From the Signs of An Accepted Hajj

In the name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All praise is due Allāh, Lord of all that exists. And I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh, alone without partners. And I bear witness that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger (ﷺ).

O Allāh teach us that which will benefit us and benefit us with what you have taught us, and increase us in knowledge and rectify all of our affairs and don’t leave us to ourselves for a blink of an eye.  

As to what proceeds, noble brothers, the talk is pertaining to what is after Hajj, and we recently came off the Hajj to the House of Allāh al-Ḥarām. 

Allāh (ﷻ) has facilitated for whom He has facilitated from His slaves to perform this act of obedience.

And there is no doubt that everyone who has performed Hajj to the House of Allāh hopes that Allāh (ﷻ) accepts his Hajj. 

Due to this, a practiced Sunnah from the time of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) until this day of ours is to say at the end of the act of obedience of Hajj on the day of ‘Eīd al-Aḍḥā and at the end of the act of obedience of fasting on the day of ‘Eīd al-Fiṭr, “May Allāh accept from us and you.” 

And this is a Sunnah from the time of the companions.

So we ask Allāh (ﷻ) to accept from us all our righteous actions and to also grant us it’s correctness and to not leave us to ourselves for a blink of an eye. Verily, He (ﷻ) is the All-Hearing, the Ever-Close, the One Who answers our du'ā.

Regardless how much the slave strives in completing and perfecting his Hajj, he doesn’t affirm for himself acceptance (by Allāh).    

Verily, Allāh (ﷻ) said in Sūrat al-Mu’minūn in mentioning the characteristics of His slaves in regards to their Īmān, 

“And those who give that (their charity) which they give with their hearts full of fear, because they are sure to return to their Lord.” (23:60)

And the Tafsīr of this verse comes in what has been authenticated on the Prophet (ﷺ) in the Musnad and other than it, from the ḥadīth of the mother of the believers, ‘Aishah, that what is meant by this is the one who prays, and gives charity, and fasts while fearing that It won’t be accepted.

So the believer with true Īmān doesn’t affirm for his actions acceptance, whatever they may be. He only hopes that Allāh (ﷻ) accepts it from him. 

And what Allāh (ﷻ) mentioned in regards to this affair in the news of the intimate friend of the Most Merciful and his son (ﷺ).

He (ﷻ) said,

“And (remember) when Ibrāhīm (Abraham) and (his son) Ismā'īl (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower." (2:127)

They built the House of the Most Merciful by the command of the Most Merciful in obedience to the Most-Merciful asking Allāh (ﷻ) to accept from them both.

Ibn-Kathīr (May Allāh have mercy on him) reported in his Tafsīr of this verse that one of the Salaf, Wuhayb ibn al-Ward that he recited the verse and began to weep. He said, “The intimate friend of the Most Merciful builds the house of the Most Merciful by the command of the Most Merciful and fears that it won’t be accepted!?”

In summary, the believer, regardless how much he strives to complete and perfect his actions, hopes that Allāh accepts it from him, and he doesn’t affirm, neither for himself, nor for anyone else acceptance. 

Due to this, some people ask, when seeking Fatwa regarding the affair of their Hajj, in their question to a scholar, “O Shaykh, is my action accepted?”

The affair of acceptance is with Allāh. However, the correctness of the action, and its agreement with the Sharī'ah, and the striving of the nafs upon completing and perfecting the actions are looked at. 

The scholars (May Allāh (ﷻ) have mercy upon them) allude to signs that are signs of acceptance although he is not affirmed with it. 

However it is from the signs of acceptance, from the signs of good when it appears on the slave. 

And from the most tremendous of them is that the condition of the individual after the Hajj is better than it was before it. This is from the signs of good and proofs of success, if the condition of the individual after Hajj improves. 

If his condition was evil before the Hajj then it becomes good after it. If his condition was good, then it becomes better. 

This is from the signs of success and signs of acceptance. This is because from the rewards of a good deed is a good deed after it. ‘And a good deed invites its sister.’ 

If the slave finds himself after the Hajj upon a good condition, from being devoted upon obedience, and diligent upon worship, and engaged in good, and his chest is at ease, then this is from the signs of success.

As for (Allāh’s refuge is sought) if the individual’s condition after the Hajj is evil, and turning to sins, averse to acts of obedience, then this is not from the signs of good.

Due to this, it is upon the one who Allāh (ﷻ) has honored with the Hajj to strive against his nafs upon uprightness upon acts of obedience, and being diligent upon acts worship, and to perfect its benefits from the Hajj, because the Hajj is a school of cultivation upon excellence and abandoning vices. 

“Then he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj.” (2:197)

This is cultivation. 

“And whatever good you do, (be sure) Allāh knows it.” (2:197)

It’s cultivation upon being devoted upon excellence and being distant from evil actions. 

“Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allāh and doesn’t behave obscenly and doesn’t commit sin nor dispute unjustly, returns like the day his mother gave birth to him.”

Due to this, the school of Hajj, not everyone who performs the Hajj benefits from it. 

Allāh (ﷻ) said,

“And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj). That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.). (22:27,28)

And the Lām in His saying is the Lām of ta'lil, “Liyashhadu” meaning: Proclaim to them the Hajj so that they may witness the benefits of the Hajj and to comprehend its examples and lessons and its perfect admonitions to better their lives and make their affairs upright and increase their devotion towards Allāh (ﷻ). 

Due to this, whomever Allāh (ﷻ) gives success with Iḥsān in benefitting from the school of Hajj, their condition will change to a better condition after the Hajj.

And the Hajj will a tremendous effect upon him. and the examples given of that are many. However, let's take one example, this tremendous statement, that the one making Hajj repeats in the days of his Hajj tens or maybe hundreds of times,  “Here I am O Allāh, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.” And he is raising his voice with it on his way to Makkah. While he is moving between the Mashā’ir ('Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina), he is repeating this statement hundreds of times and it is the statement of responding. In other words, I am responding, submitting, carrying out your command O Allāh. 

Is not the one carrying out the command and repeating the Talbiyah hundreds of times in this sanctified area shy to return back to his country and when the Ṣalāt is called  “Come to the prayer. Come to the success.” he doesn’t carry out the command of the caller!!

Where is his saying, “Here I am O Allāh, (in response to Your call), here I am.“ Is he not shy from Allāh? The Ṣalāt is greater than the Hajj and it is the greatest obligatory act in Islām after Tawhīd. 

So whomever Allāh (ﷻ) grants success to benefit from the Hajj and its examples and lessons, his affair will be upright, because in reality the Hajj cultivates. It cultivates one upon tremendous goodness, and noble actions, and different acts of obedience. It also cultivates one upon distancing one from disobedience, distancing one from rudeness, and distancing one from being rough, and distancing one from harsh mannerisms.

The Hajj cultivates one on being distant from all of this and being safe from falling into it.

And from what the scholars (May Allāh have mercy upon them) mention from the signs of an accepted Hajj is that the slave, regardless of the completeness in the acts of Hajj, should belittle the deeds he puts forth and to consider it as something small and to look at the thing that he put forth is less than what it should be and the right of Allāh is greater.  And that he, even though it is Hajj, is someone who falls short and how many of them have shortcomings. So if he has this characteristic then this is from the signs of good. 

In contrary (Allāh’s refuge is sought) to the one who comes from his Hajj and is amazed by his actions. He is afflicted with self-amazement and it has entered upon his nafs. This is neither from the signs of good nor from the signs of success. 

Rather the slave that has been given success, the truthful, regardless what he puts forth from actions, he sees that is only a little and that the right of Allāh is greater.

Due to this, it has been legislated or us in completing the Hajj to seek Allāh’s forgiveness so that our seeking forgiveness restores what we have of shortcomings in our Hajj.  

Many of the people during these times, most of their thinking in regards to their Hajj is searching for a shortcut in the Hajj. And many of their questions in regards to this affair, forgetfully or making pretend they forgot the saying of Allāh (ﷻ) in His first explanation of the rulings of Hajj in Ṣūrat al-Baqarah,

“And perform properly (i.e. all the ceremonies according to the ways of Prophet Muhammad), the Hajj and 'Umrah (i.e. the pilgrimage to Makkah) for Allāh.” (2:196)

He commanded with performing it properly, and completing it, not with shortening it. Many of the Hujjāj, you find them searching for another way that will make the Hajj shorter and regards it as something inconsiderable from the acts of Hajj, not diligent on performing his Hajj properly and completing it.

Then along with this shortening and shortcomings, he comes out amazed with his Hajj, applauding himself for his actions. This is a tremendous calamity. 

Also not to mention what has plagued the Hajj of many people nowadays from being distracted from acts of obedience by taking picturs of themselves in the different places of the Hajj, taking pictures of himself in every ritual and every Mash’ar and in every action. Then he sends the picture to his colleagues, relatives and friends so they could see it.

This type of Hajj is for the people to see his Hajj. Allāh says,

“And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allāh.” (3:97)

“for Allāh”

And he said in a ḥadīth,

“Whoever performs Hajj for Allāh and doesn’t behave obscenely…”

for Allāh, meaning purely for Allāh, not wanting anyone see him.

Showing off in the earlier times needed someone to talk about the action if a person came back from his Hajj; he spoke to the people about his actions until he earned their praise.

Now, this is not necessary. You send them the picture, one by one until the affair becomes serious and extremely dangerous. 

We saw and others saw someone who came by the Mashā’ir, then he extended his hands in the position of a person making du'ā, then someone took a picture of him, when he finished taking the picture, he lowered his hands. 

He didn’t raise his hands for the sake of Allāh. He raised his hands so people can see his picture while he is raising his hands, but in actuality he didn’t raise it for the sake of Allāh. His hands weren’t raised for the sake of Allāh, not in the least! It wasn’t raised to make du'ā to Allāh (ﷻ). It was raised to take a picture.

One of the noble brothers told me, and he is here in our sitting now that he saw a person in al-Masjid al-Nabawī walking with his friend, then he sat down in the position of the Tashahhud in the prayer. Then his friend took a picture, then he got up. 

A picture while he is ‘praying’ but he wasn’t praying for Allāh and he didn’t perform the prayer. He only did the act to take a picture! 

This is a calamity, by Allāh, an extremely tremendous calamity. 

In summary, the person making Hajj, the one given success, it is upon him to be extremely concerned with having his Hajj accepted and to be extremely careful from the matters that nullify his actions. 

He will not find his Hajj in his book of righteous deeds except if he does it seeking the Face of Allāh and striving to be in accordance with what Allāh legislated, combining sincerity to the one worshipped (Allāh (ﷻ)) and following the Messenger (ﷺ). 

As Allāh (ﷻ) said,

“So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord." (18:110)

And Allāh (ﷻ) said,

“so that He may test you which of you is best in deed.” (67:2)

Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ said, “The sincere and the correct deed.” He was asked, “O Abū ‘Alī! What is the sincere and correct deed?” He replied, “If it is done sincerely but incorrectly, then it is not accepted. And if it is done correctly but not sincerely, then it is not accepted. The sincere deed is one that is done only for Allāh (ﷻ). And the correct deed is one done according to the Sunnah.”

I ask Allāh (ﷻ) by His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes to grant us all sincerity in all our actions and to make us follow the Messenger (ﷺ).

And to set right for us our religion which is the safeguard of our affairs. And set right for us the affairs of our world wherein is our living. And set right for us my Hereafter to which is our return. And make the life for us abundance for every good and make our death a source of comfort for us protecting us against every evil.

Our Lord! Accept from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. And forgive us! You are the All-Forgiving and All Merciful. And accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.

O Allāh, grant our souls its piety and purify it, You are the Best to purify it, You are its Guardian and Master.

O Allāh! We ask You for guidance, piety, chastity and self- sufficiency.

O Allāh, apportion for us, fear of You, that shall come between us and disobedience of You, and of obedience to You, which shall cause us to obtain Your Paradise, and of certainty, which shall make the afflictions of the world easy for us, and enjoyment of our hearing, and our seeing, and our strength as long as You keep us alive, and make it the inheritor of us. And let our vengeance be upon those who have wronged us, and aid us against those who show enmity towards us, and do not make our affliction in our religion, and do not make this world our greatest concern, nor the limit of our knowledge, and do not give power over us to those who will not have mercy on us.

Glory is to You, O Allāh, and praise is to You. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You.

O Allāh send your Ṣalāt and Salām upon Your slave and Messenger, Our Prophet Muhammad, and his family, and all of his companions.