If you can, do not delay Hajj
“Al-Hajj Arafah, the Hajj is Arafah.”
Muslims in the West who have the health and wealth must stop delaying Hajj, neglecting it while spending on luxuries is a grave danger, and should understand how to perform it correctly and patiently to earn an accepted Hajj whose reward is Jannah.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- Opening: Islam is the only accepted deen; Hajj is the fifth pillar and an obligation once health and wealth conditions are met
- Rebuke: Western Muslims spend on cars, vacations, and homes abroad worth more than Hajj, yet delay it for decades
- Warning: hadith that one who can perform Hajj but dies without it makes no difference dying as a Jew or Christian; children cannot be relied on to do it for you
- Walkthrough of Hajj rites: three types (ifrad, qiran, tamattu), ihram and Talbiya on 8th Dhul-Hijjah, day at Mina
- Arafah as the essence of Hajj, combined prayers, night at Muzdalifah, stoning the Jamarat, sacrifice, and days of Mina
- Critique of pilgrims who skip Mina for hotel comfort; contrast with ancestors who walked months to reach Hajj
- Tawaf al-ifadah, Zamzam, Sa'i between Safa and Marwa with Ibrahim's story and his salah-first priorities
- Closing: Hajj is mostly patience, shaytan will try to ruin it, focus on the mission of an accepted Hajj; duas for pilgrims and the community
In the khateeb's words
“vehicle that they drive, the vehicle that they drive is enough, its price tag is enough”
“to go and perform the Hajj as soon as possible.”
“he makes no difference whatsoever if the individual die as a Jew or as a Christian.”
“Now Arafah, the messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, Al-Hajj Arafah, the Hajj is Arafah.”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb reminded us that Hajj is not a luxury trip but the fifth pillar of Islam, required of every Muslim who has the health and the wealth for it. He pointed out honestly that many of us have lived here for twenty years, and what we spend on cars, vacations, and gadgets could have paid for Hajj many times over, yet we keep putting it off. He shared the serious hadith that whoever can perform Hajj and dies without doing it, it makes no difference whether he died as a Jew or a Christian. He reminded us that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow, or even our health, so we should make the intention and start preparing now instead of counting on our children to do it for us later. He then walked us through the beautiful journey of Hajj, Mina, Arafah, Muzdalifah, the stoning, and Safa and Marwa, and taught us that Hajj is mostly patience, and that an accepted Hajj has no reward except Paradise. So let's make du'a together that Allah grants our family the means and the tawfiq to answer His call.
- If you saved up for something big, what would you be willing to give up to go to Hajj first?
- The khateeb said people once walked for months to reach Makkah, what's the hardest thing you've ever done for something you love?
- Ibrahim (AS) asked Allah for salah for his family before food and safety, what would you ask Allah for first, and why?
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