Reward of obligatory Hajj is greater than that of voluntary Hajj

18/10/2010| IslamWeb

Question

I have performed Hajj five times. Are they equal in reward?

Fatwa

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger.

We ask Allah to grant you further success to do righteous deeds and increase your desire and keenness to do so. There is no doubt that the reward of Hajj is great and multiplied. It is enough for you the Hadeeth in which the Prophet said: "Whoever performs Hajj and neither has sexual intercourse nor commits sins (during Hajj), he will return free of his sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him." [Saheeh (Authentic)] There are many proofs to indicate the virtues of Hajj.

The Hajj which is the greatest in reward is undoubtedly the obligatory Hajj. There is no doubt that the reward of the obligatory act of worship is greater than that of the voluntary. In the Qudsi (sacred) Hadeeth, Allah The Almighty Says: "My servant draws not near to Me with an act better than what I have made obligatory on him. My servant continues to draw near to me by doing voluntary acts until I love him…." [Al-Bukhari]

This is clear evidence that the reward of the obligatory Hajj is greater than that of the voluntary one.   

And Allah knows best.