Returning home after Hajj
The dua for arriving back in one's own city, praying at the first mosque, and what an accepted Hajj should change afterwards.
Coming home after Hajj has its own small acts of worship too, right up until you walk through your own front door.
Arriving home
- As you get close to your own city, say the dua of returning.
- Let your family know you are coming, so they can come out to greet you.
- When you reach the first mosque in your city, pray two rakats there.
- When you step into your own home, say the dua for that too.
- Pray two more rakats inside your home, as a thank-you for arriving safely.
اٰمِنُونَ تَائِبُونَ لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ
Āminūna tā'ibūna li-rabbinā ḥāmidūn.
We return in peace, turning in repentance to our Lord, and offering praise.
تَوۡباً تَوْباً لِرَبِّنَا أَوۡباً لَا يُغَادِرُ عَلَيْنَا حَوۡباً
Tawban tawban li-rabbinā awban lā yughādiru ʿalaynā ḥawbā.
We return to our Lord in repentance, hoping for a state of purity free from any remaining sins.
A few final acts of worship accompany the journey home, from approaching one's own city to settling back into one's own house.
On arriving home
- Recite the dua of return when your own city comes into view.
- Send word ahead to your household so they can come out to welcome you.
- On reaching the first mosque in your city, pray two rakats there.
- On entering your home, recite the dua for that moment.
- Pray two rakats of Tahiyyat al-Manzil (the greeting of the house) once inside.
اٰمِنُونَ تَائِبُونَ لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ
Āminūna tā'ibūna li-rabbinā ḥāmidūn.
We return in peace, turning in repentance to our Lord, and offering praise.
تَوۡباً تَوْباً لِرَبِّنَا أَوۡباً لَا يُغَادِرُ عَلَيْنَا حَوۡباً
Tawban tawban li-rabbinā awban lā yughādiru ʿalaynā ḥawbā.
We return to our Lord in repentance, hoping for a state of purity free from any remaining sins.
The book closes its account of Hajj and Umrah with a final prayer: that Allah grant the reader and their companions the ability to act on what has been described, bestow an accepted Hajj and an accepted visit through the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ, and allow them to leave this world with true faith.
The manual closes its treatment of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah with the etiquette of the return journey, from the approach to one's own city through to settling back within one's own household.
The rites of homecoming
- The duʿā of return is recited as one's own city comes into sight.
- The household is notified in advance, so that they may come out to welcome the returning pilgrim.
- Two rakʿahs are prayed at the first mosque encountered within the city.
- The duʿā of entry is recited on stepping into one's own house.
- Two rakʿahs of Taḥiyyat al-Manzil are prayed once inside.
اٰمِنُونَ تَائِبُونَ لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ
Āminūna tā'ibūna li-rabbinā ḥāmidūn.
We return in peace, turning in repentance to our Lord, and offering praise.
تَوۡباً تَوْباً لِرَبِّنَا أَوۡباً لَا يُغَادِرُ عَلَيْنَا حَوۡباً
Tawban tawban li-rabbinā awban lā yughādiru ʿalaynā ḥawbā.
We return to our Lord in repentance, hoping for a state of purity free from any remaining sins.
A lifetime of increased goodness and piety following one's return is presented as the true and lasting sign of Ḥajj Mabrūr (an accepted Ḥajj), more telling than any act performed at the moment of arrival itself.
Related
- Entering Makkah and the first sight of the Kaʿbah The etiquette and supplications for approaching the Haram, entering Makkah, walking to Masjid al-Haram, and seeing the Kaʿbah for the first time.
- What Hajj is, and why it is the fifth pillar Hajj in a page: what the word means, why it is both a bodily and a financial worship, who owes it, and where Umrah and the visit to Madinah stand.
- Visiting Madinah, and the etiquette of the Prophet's ﷺ grave The virtue of visiting Madinah, entering the Prophet's ﷺ mosque, and the words of greeting at his grave and those of Abu Bakr and Umar beside it.
- Virtuous acts in Madinah, and the dua on leaving Fasting, itikaf and visiting the blessed wells in Madinah, and the farewell prayer, dua and keepsakes taken on departure.