The virtues of Hajj and Umrah

Hajj and Umrah both carry huge reward. The Prophet ﷺ told us that Umrah wipes away the small sins done between one Umrah and the next, and that an accepted Hajj (Hajj Mabrur) is rewarded with nothing less than Paradise.

Whoever performs Hajj sincerely for Allah, avoiding bad behaviour and arguing, comes back as free of sin as the day they were born.

The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Follow up Hajj with Umrah, and Umrah with Hajj, for the two of them remove sin and poverty, just like a furnace removes the impurities from iron, gold and silver.' Whoever completes seven rounds of Tawaf around the Ka'bah is promised a reward like freeing ten slaves, and whoever completes the Sa'i between Safa and Marwah will be made firm on the Bridge of Sirat.

Pilgrims are called the guests of Allah: whatever they ask for, He gives; if they ask forgiveness, they are forgiven; and everything they spend for Hajj or Umrah is multiplied enormously. Whoever sets out for Hajj or Umrah is guaranteed by Allah either to come home with reward, or, if they die on the way, to be taken straight into Paradise, without any reckoning.

On the Day of Arafah, the Prophet ﷺ prayed for the forgiveness of the pilgrims' sins. He was told that every sin would be forgiven except wrongs done to other people. The next morning at Muzdalifah his prayer for that too was answered, and he began to smile; Shaytan, seeing this, wept and wailed in despair, for nothing else brings about the forgiveness of people's rights against one another the way Hajj does.

Both Hajj and Umrah carry immense reward, described across many hadith. Umrah expiates the minor sins committed between one Umrah and the next, and an accepted Hajj (Hajj Mabrur) has no reward but Paradise itself.

Abu Hurairah also narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah, avoiding indecent behaviour, improper speech and disputes, returns as free of sin as the day their mother bore them.

The same source adds that whoever completes seven circuits (tawaf) of the Ka'bah earns the reward of freeing ten slaves from the descendants of Isma'il (peace be upon him), and whoever completes the sa'i between Safa and Marwah will be made firm on the Bridge of Sirat. It is stated in Iddat al-Inabah that seven circuits of tawaf are equivalent to one Umrah.

Fakihi reports from Abu Hurairah that those who perform Hajj and Umrah are the guests of Allah and His visitors: He grants whatever they ask, forgives them when they seek forgiveness, accepts their supplications and their intercession, and multiplies whatever they spend in His path a hundred thousand times over; a single dirham of theirs, the Prophet ﷺ swore, outweighs Mount Abu Qubays.

Abu al-Fadl al-Kirmani reports from Anas that whoever dies on the way to or from Makkah has all their previous sins forgiven, their record is not opened, and they enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment; in another narration their reward is said to continue until the Day of Judgement, and an angel is created to perform Hajj on their behalf in their stead.

Some later usage refers to a Hajj on which Arafah falls on a Friday as 'Hajj Akbar', but in the Qur'an, Hajj Akbar (the greater pilgrimage) is Hajj itself, as opposed to Hajj Asghar (the lesser pilgrimage), which is Umrah, not a designation for any specific year.

Al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi narrate that every step a mounted pilgrim's camel takes earns a hundred good deeds, and every step of a pilgrim on foot earns seven hundred, all counted among the 'deeds of the Haram'; where a single prayer, a single voluntary fast, or a single dirham spent is worth a hundred thousand of the same outside it.

Abbas ibn Mirdas narrates, in Sunan Ibn Majah, that on the last day at Arafah the Prophet ﷺ prayed for the forgiveness of the pilgrims' sins, and was told that every sin would be forgiven except wrongs done to other people (haqq al-'ibad). The Prophet ﷺ asked that the wronged be admitted to Paradise and the wrongdoer forgiven; no answer came that day, but the next morning at Muzdalifah the same prayer was accepted, and the Prophet ﷺ began to smile; Shaytan, on learning that the prayer had been answered, put dust on his head and wailed in despair, for no other act of worship secures the forgiveness of people's rights against one another the way Hajj does.

Both Hajj and Umrah carry immense reward, described across many hadith. Umrah expiates the minor sins committed between one Umrah and the next, and an accepted Hajj (Hajj Mabrur) has no reward but Paradise itself.

Abu Hurairah also narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah, avoiding indecent behaviour, improper speech and disputes, returns as free of sin as the day their mother bore them.

The same source adds that whoever completes seven circuits (tawaf) of the Ka'bah earns the reward of freeing ten slaves from the descendants of Isma'il (peace be upon him), and whoever completes the sa'i between Safa and Marwah will be made firm on the Bridge of Sirat. It is stated in Iddat al-Inabah that seven circuits of tawaf are equivalent to one Umrah.

Fakihi reports from Abu Hurairah that those who perform Hajj and Umrah are the guests of Allah and His visitors: He grants whatever they ask, forgives them when they seek forgiveness, accepts their supplications and their intercession, and multiplies whatever they spend in His path a hundred thousand times over; a single dirham of theirs, the Prophet ﷺ swore, outweighs Mount Abu Qubays.

Abu al-Fadl al-Kirmani reports from Anas that whoever dies on the way to or from Makkah has all their previous sins forgiven, their record is not opened, and they enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment; in another narration their reward is said to continue until the Day of Judgement, and an angel is created to perform Hajj on their behalf in their stead.

Some later usage refers to a Hajj on which Arafah falls on a Friday as 'Hajj Akbar', but in the Qur'an, Hajj Akbar (the greater pilgrimage) is Hajj itself, as opposed to Hajj Asghar (the lesser pilgrimage), which is Umrah, not a designation for any specific year.

Al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi narrate that every step a mounted pilgrim's camel takes earns a hundred good deeds, and every step of a pilgrim on foot earns seven hundred, all counted among the 'deeds of the Haram'; where a single prayer, a single voluntary fast, or a single dirham spent is worth a hundred thousand of the same outside it.

Abbas ibn Mirdas narrates, in Sunan Ibn Majah, that on the last day at Arafah the Prophet ﷺ prayed for the forgiveness of the pilgrims' sins, and was told that every sin would be forgiven except wrongs done to other people (haqq al-'ibad). The Prophet ﷺ asked that the wronged be admitted to Paradise and the wrongdoer forgiven; no answer came that day, but the next morning at Muzdalifah the same prayer was accepted, and the Prophet ﷺ began to smile; Shaytan, on learning that the prayer had been answered, put dust on his head and wailed in despair, for no other act of worship secures the forgiveness of people's rights against one another the way Hajj does.