Muslims from all around the world flock to Makkah to perform Umrah and Hajj every year; although many centuries back, you would not find a single person in the lonely valley of Makkah. Surrounded by rock mountains and with a bed of sand for ground, it offered no vegetation and no water. Yet, this was…...
Old Zamzam Well at the Museum in Makkah. — Photo by Islamopedia EVERY Muslim is aware of the miracle of Zamzam and how it came into being. Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام surely did not know the wisdom behind leaving his wife and his only son in a deserted valley without plants or water. Nor did Hajar,…...
THE simple answer is: Muslims DON’T stone the devil in Hajj every year. We stone the Jamarat, not any devil, Shaitan or Shayateen (pl. of Shaitan). The pillars of Jamarat are not devils. This is a misconception even among a few uneducated Muslims. Scholars continue to clarify this point every year during Hajj. Throwing pebbles…...
HAJJ, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory on every adult Muslim once in his lifetime if he is financially and physically capable to undertake the journey. Allah (God in Arabic language) said in the Qur’an (God’s final revelation to mankind through Prophet Muhammad ﷺ): And pilgrimage to the house is duty upon…...
ABDULLAH ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181H) is one of the finest examples of excellence to have lived in our history. He was a scholar, worshipper, soldier, businessman and philanthropist – and he excelled in all these roles. Allah had blessed him with wealth and Hajj was an occasion he would generously spend during for the pilgrims…....
“Alhamdulillah, the 9th day is Friday! We’ll get to perform Hajj-e-akbar!” “Hajj-e-akbar mabrook!” “Performing Hajj-e-akbar has greater rewards than an ordinary Hajj…” THESE are some statements we hear from people that leave us confused as to what is right. There is a common misconception regarding “Hajj-e-Akbar” that if the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah falls…...
Photo by Syed Akif. Source: Internet WHENEVER I think of the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, I think of a sale. In Dubai, one of the biggest exhibitions of the year is Gitex, a technology fair that goes on for just under 10 days, and has the public going tech-crazy well before that. There…...
HOW often do we desire to see the face of our beloved Prophet ﷺ? How often are we, when we travel to Makkah or Madina, moved by the fact that this was the place the Prophet ﷺ walked with his Sahabah, fighting the falsehood and establishing the truth. Those in Hajj experience this exceptional emotional…...
SOON In-sha Allah you will embark on a journey that words cannot describe. Ordained by Allah thousands of years ago, from the time of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), this journey will continue until the Last Day. If there was one thing that forms the core purpose of this journey, it is realizing the…...
MOST scholars, from the fatawa quoted below, say that the order of preference for sacrifice is: camel, cow, sheep, and then a share in a camel or cow…....