Since Hajj is known to be such a noble and reward-filling duty on Muslims, it is absolutely critical that one learns the various conditions of Hajj and who is responsible for such an act of hard struggle and sacrifice. In this section Hajjplans.com will explore the conditions of performing Hajj in the blessed land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The Conditions

Just as was the case with the virtues of Hajj in the previous section, there are many sayings from the Prophet Muhammad (S) regarding the responsibility of performing Hajj as a compulsory act in order to gain the endless rewards of the journey. The following is a list of conditions of Hajj that we at Hajjplans.com have compiled in order to make the Muslim communities all over the world become aware of such knowledge.

1. The act of Hajj is amongst the best deeds one can perform when pleasing Allah (swt). This is known from the saying of the Prophet (S) when his companions asked him about the absolute best deed in the eyes of Allah. The Prophet replied "Belief in Allah and His Messenger." Then he was asked: "what else?" He said, "striving and struggling for the sake of Allah" Then he was asked: "what else?" He said, "a Hajj, which is free from vice - accepted and complete." [Agreed upon, Bukhari & Muslim]
2. Islam: Faith is the first requirement and without it the prescribed deeds are not valid or accepted as acts of worship. As we have seen previously, there is a strong relation between Hajj and its rituals with the religion of Ibraheem (A), which is the religion of Tawheed.
3. Sanity: Anyone who is not sane-minded - somebody who is proven to be mentally ill - is not held responsible for his, or her, actions. The Prophet (S) said, "There are three kinds of people who are not held responsible for their actions: The sleeping person until he wakes up, the child until he reaches the age of puberty, and the mentally ill until he becomes sane." [Related by the Five and ad-Daarimi]
4. Puberty: As understood from the above hadith.
5. Ability: It was explained by the Messenger of Allah (S) as the transportation and the provision during the journey. Today, Hajj is done through special arrangements and requirements. Anyone who can fulfill those requirements and can afford to pay for his journey without begging others or taking loans should go for Hajj.
6. Women's Hajj: Women are equal to men in terms of their religious duties and rights. They must perform Hajj if they have all the above conditions. However, a woman must go with her husband or another Mahram - the one that a woman can never marry due to close relationship such as a father, a brother, a son, a nephew, an uncle...etc., Ibn 'Abbas (r) related that he heard the Prophet (S) saying, "A man cannot be alone with a woman unless when she is in the company of a Mahram. A woman can travel only when she is accompanied by a Mahram." Hearing this, a man stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allah! My wife has gone for Hajj and I have enrolled myself in such and such expedition." The Prophet (S) said, "Go and perform Hajj with your wife." [Agreed upon].
   
   Note: Imam Abu Haneefah (r) and other scholars have considered this as one of the elements of ability. However, Imam As-Shafi'i (r) as well as other scholars consider a good group of pious and trustworthy women can be an alternative, but only in the obligatory Hajj and 'Umrah not the supererogatory ones. There are a few hadiths which back this position such as the ones relating the Hajj of the wives of the Prophet (S) after the permission of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (r).
7. Not to Delay: Delaying this pillar of Islam to old age even though the physical and financial abilities are okay to perform Hajj is considered a hated act in the eyes of Allah. It is a common misconception among many Muslims to think that Hajj is only for those who retire and have leisure time. Ibn 'Abbas (r), the great commentator of Qur'an, said, "Whoever had money in his life and did not go to Hajj or pay Zakaat on it, he, or she, will ask Allah to return to life when time for death comes." The Prophet (S) said, "Hasten going for Hajj - meaning performing the duty- for none of you knows what will happen in the future." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, ibn Maajah, and al-Bayhaqi].

If one meets the above conditions then it is critical that he/she performs the journey of a lifetime.

Next Section: The Significance of Hajj...