True and Good Words

Bismillah.

Hajj is for making dua. Arafat is the day when duas are accepted and sins are forgiven. But not all duas are good. Allah says, “But among people is one who only says: ‘Our Lord, give us in this world’ and he will not have in the hereafter any portion” (2:200). On an occasion such as Hajj, it is inappropriate to only ask for Allah’s favors for this material life. The right course of action is outlined as follows:

“And from them are those who say ‘Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the fire’. For them there is in store a goodly portion out of that which they have earned. Allah is swift at reckoning.” (2:201-202)

In other words, those who ask for Allah’s blessings in this world and the next will get both. And those who ask only for this world get nothing in the hereafter. Hajj is the time to ask Allah for anything, but striking a balance between this world and the next is critical.

An advice for the pilgrims: make a list of things you want from Allah. Then on the Day of Arafat, ask Allah for all of that. In particular, ask Allah to accept the Hajj, for forgiveness of all sins, and for the best in this life and the next. And don’t forget me in your duas

Bismillah.

Time is limited during Hajj. The perfection of the Hajj includes not wasting any time. One of the most important and fruitful uses of time during Hajj is the remembrance of Allah. This is hinted at in the verses of Hajj revealed in Surah Baqarah (196-203), where the remembrance of Allah is mentioned 4 times to emphasize the importance remembering Allah. Allah says, “So when you have emerged from Arafat then remember Allah at the Sacred Spot (Muzdalifah); and remember Him as He has guided you for surely you had been misguided before” (2:198). Here, the remembrance of Allah is encouraged post-Arafat at Muzdalifah. Also mentioned in the verse is a key element of remembrance of Allah: remembering Him as He instructed through the actions of the Prophet.

Some ways to remember Allah are: reading the Quran, reciting the talbiyah excessively, repenting from sins, repeating the Prophetic invocations and making lots of dua. Some times where Allah specifically encouraged His remembrance is at Arafat, after Arafat at Muzdalifah (2:198), asking for forgiveness after emerging from Muzdalifah (2:199), after completing the rituals of Hajj (2:200) and during the stay at Mina (2:203).

To put this to practice, set some goals for Hajj. For example, aim to read a juz a day during Hajj. Carry a pocket-size mushaf throughout the Hajj and read it during the times when waiting to proceed from one step of the Hajj to the next. Another goal could be to make a specific dhikr a specific number of times as instructed by the Prophet. (e.g. subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi 100 times in the morning and evening).