Muslim Advice

Muslim Advice

Article 253
As we have mentioned before, Hajj al-Tamattu’ should be performed after Umrah al-Tamattu’ and it has thirteen acts as follows:
1- Wearing Ihram from Mecca.
2- Wuquf which means staying in “Arafat” from about the noon until the sunset of the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah.
3- Wuquf in Mash’ar al-Haraam; it means to stay there from the dawn until the sunrise of Eid of Qurban (festivity of sacrifice).
4- Going to Mena (also Mina) and performing Ramy al-Jamarah al-Aqaba (throwing seven pebbles to the place, which is allocated at the end of Mena that is called “al-Jamarah al-Aqaba or al-Jamarah al-Uula).
5- Sacrificing in Mena in the day of Eid (tenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah).
6- Taqsir that means shaving the head or cutting a piece of hair or nail.
7- Tawaf of Ka’ba (this Tawaf is called Tawaf of pilgrimage).
8- Performing two Rak’ats of prayer of Tawaf.
9- Seven times of Sa’y,(shuttling) between Safa and Marwah.
10- Performing another Tawaf, that is called Tawaf of Nisa’.

Article 173
Second obligatory act of Umrah is Tawaf; Tawaf is circumambulating the house of Allah (seven rounds) and it is obligatory in both Umrah and Hajj (one time in Umrah and two times in Hajj).
Article 174
There are five acts in Tawaf that should be done:
First: “Niyyah” (intention)
Because Tawaf is one of the worships and it is not correct if done without the intention of closeness to Allah.
Second: “Purity of Hadath”
That means having ablution and being pure of Janabah (sexual intercourse or discharge of semen) and menstruation and Nifas (lochia) , and this should be considered for obligatory Tawaf and Taharah (purity). However it is not the condition for Mustahab Tawaf, although it is better to be pure and if a person is in the state of Janabah and has forgotten that, then his/her Mustahab Tawaf is correct, but if the person is aware, then Tawaf is not correct, because it is Haraam that a person to be in Masjid al-Haraam in the state of Janabah.
Article 175

Article 11
It is permitted to deputize a person for performing obligatory or Mustahab Hajj on behalf of a dead person, but it is only permitted in Mustahab Hajj for a person who is alive.
However for those who have been able to perform Hajj and had not performed so because of carelessness and now that they are not able to perform Hajj according to their oldness, illness or inability, in this condition it is obligatory for them to take a proxy; but if when a person has financial ability in the time that has no more physical ability or the way is not open for him, then Hajj is not obligatory for him, also taking a proxy is not obligatory, even during lifetime or after the death.
Article 12

Every people have their own civilization, their culture and days of celebration. Allah and His Messenger (saws) have appointed the two Eids for celebration in Islam, and have made every Friday a day of Eid and celebration for the believers. For a true believer, every day that dawns is a Sign from our Merciful Lord, and every day that Allah gives us life, can be a day of celebration for us.

There is absolutely no harm if one celebrates or congratulates ones non-muslim friends and brethren in humanity on their personal accomplishments and happy occasions like their marriage, the birth of their baby, or their childrens graduation, or a promotion in their job, etc. But it would neither behove nor befit a believer who believes in Allah and the Last Day to greet or celebrate any of their religious occasions with them like Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Holi, etcfor that then would be to intentionally witness a falsehood.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqaan verse 72:

Once the sun has set, it continues to descend below the horizon. At this point, the horizon bares a reddish colour. After this for a short period only, the sky adorns a whitish clear colour.

In Astronomy this time is called Dawn, or daybreak. This occurs as a result of the sun rays being broken and dispersed inside the atmosphere. Hence, the reddish and whitish colours that we see are a result of the sun rays being present in the atmosphere. With the use of modern astrological equipment, it is found that this occurs once the sun has descended -17 degrees below the horizon. From this point onwards, the sun’s rays cannot enter the atmosphere and thus night begins.

From midnight, the sun descends to its lowest position and then it starts to rise again. When the sun reaches -19 degrees below the horizon, the dawn takes place in the East, and night comes to an end.

The Islamic lunar calendar (also referred to as Hijri calendar) is a purely lunar calendar. It contains 12 months that are based on the phases of the moon. Each lunar month is approximately 29.53 solar days. Therefore, the Islamic calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar. 12 lunar months is about 12 x 29.53=354.36 days (10 to 11 days shorter than the solar calendar). This why you may have noticed that the month of Ramadan and the time of Hajj gets earlier each year.
Names of Months
The 12 months of the calendar are:
1. Muharram
2. Safar
3. Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' I)
4. Rabi' al-thani (Rabi' II)
5. Jumada al-awwal (Jumada I)
6. Jumada al-thani (Jumada II)
7. Rajab
8. Sha'ban
9. Ramadan
10. Shawwal
11. Dhu al-Qi'dah
12. Dhu al-Hijjah
These months have been in existence since before the time of the Quran.
History

Article 257
The second act of obligatory acts of Hajj is Wuquf in Arafat. “Arafat” is a desert about 20 km from Mecca which has became semi-treed today and it is obligatory for Hajjis to say the noon of the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah in that place.
Article 258
It is a precaution to remain from the beginning of noon of the ninth day until the sunset in Arafat, afoot or ride, moving or sitting, awake or partly sleep, and it is Mustahab to pray and observe the pure essence of Allah and asking forgiveness from him in that time, The superiority of praying in this place and time is unequaled
Article 259
Wuquf in Arafat is worship and should be performed with intention of closeness to Allah, and its intention has no specific statement and having the intention of performing that in the heart is enough.
Article 260

The entire world is the creation of Allah, however, some places are considered more sacred and divine than others. For instance, prayers offered at Mecca and Madina carry more value and significance than those offered at an ordinary place. This is because some places are more close and sacred because of their origins or their history.

The Month of Rajab
Similarly, some months carry more value and significance than other months. For example, Rajab is considered more sacred. This is because of several reasons. These reasons are elaborated below.
The Significance of Rajab
1. When the moon is sighted on the first night of Rajab, it is among the most sacred nights. During this night Allah accepts the prayers and supplications of His beings. The night is so sacred that Hazrat Ibna Soolki prayed to Allah to bestow him with death on the first night of Rajab.

Article 264
Mash’ar al-Haraam which is also called “Muzdalifah” and “Joma’” is a famous place between Mena and Arafat (its boundaries are the mount Ma'zmein and Hiyadh and Wadi Mohassar) and it is obligatory for those who to go to that place after Wuquf in Arafat and it is precaution not to delay going to that place if it is possible.
Article 265
Wuquf in Mash'ar al-Haraam is obligatory from the dawn until sunrise and it is also an obligatory precaution to stay the night there and pray to Allah and it is obligatory to have the intention of closeness to Allah for all of these acts.
Article 266
Leaving Mash'ar without any religious lawful excuse and going to Mena because of ignorance has no problem, but if a person performs this act deliberately, then he/she should pay one sheep as the atonement, but his/her Hajj is correct.
Article 267
Wuquf in Mash'ar al-Haram is a pillar of Hajj and if a person renounces that deliberately, then his/her Hajj is invalidated.
Article 268

The early history of Islam is important for Muslims even to the present day. The Prophet Muhammad’s life, especially, is considered to be an example for all believers. There are numerous events that exemplify the Prophet Muhammad’s struggles and his character. These events have played a defining role in the formation of the faith and the Muslim community. In earlier posts, I have written about several significant events that include: the Night of Power, the hijra (emigration from Mecca to Medina), the Battle of Badr, and the Farewell Sermon. In this post, the focus will be on the conquest of Mecca, when the Muslims took control of the city after being away from it for 8 years.

Indonesia’s haj quota has returned to the normal figure of 221,000 a year plus an additional 10,000 after the quota was cut by 20 percent in 2013 due to the renovation of the al-Haram Mosque in Saudi Arabia.
"We thank the Saudi Arabian government for the additional quota," President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He added that King Salman of Saudi Arabia would like to visit Indonesia in March. This visit is a reply to Jokowi’s visit in September 2016.
During his visit, Jokowi lobbied King Salman for an increase to the haj quota. On Jan. 4, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim went to Saudi Arabia to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) related to the new haj quota. (dan)

Hajj is one of most important pillars of Islam and it is one of greatest religious duties.
Holy Qur’an says in a short and meaningful sentence:
وَ لِلّه عَلَى النّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَیْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطاعَ اِلَیْهِ سَبیلاً.
It is on people for the sake of Allah to perform Hajj of his house, anyone who is able to undertake the journey to him. (2:196)
And it says below this verse:
وَ مَنْ کَفَرَ فَاِنَّ اللّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ الْعالَمینَ
And anyone who disbelieves (and renounces Hajj, has impaired himself), Allah is not in need of any of his created ones in the worlds.”(3:97)
The sentence “It is on people for the sake of Allah …” adding the definition of “disbelieves” (infidelity) for people who renounce the obligatory Hajj. This clears shows it’s extraordinary importance in Islam.
It is interesting that in the interpretation of the holy verse:
وَ مَنْ کانَ فى هذِهِ اَعْمى فَهُوَفِى الاْخِرَةِ اَعْمى وَ اَضَلُّ سَبیلاً.

Why is the month Muharram so important?
Answer:
The leader of the months is Muharram
Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) states that:
“The leader of the people is Prophet Adam, of the Arabs is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), of the Roum is Suhayb (ra), of the Persian is Salman (ra), the leader of the trees is Sidra, of the months is Muharram, of the days is Friday, of the words is Quran, the leader of the Quran is Surah al Baqara and its leader is Ayat-al Kursi.” (Imam Suyuti)

Muharram is the first of the lunar months
In the first years of Islam, the infidels and polytheists used to torture Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and His distinguished companions to hinder Islam, Islamic life and the spread of Islam. Their tyranny arose to such an extent that the Muslims were exposed to starving through brutal embargos. So, upon Allah’s order, Muslims emigrated from Makka to Madina to continue their Islamic life and mission. This is called “Hijra”.

Ibn 'Abbas says about the verse, "Remember Allah during the well known days," that it refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. [This is related by al-Bukhari]

Allah swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):


"By the dawn; by the 10 nights"

[Noble Quran 89:1-2]


Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/413]

The Hajj, sometimes spelt Haj, is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime. The word Hajj is an Arabic word, meaning ‘to intend a journey’.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam – the others are shahadah (declaration of faith); salat (daily prayer); zakat (giving of alms); sawm (fasting in Ramadan).
Who should go on the Hajj?
It is mandatory for Muslim adults to go on Hajj at least once in their lifetime. They must be of sound mind and physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey. Those who complete the pilgrimage can add the title Hajji to their names.
When is Hajj?
The pilgrimage must take place during the month of Dhu al Hijja, the last month of the Islamic calendar. The rites of Hajj are performed from the 8th to the 12th of Dhu al Hijjah.