In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful…
Allaah says, addressing the Jews and Christians – an important admonition that Muslims are required to also heed and live by:
يا أهل الكتاب لا تغلوا في دينكم
“O people of the Book! Do not go overboard in your religion!” [1]
His Messenger (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said:
إياكم والغلو فإنما أهلك من كان قبلكم الغلو
“Be warned against ghuluww (religious excessiveness), since that which destroyed the people who came before you was ghuluww!” [2]
To help fulfill this Prophetic order, this series of brotherly reminders highlights some everyday manifestations of religious excessiveness that Muslims may commonly fall into, so that we can be on guard against them and warn others of them.
Overplanning Hajj
Hajj is a one-time obligation on all adult Muslims, those who have the ability to perform it – both physically and financially.
Many people plan for a two-week trip for Hajj, staying in expensive hotels and traveling to Madeenah and other places before or after the Hajj. All of this is fine for people who have the time and can afford it.
However, Hajj is obligatory on anyone who could request as little as a week off of their job, while they could afford the basic 5-day trip and stay at a meagre hotel in Makkah, without going to Madeenah or anywhere else. This package costs a mere fraction of the two-week trip mentioned.
Real Everyday Example
Let’s say a Muslim man who hasn’t made Hajj yet has saved $2,000 and he could possibly request a one-week vacation from his job, but no more. If he refrains from making Hajj because he would prefer the $5,000 two-week package being offered through some travel agents, then perhaps he may end up never making Hajj, while he had the ability, both physically and financially. The only thing that prevented him from making Hajj was his own religious excessiveness!
He could possibly have to face Allaah on the Day of Judgment with a severe act of negligence in his record, one that prevented him from completing one of the five basic pillars of Islaam!
The Solution
Shun the excessiveness, plan a no-frills basic Hajj as soon as you are able, to fulfill your Islamic duty as a Muslim. Then, if Allaah makes it easy for you in the future, plan a longer trip that includes a nice hotel stay and lots of time to visit Madeenah before or afterwards. But make sure you take care of your basic Islaamic duty to perform Hajj when you are able.
Of course, some Muslims, due to their ignorance of religious matters, go far beyond the scenario mentioned. Some of them make it binding upon themselves to stay in Madeenah for a set number of days, considering this part of the Hajj. This is an innovation that must be shun. And Allaah knows best.
Written by: Moosaa Richardson
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Soorah an-Nisaa’ (4:171)
[2] Collected by Ahmad (1/215), an-Nasaa’ee, Ibn Maajah, and others. Al-Haakim (1/466) graded it saheeh (authentic) according to the conditions of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See: Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah (#1283).
JazaakAllaahu khayra. Many Muslims (atleast in the Indo-Pak subcontinent) believe that one has to pray 40 prayers in Madeenah based on a weak/fabricated hadeeth without which they feel Hajj is not complete. Others believe they have to go to the Prophet’s grave (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) otherwise Hajj won’t be accepted. Some even believe that when we are travelling so far they might as well go to Madeenah – as if it is a picnic! Some Shia even combine Hajj with visits to Yemen, Shaam, Iraq & Iran! Almost 2 months! Some Brailwees (Sufis) have started copying them and combine visit to supposedly Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani’s grave in Iraq! WAllaahul Musta’an.
On another note below is the link to Scholarly explanations of the ayat and hadeeth that are quoted in the article
http://salafiyyah-kuwait.blogspot.in/2011/12/protecting-oneself-from-shaytaan-and_15.html (translation by our brother Aboo Sufyaan Uthmaan Beecher)
Some Americans used to think that visiting the pyramids in Egypt (which are actually graves) was part of Hajj!
As salaamu alykum. This will be very helpful for the poor muslim who can’t afford the 6000 and 7000 hajj package. It is very difficult to have a hajj package for 5 days, even salafi agents don’t have such simple package. May Allah guide us all to the truth. This is a beneficial reminder. May Allah reward our brother Musa with khair in this life and the hereafter. Ameen.
as-salaamu alaikum,
Every travel agency that I’ve come across thus far in USA have economy packages that starts off at $4,000. Is there any way around this? I certainly need to fulfill this pillar but not sure how to go about getting it done economically. Can we obtain our own Hajj visa, book our own flight & hotel or all of this must be coordinated by the travel agencies only? Please advise.
Baraka Allah feek!
Wa alaykis-salaamu wa rahmatullaah. We’ll leave that question for those who know about Hajj travel arrangements from the US. While the general understanding of the article still applies – If $4k is the cheapest available Hajj package, then there must be packages out there for $6-8k or more.
Assalam Alaikum. If someone was poor and Hajj was not obligatory on him, but a kind rich Muslim sent him for Hajj on his expense, then later in life that poor person became rich, would he have to perform Hajj again? Someone said that the first Hajj would not count as his obligatory Hajj, because it wasn’t obligatory on him in the first place, and if he gets rich later in life, he would have to perform it again. What is the ruling in this case? May you be rewarded with good.