The virtues of Hajj and Umrah

Virtues of Hajj and Umrah

It is narrated by Abu Hurairah in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

اَلْعُمْرَةُ إِلَى الْعُمْرَةِ كَفَّارَةٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَ الْحَجُّ الْمَبْرُورُ لَيْسَ لَهٗ جَزَاءٌ إِلَّا الْجَنَّةَ

"Umrah to Umrah is an expiation for what is between them, and the accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise."

Hajj Mabroor is an accepted Hajj (Hajj Maqbool). The sign of an accepted Hajj is that after performing it, a person remains protected from sin and their character improves.

Some scholars of hadith say that if the actions and character of the one who performs Hajj improve after the pilgrimage, then the Hajj is accepted. Otherwise, it might not be considered accepted.

In Sahih collections, Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

"Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah, avoiding indecent behavior, improper speech, and disputes with others, will return as pure as the day his mother gave birth to him."

In Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

تَابِعُوا بَيْنَ الْحَجِّ وَالْعُمْرَةِ فَإِنَّهُمَا يَنْفِيَانِ الذُّنُوبَ وَ الْفَقْرَ كَمَا يَنْفِي الْكِيْرُ خُبْثَ الْحَدِيدِ وَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ

"Follow up between Hajj and Umrah, for they both remove sins and poverty, just as the furnace removes the impurities of iron, gold, and silver."

It is also mentioned in this book that whoever performs seven rounds (Tawaf) around the Ka'bah will earn the reward of freeing ten slaves from the offspring of Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him). And whoever performs Sa’i (running between Safa and Marwah) will be made firm on the Bridge of Sirat.

In Iddat al-Inabah, it is stated that seven rounds of Tawaf are equivalent to one Umrah.

Fakihi reports from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

"Those who perform Hajj and Umrah are guests of Allah and His visitors. He gives them whatever they ask for. If they seek forgiveness, they are forgiven. If they make supplications, they are accepted. If they intercede, their intercession is accepted. Whatever they spend in the path of Allah will earn them reward multiplied by a hundred thousand times. I swear by the One who sent me as a true Prophet, a single dirham spent by them is heavier than this mountain (pointing to Mount Abu Qubays)."

In 'Iddat al-Inabah fi Amakin al-Ijabah', it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

مَنْ خَرَجَ يَؤُمُّ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ مِنْ حَاجٍ أَوْ مُعْتَمِرٍ زَائِراً كَانَ مَضْمُونَا عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنْ رَدَّهٗ رَدَّهٗ بِأَجْرٍ وَ غَنِيمَةٍ وَإِنْ قَبَضَهٗ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ

"Whoever sets out to perform Hajj or Umrah with the intention of visiting this House (the Ka'bah), it is Allah's responsibility to ensure that if He returns him, He returns him with reward and bounty, and if He takes his soul, He will admit him into Paradise."

Abu al-Fadl al-Kermani writes in his Mansik that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"Whoever dies on the way to or from Makkah, Allah will forgive all their previous sins. Their record of deeds will not be opened, and their actions will not be examined. They will enter Paradise without reckoning and punishment."

In another narration, it is mentioned that the reward for Hajj and Umrah will continue for this person until the Day of Judgment. Some books also mention that Allah will create an angel for him, who will continue to perform Hajj on his behalf until the Day of Judgment.

In Nukhbah al-Iyadhah, Ismail Oghani writes that from Razeen, it is narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

"The best of all days is Arafah, especially when it falls on a Friday. The Hajj performed on this day is superior to that performed on all other days. The Farewell Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was also on a Friday, and on this day, the Jews, Christians, Magians, and idolaters also celebrated their festivals."

It is likely because of this hadith that people refer to the Hajj in which the Day of Arafah coincides with a Friday as Hajj Akbar. Indeed, this Hajj holds great reward, but in the Qur'an, Hajj Akbar does not refer to this specific Hajj; rather, it refers to the actual Hajj itself. The term Akbar is used to distinguish it from Hajj Asghar, which refers to Umrah.

Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi narrate that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"For a mounted pilgrim, every step his camel takes earns him a reward of one hundred good deeds, and for a foot traveler, every step earns him seven hundred good deeds, all of which are counted among the deeds of the Haram."

The people asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what do you mean by deeds of the Haram?" He replied:

"Every good deed performed in the Haram is worth one hundred thousand deeds—one prayer equals one hundred thousand prayers, one voluntary fast equals one hundred thousand voluntary fasts, and one dirham equals one hundred thousand dirhams."

A reliable hadith mentions that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

مَنِ اعْتَمَرَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمْضَانَ عُمْرَةً فَكَأَنَّمَا حَجَّ مَعِيَ حَجَّةً

"Whoever performs Umrah in the month of Ramadan, it is as if he performed Hajj with me."

In Sunan Ibn Majah, it is narrated from Abbas bin Mirdas that on the last day of Arafah, when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed at Arafat for the forgiveness of the sins of the pilgrims, it was revealed to him:

"I have forgiven all sins, except those involving the rights of others." The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "If You will, grant Jannah to the oppressed and forgive the oppressor." No response was received at that time. However, when the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed again at Muzdalifah in the morning, his prayer was accepted. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to smile. The Companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah, you do not smile at such places." [The valley where this incident occurred is called Muhassar, meaning “the one that puts the devil in regret.” This valley is located near Muzdalifah, at a distance of 545 yards. Therefore, pilgrims pass through it quickly.]

He replied, "When Satan, the enemy of Allah, found out that my supplication had been accepted, he placed dust on his head and began lamenting, Saying: يا ويلاه [meaning, 'Woe is me!'] يا ثبوراه [meaning, 'O my punishment, come now, for this is your appointed time']."

This story reflects the immense grandeur of Hajj, as no other act of worship brings about the forgiveness of rights of others (Haqq al-‘Ibad) and rights of the oppressed (Haqq al-Mazloom) in such a manner, except Hajj.

[The opinion of Al-Tibi Al-Shafi’i and Mir Badshah is that both major sins and the rights of people are forgiven by Hajj. However, according to the majority of the Ahl al-Sunnah, forgiveness of major sins and the rights of others depends on Allah’s will; He may forgive them, or He may not.]

In the Hadith, it is mentioned:

أَعْظَمُ النَّاسِ ذَنْبًا مَنْ وَقَفَ بِعَرَفَةَ فَظَنَّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمۡ يَغْفِرۡ لَهٗ

"The greatest sinner is the one who stands at Arafah and thinks that Allah has not forgiven him."

Imam Hasan al-Basri writes in his treatise that in the writings of Adam (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty says:

"On the Day of Hajj, eight hundred thousand pilgrims arrive. If fewer than this number come, I send angels to make the number complete." [In Hayat al-Quloob, it is narrated by Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Hasan Naqqash, based on the statements of Imam Ghazali in Ihya' Ulum al-Din, that the number of pilgrims often reaches 1.5 million, with a minimum number of 600,000 pilgrims.]

It is written in Tafasir (commentaries) that all the Prophets performed Hajj on foot, and Adam (peace be upon him) walked from Sri Lanka (Serandib) and performed forty Hajj. It is said that when Adam (peace be upon him) set out for Hajj, the angels said:

يَا اٰدَمُ بِرَّ حَجَّكَ فَإِنَّا حَجَجْنَا قَبْلَكَ بِالْفَى عَامٍ

"O Adam, perform your Hajj well, for we have performed Hajj two thousand years before you."