How To Perform Hajj (Easy Guide)?

In it are clear signs and the standing place of Abraham. Whoever enters it should be safe. Pilgrimage to this House is an obligation by Allah upon whoever is able among the people. And whoever disbelieves, then surely Allah is not in need of any of His creation.
Surah Al Imran (3:97)

Hajj is a Sacred act in Islam and an integral part of a practising Muslim’s life. As we know, there are five primary pillars of Islam, and Hajj is the fifth one. It becomes mandatory for a Muslim to perform Hajj after fulfilling certain conditions. If someone fulfils all conditions, they must perform Hajj immediately. It is a divine act started by the Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam (Peace Be Upon Him) and is a significant part of Islam.

Now, as we are on the corner of Shaban, and the month of Ramadan is soon to come, it is the best time to boost the preparation for Hajj 2024 and learn everything about it to perform Hajj righteously.

In this post, we will discuss how to perform Hajj via an easy step-by-step guide.

The period of Hajj is from 8 Dhul-Hijjah to 12 Dhul-Hijjah, it takes five days to complete Hajj. The Hajj guide is as follows:

Ihram and Intentions

“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.”
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
(Peace Be Upon Him)

Intentions play the most important part in Islam for the acceptance of any deed. So, start the Hajj with the right intention. The Hajj starts from the 8th Dhul-Hijjah and people performing Hajj should prepare themselves to visit after the Maghrib prayer of the 7th Dhul-Hijjah like doing Ghusl (full ablution), making intention for Ihram, praying, praying two Rakat Nafl Salah, and making Niyyah (Intention) of Hajj.  

Hajj Intention

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِرُهُ لِي وَتَقَبَّلُهُ مِنِّي وَأَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِ وَبَارِكَ لِي فِيهِ – نَوَيْتُ الْحَجَّ وَأَحْرَمُتُ بِهِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى.

After that, recite Talbiyah three times with a loud voice and with a normal voice recite Durood Sharif once and now you must wear Ihram. Muslim men wear Ihram and women wear Abaya (it covers their whole body). 

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، انَّالْحَمْدَ، وَالنِّعْمَةَ، لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
(Talbiyah)

Once you have done all these things, now it’s time to enter Makkah through Miqat (the other boundaries/entry to Makkah). 

 There are five Miqats and Haji needs to enter from their relevant Miqat.

• Dhul Hulayfah (also known as Abyar Ali)

• Al-Juhfah (also known as Rabigh)

• Qarn al-Manazil (also known as al-Sayl)

• Dhat Irq

• Yalamlam (also known as al-Sadiah)

There are different entry points and people intended to perform Hajj need to enter from their relevant Miqat. They are divided on a country basis and have different distances from Makkah. For example, If you are someone who is coming from the UK, you need to enter from Miqah Al-Juhfah.

From now on, you should recite Talibyah extensively with a loud voice and also make Astaghfar for your sins.

Muslims performing Hajj have to perform Umrah once they reach Makkah. After completing Umrah, now it’s time to head towards Mina.

Journey Of Mina (City of Tents)

Distance from Makkah to Mina is around 14 km. In Mina, it is a sunnah to perform Salah 5 times. You will leave Makkah after performing Fajr’s Salah and will reach Mina after some time, then the tents will be ready for Hajis to rest. Haji will perform Zuhr of the 8th Dhul-Hijjah to Fajr of the 9th Dhul-Hijjah in Mina i.e. 5 Salahs. Apart from 5 Salahs, one should also recite the Quran and do other ibadat to utilise the full time.

Arafat Journey (Second Day Of Hajj)

After performing Fajr in Mina, when the sun rises, Haji will start their journey to Arafat on the 9th Dhul-Hijjah via walking. It is recommended to recite Talbiyah, 4th Kalma and Astagfar as much as possible. The journey to Arafat and staying there for a specific time is one of the most important parts of Hajj and without it, Hajj is incomplete and not acceptable. Once Haji reaches the Mount of Arafat (Jabal ar-Rahmah), it is a Sunnah to perform Zuhr and Asar Salah together at the time of Zuhr with Imam in Masjid Nimrah. 

Journey Of Muzdalifah

After the sunset of 9th Dhul-Hijjah, Haji starts the journey to Muzdalifah, which is a 4.5 km ground between Arafat and Mina. On the way, recite dua, Tasbeeh, and Dhikar. Remember, don’t perform Magrib’s Salah at the right time because you have to wait till Isha’s timing to perform both Maghrib and Isha Salah. All Hajis will spend their night in Muzdalifah ground and this night is more divine than the Night of Destiny, in this night, make dua and spend every second of it carefully to take full benefit of it. Also, at night, collect a minimum of 49 pebbles of similar and medium size for the Rami. You should collect at least 70 to 80 pebbles for ease. After performing the Fazr Salah of the 10th Dhul-Hijjah and then leaving Muzdalifah, it is a Sunnah to Stay there until Fajr prayer.

10th Dhul-Hijjah (Third Day of Hajj)

It is the third day of Hajj and an important one. You need to perform all these things in the sequence as mentioned below:

Rami (Stoning the Devil)

Now, it is time for Rami, on the 10th Dhul-Hijjah, after coming to Mina, Haji performs the act of Rami and throws seven pebbles to the Jamrat al-Aqabah (the big pillar) also known as the big devil. We do Rami in memory of the Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam (Peace be upon Him) and the act of Rami continues on the 11th and 12th Dhul-Hijjah also. On these days, Rami is also done for the other two devils i.e. 7 pebbles are thrown on each devil i.e. 21 pebbles for each day. In total, you will require 49 pebbles to complete Rami. It is a big process and we need to recite multiple dua’s and also take care of timing, you should learn it wisely to do it in the right way. 

Qurbani (Sacrifice)

It is the resemblance of the great sacrifice done by Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam (Peace be upon Him). Haji has to do a sacrifice on the 10th Dhul-Hijjah after performing Rami. This sacrifice is done as a thanks for Hajj and is separate from the sacrifice done for Eid al-Adha.

Halq 

Once the sacrifice is done, Haji needs to do Halq. For men, complete cutting of the head’s hair is Sunnah but short-cutting is also allowed. Females will cut one fingertip length of hair. 

After doing Sacrifice and Halq, Haji is free from Ihram’s limitations now.

Tawaf al-Ziyarah and SA’IY 

Now, Haji needs to go back to Makkah to perform Tawaf al-Ziyrah and SA’IY. It can be done only after completing all three acts as mentioned above. You will do it without Ihram. 

11th Dhul-Hijjah

In case you didn’t perform Sacrifice, Halq, and Tawaf al-Ziyarah because of the crowd or any other reason. Then you can also do it in 11th Dhul-Hijjah but the sequence will be the same, i.e. Rami, Qurbani, Halq, and Tawaf al-Ziyarah and SA’IY.

The Rami can be done after Zawal’s timing.

12th Dhul Hijjah

It is the last day of Hajj if any Haji couldn’t complete the acts on the 11th Dhul-Hijjah also, then it becomes extremely important to complete all these acts on the 12th Dhul-Hijjah anyhow before Magrib’s Salah of 12the Dhul Hijjah. 

Congratulations, now your Hajj is completed. In case you are confused about any point, then carefully ask any knowledgeable Islamic scholar for complete guidance.

Tawaf-e-Wida

After performing Hajj, Haji has to come back to Makkah and do Tawaf. In this Tawaf, SA’IY is not necessary. It is the official ending of your Hajj journey. Now, many people visit Madina and other sacred places of Islam.

Conclusion

Hajj is a Sacred act and the fifth pillar of Islam. It has many benefits but is not obligatory for all Muslims. One needs to fulfil certain conditions, and then it becomes mandatory for them. We talked about how to perform Hajj in detail. This post is not an alternative to Islamic books and scholars who teach Hajj. One should join an Islamic group that is organised to learn about Hajj. You should cross-check all the information mentioned here with authentic Hajj books to eliminate any chance of error. We hope this post turned out helpful for you; share it with your fellow Hajis and make their preparation easy.

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