The Pilgrimage - Part 3: How Pilgrims Fulfill their Duties. 
           
            When a pilgrim draws close to the place where he must go into ihraam, or consecration, he is recommended to have a bath or to wash himself, wear some perfume, shorten his hair, remove his pubic hair and his armpit hair, and clip his nails. Women are also recommended to do all these with the exception of cutting their hair. A woman can have a bath even though she may be in her period. When a pilgrim arrives at the meeqat, which is the appointed place for going into consecration, i.e. ihraam, he prays two rak'ahs and forms his intention to do the pilgrimage or the Umrah. He must be wearing only his ihraam garments, i.e. two pieces of cloth, wrapping one around his waist so that it covers his body down to the middle of his lower legs and throwing the other over his shoulders. Women continue to wear their ordinary clothes covering all their bodies, but they must not cover their faces or hands. It is important to vocalize the intention to do the pilgrimage or the Umrah, saying: "I hereby resolve to do the pilgrimage (or the Umrah, or both, as the case may be) for God's sake. My Lord! Make it easy for me and accept it from me." Pilgrims are also recommended to repeat the traditional phrases declaring that they are responding to God's call for them to offer the pilgrimage and complete it. They repeat these phrases as they go into ihraam and at any time they like, especially when they go up a hill or down a slope, when they meet someone and after prayers, when they go into a car or on the back of a horse, and when they get off. Men repeat these phrases aloud, while women lower their voices so that only those who are close to them hear them. The phrases to be repeated are: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayk Laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamda wal-ni'mata laka wal-mulk. Laa shareeka lak. What these phrases mean is that we are responding to God's call and that we believe in Him alone as the only god in the universe, and that He is praiseworthy for all the grace He has given us, and that all dominion belong to Him alone. 

            Pilgrims are recommended to have a bath shortly before entering Makkah, if this is at all possible. When they arrive in Makkah, they should go straight to the Sacred Mosque, i.e. the Kaabah, after having made sure that their luggage is safe. It is authentically reported that prayers at the first sight of the Kaabah are certain to be answered. Hence, one should pray for the greatest prize of all, which is admittance into heaven without having to face a severe reckoning on the Day of Judgment. We may also pray for all our prayers to be answered. A pilgrim should praise God for having enabled him to be at Makkah on his pilgrimage or Umrah. 

            Pilgrims should then proceed to do their tawaf of arrival, which is the first thing anyone who arrives in Makkah should do. The tawaf consists of walking around the Kaabah seven times, starting just before the black stone and going around the outside of the Kaabah in an anticlockwise walk. It is recommended that, in the first three rounds of the tawaf of arrival only, men should uncover their right shoulders and jog, if the place is not so crowded as to prevent any jogging movement. Those who are starting with the Umrah do only the tawaf of Umrah. They do not need to do two tawafs counting one as that of arrival and the other as the tawaf of Umrah. The last four rounds of the tawaf of arrival should be done in easy walking. If one is in doubt as to how many rounds one has completed, one should consider the lesser number and complete the seven rounds. Thus if he doubts whether he has done five or six rounds, he assumes that he has done five only. One round is finished every time he arrives at the black stone that a pilgrim is recommended to kiss, if he can reach it without causing any harm or inconvenience to other pilgrims. If the place is overcrowded, it is better to raise one's hand in salute to the black stone and proceed with our tawaf. There are several indications to tell people that they are parallel with the black stone, such as a colored lamp on the wall opposite to it, and a differently colored marble line on the floor. 

            Tawaf is an act of worship, just like prayers, and all the requirements of cleanliness, purity, ablution and covering one's body needed for prayer must be met for the tawaf to be valid. The only difference is that in prayer we are not allowed to talk, while in tawaf talking is permissible. One should, however, take the opportunity of tawaf to praise God, glorify Him and pray Him for whatever one wishes, whether related to this present life or to the hereafter. It is imperative that a person doing the tawaf must be extra careful not to cause any injury or harm to anyone of those who are doing this blessed ritual with him. These days, when more than thirty or forty thousand people are engaged in tawaf at the same time, any slip by any person may cause serious harm, especially if one falls down and other people trample over him, without noticing him. God is in no need of the worship of anyone of us, if that would cause bodily harm to any one of His servants.

            When the pilgrim has completed his tawaf, he proceeds to pray two rak'ahs as the Sunnah of tawaf. It is preferable to offer these behind the spot known as Maqam Ibraheem, which is the spot at which the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) the builder of the Kaabah, used to pray. Having done that, the pilgrim is recommended to stand at Al-Multazam, the place underneath the door of the Kaabah, and pray there as he wishes. He is also recommended to have a drink of Zamzam water that is said by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to be "the best water on earth". It satisfies hunger and cures illnesses. When one drinks Zamzam water he is recommended to pray God for whatever he wishes.

            The above conditions and recommendations apply to each tawaf, whether it is a requirement of pilgrimage or Umrah, or done voluntarily. As has been said earlier, the tawaf is similar to prayers, and it may be offered voluntarily at any time. It is recommended every time one goes into the Sacred Mosque.

            The Sa'ie 

            After the tawaf, the pilgrim should proceed to do the sa'ie between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah. If one is doing the Umrah, he should do the sa'ie after finishing his tawaf, and when he has completed the sa'ie, his Umrah is finished and he may release himself from ihraam by either shaving his head or shortening his hair. As already mentioned, a woman does not shave her head; she only shortens a small portion of her hair by as little as an inch. A pilgrim who has entered into ihraam for pilgrimage may do the sa'ie either after the tawaf of arrival or the tawaf of ifaadah. Those who are combining both the pilgrimage and the Umrah in the same ihraam, i.e. doing the qiran method, do the sa'ie after the tawaf of the Umrah, which is done immediately after arrival in Makkah and counts as their tawaf of arrival. 

            The sa'ie is composed of walking the distance between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah seven times. A pilgrim starts at Al-Safa, and when he reaches Al-Marwah one round is completed. Since we do seven rounds, we start at Al-Safa and complete our duty at Al-Marwah. One should do the seven rounds consecutively, but may have a short rest between them, if he needs such rest. Should congregational prayers be called while we are doing the sa'ie, we should join the prayer and resume the sa'ie immediately after the prayer is over. People who are able to walk should do the sa'ie walking, but if one cannot, because of illness or old age, one can use a wheel chair.

            Several things are recommended when we do the sa'ie, such as going toward it from the Al-Safa door, going up the hill of Al-Safa until we are able to see the Kaabah. However, this is not recommended for women if the place is heavily overcrowded. As we go up each of the two hills, we are recommended to repeat phrases such as Allahu Akbar; Al-Hamd lillah; La ilaha illa Allah. It is also recommended to repeat the Qur'anic verse that mentions the sa'ie between the two hills. It is preferable to perform ablution before the sa'ie if we had invalidated our earlier ablution, and also to jog in the short distance marked with green over the arches, and green lights on the side. Women do not jog, but continue to walk normally. It is also good to recite the Qur'an during the sa'ie. The Prophet is reported to have prayed for forgiveness after he completed the sa'ie.

            Going to Mina

            Pilgrims are recommended to go to Mina on 8th Dhul-Hijjah, on their way to Arafat. Pilgrims who are in ihraam go to Mina in their ihraam garments. Those who are not in ihraam, having opted for the tamattu' method, re-enter into the state of consecration at their place of stay, i.e. in their hotels or rented accommodation. As the pilgrims proceed to Mina, they are recommended to repeat those phrases of talbiyah already mentioned. These phrases reassert that they have responded to God's call on people to do the pilgrimage. It is a Sunnah to offer the prayers of Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha of 8th Dhul-Hijjah and Fajr prayer the following day in Mina. This means that it is preferable if pilgrims stay that night in Mina and do not leave it for Arafat until after sunrise of Dhul-Hijjah 9. If they do not do that, and go instead from Makkah to Arafat directly, their pilgrimage is perfectly valid and they need not compensate for not staying in Mina. 

            This leads us to the single most important duty of the pilgrimage, namely, attendance at Arafat, which we will discuss next.
           


      The Pilgrimage - Part 4: Attendance at Arafat and After.
     
        
      After sunrise on 9 Dhul-Hijjah, all pilgrims must proceed to Arafat, but they are recommended to enter Arafat after midday, if they can. The leader of the pilgrimage, who is normally the king or his deputy, is recommended to deliver a sermon explaining the actions which pilgrims must do on that day and the following days. He should enjoin all pilgrims to maintain the fear of God in their hearts and to abstain from every forbidden thing. After that they are recommended to pray both Zuhr and Asr, with each prayer shortened to two rak'ahs only, and both offered in succession. Pilgrims may use the whole area of Arafat with the exception of the Valley of Uranah. They are recommended to turn their faces toward the direction of the Kaabah, and stand on the Mount Mercy, if that is convenient. What pilgrims do at Arafat is to praise God and pray Him for whatever they like. If they read the Qur'an, it is perfectly fine. They should praise God and repeat their talbiyah declaration, which affirms that they believe in His oneness and that He has no partners. Prayers which are reported to have been said by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he attended at Arafat on his pilgrimage are available in any manual of pilgrimage. It is most emphatically recommended that pilgrims devote their thoughts to their worship and not indulge in anything forbidden. They must not quarrel with anyone, even if they are wronged. If they have a grievance against anyone, they will be amply rewarded by God if they refrain from quarrelling over their grievances.

      For the attendance at Arafat to be proper and valid, it should be during its appointed time, which runs from midday on 9 Dhul-Hijjah until dawn on the following day. If a pilgrim attends only for a very brief period during this span of time, he has attended at Arafat and his pilgrimage is valid. It is much more preferable, however, to combine a portion of daytime and a portion of the night at Arafat. The mark that separates day from night, from the Islamic point of view, is sunset. Pilgrims must try to arrive at Arafat before sunset so that they can attend there during the day and the night. If someone is delayed and arrives at Arafat after sunset, his attendance is valid and proper. Without attendance at Arafat, the pilgrimage is not valid. The Prophet says: "Arafat is the pilgrimage." 

      There are many things the pilgrims are recommended to do at Arafat. One is to try to reach the place where the Prophet attended, which was at the large rocks at the bottom of Mount Mercy. One must not, however, cause anyone any harm in attempting to be there. His reward will be greater if he forgoes that in order not to injure anyone. A pilgrim should also maintain his cleanliness and purity, demonstrate his humbleness, stress his need of God's grace, pray Him ardently and with humiliation, devote himself totally to God, make clear his repentance of his past sins, and repeat his determination to try to avoid all sins in future. The day of Arafat is a great day for Muslims. God's mercy is bestowed on them. He forgives them their past sins and praises them to His angels.

      When the sun sets on that day and pilgrims are at Arafat, their attendance is complete and the main part of their pilgrimage is over.

      Departing From Arafat

      After sunset, pilgrims may leave Arafat and proceed to Muzdalifah. Although this departure is known as "surging on", pilgrims should take it easy as they leave. They do not need to run as some people suggest. The atmosphere must be one of calmness, quietness and ease. The Prophet used to speed a little when he was in an open space, which is not crowded with people. Pilgrims are also recommended to repeat the phrases declaring that they are responding to God's call and that they believe in His oneness. These phrases are known as Talbiyah. The most common of them are: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayk Laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamda wal-ni'mata laka wal-mulk. Laa shareeka lak. Phrases of glorifying and praising God and reading the Qur'an are also recommended as the pilgrims continue their journey from Arafat to Muzdalifah. 

      When the pilgrims arrive at Muzdalifah they should pray Maghrib and Isha there as a "delayed combination." One adhan and two iqamahs are required for both prayers which are offered one after the other, starting with Maghrib in 3 rak'ahs before praying Isha in the shortened form of two rak'ahs. No Sunnah is to be offered in between these two obligatory prayers. When prayers are over, the pilgrims may sleep, because they are required to stay the night at Muzdalifah.

      The main duty of staying at Muzdalifah is deemed to have been fulfilled if one spends there any part of the second half of the night, but it is strongly recommended that pilgrims stay there until they have prayed Fajr, or dawn prayer. At Muzdalifah, pilgrims pick up seven stones to do the stoning at the grand Jamrah. They may pick up 49 little stones, if they so desire, but they may equally well pick up only seven at Muzdalifah and pick up the rest at Mina. After dawn prayers pilgrims stand facing the direction of qiblah and pray God for forgiveness and for anything they wish. Muzdalifah is the place mentioned in the Qur'an as Al-Mash'ar Al-Haraam, which indicates that it is a sacred place where worship and devotion are richly rewarded. 

      Shortly before sunrise, pilgrims resume their journey to Mina. Again, they are recommended to repeat their talbiyah as often as possible. When they arrive at Muhassar Valley, which is in between Muzdalifah and Mina, they should quicken their pace a little. As they arrive at Mina, they should proceed to do their first stoning, which, on this day, is at the grand Jamrah only. As the pilgrim throws each stone, he raises his hand and says: Allah-u akbar or "God is supreme." It is recommended that as we do the stoning we should keep Mina to our right-hand side and the Kaabah to our left. However, this is not compulsory. 

      The Sacrifice

      After finishing the stoning at the Jamrah, it is time for the pilgrim to slaughter the animal he wishes to sacrifice. Each pilgrim, man or woman, who has taken advantage of offering the Umrah either before the pilgrimage or together with it, is required to sacrifice a sheep, or, alternatively, seven pilgrims may share in the sacrifice of one camel or a cow. Pilgrims are recommended to have a portion of their sacrifice for themselves and leave the rest for the poor.

      After the sacrifice, the pilgrims may shave their heads or shorten their hair. To shave is much better, because the Prophet prayed for those who shaved three times before he included those who shortened their hair with them. Women shorten only a small portion of their hair by an inch or so. As they shave, pilgrims may pray God and praise Him for having enabled them to offer the pilgrimage and ask Him to add a good deed into their record for every hair they have taken off their heads and to wipe off a sin for every hair as well. With shaving or shortening his hair, a pilgrim releases himself from the restrictions of ihraam, with the exception of those relating to sex. 

      The Ifaadah 

      When pilgrims have finished their stoning, sacrifice and shaving, and have put on their ordinary clothes, they are recommended to wear some perfume and go to Makkah where they can offer the tawaf of ifaadah, or ziyarah (i.e. visit). This tawaf is one of the main and essential duties of the pilgrimage. It is done in the same manner as the tawaf of arrival. Once this tawaf has been completed, all restrictions of ihraam are lifted. If some pilgrims delay going to Makkah until they have finished their stay in Mina, then they must continue to observe the last restrictions of ihraam until they have done their tawaf of ifaadah. Women who are in their menstrual period cannot do this tawaf until they have finished their period. The Hanafi school of Fiqh, however, allows a woman in her period to do the tawaf if her company is about to leave for home and delaying her tawaf means that she is left behind. Imam ibn Taymiyah is of the opinion that her tawaf is perfectly valid and that she need not sacrifice anything in compensation. 

      The Hanafi school of Fiqh, however, requires her to slaughter a camel or a cow. 

      Pilgrims who have not done their sa'ie for the pilgrimage may do it after the tawaf of ifaadah.

      Other Duties

      After the tawaf of ifaadah, pilgrims return to Mina where they are required to stay two or three days. Every day they stone the three Jamrahs, with seven little stones each. Whether they stay two or three days is a matter of their own choice, but on these days they must spend the night at Mina. As they do the stoning, they start with the little Jamrah, the nearest to Mina, then the middle one, and finish with the grand one. This stoning is symbolic of the pilgrim's determination not to yield to Satan's temptation, as he tries to lure him away from the path of piety. A pilgrim must try to hit the place with each stone. 

      The stoning on the first day, which is only at the grand Jamrah, is done at any time between sunrise and sunset. On the following days, it is done between noon and sunset. Those who wish to speed up their departure from Mina on the second day must do the stoning and be outside Mina by sunset. Otherwise, they are required to stay the third day and do the stoning again after midday. 

      With the departure from Mina, all the main duties of the pilgrimage have been completed and the pilgrims return to Makkah. Their only duty left is the tawaf of farewell that should be done just before departure from Makkah. 
     

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