Haj is a physical devotion that every Muslim is required to physically fulfil, though a small part of it pertains to money - such as when one offers a sacrificial animal.
The Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, has clarified that in the event of a person being genuinely unable to perform Haj, then it is permissible by proxy. It was related in Sahih Al-Bukhari on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, that: “A woman asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! My father is very old. There is the obligation of Haj upon him from Allah, but he is incapable of sitting on the back of a camel.’ Thereupon Allah’s Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Perform Haj on his behalf.’” This happened on his Farewell Pilgrimage.
In another narration, a woman came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and asked: “My mother had vowed to perform Haj but she died before performing it. May I perform Haj on her behalf?” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, replied: “Perform Haj on her behalf. Had your mother been in debt, would you not have paid it off? Therefore pay (her debt to) Allah, as He has the most right to be paid.”
If a person has the ability to perform Haj in person, he is not permitted to authorise another person to make Haj on his behalf. Many people loosely resort to Haj by proxy in the case of supererogatory Haj, even though they are well capable of performing it. By doing this they deprive themselves of the immense reward attained from the fatigue of worship and all that it contains of remembrance, supplication, submissiveness to Allah, redoubling of reward, useful meetings, etc.
In one of the two narrations reported from Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy upon him, he forbade proxy in supererogatory Haj for those who are capable of performing it in person. Thus, a Muslim should not be careless concerning the matter of Haj; he should either perform supererogatory Haj in person if he wishes, or provide pilgrims with money in order to share with them the reward of Haj.
O people! Haj is a type of worship which is performed by the servant as a means to please Allah and to attain reward in the Hereafter. A servant’s attention must not be diverted to attaining worldly gains during Haj. Unfortunately, many people who perform Haj on behalf of others do this solely for the sake of money, which is prohibited since worldly considerations should not spoil acts of worship.
Allah the Almighty says that which means: “Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments – We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the fire. And lost is what they did therein [i.e., during worldly life], and worthless is what they used to do.” (Surah Hud: 15-16).
He also says that which means: “And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance. And among the people is he who says: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world,’ and he will have in the Hereafter no share.” (Surah Al Baqarah: 200).
Allah will reject any worship that is not done purely for His sake. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, prevented seeking worldly gains in places of worship when he said: “If you see a man indulging in a (financial) transaction in the mosque, say to him: ‘May Allah not render your trade profitable.’” If this strict attitude is taken against those who utilise places of worship for worldly gains, what about those who turn the worship itself into a means of attaining worldly gains? Indeed it is not rare for us to find those requested to make Haj on behalf of others bargain and ask for extra money, which is turning worship into a craft or profession.
For this reason the Hanbali jurists maintained that it is invalid to hire a man to perform Haj on behalf of another. Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah declared that whoever makes Haj only to attain hire will have no reward in the Hereafter. However, if proxy is made for a religious purpose, such as benefiting others with the reward of Haj or aiming to increase acts of obedience through supplication and remembrance of Allah during the rituals of Haj, then Haj by proxy will be valid and acceptable in this case.
Those who charge proxy in Haj should devote their intention to seeking the pleasure of Allah, aiming to exercise the rituals related to Allah’s House, remembering Him and supplicating to Him, in addition to the fulfilment of the needs of their fellow Muslims who authorised them to make Haj on their behalf. They should not divert their attention to gaining worldly benefits; for if this becomes their sole interest, they will not be permitted to charge proxy in Haj.
If one entertains a sound intention for proxy in Haj, all the money he gets from the authorising person will be his, unless the latter demands refunding the remaining amount after covering the costs of the Haj. The deputy should intend to perform Haj and ‘Umrah on behalf of the authorising person, unless the former allows him to perform ‘Umrah for his own benefit.
A person deputised to make Haj on behalf of another person cannot deputise a third party, unless he obtains the consent of the person who commissioned him to make Haj on his behalf. All the reward of acts related to rituals of Haj goes to the authorising person, but the redoubling of reward through offering supererogatory prayers and Tawaf, as well as extra types of worship that exceeds the rituals goes to the authorised person.
The representative in Haj should exert the best of his efforts to accomplish the verbal and practical acts related to the rituals, since this is a trust that he should fulfil duly. When pronouncing Talbiyah, he should say: ‘labbayka ‘an fulan’ (i.e., ‘O Allah I respond to Your call on behalf of so and so’.) If he forgets the name of the person he is performing Haj or ‘Umrah for, he may intend it with his heart, saying: ‘labbaika ‘amman anabani fi hathihil-‘Umrah, or fi hathal-Haj’ (i.e. ‘I respond to Your call on behalf of one who authorised me to make this ‘Umrah or this Haj.’)
O servants of Allah! Fear Allah and do not pay much attention to worldly gains; and don’t turn worship into a means of attaining material gains!
Du’aa if ever we needed it...
And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me then (answer them), I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he call on me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me so that they may be led aright. [Surah Al-Baqarah 186]
The word du’aa is the plural of da’wah and both come from da’aa which means to ask or to call. To call “to something” in this way is to encourage others to do it. The meaning of du’aa in Islam is: for the slave to call out to his Lord to care for him, have mercy on him and supply him with his needs and wants.
The reality of du’aa is to manifest one’s absolute poverty and powerlessness before Allah Most High and the affirmation that all power to bring about anything belongs exclusively to Allah Most High. It is a sign of true worship and it contains the meaning of praising and exalting Allah Most High and ascribing to Him the attributes of generosity and grace.
Types of du’aa mentioned in the Qur’an
1. Worship. Asking for something which only Allah can grant is an act of worship which can only be directed to Allah Most High. To address it to other than Allah is Shirk.
And do not call besides Allah those who cannot benefit your and cannot harm you. Yunus:106
2. Seeking of Aid. Calling to one for aid can only be directed to Allah in issues where only He can respond. One can request aid from a present, living and capable individual and this is not shirk. However, to ask those incapable of helping (such as the deceased) or not present is to worship other than Allah Most High. Allah rejected the ability of anyone to help anyone else in disobedience to Him on Yaum Al-Qiyaamah in the following:
Call your witnesses beside Allah if your are indeed truthful. Al-Baqarah:23
3. Asking for something. Allah said:
Call to (ask) Me that I may respond to you. Ghaafir:60
4. Exalting of Allah and addressing one another. Allah said about the people of Paradise:
Their call therein is “Exalted are You, O Allah!” and their greeting therein is “Salaam”. Yunus:10
5. Allah calling us.
On the day when He calls you and you respond with His praise. Al-Israa:52
6. Calling to Allah in praise and supplication.
Say: Call “Allah” or call “Ar-Rahman”... Al-Israa:110
Those whose du’aa is answered by Allah
Allah and His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, have mentioned various people/conditions under which Allah answers the du’aa of His slaves. Among them:
1. The one in desperate need.
2. The oppressed upon whom injustice is being inflicted
3. A parent who makes du’aa for his child
4. A just ruler
5. A righteous individual
6. The righteous son/daughter who prays for his parents
7. The fasting individual until they break their fast
8. Any Muslim who makes du’aa for another Muslim without their knowledge
9. Every Muslim as long as they are not asking for injustice or breaking of family ties.
10. The one making taubah (repentance) from sin
11. The traveller whose sustenance is from halaal
Prerequisites of du’aa
When calling to your Lord, be sure to be aware of the following requirements for making du’aa:
1. Sincerity of directing all of your worship to Allah alone
2. Obedience to Allah by fulfilling all obligations upon you and avoiding all that forbidden.
3. Avoiding all harm consumption of food, clothing/jewelry and drink
4. Preceding the du’aa with a good deed
5. Purity (tahaara)
Some etiquette of du’aa
Also, pay close attention to the following etiquettes (aadaab) of supplicating Allah Most High:
1. Take advantage of the blessed times which Allah and His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, have told us about such as the day of Arafat, all of Ramadan (especially the last ten), Jumu’ah and the time of tahajjud (after sleeping and before fajr), etc. Allah said:
And in the late night they seek forgiveness. Adh-Dhaariyaat:18
2. Take advantage of the special circumstances when du’aa especially encouraged such as when one is in prostration (sajdah), upon meeting the enemy army, when Allah send His mercy (e.g., rain) and between the adhaan and the iqaama. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said:
“The closest a slave ever is to his Lord is when he is in prostration, so make much supplication.” Muslim & others
3. Face the Qibla. Jaabir, radiallaahu ‘anhu, reports:
“The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, came to the place of standing at Arafat, faced the Qibla and continued making du’aa until the sun set.” Muslim
4. Lowering the voice and keeping it “in between” neither complete silence nor completely out loud. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ariy reported that: We were approaching with Allah’s Messenger. When we came near Al-Madinah, he said “Allahu Akbar”. The people, too said “Allahu Akbar” and they raised their voices whereupon the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said:
“O people, verily the one whom you are calling is not deaf and is not absent. Verily, the one whom you are calling is between the necks of your mounts.” Al-Bukhari & Muslim
5. Humility, fear (of Allah and His punishment) and desire (for His mercy and His reward) when making du’aa. Allah said:
They used to race one another to good deeds and they would call to us in desire and in fear and they were humble before Us. Al-Anbiyaa:90
6. Be serious in what you ask for and certain of the ability and the promise of Allah to respond to your call. Do not put conditionals on what you ask for except for things like “if it is the best for me in this life and the hereafter in Your knowledge”, but not things like “if you wish”, etc. Allah does not respond to du’aa which is made “routinely” or frivolously without consciousness. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said:
“Call to Allah with certainty of being answered. And know that Allah does not respond to the du’aa from a heart which is forgetful or frivolous.” At-Tirmidhi
7. To be persistent, even insistent in du’aa and repeat it three times. Ibn Masood, radiallaahu ‘anhu, reported that: “When the Prophet made du’aa, he used to make it three times and when he asked, he asked three times.” – Muslim
8. To begin du’aa with the mention of Allah and invoking His blessing on the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, before asking for things and to close one’s du’aa with praise of Allah.
9. To repent from one sin’s and to undo any injustices done to others (including returning property improperly taken or undoing any other kind of harm) before turning to Allah in du’aa.
When we respond to Allah’s call to worship Him alone and to obey Him by performing our obligations and avoiding all the forbidden, Allah responds to this by granting us our du’aa. There can be nothing greater in this world than to have a du’aa which is answered by Allah Most High. Any nation which possesses many people who have this will succeed in this world and in the next. Allah will place in power over them those who fear and obey him and grant them victory over their enemies. The du’aa of Muslims for each other is more powerful than Muslims only making du’aa for themselves.
And your Lord said: Call to me that I may respond to you. Verily, those who are too arrogant to worship me will enter Hell-fire humiliated. Ghaafir:60
Oh Allah have mercy upon the Muslims who are suffering from attacks and oppression and living in fear, ameen.
The importance of good moral character in Islam
Imam Ahmad has reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam – Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The most perfect of the believers in faith is the best of them in character.”
He also reported on the authority of Abu ad-Dardaa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) that he said:
“There isn’t anything weightier on the scales, on the Day of Judgment, than good moral character.”
These two hadiths point to a truth/reality of the utmost importance: that the criterion for judging someone’s Imaan (faith) is not the abundance of his acts of worship and wealth of information. In fact, the criterion is in his good moral character.
Likewise, the greatest thing a person will be rewarded for – after one’s faith in Allah – is good morals. For this reason, we see the great importance attached to good moral character in the Message of Islam, which is summarised in the statement of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam):
“Verily, I have been missioned to establish/complete and perfect high moral standards and noble manners.”
Of those things which indicate that Islam is first and foremost an ethical and moral message, is Allah’s prompting His servants, the believers, in His Noble Book (Al-Qur’an) to purification of their souls and refinement of their morals.
For this reason Allah, the Most High, has mentioned after swearing with the longest oath in the Qur’an – which came in the beginning of the chapter entitled ash-Shams (the Sun) (No 91, verses 1-10):
“Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (ie obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). (verse 9).
“And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (ie disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, etc or by doing every kind of evil and wicked deed).” (verse 10).
The meaning of these verses is that he has triumphed and gained success who purifies himself from the evil and low morals and cultivates in himself the praiseworthy characteristics. While he has lost and has reason for remorse who has neglected the purification of himself and left himself to be a prey/victim of evil and ruin and the destructive characteristics.
Tha amazing thing is that Islam, with all of its forms of worship and sciences, is orientated towards the refinement of good moral character. If you were to reflect upon the objective of the four forms of worship which constitute the Pillars of Islam after the testimony of faith (ash-Shahaadatain), you would find them (all) related to developing character and morals.
As for the prayer, our Lord, the One Perfectly Free of All Defects, has said concerning it: “...And perform the prayers. Verily, the prayers prevent one from (al-fahshaa) great sins of every kind and (al-munkar) every kind of evil wicked deed...” (29:45).
As for Az-Zakaah (charity/alms), He, the Most High, said: “Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it...” (9:103).
The objective of alms-giving is the development of ethics and good morals – if you would only reflect. And so it is with fasting, about which the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever doesn’t leave off deceitful speech/falsehood and acting upon it – Allah has no need of him abstaining from his food and drink.”
The same can be said about pilgrimage (al-Hajj), concerning which Allah, the Most High, has said: “The pilgrimage is in the well-known (lunar year) months [ie the 10th month, the 11th month and the first 10 days of 12th month of the Islamic calendar]. So, whoever intends to perform the pilgrimage therein (by assuming Ihram), then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the pilgrimage...” (2:197).
Therefore, the objective of worship is the development of good moral character.
So it is with the Islamic Sciences – its knowledge does not benefit the one who has learned it except if it causes him to achieve the characteristic of God-consciousness and fear of (the punishment of) Allah. For this reason Allah, the Most High, said:
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“It is only those who have knowledge, among His slaves, that fear Allah...” (35:28).
It is due to these irrefutable facts, that the bad moral character of a person is considered a clear proof of the weakness of his faith, no matter how much he displays the outward ‘appearance’ which is in accordance with the Islamic Laws [fasting, performing the prayers and pilgrimage, and wearing the ‘Islamic dress’].
For this reason, al-Bukhari narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah said:
“There are three characters which whoever is characterised by them would be considered a hypocrite, even if he fasted, prayed, performed pilgrimage and ‘Umrah (minor pilgrimage or visit to the Ka’aba) and said: I am a Muslim. [These characteristics are]: (1) ‘whenever he speaks, he lies, (2) Whenever he promises, he breaks his promise, (3) Whenever he is entrusted (with something), he violates (the trust).”
From the above we know that acts of worship are of little benefit to those who perform them if or as long as he has not benefited from it in terms of improvement/refinement which affects his character.
From this we can understand the importance of a Muslim making a critical examination of his character and trying to better it – to whatever extent that might be possible. And why not? Since our Prophet whose moral character has been praised by Allah, when He, the Most High, said:
“And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.” (68:4).
He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) used to supplicate His Lord, the Mighty the Majestic, with these words:
“O Allah, Guide me to the most excellent manners and moral standards. None guides to it except You!
“And turn away from me the vile and evil manners. None can turn from me the vile and evil manners except You!”