The obligatory acts of Hajj:
1. Entering ihram, that is, making the intention for Hajj. The Hajj of a person who does not make the intention for Hajj will not be valid. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى”.
“Indeed, deeds depend upon intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.”[1]
2. Wuquf at Arafah, or staying at Arafah.[2] The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“الْحَجُّ عَرَفَةُ”.
“Hajj is Arafah.”[3]
3. Tawaf al-Ifadah or Tawaf al-Ziyarah (the obligatory tawaf of the House of Allah). Allah Most High says,
“وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا بِالْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ”
“And let them circumambulate the Ancient House.”[4][5]
When Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) began menstruating, the Prophet said, “Will she detain us?” Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “O Messenger of Allah, she has already performed Ifadah, that is, the tawaf of the House of Allah. She began menstruating after Tawaf al-Ifadah.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Then depart now.”[6] This shows that Tawaf al-Ifadah is obligatory.
4. Performing sa‘i between Safa and Marwah.[7] According to the majority of the Companions, Tabi‘in, and imams, it is obligatory.[8] The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
“اسْعَوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ عَلَيْكُمُ السَّعْي”.
“Perform sa‘i, for Allah Most High has made sa‘i obligatory upon you.”[9] Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said,
فَلَعَمْرِى مَا أَتَمَّ اللَّهُ حَجَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَطُفْ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ.
“By my life! Allah will never complete the Hajj of one who does not perform sa‘i between Safa and Marwah.”[10]
Remember, the Hajj of a person who omits any one of the obligatory acts will not be valid.
The wajib acts of Hajj:
1. Entering ihram from the miqat; that is, entering ihram before crossing the miqat.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) designated the miqats, he said,
“هُنَّ لَهُنَّ وَلِمَنْ أَتَى عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَهْلِهِنَّ لِمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَة”.
“These are for their residents and also for those who come through those routes from elsewhere intending to perform Hajj or Umrah.”[11]
2. Staying at Arafah until sunset.
A person who performs wuquf on the plain of Arafah during the day must remain at Arafah until sunset. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed wuquf on the plain of Arafah during the day and remained there until sunset. Miswar ibn Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “While addressing us at Arafah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The polytheists and idolaters used to depart from here at sunset, when the sun remained over the mountaintops like a turban on a man’s head. Therefore, our way is different from their way.”[12] Thus, the Messenger of Allah’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departure from Arafah after sunset was intended to differ from the practice of the polytheists.
3. Spending the night at Muzdalifah.
a. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spent the night at Muzdalifah and said,
“لِتَأْخُذْ أُمَّتِي نُسُكَهَا ، فَإِنِّي لاَ أَدْرِي لَعَلِّي لاَ أَلْقَاهُمْ بَعْدَ عَامِي هَذَا”.
“Let my Ummah learn the rites of Hajj, for I do not know; perhaps I will not meet them again after this year.”
b. He permitted the weak to depart from Muzdalifah after midnight. This shows that spending the night at Muzdalifah is wajib, because permission is needed only when the matter is of importance.
c. Allah Most High has commanded that He be remembered near al-Mash‘ar al-Haram. Allah Most High says,
فَإِذَآ أَفَضۡتُم مِّنۡ عَرَفَٰتٖ فَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلۡمَشۡعَرِ ٱلۡحَرَامِۖ [البقرة: ١٩٨]
“Then, when you depart from Arafah, remember Allah near al-Mash‘ar al-Haram.”[13]
4. Spending the nights of Tashriq at Mina.
The nights following the 10th and 11th must be spent at Mina. If the sun sets on the 12th while one is still at Mina, the night following the 12th must also be spent at Mina. One must stone the Jamarat on the 13th and then leave Mina.
Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said,
أَفَاضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ آخِرِ يَوْمِهِ حِينَ صَلَّى الظُّهْرَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى مِنًى فَمَكَثَ بِهَا لَيَالِىَ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed the Zuhr prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram, completed Tawaf al-Ziyarah, returned to Mina, and spent the nights of Tashriq at Mina.”[14]
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) permitted those responsible for providing Zamzam water to the pilgrims to spend the nights of Mina in Makkah, and he permitted those responsible for the camels to spend the nights outside Mina. This permission indicates that spending the nights of Mina at Mina is wajib.
5. Stoning the Jamarat.
Stoning Jamarat al-Aqabah (the large Jamarah) on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. On the days of Tashriq, namely the 12th and 12th, and also on the 13th for those who remain at Mina on the 13th, the small, middle, and large Jamarat are to be stoned respectively. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stoned the Jamarat in this manner. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
رَأَيْتُ النَّبِىَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَرْمِى عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ وَيَقُولُ «لِتَأْخُذُوا مَنَاسِكَكُمْ فَإِنِّى لاَ أَدْرِى لَعَلِّى لاَ أَحُجُّ بَعْدَ حَجَّتِى هَذِهِ ».
“I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stoning while seated on his mount on the Day of Sacrifice, and he said, ‘Learn the rites of your Hajj, for I do not know; perhaps I will not be able to perform Hajj again after this Hajj of mine.’”[15]
6. Shaving the head or shortening the hair.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded shaving the head or shortening the hair, saying, وَلْيُقْصِرْ ، وَلْيُحِلل meaning, “Let him shorten the hair of his head and come out of ihram.”[16] He also prayed for forgiveness three times for those who shaved their heads and once for those who shortened their hair.
7. The Farewell Tawaf.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded the Farewell Tawaf, saying,
“لاَ يَنْفِرَنَّ أَحَدٌ حَتَّى يَكُونَ آخِرُ عَهْدِهِ بِالْبَيْت”.
“No one should depart until his last encounter is with the House of Allah.”[17]
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
أُمِرَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يَكُونَ آخِرُ عَهْدِهِمْ بِالْبَيْتِ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ خُفِّفَ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ الْحَائِضِ.
“The people were instructed that their final act should be an encounter with the House of Allah. However, he granted a concession to menstruating women.”[18]
It should be noted that anyone who omits any one of these must offer a dam, that is, slaughter an animal.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
مَنْ نَسِىَ شَيْئًا مِنْ نُسُكِهِ أَوْ تَرَكَهُ فَلْيُهْرِقْ دَمًا.
“Whoever forgets or omits any rite of his Hajj should slaughter an animal.”[19]
[1]. Bukhari: 1.
[2]. During Hajj, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) followed the example of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Regarding the polytheists, he said to the Muslims, “هَدْيُنَا مُخَالِفٌ لِهَدْيِهِمْ ‘Our way is different from their way.’” Thus, he stayed with the Muslims on the plain of Arafah, thereby differing from the Quraysh in this matter as well. This is because the Quraysh would not go beyond Muzdalifah; rather, they would remain at Muzdalifah and say, “We will not depart from anywhere outside the Haram.” It should be noted that Arafah lies outside the boundaries of the Haram. (Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra: 5/125).
[3]. Irwa al-Ghalil: 4/256.
[4] الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيق, or the Ancient House, refers to the oldest house built for the worship of Allah, namely the Ka‘bah. This is because it is the first house built on earth for worship.
[5]. Al-Hajj: 29.
[6]. Bukhari: 428.
[7]. During the Age of Ignorance, some of the Ansar used to perform Hajj for idols and believed that performing sa‘i between Safa and Marwah was not permissible. When they came to perform Hajj with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), they presented the matter to him. He said, “Perform sa‘i, for Allah has made sa‘i obligatory upon you.” (For details, see Bukhari: 1643).
[8]. According to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), it is wajib.
[9]. Musnad Ahmad: 421.
[10]. Muslim: 928.
[11]. Bukhari: 1524; Muslim: 1181.
[12]. Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra: 5/125.
[13]. Al-Baqarah: 198.
[14]. Abu Dawud: 1683.
[15]. Muslim: 1297; Abu Dawud: 1970.
[16]. Bukhari: 1691; Muslim: 1227.
[17]. Muslim: 2350.
[18]. Muslim: 2351.
[19]. Muwatta Malik: 890; Daraqutni: 2/244.