Articles

Peace and Security during Hajj
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 25-06-2023

Peace and Security during Hajj

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of The Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "Remember Abraham said: "O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security: and preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols." {Ibrahim, 35}. He also says {What means}: "whoever enters it attains security;" {Al-Emran, 97}.

 

The greatest purpose for Hajj is safety and security, so this great blessing enables the believers to perform this ritual properly and in the best form possible. His saying {O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security} indicates that Prophet Ibrahim is showing us today that life can`t be stabilized save with peace and security and a person can`t perform acts of worship if they are missing. Therefore, the symbolism of Hajj reminds the Muslim nation every year that the duty of worshipping Allah can`t be performed without peace and security.

 

Accordingly, Allah gave Mecca this special status making it a place to which the hearts of the believers aspire and feel safe for their life and property. Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety" {Al-Baqarah, 125}. Glorifying the House of Allah (Kabah) is tied with the peace and security that prevails in it and a pilgrim experiences this feeling during this journey of Hajj. It is as if he/she has entered into a fortified fortress protected by Allah, the provider of peace and security. Kabah is the source of peace and security and Allah has blessed the people of Mecca with this great blessing where He said {What means}: " Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger)." {Quraish, 4}.

 

As we are experiencing the season of Hajj, we realize the greatness of time and place, the symbol of peace and security. A meaning that many Muslims have missed because of the heinous crimes committed by terrorist and extremist groups under the name of Islam although Islam is innocent of them. One group would terrorize civilians thinking that doing so will bring them closer to Allah while another would accuse Muslims of disbelief (Takfir) where a time would come when the murderer would not know why he has committed the murder, and the victim would not know why he has been killed. In these blessed days, we call upon Allah the Almighty to bless Muslims with permanent peace and security.

 

Delivering the sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage on the day of Sacrifice at Mina, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily your blood, your property and your honour are as sacred and inviolable as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this town of yours. Verily! I have conveyed this message to you." {Transmitted by Muslim}. He (PBUH) also said: "Everything belonging to a Muslim is inviolable for a Muslim; his honour, his blood and property." {Transmitted by Muslim}.

By this invocation of Ibrahim (PBUH), Makka became a safe place and will continue as such, God willing, until Allah inherits this earth and whatever is on it. Al-Kortobi said: "Ibrahim invoked Allah for his offspring and others to be blessed with peace and security at a time when Makka was a barren place." {Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Atheem}.

 

Some commentators of Quran said: "Before the invocation of Ibrahim, Makka was a place where every unlawful matter was lawful, but after the invocation it became a sacred and inviolable place, and the same applies to Madinah before and after the arrival of the Prophet (PBUH). Allah says {what means}: " Do they not then see that We have made a sanctuary secure, and that men are being snatched away from all around them? Then, do they believe in that which is vain, and reject the Grace of God?" {Al-Ankaboot, 67}.

 

Allah also says {what means}: "For Hajj are the months well known. If anyone undertakes that duty therein, Let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good ye do, (be sure) God knoweth it. And take a provision (With you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, o ye that are wise." {Al-Baqarah, 197}.

 

This verse reflects meanings of great beauty and perfection as far as the etiquettes of Hajj are concerned, which helps establish the concept of peace and security during Hajj. These divine directives steer the pilgrim towards shunning the ephemeral worldly pleasures and seeking the pleasure of Allah alone. Thus, it doesn`t befit a pilgrim to dispute with others or use vile language because the manners of the one seeking to please Allah are elevated by reading this verse, following its orders and avoiding its prohibitions, before heading to perform this great ritual.

 

The implementation of the content of this verse is reflected in the tranquility and serenity that we observe during Hajj and hastening to please Allah through self-discipline and enjoying the great Islamic morals.

 

We ask Allah to preserve the blessing of safety and security in Makkah and all Muslim countries, and all praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

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Summarized Fatawaa

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for the person who hasn`t made wudu` (state of minor ritual impurity) to perform the Adhan?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is disliked (Makruh) for a person in a state of minor ritual impurity (Hadath Asghar) to perform the Adhan. However, if he does so, his Adhan is considered valid and fulfills the sunnah of the Adhan despite it being disliked. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes related to the slaughtering of an animal?

 

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
1-Avoid terrifying the animal before it is slaughtered.
 
2-Do not slaughter the animal in front of others of its kind.
 
3-Offer water to the animal before the sacrifice.
 
4-Sharpen the knife thoroughly prior to slaughtering to ensure the cut is made as quickly and cleanly as possible. This is in accordance with the statement of our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has prescribed excellence (Ihsan) in all things. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade, and let him put his sacrificial animal at ease." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
Do not begin skinning the carcass until you are absolutely certain that the animal has completely passed away.
 
Slaughter cattle, sheep, and goats while they are lying down on their left side, facing the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Leave the right leg untied so the animal can move it, helping it rest more easily during its final moments. For camels, however, the preferred method (Nahr) is to slaughter them while they are standing up, with their left knee tied. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the meaning of the Prophetic statement that a boy is held in pledge (murtahan) for his 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The first interpretation: That if the boy dies in infancy without an 'aqīqah having been performed on his behalf, he will not intercede for his parents on the Day of Resurrection. This is the position of Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and Imam al-Khaṭṭābī concurred with him, stating: "The finest of what has been said regarding this matter is the position adopted by Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal." — [Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar,{Vol.9/P.594]
The second interpretation: That the child is likened to a pledged object (marhūn) — one from which full benefit and enjoyment cannot be derived until it is redeemed. A blessing is only made complete upon the one blessed when they fulfil the obligation of gratitude (shukr), and the prescribed expression of gratitude for this particular blessing is what the Prophet ﷺ established as Sunnah — namely, the slaughtering of the 'aqīqah on behalf of the newborn as an act of thankfulness to Allah the Almighty and as a supplication for the wellbeing and safety of the child. This is the position of Mullā 'Alī al-Qārī. See: [Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ Sharḥ Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Vol.7/P.2688]
And Allah Almighty knows best.