Hajj The Islamic Pilgrimage According to The Five Schools of Islamic Law

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Author(s): Allamah Muhammad Jawad Maghniyyah

Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum

Category: Hajj (Pilgrimage)

Topic Tags: Hajj Schools of Thought Law Fiqh

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Adapted from "The Five Schools of Islamic Law"

The Hajj

The Acts of the Hajj

At the beginning, in order to make it easier for the reader to follow the opinions of the five schools of fiqh about various aspects of Hajj, we shall briefly outline their sequence as ordained by the Shari'ah.

The Hajj pilgrim coming from a place distant from Mecca assumes ihram(1) from the miqat(2) on his way, or from a point parallel to the closest miqat, and starts reciting the talbiyah.(3) In this there is no difference between one performing `Umrah mufradahor any of the three types of Hajj (i.e. tamattu, ifrad, qiran). However, those who live within the haram(4) of Mecca assume ihram from their houses.'(5)

On sighting the Holy Ka'bah, he recites takbir اللَّهِ أَکْبَر (i.e. `God is the greatest') and tahlil لا إله إلا الله (i.e. `There is no god except Allah') which is mustahabb (6) (desirable, though not obligatory). On entering Mecca, he takes a bath, which is again mustahabb. After entering al‑Masjid al‑Haram, first he greets the Black Stone (al‑Hajar al‑'Aswad) ‑ if possible kisses it, otherwise makes a gesture with his hand - then makes the tawaf (seven fold circumambulation of the Ka'bah) of the first entry, which is mustahabb for one performing Hajj al‑'ifrad or Hajj al-qiran. Then he offers the two raka'at of the tawaf, again greets the Black Stone if

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1- `Ihram' is the state of pilgrim sanctity, which a pilgrim of Hajj or `Umrah assumes on reaching miqat (see note No. 2). A pilgrim in the state of ihram is called muhrim. (Tr.)

2- Miqat (pl. mawaqit) refers to a number of stations outside Mecca from where the pilgrims intending Hajj or `Umrah assume ihram. They are: (1) Dhu al‑Hulayfah (specifically, Masjid al‑Shajarah); (2) Yalamlam; (3) Qarn al‑Manazil; (4) al‑Juhfah; (5) three points situated in the valley of al‑`Aqiq: al‑Maslakh, al‑Ghamrah, and Dhat al‑`Irq. Those pilgrims whose houses are nearer to Mecca than to any of the above mawaqit, assume ihram from their houses. (Tr.)

3- The talbiyah is wajib according to the Imamiyyah, Hanafi, and Maliki schools, and mustahabb according to the Hanbalis. Its time is the moment of beginning of ihram.

4- The area roughly within a radius of six miles, with the Holy Ka'bah at the centre, is called ‘haram’, the sacred and inviolable territory of the sanctuary of the Holy Ka'bah. See the brief discussion under the subheading; "The Limits of the Harams of Mecca and al‑Madinah" in the present article. (Tr.)

5- According to the Imamiyyah school, Hajj al-tamattu` is obligatory for non‑Meccans, and Meccans may choose between Hajj al-qiran and Hajj al‑'ifrad. According to the four Sunni schools, there is no difference between a Meccan and a non‑Meccan with regard to choice of any particular kind of Hajj, except that according to the Hanafi school Hajj al-tamattu` and Hajj al-qiran are makruh for the Meccan.

6- The tawaf of the first entry or the arrival (called tawaf al‑qudum) is mustahabb from the viewpoint of all except the Maliki school, which regards it as obligatory.