An Excerpt from the Chapter Entitled: “Those actions that can substitute for hajj and umrah when one is unable to perform them.” (a section from the book: Lataif Al Ma’arif)
By Al Hafidh Abu Faraj Ahmad bin Rajab Al Hanbali Hadith Authentication: Al Sheikh Al Albani Translated by Hanif Al Madani 29/11/1432H
Hajj is one of the best actions that a person can perform; consequently, many people want to perform it, but so many people are unable, especially every year. Likewise, Allah has placed a yearning in the hearts of believers to go to His magnificent house (i.e. Al Masjid Al Haram), but not everyone can get there. For these reasons, Allah has legislated for His servants substitute actions to perform that will allow them to attain the reward of those who perform hajj. In Al Tirmidhi, it is reported that the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – said, “Whoever prays the fajr prayer, sits in the place where he prayed, remembers Allah until sunrise, and then prays two units of prayer will get the reward like one who has performed hajj or umrah perfectly.” The Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – then said, “Perfectly, perfectly, perfectly.”1 Those who attend the Friday prayers are also said to get the reward of one who performs a non-obligatory hajj. Saeed bin Al Musayyib said, “Attending the Friday prayer is more beloved to me than performing a non-obligatory hajj.” The Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – has also likened the one who comes early to the Friday prayer like one who sacrifices an animal in Al Masjid Al Haram.2 In a weak narration, it has been stated, “The Friday prayer is the hajj of the poor.”3 In his book Al Taarikh, Ibn Asaakir narrates from Al Awza’i, who said, “Yunus bin Maysarah bin Halbas passed by a cemetery in an area known as Bab Toumaa. He said, ‘As salamu alaykum, inhabitants of this cemetery. You have preceded us, and we are following behind you. May Allah show mercy to and forgive both us and you, for we are soon to meet the fate that you have met.’ Allah then caused the soul of one of the cemetery’s inhabitants to be returned to him. Thereafter, the inhabitant replied, ‘Glad tidings to the living who perform Hajj four times in one month.’ Yunus said, ‘To where do we perform Hajj four times in one month?’ The inhabitant replied, ‘To Friday prayers. Were you not aware that Friday prayers are like a pious, accepted hajj?’ Yunus then asked, ‘What is the best action you performed 1
Al Jaami’ Al Kabeer: narration # 586. Al Sheikh Al Albani graded the narration as hasan (i.e. good) although there is a difference of opinion concerning the authenticity of the narration. 2 Perhaps Al Hafidh Ibn Rajab is referring to the narration collected by Al Bukhari and Muslim that states, “Whoever bathes on Friday and then goes to the masjid (i.e. after sunrise) will be like one who has slaughtered a camel. Whoever goes in the second hour will be like one who has slaughtered a cow….” Al Bukhari: Hadith # (851) and Muslim: Hadith # (850) 3 The editor of the Arabic work (i.e. Tariq bin AwadhAllah) mentioned that the narration is collected in Ibn Al Jawzi’s book on fabricated prophetic narrations entitled Al Mawdu’aat: narration #1244 and 1355. Likewise, Al Sheikh Al Albani mentions the narration in his book Al Silsilah Al Daeefah: narration 191, and agreed that the narration is fabricated.
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while alive?’ The inhabitant replied, ‘Seeking Allah’s forgiveness.’ Yunus followed, ‘Why did you not return the greeting of al salaam when I greeted you?’ The inhabitant responded, ‘Worldly person, we can no longer say, ‘As salamu alakum,’ or perform other good deeds. We cannot increase in righteous actions or remove any evil we have done. Our accounts have already been tabulated.’” In the Sunan of Abu Dawud, it is reported that the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – said, “Whoever purifies himself for prayer at home and then leaves his home to perform a mandatory prayer will get the reward of one who has performed hajj in a state of religious sanctity. Likewise, whoever purifies himself for prayer at home and leaves his home to perform the forenoon prayer (i.e. salat al duhaa) will get the reward of one who has performed umrah.4 In the narration of Anas, the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – advised a man to be good to his mother and said, “You will be a pilgrim performing hajj, a pilgrim performing umrah, and a striver in the way of Allah,” by being good to his mother.5 Some of the companions of the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – would say, “Going out to the Eid Al Fitr prayer is like umrah while going out to Eid Al Adhaa prayer is like hajj.” Al Hasan (i.e. Al Basri) said, “Hastening to the aid of your fellow Muslim is better for you than performing one hajj after the other.” Uqbah bin Abdul Gaafir said, “Praying the isha prayer in congregation is equivalent in reward to performing hajj. Likewise, performing the fajr prayer in congregation is equivalent in reward to performing umrah.” Abu Hurairah once said to a man, “Your going to the masjid early is more beloved to me than our fighting alongside the Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him,” as reported by Imam Ahmad.6 Performing any obligatory action is better than performing a non-obligatory hajj or umrah, or any other non-obligatory action for that matter. This is because Allah’s servants do not draw nearer to Him with anything more beloved to Him than those things that He has made mandatory for them to perform. For many people, it is easy to perform a nonobligatory hajj and give charity, but it is difficult to pay back debts and return those things taken without right. Likewise, it is difficult for many people to refrain from taking forbidden or questionable money, but they can easily spend that same money when performing hajj or giving charity. Some of the scholars of old used to say, “Leaving off an ounce of what Allah hates is better to me than performing five hundred pilgrimages to Makkah.” Refraining from partaking in that which is forbidden is better than all non-obligatory acts, including hajj, and it is more difficult to do. Al Fudhail bin Ayadh said, “Neither hajj, remaining in the Masjid from one prayer to the next, nor striving in the way of Allah is more difficult than guarding one’s tongue. If one were to constantly think about the slips of his tongue, he would become severely depressed.” The standard of righteousness is not simply the righteous actions that one performs; rather, it is the righteousness and piety of the heart and purifying one’s heart of sin. The travels of this world are performed by one’s body while travel towards the hereafter is performed by one’s heart. A person once said to a wise man, “I have traveled a great distance to find you.” The wise man replied, “Do not consider this travel to be a journey, for if you take one step away from your desires, you will reach your goal.” The journey of the heart requires more than physical journeys do. Consider the number of people whose bodies arrive to the House of 4
Hadith #: 558; Al Sheikh Al Albani graded the narration as hasan. Translator’s note: I could not find the narration in any reference books or databases. 6 Translator’s note: I could not find the narration in any reference books or databases. 5
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Allah (i.e. Al Masjid Al Haram), but their hearts are detached from the Lord of the House. And consider the number of people sitting in their homes though their hearts are connected with their final destination. A line of poetry reads: My soul’s at rest with you while my body’s left to roam
the body is in a strange land but the soul is there at home
A wise man once said, “I am amazed at a person who will travel great distances to reach the House of Allah and see the remnants of the prophets, but the same person cannot leave off his desires so that he can reach his heart and see the effects of “My slave’s heart can become filled with his knowledge of Me, his love for Me, and his remembrance of Me.”7 Dear believer in Allah, there is a house of Allah located in your chest; if you purified it, it would radiate with the light of its Lord. It would expand and become spacious. Al Shabli recited the following lines of poetry: There is a house in which you presently live
which does not seem to require that much light
And there’s a person ill that you have gone to visit
but Allah has cured him and so he’ll be alright
On a day when others will come with only pilgrimages having sought Your pleasure will prove our hearts’ delight
Purifying one’s heart means cleansing it of the idolatry of the self and ones desire’s, both of which Allah, the Most High, detests. If any of this self-preference to Allah’s word remains, then know that Allah is free of those who worship other than Him, and that He will not compete with idols. Sahl bin Abdullah said, “Light will never enter one’s heart as long as the heart contains anything that Allah abhors.” Some lines of poetry read: We called you to be near to us but you refused
and shared your heart, so by our rules did not abide
We told you another love we would never stand
but you loved another, and so our love for you has died
My brothers, if circumstance keeps you from performing Hajj this year, then fight against your desires instead, for this is the greatest fight. And if you are held back from slaughtering, then do not hold back from shedding tears if you are able, 7
This is a part of a larger statement mentioned by the Jews and Christians which literally reads, “Allah says, “Neither My sky nor my earth can encompass Me, but the heart of my believing slave can.” The statement is mentioned by Ibn Rajab here as well as in Jaami’ al Uloom wa Al Hikam, his explanation of the forty narrations of the Prophet collected by Al Imam Al Nawawi. It is also mentioned in Faydh Al Qadeer (2/616; narration #2375, Dar Al Fikr), the explanation of Al Jaami’ al Sagheer by Al Hafidh al Suyouti. Ibn Rajab mentions the narration as being from the Jews and the Christians. Al Manaawi graded the statement as having no authentic source as did Tariq bin AwadhAllah, the editor of Jaami’ al Uloom wa al Hikam (p: 683, Dar Ibn Al Jawzi). Ibn Rajab explains the meaning of the statement in Jaami’ al Uloom wa al Hikam saying, “This love for Allah that is found in the hearts of those who truly love Him and yearn to be near Him continues to grow until their hearts become filled with this love. Their hearts are so filled that they can contain nothing else; accordingly, they can only act in accordance with that love. Whoever is fortunate enough to find himself in this situation, it can be said that his heart is filled with Allah, which means his heart is filled with knowledge of Allah, love for Allah, and the remembrance of Allah. And this is the meaning of the statement mentioned by the Jews and Christians that says, “Allah says, ‘Neither My sky nor my earth can encompass me, but the heart of my believing slave can.”
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saddened by your inability, like the one who is physically restrained from performing hajj or umrah must shed blood of his sacrificial animal as expiation. And do not cut away at your faith with sins, because sins cut away at faith, not at the hair on your head. Stand before your Lord with hope and fear like those who stand at Al Khayf (in Mina) and Muzdalifah. If anyone finds himself far from Allah’s sacred boundaries during the hajj season, then let him not find himself far away from Allah’s mercy too; Allah’s mercy is ever near to those who repent and seek His forgiveness. Whoever is unable to reach the House of Allah or finds the distance too far to travel, then let him set his sights towards the Lord of the House, for Allah is closer to the one that calls on Him and hopes for His mercy than one’s own jugular vein.
Some lines of poetry read: To you I turn, O Lord of the House
It’s Your pleasure for which I crave
My life, to You, is my sacrifice
for my soul I wish to save
My Muzdalifah is my desire to be near You
My Khayf8 is Khawf9 of questions in my grave
Hope’s my provision while zamzam’s my tears
My Lord, I am your slave
8 9
Al Khayf is the name of a masjid located in Mina where people sometimes stay during the Hajj. Khawf (i.e. )خوفis the Arabic term for fear.
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