Dalil al-Hajj wal-Mutamir wa Zair Masjid al-Rasul
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Wizārat al-Shuʾūn al-Islāmiyyah wa-al-Awqāf wa-al-Daʿwah wa-al-Irshād
Dalil al-Hajj wal-Mutamir wa Zair Masjid al-Rasul (Guide for the Pilgrim, the Umrah Performer, and the Visitor of the Prophet's Mosque) is a concise instructional handbook compiled by a group of scholars under the Islamic Awareness Commission in Hajj (Hay'at al-Taw'iyah al-Islamiyyah fi al-Hajj) to guide Muslims through the rites and legal rulings of the pilgrimage .
Overview and Purpose
The booklet was prepared as an accessible manual for pilgrims journeying to Mecca and Medina . It aims to clarify the prescribed actions of Hajj, Umrah, and the visitation of the Prophet's Mosque according to the Quran and Sunnah, advising pilgrims to read it prior to commencing their rites so that their worship is conducted with sound understanding and free from common misconceptions .
Structure and Contents
Advice and Foundational Principles
The guide begins with essential counsel urging pilgrims to ensure sincere repentance, use lawful provisions for travel, guard the tongue against backbiting and mockery, and avoid harming fellow worshippers through excessive pushing at the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) or obstructing paths and prayer areas around the Kaaba . It highlights that maintaining Muslim welfare and preventing harm is an obligation, whereas acts such as kissing the stone are sunnahs that must not supersede mandatory duties .
To safeguard correct creed, the text enumerates ten major nullifiers of Islam, warning against polytheism (shirk), invoking intermediaries or the deceased for aid, sorcery, and rejecting or preferring man-made systems over Islamic law .
Rites of Umrah and Hajj
The book outlines the three forms of pilgrimage—tamattu', qiran, and ifrad—identifying tamattu' as the most virtuous for those who have not brought sacrificial animals with them . It provides step-by-step instructions for:
- Umrah: Entering into ihram at the designated boundary (miqat), performing circumambulation (tawaf) around the Kaaba for seven circuits, offering two rak'ahs behind the Station of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim), performing the ritual walk (sa'y) between al-Safa and al-Marwah, and terminating ihram by shaving or trimming the hair .
- Hajj: Assuming ihram on the Day of Tarwiyah (8 Dhu al-Hijjah), departing for Mina, standing at Arafat on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, staying at Muzdalifah, stoning the pillar of Aqabah (Jamrat al-Aqabah) on the Day of Nahr (10 Dhu al-Hijjah), offering the animal sacrifice (hady), shaving or shortening hair, performing tawaf al-ifadah, completing the stoning during the days of Tashriq, and concluding with the farewell circumambulation (tawaf al-wada') .
- Prohibitions of Ihram: Detailing restrictions on scent, clipping nails, cutting hair, hunting, marital relations, and specific dress codes for men and women, alongside accidental violations that carry no penalty .
Visitation in Medina
The manual details the etiquette for visiting the Prophet's Mosque (al-Masjid al-Nabawi), noting that this visitation is a recommended practice independent of Hajj and has no ihram or talbiyah attached to it . It describes entering with the right foot, offering the prayer of greeting (tahiyyat al-masjid) in the Rawdah, extending salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and Umar ibn al-Khattab, as well as visiting Quba Mosque, the cemetery of al-Baqi, and the martyrs of Uhud .
Common Errors and Directives
The latter sections highlight frequent mistakes committed by pilgrims, categorized by rite:
- Passing the miqat without entering ihram .
- Rubbing walls or cornerstones of the Kaaba for blessing, assigning specific fabricated supplications to every circuit of tawaf, and shouting collective chants that disturb others .
- Standing outside the boundaries of Arafat, departing before sunset, or climbing Mount Arafat believing it to be a rite .
- Believing that stoning the Jamarat represents stoning devils, throwing oversized rocks or shoes, and appointing proxies without valid inability .
- Rubbing railings, tying rags to windows, visiting caves such as Hira or Thawr for ritual worship, or praying to the dead at cemeteries in Medina .
The guide concludes with a list of twenty-five numbered legal directives summarizing rulings on conditions, doubts in circuit counts, women's dress, travel adjustments, and required actions .
Answer updated