Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Manasik al-Hajj
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Waṭan lil-Nashr
Manasik al-Hajj (The Rites of Hajj) is a concise legal treatise on the pilgrimage rituals composed by the Najdi Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) .
Subject and Content
The treatise offers a direct and simplified guide to performing the major and minor pilgrimages (Hajj and Umrah) according to the prophetic Sunnah . The author begins by defining Hajj as one of the pillars of Islam bound to specific times and locations—such as standing at Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina—while defining Umrah as an act that may be performed at any time through entering the state of ihram at the boundary (miqat), circumambulating the Kaaba (tawaf), walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah (sa'i), and shaving or trimming the hair .
The author explains the facilitation of performing both rites in a single journey, contrasting Islamic practice with pre-Islamic custom, which forbade Umrah during the pilgrimage months and assigned separate journeys for each . He strongly emphasizes the practice of dissolving the intention of Hajj into Umrah (faskh al-hajj ila al-umrah) for a pilgrim who has not brought a sacrificial animal (hady), citing the Prophet's instruction to his companions and quoting Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal's response when questioned on this position by Salama ibn Shabib, where Ahmad affirmed relying on eighteen sound traditions on the matter .
The treatise details the preparation for ihram, including ritual purification, cleanliness, application of scent prior to entering the sacred state, wearing the two-piece unsewn garment (izar and rida), and reciting the prophetic talbiyah: لبيك اللهم لبيك، لبيك لا شريك لك لبيك إن الحمد والنعمة لك والملك، لا شريك لك ("Here I am, O Allah, here I am; here I am, You have no partner, here I am; verily all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You, You have no partner") . The text notes that intention resides in the heart rather than verbalization, and specifies situations where raising the voice in talbiyah is particularly emphasized . It also outlines the prohibitions while in ihram (mahdhurat al-ihram), such as cutting hair, clipping nails, covering the head for men, wearing tailored clothes or trousers, applying perfume, and hunting game .
Manuscript and Editing
The work was edited and published by Bandar ibn Nafi' al-Abdali based on a unique small-format manuscript of ten pages, with seventeen lines per page (and eight lines on the final page), written in a clear script without a recorded scribe name or copying date . The editor verified its attribution through the clear title and authorship penned on the cover, its stylistic consistency with the author's other instructional summaries, and mentions of the title among his biographical entries .
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