The Guide To Hajj Rites

Part 2 – the Types of Hajj

  1. There are three categories of Hajj:

  2. The Tamattu‘ Hajj,

  3. The Qiraan Hajj,

  4. The Ifraad Hajj.

  5. The Tamattu‘ Hajj is obligatory upon any able – mostatee’ – adult whose hometown is at a distance of 16 Farsakh (88 km) or more from the Holy City of Makkah, from any direction. (Each Farsakh is about 5.5 km.)

  6. The Qiraan and Ifraad Hajj are obligatory upon any able adult who lives at less than that distance (i.e. 88 km) from the Holy City of Makkah.

  7. If one has not discharged his/her obligatory duty of the Tamattu‘ Hajj – also known as Hajjat-al-Islam, i.e. the first obligatory Hajj for those who live outside that distance, it is not sufficient for them to perform the Qiraan or the Ifraad Hajj.

  8. An adult individual has the choice of performing any of these three types of Hajj, if the Hajj is a mostahab one, or if it is performed as a nadhr or vow without the type being specified, or if he has been entrusted to perform it, without specification as to which type to perform. However, the preferred choice in these cases is the Tamattu‘ Hajj.

  9. If the adult individual was considered to have two hometowns, [i.e. permanently lived in two hometowns], one being outside the limit [of 88 km] and the other inside, he is obliged to perform [the Hajj] according to [where s/he spends] more time. So if he spent most of his time outside the limit, then he is obliged to perform the Tamattu‘ Hajj, otherwise the Qiraan or the Ifraad Hajj. In the case of him spending equal time between the two locations, he has the choice [of which Hajj to perform] even if he was mostatee’ to perform one rather than the other, and the preferred choice is to perform the Tamattu‘ Hajj.

A brief outline of the Tamattu‘ Hajj

  1. The Tamattu‘ Hajj consists of Umrah and Hajj, and a brief outline of various stage of the Hajj is as follows:

Umrah

• The individual declares and assumes the state of ihraam from the miqaat to start the Umrah of the Hajj.

• He travels to the holy city of Makkah, and on arrival he goes to the Grand Mosque to perform the tawaaf around the Ka‘bah.

The tawaaf consists of going round the Ka‘bah seven times.

• He then should perform the tawaaf prayers – of two rak‘ah – by Maqaam Ibrahim, or behind it.

• He should then go to perform the sa‘y – which is to go from the mount of Safa to the mount of Marwah, and back. The sa‘y is completed when all together seven laps have been covered between the mounts.

• At this stage one does not need to perform the Tawaaf an-Nisa.

• He then performs taqseer, which is the trimming of the hair or fingernails.

• After taqseer, the state of ihraam is lifted, and so too all restrictions and prohibitions imposed on the muhrim as a result of [being in] the state of ihraam.

Having performed and completed the Umrah, one must perform the Hajj:

Hajj

• The individual must declare and assume the state of ihraam in Makkah. It is preferable, or even recommended as a precaution, that this declaration is made on the day of Tarwiyah, the 8th day of Dhil-Hejjah, although it is permissible to delay this until later, such that he could ensure that he would be in [the location of] Arafaat in time for midday or noon time on the 9th day of Dhil- Hejjah.

• He should ensure that he is in Arafaat in time for midday, and that he must remain in Arafaat – woquf – from noontime to sunset.

• After [sunset], he should head for [the location of] Mash‘ar al- Haraam. He must observe the woquf (remain) in Mash‘ar al- Haraam between the times of Fajr and Sunrise.

• After sunrise he must head for [the location of] Mina in order to perform its three rituals, which are Ram’y (stoning of the obelisks representing Satan), Had’y (Sacrifice), and Halq (Shaving) the head (or taqseer where applicable).

• When he performs these rituals, it is preferable that the adult returns to Makkah on the same day, and if it was not possible, then he could go there on the following day.

• In Makkah, he must perform the Tawaaf of the Hajj, prays the two rak‘ah of the tawaaf by the Maqaam or behind it, perform the sa‘y as mentioned before, then performs Tawaaf an-Nisa’ or the Women Tawaaf, around the Ka‘bah seven times, and performs its two rak‘ah prayers.

• It is imperative that he goes back to Mina before sunset, or [if by the time of sunset, he was still busy performing the rites of Makkah he should go back to Mina] whenever he finishes his rites, even if one third of the night has passed, in order to perform the rest of the rituals there, which is mabeet, [or overnight stay], in Mina during the nights of Tashreeq, and Ram’y [or stoning of the Jamaraat – the three obelisks or monoliths representing the Satan], during the days of Tashreeq11.

• Having completed all these, his Hajj is complete, and s/he has discharged his duty in respect of Tamattu‘ Hajj. 11 These are the 10th, 11th, and 12th day of Dhil-Hejjah.

Tamattu‘ Hajj requirements

  1. A number of conditions must be observed for the Tamattu‘ Hajj:

a) The niyyah or the intention when declaring and assuming ihraam at the miqaat, when he should intend to perform the Hajj seeking nearness to Allah Almighty.

b) To perform the Hajj and the Umrah in the months of the Hajj, which are Shawwal, Dhil-Qa‘dah, and Dhil-Hejjah.

c) That the Hajj and the Umrah occur in the same year.

d) Declaring and assuming ihraam of the Hajj – not the Umrah – from the holy city of Makkah, and it is preferable that this is made in the Grand Mosque – Masgid al-Haraam. If, due to any peculiar circumstances, it was not possible to do this from the holy city of Makkah, then he should do it from wherever is possible between Makkah and Arafaat. If, due to an oversight or not being conversant with the ruling, one declared the ihraam from elsewhere,

and realised this oversight afterwards, it would be imperative for him to go back to Makkah and renew the ihraam from there. If it was not possible to do so, he must declare ihraam from where he is. However, if one deliberately declares and assumes ihraam from other than Makkah, his ihraam would be void, and it would be imperative for him to go back to Makkah and renew his ihraam from there, for otherwise his Hajj would be null and void.

e) The Umrah and Hajj12 must be performed as “one-by-one”, i.e. one may not hire two people to perform the Umrah and Hajj by proxy, in that one of them performs the Umrah and the other performs the Hajj. Likewise it is not permissible for one individual to volunteer to perform by proxy, the Umrah on behalf of a person, and the Hajj on behalf of another.

12 The Umrah and Hajj are considered as one act, not two separate ones.

Ifraad Hajj Procedure

  1. The second type of Hajj is the Ifraad Hajj, and the procedure for it is as follows:

• An adult declares and assumes ihraam from a miqaat, or from his house if it was closer to Makkah than the miqaat. • He should then go to Arafaat directly and observe the woquf from the midday of the 9th day of Dhil-Hejjah until sunset.

• After sunset he should head towards Mash‘ar al-Haraam and observe woquf during the period between Fajr and sunrise.

• After sunrise of the 10th day – the day of Eid – he should go to Mina to perform its rituals; which are Ram’y, the stoning, of the Jamaraat (the obelisks) and then Halq or taqseer – i.e. Shaving or trimming. No sacrifice is required.

• He should then go to Makkah on that day, or later, to perform the Hajj Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah seven times, then perform the two-rak‘ah prayers of the tawaaf by the Maqaam or behind it.

• He should then proceed to perform the sa‘y between Safa and Marwah seven times, • Followed by Tawaaf an-Nisa and its prayers.

• He should then perform the remaining rituals of Mina, the mabeet and Ram’y, which complete the Hajj.

• After this, he would also have to perform the Mufradah Umrah, where he should declare and assume ihraam from “adnal-hill”.13 He may perform this Umrah throughout the year, although as a precaution, he should do so as soon as possible.

  1. If the Ifraad Hajj was a mostahab one, or was due to a vow to perform an Ifraad Hajj only without an Umrah, it is sufficient for him to perform the Hajj only, and he is not required to Mufradah Umrah. 124. The conditions for the validity of the Ifraad Hajj are three: 13 which literally means the nearest point where one can be without ihraam, in other words, the nearest point where the ihraam can be declared outside the Haram. For more details see case # 143.

a) the declaration of the niyyah or intention at the time of the ihraam,

b) that it is performed during the months of Hajj,

c) to declare and assume the ihraam from the miqaat or from his house.

  1. If one declares and assumes the ihraam with the intention of performing a mostahab Ifraad Hajj, it would not be valid for him to change his intention to perform the Mufradah Umrah in order to perform the Tamattu‘ Hajj on behalf of someone else.

Qiraan Hajj Procedure

The third category of Hajj is the Qiraan Hajj, and the procedure for it is as follows:

The procedure for the Qiraan Hajj is exactly the same as that for Ifraad, with the exception that in this case the person performing this Hajj must have the sacrificial animal accompany him at the time of ihraam, [and it should accompany him until the time of slaughter] whereas in the case of Ifraad he does not need to offer a sacrifice.

The person who performs this Hajj has the option of uttering the talbiyah, or marking the animal with a sign or a collar.

Tamattu‘ Hajj Details

  1. The Tamattu‘ Hajj consists of two acts of worship:

  2. The Tamattu‘ Umrah

  3. The Tamattu‘ Hajj The Rites of the Tamattu‘ Umrah

  4. The Umrah of Tamattu‘ consists of five rites: 1. Ihraam.

  5. Tawaaf around the Holy Ka‘bah seven cycles.

  6. Salaat al-Tawaaf or the tawaaf prayer of two rak‘ah by Maqaam Ibrahim or behind it.

  7. Sa‘y between the Safa and Marwah seven times.

  8. Taqseer or trimming of some of one’s hair or fingernails.

  9. In the Umrah of Tamattu‘ the declaration of the niyyah or intention is obligatory, and so too is to perform the Umrah and Hajj together during the months of Hajj, which are Shawwaal, Dhil-Qa‘dah, and Dhil-Hejjah in the same year, as mentioned previously.

  10. The niyyah in the Umrah of Tamattu‘ – or in any other act of worship – is the mental intention, and the person intends in his heart that, “I perform the Hajj of Tamattu‘, beginning with the Umrah of Tamattu‘, whilst seeking nearness to Allah Almighty”. It is recommended to verbally utter the intention in all rites of Hajj and Umrah.

  11. IHRAAM

  12. The first of the rites of Umrah of Tamattu‘ is ihraam, and it is obligatory for the ihraam to take place in one of the designated locations known as the miqaat.

The various Miqaat’s

  1. It is obligatory to declare and assume the ihraam at one of the designated miqaat’s. The locations of the various miqaat’s have been specified by Rasulollah salla-llahu-alayhi-wa-aalih for the people (coming from the) various countries, directions and horizons. It is not permitted for the Haajj – the person performing the Hajj – to cross the limits, the miqaat, unless one has declared and assumed ihraam from one of the miqaat’s or from their proximity. The various miqaat locations are as follows:

  2. Masgid al-Shajarah

  3. Waadi al-Aqiq

  4. al-Juhfah

  5. Qern al-Manaazel

  6. Yalamlam

  7. adnal-hill

  8. The house of the pilgrim if it was closest to Makkah than any of the other miqaat locations.

[See case # 145 for the special case of using Jeddah airport as a “miqaat” location.]

  1. The miqaat of Masgid al-Shajarah (The Tree Mosque) is also known as Dhul-Hulayfah, and it is the miqaat for the people of the holy city of Medina or those from other countries who pass from the city.

  2. Masgid al-Shajarah is the furthest miqaat from the holy city of Makkah, and it is about seven km outside the holy city of Medina. Thus it is not permissible for one to cross Masgid al-Shajarah without ihraam. Also it is not permissible to postpone the ihraam until al-Juhfah, unless it is for exceptional circumstances such as illness or weakness, etc.

However, if one chooses an alternative route that does not pass through the location of the Masgid al-Shajarah, or even through the proximity of it at any stage, then it is permissible for him to postpone the ihraam until the al-Juhfah miqaat, or any other miqaat. But if one were at the proximity of Masgid al-Shajarah, then he is not allowed to leave location of the proximity (of the miqaat) except by declaring and assuming ihraam.

  1. The legal definition of proximity here is that if one stands facing the [direction] of the sacred Ka‘bah, the miqaat would be on his right or left, without being too far from him.

  2. One who is in a state of Janaabah14 or (a woman) who is experiencing haydh – the monthly menstruation period – may not enter the Masgid al-Shajarah and declare and assume ihraam from it, unless they are passing through it without stopping, such that they enter one door and leave from another, when they can declare and assume the ihraam and say the talbiyah en route as they pass through the mosque.

If it was not possible to pass through, it is obligatory for them to declare and assume the ihraam from outside the mosque, but closely adjacent to it, with the mosque being either on their left or right, as a precaution. 137. Declaring and assuming ihraam under the ceiling of the Masgid al- Shajarah is not considered sheltering. [Generally sheltering is prohibited for a muhrim when on the move.]

  1. It is permitted to declare and assume ihraam in the extension to the Masgid al-Shajarah, as there is no difference between the old building and the new. The same is applicable to other miqaat’s.

  2. Wadi al-Aqiq, is the second of the miqaat’s, and is about 100 km from the holy city of Makkah. This miqaat is for the people of Iraq and Najd and those people coming through this route to Makkah. The beginning location of this miqaat in the direction of Iraq is known as al- Maslakh, and the mid location is known as Ghamrah, and the ending location of this miqaat is known as Thaat-Erq.

14 A person is in the state of Janaabah whenever s/he engages in penetrative sexual intercourse, or (in the case of men) whenever ejaculation of semen occurs even without the any sexual intercourse.

  1. al-Juhfah is the miqaat for the people of the Shaam and Egypt. It is also the miqaat for those people coming from other countries through their route, if they do not pass by another miqaat, or if they passed by the other miqaat without declaring and assuming the ihraam, and it is not possible for them to go back to declare the ihraam. In this case it is incumbent on them to declare and assume ihraam from al-Juhfah.

  2. Qern al-Manaazel is about 94 km from Makkah, and it is the miqaat for the people of Ta’ef, and those coming from their direction. 142. Yalamlam is a mountain from the mountain series of Tahamah, and is also some 94 km from Makkah. It is the miqaat for the people of Yemen, and those coming from their direction to Makkah.

  3. adnal-hill,15 is the limit/border of the Haram. [The Haram encompasses the holy city of Makkah from all sides, and it is an area of about 500 square kilometres approximately.] This limit is the miqaat for those who do not come to Makkah by crossing any of the above five miqaat’s or their not too distant proximities, while not being able to go to other miqaat’s.

  4. He whose house is closer to Makkah than the miqaat’s, then his house is his miqaat.

  5. The Haajj (pilgrim) who arrives at Jeddah by airplane, and wishes to go to Makkah [directly], may declare and assume ihraam from Jeddah by making a [prior] nadhr (vow), by saying “I make it my duty to Allah to declare and assume ihraam from Jeddah.” As for declaring and assuming ihraam in the aircraft while it is flying in the proximity (of a miqaat), it is not normally achievable.

  6. If one failed to declare and assume the ihraam from one of the designated miqaat’s, due to reasons of not knowing, or forgetting the mandatory nature of ihraam from the miqaat, or if he did not know that 15 literally meaning “the nearest point one can be without ihraam”, in other words, the nearest point ihraam can be declared outside the Haram.

this was the actual place of the miqaat – provided he was not moqassir16 in his forgetting or not knowing, as a precaution – or if he did not intend to perform the rites nor entering Makkah, and therefore passed through the miqaat with that purpose, and afterwards he decided to enter Makkah or perform the rites, as a precaution,

it is mandatory for him to go back to the particular miqaat if it is possible, even if there is another miqaat ahead of him. However if it is not possible for him to go back to the first miqaat, it is incumbent on him to declare and assume ihraam from the miqaat ahead of him.

If there is no miqaat ahead of him, he should then declare and assume ihraam from where he is. However, if he had entered the Haram he must go back to the borders of the Haram, and declare and assume the ihraam outside the Haram if it was possible, and if it was not possible in anyway to go back [to the borders of the Haram], he must declare and assume the ihraam from where he is, and his Umrah is valid.

  1. If one forgot to declare and assume the ihraam until he performed all the obligatory (rites), his Umrah is valid. So too, if he did not declare and assume ihraam because he did not know it was mandatory for him to do so, or if he assumed ihraam from a place other than the proximity of a miqaat thinking that it was [the proximity], and other such reasons, in all such cases his Umrah is valid, provided, as a precaution, this is due to him being a qaasir17 not moqassir [in his failure to learn and understand the issues concerned].

16 Moqassir means one who does not know the ruling regarding certain aspect (of a religious duty) and he is aware of this ignorance or shortcoming and where to find the answer for, e.g. through certain books, references, or individuals with the appropriate expertise, but does not make the effort to seek the answer. In this way he has failed to discharge his duty. For comparison also see qaasir.

17 Qaasir means one who does not know the ruling of a certain aspect of a religious duty, but in fact he is not aware of this ignorance and naturally does not seek the answer to the case concerned since he believes that what he is doing is correct. Thus one should not assume that what he is doing is always correct, and ensure to check with reference books or expert individuals. As a matter of fact it is imperative and obligatory for the individual to learn and know all aspects that s/he may come across in the course of one’s life concerning the relevant issues.

  1. If one deliberately did not perform the ihraam, and then it became impossible or impractical for him to go back to the particular miqaat to perform the ihraam, in this case there are three scenarios to consider: a) If he intended to enter Makkah only, without meaning to perform the (Hajj) rites, in this case he has committed a sin by not performing the ihraam, and by entering Makkah without it, and generally there is not need for qadha’ – i.e. no need to perform the ihraam later on.

b) If he had decided to do the Mufradah Umrah, it is sufficient to perform the ihraam from adnal-hill, even though he has committed a sin by crossing the miqaat without an ihraam.

c) If he had decided to perform the Hajj, then he must perform the ihraam in a similar way to the case of the one who had forgotten to do it, as described previously. He must go back to the miqaat [that he came from] if it were possible to do so, and perform the ihraam there, even if there is another miqaat en route. If this was not possible, then he should go to the miqaat en route, [i.e. the nearest miqaat], and his Hajj is valid.

  1. If one performs the ihraam before arriving at the miqaat, without having made any legal vow, his case is the same as the one who has not performed the ihraam, and therefore it is not allowed for him to enter the Haram and perform the rites, until he performs the correct procedure as mentioned earlier.

He must renew his ihraam from the miqaat by renewing his niyyah, and the talbiyah, etc. as it is required at the declaration and assuming of ihraam from a miqaat.

  1. It is not allowed for an adult to enter the holy city of Makkah, and not even to enter the Haram with intention of entering Makkah, unless with a valid ihraam observing all the required conditions from the (appropriate) miqaat. As for entering the Haram without the intention of entering Makkah, [he does not have to assume ihraam, although] it is preferable to observe precaution by performing it [before entering the Haram, in which case he would have to go to Makkah to do the Mufradah Umrah, and thus be released from the ihraam].

  2. If the adult needed to enter and leave the holy city of Makkah frequently because of his job, then such an individual may enter Makkah without ihraam.

  3. It is also permissible to enter Makkah without ihraam for one who had originally entered it with a valid ihraam observing all the required conditions, then left it, and then return to the city within the month in which he had performed the ihraam. However, if one month after his ihraam he wishes to enter Makkah, he must perform a new ihraam from the miqaat.

  4. It is important to note that the references made to the month in this respect do not suggest lunar months, but the criterion is the passage of thirty days.