Hajj at a Glance

by Asim Ahmad

If you are going for Hajj this year, this is the right time to brush up on the fundamentals of hajj and umra before departing for the Holy Land. Here, we can divide the Hajj experience into three types; one is the fiqh (legal) aspect which includes the dos and do nots, the compulsories and wajib (necessaries). The second is the spiritual aspect, which is the basis for acceptance of the hajj and the purging of all sins until one returns like a newborn as stated in the authentic hadith. This includes performing the hajj in the footsteps of the Prophet a according to his Sunna.

The third aspect is the logistics. Most of the hajj process is not in our control, but it is still important to do whatever is within our capacity to prevent unforeseen obstacles from dampening our hajj experience and disturbing our sublime state in the Haram of Allah. (This part is covered in the Hajj preparation infographic on p.19-20)

This article is by no means a comprehensive treatise on hajj. It is more a beginner’s guide that covers the necessary aspects of hajj. Along the way, you will learn some hajj terms, which every pilgrim should know to understand the bigger picture of the hajj and what it entails. For a more detailed guide, please contact your local scholars and study the many comprehensive texts on this topic by authentic scholars.

The Fiqh of Hajj

If you are planning for hajj, you need to decide in advance whether you will be performing hajj only or both hajj and umrah together. Since pilgrims flying from the West arrive a few days in advance of the hajj days and have plenty of time to perform a umrah, most of us will be performing tamattu or qiran.

What is tamattu and qiran?

TAMATTU means that the pilgrim wears an ihram for umrah only. He then performs umrah and once its complete, removes the ihram and wears regular clothe until the hajj days come in. Once the hajj days come in, he will wrap the ihram again with the intention of hajj.

QIRAN The pilgrim performing qiran does everything the same as the mutamatti‘ (pilgrim performing tamattu‘) except for two things. For one, when he dons his ihram for umrah, he will make intention for both umrah and hajj, and second, he cannot remove the ihram until the hajj is complete.

Qiran is naturally more virtuous and rewarding since the qarin (pilgrim performing qiran) must observe the restrictions of ihram for a longer duration than the mutamatti, i.e., he is going to make a bigger sacrifice. Whether you decide to do one or the other, it is a good idea to first know the restrictions of ihram and see if you can bear them for a prolonged period or not, and then decide accordingly.

If the pilgrim is performing hajj by itself,