Albeit a blissful experience that gives us a lifetime of blessings, observing Hajj can also be a bit daunting for some people when they’re amidst such an overwhelming crowd.
That’s why it is necessary to prepare yourselves for the journey and understand all the dos and don’ts in advance to avoid any confusion, frustration, and most importantly, unintentional mistakes.
Here, we have delineated some of the common principles of Hajj that will help you avoid most misconceptions that may be assumed during Hajj, leading you to errors.
In Ihram:
Keep your sole focus on your speech and actions when saying Talbiyah.
Capturing pictures of yourselves in Ihram is wrong. Pilgrims should only concentrate on their Ibadah. Taking pictures to show off may contradict their good faith.
Do change your Ihram if it gets dirty because cleanliness is half of faith.
In Tawaf:
Touching the Hajr-e-Aswad (black stone) isn’t necessary for acceptance of Tawaf. If it is impossible for you to touch the black stone then you can just raise your hand towards it (the palms of your hands should face the Hajr-e-Aswad ) and say Bismillahi Allahu Akbar wa lillahi al hamd.
Do not kiss or face your hand to the Yemani corner. You can only touch it.
Do not worship Hajr-e-Aswad (black stone). The Prophet (SAW) never worshipped it.
Shaving or Trimming the Hair:
Pilgrims (men) should shave their head completely. If they trim, they need to take hair from all sides of their head. However, since this can only be done if your hair is longer than a fingertip, shaving your hair is obligatory when that’s not the case.
Pilgrims (women) can only cut a fingertip length of their hair.
You cannot take off your Ihram before shaving or trimming the hair.
In Mina, Arafah, and Muzdalifah:
The Prophet (SAW) would spend the whole day of 8th Dhul-Hijjah in Mina to the fajr prayer of 9th Dhul-Hajj. Pilgrims sometimes skip this and move to Arafah.
In Mina, you are allowed to shorten your prayer. However, it is necessary to pray at the correct time and meet the conditions defined in the next point.
If someone spends fifteen or more than fifteen days in Makkah before departing for Mina, then they will be considered a resident of Makkah during their further stay in Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafah. This means they will not be allowed to shorten their prayer. However, if the stay is less than fifteen days in Makkah before departing for Mina, then they can shorten their prayer since they will be considered a traveler in Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafah.
Do make the most of Arafah day. You should know the significance of this day and make as many supplications as you can.
When Performing Rami (Stoning):
Do not wash your stones.
Do not say Bismillah when throwing stones; just say “Bismillahi Allahu Akbar.”
Stoning should be done before the time of Zawal (It is Sunnah. Otherwise, you can also do it till sunset).
In Tawaf al-Wida (Farewell Tawaf):
Do perform stoning of final Jamarah before Tawaf al-Wida.
Do not perform Sa’i in farewell Tawaf.
Do spend the night of 10th Dhul-Hijjah and 11th Dhul-Hijjah in Mina its Sunnah.
In Sa’i:
Do not climb the mountains of Safa and Marwah.
You can’t take a break without a valid reason when performing Sa’i.
During Sa’i, there is no specific dua. Pilgrims may recite Quran and say supplication.
Hope this article helps you during your blessed journey and may your Hajj get accepted. Ameen.
