillars of Islam by Mawlana Sayyid Abu Hasan Ali Nadvi. May Allah make your Hajj a Hajj mabrur (virtuous Hajj)-aameen.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Hasan
- Nigeria
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My mother-in-law is ill and old. She is not capable to perform her Hajj. So, we decided to send my brother-in-law to perform Hajj on her behalf. He did not perform his Hajj due to financial problems. Is it acceptable?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Ideally, according to all scholars, a person who is performing Hajj on behalf of another person must have done Hajj on his own behalf first. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told some who was intending to perform Hajj on behalf of another relative of his that he should do so on himself first and then another time on behalf of his relative.
Therefore, I suggest you should find another person who has already performed Hajj to do it on her behalf rather than sending your brother in law.
Having said this, however, I must say: It may not be considered haram for your brother-in-law --if he is financially not eligible to do Hajj-- to do it on behalf of your mother-in-law, especially if you cannot find any one else to do it.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Muslima
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I have some loans from my education. If my husband is paying for me to do Hajj, does my loans have to be paid off?
Also, if one has loans, do they have to have them paid off before Hajj or can they be in the process of paying them. Like they are working and are paying the installments monthly and they can still afford to go to Hajj? Or should they use money to pay it off all first before Hajj?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Ideally, we must pay all of the outstanding loans before going for Hajj, for the rights of others have priority before rights of Allah in such a case.
However, if you are seriously thinking and planning to pay off your loans in full, and are taking all the necessary measures for it, and your husband is paying your expenses for Hajj, then you are allowed to do it.
Likewise, if the loans are not due, but they are due in installments, then you can do hajj provided you have paid the installments already due, and you have the means of paying the rest, when they become due.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Mrs. Ali
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If someone has done his obligatory Hajj, can they do Hajj for someone other than parents and can they do Hajj for Prophet Muhammad?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Although we are allowed to do Hajj on behalf of persons other than our parents and close relatives, there is no need for us to do hajj on behalf of the Prophet, upon whom be Allah's choicest blessings and peace. This is not something recommended to do, for there is no known precedent for it in the perfect examples of the pious generations whose examples we are to emulate as best as we can.
You can, however, perform Hajj on behalf of any other Muslim or Muslimah, who may never have done Hajj, or you can simply do it as an extra act of devotion on behalf yourself. Still better, however, you may even donate the money for far more important causes such as helping a poor student, or to help the refugees, etc.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Salma
- Germany
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| Question |
Should a Muslim who has reserved a flight ticket to Hajj go even if he/she suspects that he/she might be infected with bird flu?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
If there is genuine fear of contracting a contagious disease, then definitely you are allowed to cancel the reservation; but mind you you cannot act simply based on mere suspicion, if there are no valid grounds for such a fear.
For once you have made the intention to do Hajj, you should revoke the intention only for a valid reason.
You can also read:
Bird Flu & Putting Off Hajj
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Humairah
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Is it obligatory for a husband to take his wife for Hajj. Or is Hajj obligatory upon each person's own reponsibility? I am talking not only economically but to accompany wife.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), told a person to accompany his wife to Hajj even at the expense of doing voluntary jihad. So it is your spousal obligation to accompany her to Hajj if you can. But if your circumstances do not allow you, then you are excused, and she should find other alternatives such as anotehr blood relation or a group of women accompanied by senior adutls, etc.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Ahmad
- Australia
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Which takes priority going for Hajj or helping people infected with Bird Flu in my neighborhood?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Your priority is helping the people infected with Bird Flu if there is no one else to help them, or there are no sufficient funds for it. In Islam preserving life is a greater priority than Hajj, for Hajj can be delayed in this case.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Ali
- Canada
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I read in one of the live dialogues on IslamOnline.net that one way of protection against Bird Flu is by wearing a mask, but that will cover the face which is not permissible, in this case is it permissible to cover your face while in Hajj?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
If wearing a mask is mandated by medical specialists in a given circumstance for purpose of protection against a reasonable disease, then in that particular case, the ban against covering the face will be lifted. That is an exception; similar exceptions were allowed for certain people by the Prophe (peace and blessings be upon him) because of their special circumstances.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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afaaq
- Pakistan
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student
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| Question |
Is it prohibited to kiss wife during Hajj without any intention of intercourse?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Although it is not at all recommended for you to kiss your wife during the course of Hajj while you are in a state of ihram, I canot say it is totally prohibited-- if you are sure you can exercise control over your desires. This is because invalidating Hajj through sexual intercourse is a serious offence.
So it is better for you keep off the limits set by Allah.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
MAH
- Egypt
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What is the meaning of Hajj?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
The linguistic meaning of the word Hajj in Arabic is to set out with the intention of devotion or reward to a sacred place.
As an Islamic term, it denotes setting out for purpose of pilgrimage to the Sacred House in Makkah in order to perform the specific rites such as tawaf and sa'y and standing at the plains of Arafat, etc.
In other words, Hajj in Islam is the fifth pillar of Islam; it involves undertaking the journey to the Sacred House of Worship in Makkah in order to perform the prescribed rites.
You can also read:
Hajj 1426: A Journey to Allah (Special Page)
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Soheib
- United States
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What should people performing Hajj do before they leave?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
There are certain ettiquettes or manners for the prospective hajis to do before undertaking the journey for hajj:
1. To ensure that their source of income for Hajj is earned through lawful means, and not tainted by haram.
2. To pay off their debts if they are outstanding; otherwise, to make arrangements to pay them off in case he is not able to return home safely.
3. To ensure that his family and dependents are provided with sufficient funds or means to look afterthemselves during his absence.
4. To leave a written will stating his obligations and liabilities and how to fulfil them, in case of death.
5. To ask forgiveness of those whom he may have hurt or offended, for one should undertake this journey with a clear conscience.
6. To educate oneself as best one can with regard to the correct performance of hajj in form and spirit; one of the best books about the spirit of Hajj is the Four Pillars of Islam by Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi.
7. To advise his family to fear Allah and remain steadfast on their deen.
8. Finally, consistently seek rgivenes of Allah and make dhikr a consistent habit.
May Allah make our hearts and tongues supple with His remembrance-aameen.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
mohammed
- Canada
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student
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| Question |
I know that one of the important rituals of Hajj is shaving the head. but can I shave my head during the rest of the year as a regular haircut? I have been trying to find an answer to this question for a very long time.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Shaving the head is much preferred in Hajj, although cutting or trimming the hair is also acceptable. But in normal times, it is preferable to cut the hair rather than shaving it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cut his hair more often than shaving it.
Having said this, however, I must say: there is no sin in shaving the head in ordinary times.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Editor
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| Question |
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| All Fatwas published on this website (Islamonline.net) represent the juristic views and opinions of eminent scholars and Muftis. They do not necessarily form a juristic approach upheld by this website. Click here to read Full Disclaimer. |
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