Love and Longing for the Hajj - I

06/10/2010| IslamWeb

Those who have no money but long for (visiting) the Sacred House of Allah:

Such people are those whose hearts burn out of longing for the Sacred House of Allah, and their eyes shed tears whenever it is time for Hajj, to the extent that they neither enjoy food, nor feel comfortable when sleeping. It is those whose hearts are attached to the House of (Allah) their Beloved. Whenever the House is mentioned to them, it stirs their yearning for it, and whenever they remember their remoteness from it, they moan (in grief). Those are similar to the people in relation to whom Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Nor [is there blame] upon those who, when they came to you that you might give them mounts, you said, "I can find nothing for you to ride upon." They turned back while their eyes overflowed with tears out of grief that they could not find something to spend [for the Cause of Allah].} [Quran 9:92]

Allah The Almighty knows their states, thereupon He conferred upon them deeds to delight them, and extinguish the fire of longing and yearning (in their hearts)for the House of the Lord of the Worlds. In other words, He prescribed for them deeds to do in order to give them therewith the reward of the people who perform Hajj and ‘Umrah. Those deeds are like cold water that one drinks while he is thirsty. They are like the healing balsam and health-giving medicine, which quenches the burning thirst of hearts out of longing for seeing the Ancient House and the Masjid of the beloved, .

Below is a set of those deeds:

1- To sit after the Fajr Prayer in the praying place, and engage in remembrance of Allah The Almighty until the sun rises, and then offer two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer):

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Umaamah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: "Whoever offers the Fajr Prayer in congregation and then sits remembering Allah The Almighty until the sun rises, and then stands and offers two Rak‘ahs, the full reward of a perfect Hajj and ‘Umrah is written for him." [At-Tirmithi]

If you fail to do that glorious deed, i.e. Hajj, for a Sharee‘ah-approved excuse, here you are given the reward. So, let not that reward escape you if you are true to your intention.

It was further narrated on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: "Whoever offers the Morning Prayer in congregation and then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, and then offers two Rak‘ahs, he gets (reward as much as is) like the full reward of a perfect Hajj and ‘Umrah accepted (by Allah)." [At-Tirmithi]

It was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said that it was the habit of the Messenger of Allah, , that whenever he offered the Fajr Prayer, he would not stand from his sitting place until (the sun would rise and) he would be able to offer (a two-Rak‘ah) prayer. On that he said: "Whoever offers the Morning Prayer, and then remains in his sitting place until (the sun rises and) he is able to offer (a two-Rak‘ah) prayer, (the reward of) that would be equal to (the reward of) ‘Umrah and Hajj accepted (by Allah)." [At-Tabaraani] [Al-Albaani: Hasan]

2- To attend circles of knowledge in the Masjid:

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Umaamah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: "Whoever goes early in the morning to the Masjid, with the sole intention to learn or teach good, (the reward of) that would be like the reward given to a performer of Hajj who has completed its rituals." [At-Tabaraani and Al-Haakim]

3- To call to that obligation, i.e. attending the sessions of knowledge, and encourage people to do it:

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: "Whoever guides to good, would have a reward like the reward of those who follow him, without reducing anything from their reward; and whoever invites to error would bear sins like the sins of those who follow him, without reducing anything from their sins." [Muslim]

4- To perform the five obligatory prayers in the Masjid:

a- It was narrated on the authority of Abu Umaamah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, , said: "Whoever walks to attend an obligatory prayer in congregation (in the Masjid), (the reward he gets for) that is like the reward of performing Hajj once; and whoever walks to attend a voluntary prayer (in the Masjid), i.e. the Dhuha Prayer, (the reward he gets for) that is like the reward of performing supererogatory ‘Umrah once." [Ahmad: Good chain of narrators]

b- It was narrated on the authority of Abu Umaamah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said that the Messenger of Allah, , said: “He, who sets out of his home in a state of purity with the intention to offer one of the (obligatory) written prayers (in congregation in the Masjid) his reward is like that of a pilgrim who puts on Ihraam; and he, who sets out with the sole intention to offer the Dhuha Prayer (in the Masjid), and nothing else stimulates him (to come out) other than that, his reward is like that of the one who performed ‘Umrah; and offering an (obligatory) prayer after an (obligatory) prayer with no falsity between them elevates the record of the one who does so to be in ‘Illiyyeen.” [Abu Daawood]

Do not wonder at the reward, but wonder at those who fail to seize the opportunity and are too lazy to obtain it.

 

Love and Longing for the Hajj - II

Love and Longing for the Hajj - III