Hajj teaches sincerity, love, and surrender
“Our whole lives will be like Ramadan and the death will be like aid.”
The hujjaj's example teaches us to carry three lessons into the new year, ikhlas (sincerity), mahabbat (love of Allah), and taslim (surrender to His commands with taqwa), so that our whole lives become like Ramadan and our death like Eid.
The khutbah in 9 steps
- Hajj mabrur wipes away sins; the haji returns like a newborn baby
- Honor and visit returning hujjaj for the sake of what they accomplished, not for gifts
- Spending wealth on Hajj and masajid demonstrates love of Allah, since we spend on those we love
- Condolence for founding member Brother Samir; the masjid as his ongoing sadaqah jariya
- Lesson one: ikhlas, all worship, including Jumu'ah, must be for Allah alone, not for people's opinions
- Warning: insincere Muslims can block others from Islam while sincere converts excel past them
- Lesson two: mahabbat, ihram, tawaf, and travel are acts of lovers circling the house of the Beloved
- Lesson three: taslim and taqwa, Ibrahim's surrender, obeying the rites (Mina, seven rounds) whether or not we understand why
- Closing dua for the oppressed and deceased of the ummah
In the khateeb's words
“money what we spend we spend it on the people that we love usually we don't go out and buy things for strangers”
“if we do that then inshallah our whole lives will be like ramadan and the death will be like aid”
For the dinner table
Today the khateeb talked about what Hajj teaches all of us, even those who stayed home. He said a person who completes Hajj sincerely comes back as pure as a newborn baby, so we should honor the hujjaj when they return, not just for the gifts they bring. He shared three lessons: do everything sincerely for Allah alone, love Allah the way the hujjaj show love by traveling far and wearing simple clothes, and surrender to Allah's commands even when we don't fully understand them, just like Prophet Ibrahim did. He reminded us that it's not the meat of our sacrifice that reaches Allah, but our taqwa. If we live this way, he said, our whole lives will feel like Ramadan and our death will feel like Eid.
- What's something you do just for Allah, not so people will see it?
- Why do you think everyone wears the same simple clothes on Hajj?
- What is one thing you could do this week just because Allah asked, even without knowing why?
More on Hajj, Umrah & Eid
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Perhaps the real test of Umrah comes after we come home.31:13Worcester Islamic Center · Worcester, MA · Sep 5, 2026What Ihram teaches after Umrah