By Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Al Talib – 17 Thul Qa’dah 1435

His Eminence Sheikh Saleh Ibn Muhammad Al Talib –may Allah protect him– delivered this Friday’s Khutbah titled “The Fragrances of Hajj” in which he talked about Hajj and its merits, providing proof from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Praise be to Allah! He created hearts and knows the secrets within their inner parts; He excited in the souls of his sincere servants the ardent desire to perform Hajj to his Sacred House. He made accepted Hajj a means to expiate all past sins, big and small. With accepted Hajj, Allah protects every soul from its own evil deeds and impieties. I praise my Lord –may He be extolled– and thank Him as He sanctified these sites and raised their status among the worlds. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Servant and Messenger of Allah; It is a testimony reiterated in the mosques’ mihrabs and on top of its minarets.

Now then,

I exhort you, as well as myself, to observe taqwa (fear of disobeying Allah Almighty); it is the provision and preparation, and the treasure for the day of account.

“And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa (piety, righteousness, etc.). So fear Me, O men of understanding!” [Al-Baqarah: 197]

O Muslims!

These days, the Holy Mosque is welcoming the early arrivals of Al-Rahman’s (The Compassionate) delegates. Makkah and Al-Madinah have put on their best appearance as the gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are getting nigh. Spurred by their yearning, the pilgrims are pursuing their dreams to embrace the Ancient House. It is an emotion that prompts the heart to come to the holy land, filling the soul with sentiments that sublimate the soul and captivate the heart. It is an emotion where hope mingles with fear, apprehension with aspiration, and love with longing and nostalgia. The soul is overwhelmed with emotions and charged with sentiments the moment it takes it upon itself to set out to the Holy Mosque and start to visualize the holy sites in Makkah and the lights of Taiba. Such feelings take the soul so deep into the past that it begins to remember (the tribe of) Quraish and its influence, the early Call and its secrets, and the places the mention of which stirs the serenity of the soul and its latent fondness. The mere fact of mentioning them brings back all the feelings and memories associated with them: The Ka’bah, the Holy Mosque, Ghar (the Cave of) Hira’, (the well of) Zamzam, Maqam Ibrahim, Ghar Thawr, Kheif (mosque in) Mina, Wadi ‘Arafah, Masjid (the mosque of) Namirah, Al-Safa, Dar (house of) Al-Arqam, Al-Mash’ar Al-Ḥaram, Shamah and Tafeel, Muzdalifah and (Mount) Thabeer, Harrat (the stony area of) Waqim, Bani Salim Ibn ‘Awf, Masjid (mosque of) Quba, Bi’r (the well of) Arees (in Madinah), Mount Uḥud, Al-Baqee’, Al-Rawdhah between the Prophet’s House and his Minbar (pulpit), the ruins of Al-Khandaq (The Trench), etc. All these names (of sacred sites) in Makkah and Al-Madinah take the better of you when you mention them and wish to see them for the great events they represent. Overwhelmed by rhapsody and dazzled by the history of Islam brought back to life, you break into silent tears. Great and triumphant times are raised high above humanity and levitate above history itself to challenge the earth and all that is on it. Times of weakness stir sentiments and bring tears to your eyes.

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are fast approaching. You remember when the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) called for Hajj and people started to flock to Makkah from the four corners of the world: from the city and the countryside, from plains and mountains, and from valleys and deserts. They came mounted and on foot motivated by true desire to perform Hajj to Allah’s Holy House. Having performed Dhuhr prayer in Madinah on Saturday, the 25th of Dhul Qi’dah, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) led the people towards Makkah with over a hundred thousand pilgrims around him. Describing that solemn scene, Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “The Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him– performed prayer in the mosque and mounted his she-camel, Al-Qaswa . When it was up and ready to move, I saw people as far as my eyes could see in front of him, on his right, on his left and behind him. The Prophet ‒May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him‒ was right in our midst.” [See the rest of this hadith; narrated by Imam Muslim]

This great scene seemed to incarnate the Qur’anic verse:

“He it is Who has supported you with His Help and with the believers.” [Al-Anfal: 62]

You remember how the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) used to tour the Arab tribes before Hijrah (migration to Madinah) asking them for shelter and protection telling them, “Who would give me shelter so that I convey my Lord’s Message and he would be rewarded with paradise?” Nobody would answer his appeal or offer him support. Today, they have all answered his call and come to him from everywhere. When he left Makkah on his migration journey pursued by the misbelievers, he was alone with nobody except Al-Ṣiddῑq (May Allah be pleased with him) walking in front of him, behind him, on his right and on his left to protect him.

Today, he has thousands of men around him stretching as far as the eye could see.

“…and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them).” [Al-Rūm: 47]

These are Allah’s laws (in His Universe), land marks guiding the followers of messengers every time they are faced with problems or met with malevolence. What makes the heart yearn for the land of divine inspiration and Qur’an revelation is first the hope to purify of the soul and expiate sins and misdeeds so that the soul can be worthy of the aid and support of Allah the Almighty. Second, the heart yearns to take an oath at the venues of the first Call to foster the connection with the early Muslim generations to follow in their footsteps and adhere to the Sunnah of the Great Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him). Nothing can set right the present generations of this Ummah except what had set right its earlier generations.

O Muslim believers!

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are drawing near. We seem to hear the Prophet’s eternal Khutbah at the Farewell Hajj. Set in truthful words and divine inspiration, his address to his Ummah will continue echoing in Muslim ears till Doomsday:

“O people! Your lives and your property are, amongst you, haram (sanctified). Do not turn back misbelievers killing each other after I am gone. The usury of Jahiliyyah is waived, and Allah decreed that there shall be no usury. Make women your concern; you owe rights to your women and they owe rights to you. Your Lord is One; your God is One. You all belong to Adam, and Adam was created from earth.

In the Holy Qur’an, we read:

“Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqûn (pious)].” [Al-Ḥujurat: 13]

These are the words of Allah’s Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him), the initiator of justice and righteousness in which he settled many issues, such as creed, unity, (the sanctity of) blood, property, women, and humanity. These are issues related by the history of mankind and asserted by contemporary reality, but they are always abused by the Earth’s tyrants and despots. They would corrupt prophets’ creeds so as to dominate the human being later; they would revel in killing and murder and humiliate women in order to obtain wealth and fulfil their carnal desires. At the same time, they would legalize usury and propagate drugs. In addition to financial and economic crises, the results would be community annihilation, family disintegration, ethics degradation, and health and psychological deterioration. In his universal address, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) outranked all other systems vis-à-vis creed, unity, protection of life, property, honour and prohibition of usury and protection of women as he said, “The most honoured amongst you in the eyes of Allah are the most pious.”

O Believers!

The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are drawing near. We learn how the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) declared that all his rules were diametrically opposed to the misbelievers’. Misbelievers used to leave Muzdalifah after sunrise, chanting, “Ashriq Thabeer kayma nugheer” (Let the sun rise over Thabeer so that we may leave). The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) did the opposite; he left before sunrise. He said, “Our guidance is different from the misbelievers’.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad]

What the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) wanted was for his Ummah to be distinguished with all its guidance, neither emulating the East nor following the West; neither sharing their rites, nor giving their guidance priority over the Muslims’. He alerted people to the fact that this Ummah is the heir to prophets; its heritage is always connected with the heavens. Passing by the valley of ‘Usfan, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) asked, “O Abu Bakr! What valley is this?” “This is ‘Usfan,” Abu Bakr answered. “Hūd and Saleh had crossed this valley riding two young red camels with tuft nosebands, woollen wraps, and woollen garments chanting talbiyah on their way to Hajj to the Ancient House.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad]

Mūsa Ibn ‘Imran and Yūnis (Jonah) Ibn Matta (Matthew) (May Allah’s Peace be upon them) performed Hajj, whereas ‘Īssa (Jesus, may Allah’s Peace be upon him) will perform Hajj at the end of life on earth. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said, “I swear by Him in Whose hand is my soul that Ibn Mariam will cross Al-Rawha’ valley to perform Hajj or Umrah or both.” [Narrated by Muslim]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) wanted to remind Muslims going to Hajj of the procession of the honoured prophets to whom they belong and of their roots. He wanted to remind Muslims that in their performing Hajj they are following the example of the prophets, the righteous, and the martyrs.

“They are those whom Allâh had guided. So follow their guidance. Say: “No reward I ask of you for this (the Qur’ân). It is only a reminder for the ‘Alamîn (mankind and jinns).”” [Al-An’am: 90]

The Holy Qur’an draws attention to this fact in the following words of Allah (May he be extolled):

“And take you (people) the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrâhim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Ka’bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak’at after the Tawâf of the Ka’bah at Makkah).” [Al-Baqarah: 125]

This is in concordance with the Imam of the Ḥunafa’ and the father of all prophets: Ibrahim (May Allah’s Peace be upon him) and to what Prophet Muhammad (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) has called. When you see these situations, think of Allah Almighty’s following Words:

“And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” “Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. O Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” [Al-Baqarah: 127-129]

In the Farewell Hajj, The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) told Muslims, “Stand on your Masha’ir (holy sites). You are on a heritage of your father Ibrahim.” [Narrated by the compilers of the Sunan (books on Hadith)]

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.” [Al-Ma’idah: 3]

This verse of the Holy Qur’an seals the Message, and the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) alerts the Muslims to this fact, saying, “Take your manasik (rites) from me. I might not see you next year.” Thus he accomplished his mission, said farewell to his Ummah, entrusted it to Allah Almighty and made his Ummah feel that truth never dies with the death of its advocates.

Aṣim Ibn Humaid said that when the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) sent Mu’adh Ibn Jabal to Yemen, the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) went out with him giving him advice; Mu’adh was riding his camel and the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) was walking next to the camel; when he finished his advice he said to Mu’adh: “O Mu’adh! Perhaps you will not meet me after this year; perhaps you will pass by my mosque and grave.” Mu’adh wept for fear he won’t meet the Prophet again. The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Do not cry O Mu’adh…” (See the rest of the hadith, which was narrated by Imam Ahmad and others). Indeed, what the Prophet said happened.

O Muslims! The gentle breeze of Hajj is blowing and its blessed days are here. During such days, people are eager to win the great blessing and perform Hajj to the House of Allah, the Generous, answering the call of the Compassionate:

“And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allâh, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence)” [ Al ‘Imran: 97]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “O people! Allah has prescribed Hajj upon you; therefore, perform Hajj.” [Narrated by Muslim] Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that he had heard the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) say: “He who performs Hajj and abstains from rafath (sexual intercourse with one’s wife) and committing sins will return from Hajj as pure and free from sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.” [An agreed-upon hadith] Abu Hurairah also said that the Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Sins committed between one Umrah and another are expiated, and the reward for Hajj Mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.” [An agreed-upon hadith] Abdullah Ibn Mas’ūd (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “Follow your Hajj with Umrah, for they eradicate poverty and sins as the bellows dismisses the refuse of iron, gold, and silver, and there is no reward for an accepted Hajj (Mabrur) except Paradise.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhy and Al-Nasa’i]

The Prophet (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) was once asked: “Which deed is best?” He said: “Faith in Allah and His Messenger.” It was said: “Then what?” He said: “Jihad in the cause of Allah.” It was said: “Then what?” He said: “An accepted Hajj.” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

In Hajj, there is forgiveness of sins, expiation of bad deeds, doubling of the reward and answering of supplications. As for the day of Arafat, it is indeed a remarkable day. Allah has sworn by it in the following verse:

“By the heaven, holding the big stars (1) And by the Promised Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection); (2) And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day [i.e. the day of ‘Arafât (Hajj) the ninth of Dhul-Hîjjah];(3)” [Al-Burūj: 1-3]

Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allah sets free more servants from Hell than He does on the Day of `Arafah. Allah comes closer and feels proud of them in front of the angels and says to them: ‘What do these want?’” [Narrated by Muslim] He (May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him) also said: “I trust Allah that fasting the Day of Arafat results in forgiving the sins committed during the year after it and the year before it.” [Narrated by Muslim]

Hajj is good in its totality, and has benefits in this worldly life and the Hereafter as well:

“And proclaim to mankind the Hajj (pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to perform Hajj) (27) That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the Name of Allâh on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjâh), over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice) (at the time of their slaughtering by saying: Bismillah, Wallâhu-Akbar, Allâhumma Minka wa Ilaik)(28)” [Al-Hajj: 27-28]

So make haste, O Muslims, to perform Hajj, for one does not know what may happen to him (i.e. before performing it).

May Allah bless you and me by the Qur’an and the Sunnah and grant us the benefit and wisdom contained therein! I say this and ask Allah Almighty to forgive you and me.