Hajj for Those Who Are Able

First Khutbah All praise is due to Allah, who has opened the doors of acts of obedience for His servants and made the paths of drawing near to Him easy. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner. He is the One of exalted ranks. And I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger to all creation.  O Allah, send Your blessings, peace, and grace upon him, his family, his companions, and his followers, for as long as the pilgrims respond to the call in the sacred sites. As for what follows: I advise you, O servants of Allah and myself to have taqwa of Allah. The Exalted said: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ﴾ “O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow.” O believers: In these days, people’s hearts long for the Sacred House of Allah, in response to the call of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Khalil Al-Rahman, the intimate friend of Allah, whom his Lord commanded: ﴿وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ﴾ “And proclaim to the people the Hajj…”  So that they may come to perform pilgrimage to the House.     ﴿مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا﴾ “…whoever is able to find thereto a way.” Thus, performing Hajj to this Sacred House is only obligatory upon the one who is able, who possesses the means to perform Hajj, including physical and financial capability, and completion of the required permits and administrative procedures. Whoever is not able is excused, and due to his sincere intention, he is rewarded, as though he is among the pilgrims and those responding to the call. How could it not be so, when our Prophet ﷺ said: «إِنَّ بِالْمَدِينَةِ أَقْوَامًا، مَا ‌سِرْتُمْ ‌مَسِيرًا وَلَا قَطَعْتُمْ وَادِيًا؛  إِلَّا كَانُوا مَعَكُمْ، حَبَسَهُمُ الْعُذْرُ» “There are people in Madinah who, whenever you travelled or crossed a valley, were with you, they were only held back by an excuse.” So, O you who have already performed Hajj once in your lifetime: You have fulfilled the obligation your Lord has placed upon you, and you have followed the guidance of your Prophet ﷺ. For indeed, He ﷺ did not perform Hajj after the revelation began except once, and He addressed the people saying: «الْحَجُّ مَرَّةً، فَمَنْ زَادَ فَهُوَ تَطَوُّعٌ» “Hajj is (obligatory) once, and whoever does more, it is a voluntary act.” O servants of Allah: It is not a sign of true understanding (fiqh) for a person to repeatedly seek to perform Hajj. Al-Hasan Al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: One of them says: ‘I will perform Hajj, I will perform Hajj,’ but you have already done so! Instead, maintain your family ties, be kind to your neighbour, give charity to someone in distress. So, a believer who has been blessed by Allah to perform the obligatory Hajj should avoid crowding out others among the pilgrims to the Sacred House, for in his case, Hajj is voluntary, whereas for those who have not yet performed it, it remains an obligation. And obligation takes precedence over voluntary acts. It is thus more appropriate for him to spend the money he had allocated for Hajj in other avenues of righteousness and Ihsan, such as contributing to a waqf dedicated to serving pilgrims or giving charity to a needy person. Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Giving charity is better than performing a voluntary Hajj. And when Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the expenses of a voluntary Hajj, he said: To spend it on hungry stomachs is more beloved to me. Indeed, there are many doors to goodness beyond Hajj. So, whoever is not able to perform Hajj, let him not grieve, nor feel regret, nor become upset or resentful. Let him not try to circumvent the law or look for loopholes, for in doing so he deprives himself of the reward of contentment, loses out on the reward of patience, and may expose himself to negative consequences. Does he not know that respecting administrative procedures, complying with the applicable laws, and making room for those who have not yet fulfilled this obligation, these are among the greatest forms of goodness and noblest acts of piety? He has many righteous deeds he can perform while remaining in his own land, deeds whose reward equals that of Hajj, among them is what our Prophet ﷺ informed us of: «مَنْ صَلَّى الغَدَاةَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ، ثُمَّ قَعَدَ يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ، ‌ثُمَّ ‌صَلَّى ‌رَكْعَتَيْنِ؛ كَانَتْ لَهُ كَأَجْرِ ‌حَجَّةٍ ‌وَعُمْرَةٍ، تَامَّةٍ تَامَّةٍ تَامَّةٍ». “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two rak'ahs, he will have the reward of a complete Hajj and ‘Umrah complete, complete, complete.” “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.” ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ﴾. I say this, and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for me and for you. Second Khutbah All praise is due to Allah, as He deserves to be praised. And may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. As for what follows: O believers! Here are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah they have come upon you with their spiritual breezes and settled among you with their blessings, they are great days in the sight of your Lord. Listen to the words of your beloved Prophet ﷺ: «أَفْضَلُ أَيَّامِ الدُّنْيَا؛ أَيَّامُ الْعَشْرِ» The best days in the world are the (first) ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah).  So, reflect on Allah’s mercy upon you, and His favour and generosity to you, for He has legislated for you, during these days, acts of worship similar to those He prescribed for the pilgrims at His Sacred House. If they, on the Day of ‘Arafah, stand upon the plains of ‘Arafat, seeking forgiveness and mercy, then you have the opportunity to fast on this day. Whoever takes advantage of it hopes from his Lord for forgiveness of sins and misdeeds, just as our beloved Prophet ﷺ said: «صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ؛ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ وَالْبَاقِيَةَ» “Fasting the Day of ‘Arafah expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.”   And if the pilgrims, on this day, raise their voices to Allah with talbiyah and supplication, then you, too, raise your hands in humble prayer and hopeful pleading. Just as your Prophet ﷺ said: «أَفْضَلُ الدُّعَاءِ دُعَاءُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ» “The best supplication is the supplication made on the Day of ‘Arafah.” So, when the Day of Eid arrives, and the pilgrims hasten to offer their sacrifices (hady), you, too, draw near to your Lord by slaughtering your sacrificial animals (udhiyah). Then come the Days of Tashreeq “days of eating, drinking, and remembering Allah, the Almighty” as the Prophet ﷺ said. «أَيَّامَ أَكْلٍ وَشُرْبٍ وَذِكْرٍ لِلَّهِ عَزَ وَجَلَّ». Be mindful of these great meanings, make the most of these noble days, and strive in obedience to your Lord, showing gratitude for His bounty. And as for you, whom Allah has honoured by facilitating your pilgrimage, praise Him for this blessing, and know that during Hajj: ﴿لَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ﴾ “There shall be no obscenity, nor sin, nor quarrelling” And remember, the words of Allah in the context of His speech about Hajj in Surah Al-Baqarah:   ﴿وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى﴾ “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is righteousness (taqwa).” And do not forget to include in your prayers your families, your leaders, and your homeland, the one that has provided you with the best care and the finest services. Be the best ambassadors for it by upholding its values and preserving its reputation. O Allah, ease the journey of the pilgrims, accept their Hajj, and return them safely to their homeland. ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا﴾. “Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and peace in abundance.” O Allah, make us sincere in our worship and devotion to You. Honor us with what You bestow upon the pilgrims of Your Sacred House, of forgiveness and great reward. O Allah, help us to seize the opportunity of the ten days, and record for us forgiveness and reward within them. O Allah, preserve the stability, progress, and prosperity of the United Arab Emirates. O Allah, guide the President of the State, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, his deputies, his brothers the rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince, to that which You love and are pleased with. O Allah, have mercy on Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Rashid, and the founding leaders, and admit them, by Your grace, into the vastness of Your Paradise. And envelop the martyrs of the nation in Your mercy. Servants of Allah: Remember Allah, the Almighty, the Majestic, and He will remember you. Be grateful to Him for His blessings, and He will increase you. And establish the prayer. Announcement (التنبيه) O worshippers: Out of the keen interest of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, and Zakat in opening the doors of goodness to members of the community, it has launched a charitable endowment initiative titled: “The UAE Pilgrims Endowment.” Let us all contribute to this charitable initiative, whose proceeds are dedicated to serving the UAE pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah, through the Authority’s official website and smart application. May Allah record for us the reward of a complete Hajj, accept it from us as a continuous charity, whose reward remains and whose blessings never cease.  وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم