Innovations During Hajj

Firstly: Innovations Before Ihraam.

1. Withholding from travel in the month of Safar and abandoning starting actions such as marriage, the consummation of a marriage and other acts. [Hijjat an Nabee: 1/105, al Manaasik: 1/48].

   [The Hadeeth: “Whoever gives me the glad tidings of the arrival of Safar, I give him the glad tidings of [entering] Jannah.” Fabricated – (Al Fatawaa al Hindeeyah: 5/320)]

2. Abandoning traveling during the waning of the moon, and if the moon is in ‘the scorpion’. [Hijjat an Nabee: 2/105, al Manaasik: 2/48].

   [An Inauthentic Hadeeth has been narrated concerning this (Tadhkirat al Mawdoo’aat P.122)]

3. Abandoning cleaning the home and sweeping/vacuuming it before traveling. [Al Madkhal by Ibn Haaj: 2/67]

   [Hijjat an Nabee: 3/105, al Manaasik: 4/48].

4. Praying Two Rak’as when leaving for Hajj, reading ‘Al Kafiroon’ in the first Rak’ah after al Faatihah and ‘Al Ikhlaas’ in the second. When he is done he says; ‘Allahumma bika intashart wa ilayka tawajaht…’, reading Ayatul Kursee, Surat al Ikhlaas, Al Falaq and an Naas and so on from what is mentioned in some books such as; ‘Al Ihyaa’ by al Ghazalee, ‘al-Fatawaa al Hindiyyah’ and ‘Shir’at al Islam’ and others. [Hijjat an Nabee: 4/106, al Manaasik: 4/48].

   [The Hadeeth: “A servant does not leave anything better than two Rak’as for his family, he prays them before he travels.” It is weak as was clarified by al-Albani in ‘Silsilat al Ahadeeth ad Da’eefah’ #372... ]

   Likewise is the Hadeeth on the authority of Anas; “The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم did not travel except that he would get up and say; ‘Allahumma bika Intashart…” It was collected by Ibn ‘Adee and al Bayhaqi: 5/250. ‘Umar ibn Musaawir is in the chain and he is ‘Munkar al Hadeeth’ as was stated by al Bukhari, others have also declared him to be weak].

5. Praying four Rak’as. [Hijjat an Nabee: 5/106, al Manaasik: 5/48]

   [The Haddeeth concerning this is inauthentic, it was collected by al Khuraa-itee in ‘Makaarim al Akhlaaq’ on the authority of Anas: “A servant would not leave anything behind for his family that is more beloved to Allah than four Rak’as that he prays in his house when he is ready to travel.” Al ‘Iraaqee stated: ‘It is inauthentic.’]

6. Reading ‘Al Mureed lil Hajj’ when the person exists his house; the last of Surat Aal ‘Imraan, Ayatul Kursee, Surat Laylatul Qadr and al Faatihah, believing that this grants all the needs of the life of this world and the next. [Hijjat an Nabee: 6/106, al Manaasik: 6/48]

   [There is a Hadeeth on the authority of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم concerning this issue but it is Baatil as mentioned in ‘At Tadhkirah’: P.123]

7. Loudly practicing Dhikr and Takbeer when the Hujjaaj are preparing to travel. [Al Madkhal: 4: 322, Majalatul Manaar: 12/271]

8. Performing the Adhaan when bidding farewell to them. [Hijjat an Nabee: 8/107, al Manaasik: 8/48]

9. Carrying and celebrating the adornment/dressing of the Ka’bah. [Al Madkhal: 4/213, Al Ibdaa’ fee Madaar al Ibtidaa’: 131-132, Tafseer al Manaar: 10/358, Hijjat an Nabee: 9/107, al Manaasik: 9/48]

   [This innovation, and to Allah belongs all praise, has ended for years, but the following innovation remains in its place.]

10. Bidding farewell to the Hujjaaj with music by some countries. [Hijjat an Nabee:10/107, al Manaasik: 10/48]

11. Travelling alone, keeping company with Allah only, as some of the Sufeeyyah claim. [Hijjat an Nabee: 11/107, al Manaasik: 11/48]

    To be continued shortly…

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12. Travelling alone, keeping company with Allah only, as some of the Sufeeyyah claim. [Hijjat an Nabee: 11/107, al Manaasik: 11/48]

13. Traveling without carrying provisions with the claim of realizing Tawakul. [Hijjat an Nabee: 12/108, al Manaasik: 12/48]

    [Al Ghazaalee considered this to be good in ‘Al Ihyaa’: 3/249, he said elsewhere 4:229; ‘Traveling to the countryside without provisions is permissible, it is the highest level of Tawakkul.’

    [I say: This is falsehood, and if this were the case as he claims, the first person to practice it would have been the Messenger of Allah - صلى الله عليه و سلم - while we know that he never used to do that, how can this be claimed while he took provisions with him from Makkah to Madeenah. I do not know how al al Ghazaalee can make such a claim while Allah says: {And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness) [Al Baqarah: 197]…refer to source for further clarification]

14. Travelling with the intention to visit the graves of the messengers and the righteous. [‘Majmoo’at ar Rasaa-il al Kubraa: 2/390’ by Shaykhul Islam, Hijjat an Nabee: 13/107, al Manaasik: 13/48]

    [As for visiting graves without traveling to do so, then it is permissible with the consensus of the scholars…]

15. That a man gets into a marriage contract with a married woman when she wants to perform Hajj but doesn’t have a Mahram. So he gets into the contract in order for her to have a Mahram. [As Sunan wa Mubtada’aat: 109, Hijjat an Nabee: 14/107, al Manaasik: 14/48]

    [This is from amongst the most vile of innovations, due to what it consists of in trickery towards the legislation and putting oneself in a position where fornication may occur as is evident.]

16. That a woman ‘be-brothers’ a non-Mahram man in order for him to be a Mahram according to her, she then treats him as if he is a Mahram. [Al Manaasik: 10/49]

17. That a woman travels with a group of trustworthy women - according to them - without the presence of a Mahram, or that just one of them has a Mahram and they therefore claim that he is a Mahram for all of them. [Al Manaasik: 16:49, this innovation was not mentioned in Hijjat an Nabee.]

18. Taking a tax from the Hujjaaj who are intending to carry out the obligation of Hajj. [Al Ihyaa: 1/237, Hijjat an Nabee: 10/109, al Manaasik: 17/49]

19. The traveler praying two Rak’as wherever he settles and saying: {"My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, for You are the Best of those who bring to land." [Hijjat an Nabee: 16/109, al Manaasik: 18/49]

20. The traveler reading in every place he settles; Surat al Ikhlaas eleven times, Ayat al Kursee and the Ayah; { They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. one time. [Hijjat an Nabee: 17/109, al Manaasik: 19/49]

21. Eating from the onions of every country the traveler travels to. [Hijjat an Nabee: 18/109, al Manaasik: 19/49]

    […the Hadeeth: “Whoever eats the onions of a country, the water of that country would not harm him.” The Hadeeth is ‘Ghareeb’ the only source for it is ‘an Nihaayah’ by ibn al Atheer which consists of numerous Ahadeeth with no source.]

22. To intend a specific spot/area hoping for good by going there. The legislation of Islam does not encourage this, such as the areas that are claimed that the of the Prophet - صلى الله عليه و سلم – has been to, such as the rock of al Masjid al Aqsaa, Masjid al Qidam towards Damascus, likewise the areas where the messengers and the righteous havebeen. [Iqtidaa as Siraat al Mustaqeem: P.105-106, [Hijjat an Nabee: 19/109, al Manaasik: 21/49]

    [It has been authentically reported by ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he saw some people intending a certain place during his hajj, he said to them; ‘What is this?’ The responded; ‘It is a Masjid that the Messenger of Allah - صلى الله عليه و سلم - prayed in.’ He said; ‘This is how the people of the book were destroyed, they took the places where their prophets have been as places of worship, whoever comes by such places during the time of prayer should pray, if it is not the time of prayer he shouldn’t pray there.’ See ‘Tahdeer as Saajid’: P. 97 then compare that to ‘al Ihyaa’ 1/235 and you will see wonders.]

23. Showing weaponry upon entering Tabook. [‘Al Ikhtiyalaat al ‘Ilmeeyah’: P.70 by Shaykhul Islam ibn Taymiyah, Hijjat an Nabee: 20/110, al Manaasik: 22/49]

    To be continued shortly…