Category Archives: Picture

Hajj Course

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In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

My Hajj – A step by step guide to Hajj & Umrah

With the grace of Almighty Allah, today I am so happy to announce “My Hajj” – our very own eLearning course on Hajj & Umrah for everyone, anytime, anywhere.

For this project, I was lucky to team up with with Br. Ismail David (of AMID Inspirations, who also happens to be the author of the book – “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj“) and Sheik Mamdouh Mahmoud (Roots & Sprouts) & we have worked tirelessly to put together a course which is detailed & practical yet clear & concise – with the sole aim of guiding you through the essentials of Hajj & Umrah according to the Quran and Sunnah. The course will live at the Hajj Course page – and is divided into 10 parts,

  • Part 1 – Introduction – which covers essential background and basic definitions
  • Part 2 – Overview – of the entire Hajj from start to finish
  • Part 3 – Before You Depart – in which we discuss what you should do before departing for Hajj
  • Part 4 – Ihraam – will be a discussion of this special state of ritual consecration one must be in to perform Umrah and Hajj
  • Part 5 – Journey from Home to Makkah – where we will discuss the trip from home to Makkah & how to spend your time during the trip
  • Part 6 – Makkah – where we will explore Makkah and become acquainted with the Kabah and the Haram
  • Part 7 – Rites and Rituals – in which we will explore the Hajj rites and rituals in detail, including Tawaaf and Sa’ee
  • Part 8 – Umrah – will detail a step by step explanation on how to perform Umrah
  • Part 9 – Between Umrah and Hajj – where we we will provide suggestions on what you should do between Umrah and Hajj
  • Part 10 – Hajj – will dive into a detailed account of Hajj in detail and present the best actions one can perform

Unfortunately the animations for each part aren’t complete yet, but as Hajj is approaching, will be releasing draft versions of each part over the next few weeks. But do stay tuned for the final versions which will also be released on the Hajj Course page.

Hope it is beneficial for you & that you enjoy the course,

Happy Learning …

Map of Hajj Locations

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Further to my previous post which summarizes where Hajj takes place and the locations involved, I wanted to share with everyone a special map of these Hajj locations – including main features, distances & geographic coordinates (mashAllah).

[ pdf | <1 MB | 7f589326da8dd40812e8001908d6e00a | 0f81fb0528fc1f3ab16396aff5878175482e3a4e ]

Ref

  1. “Makkah Al Mukarramah and Mashaer Area” map – Second Edition. General Commission for Survey – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2012.

Where is Hajj?

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Hajj takes place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More specifically in the Makkah region.

It is performed at,

  • The Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah (Mecca)

and its immediate surrounds –

  • Mina,
  • Muzdalifah and
  • Arafat

[ pdf | <1 MB | 398dbd4caa2b0da1d794285912a70407 | 0581785621d087ca0de18eb81236ee973353b304 ]

Note

  1. Map not to scale
  2. Indicated boundaries are only approximate

Ref

  1. “Makkah Al Mukarramah and Mashaer Area” map – Second Edition. General Commission for Survey – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2012.

Hajj Workshop 2017

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Hajj is nearly upon us for another year. The Hajj Workshop 2017 page can be found here

It is your one stop shop for Hajj & Umrah learning & preparation – jam packed with guides, articles, how to’s, supplications and much much more.

Alhamdulillah this year I am also very very excited to share an exciting new project with you. For many years I have had the privilege & honour of teaching Hajj workshops at my local masjid – which I love mashAllah. But I have also yearned to create a self contained eLearning course that could be shared with everyone and be available anytime, anywhere. MashAllah with the grace of Almighty Allah it is nearly complete – so inshAllah over the next few weeks will be releasing draft version of the presentations for everyone. So stay tuned … remember to subscribe to this blog (look for the Follow section at the top of the homepage in the right side menu column) to receive automatic email notifications when the course modules are released.

Enjoy … Happy Learning

Dates for Hajj 2017

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When is Hajj 2017? – Dates for Hajj 2017

The dates of Hajj for 2017 (1438) are as follows,

Note: The dates above have been not yet been confirmed by the authorities in Saudi Arabia. These dates are based on calculations – please check closer to time for confirmed dates.

[ pdf | <1 MB | 8cad472871ba4805aaf425ea63a0b90e | 52a6dad9a21957c4f55780c96a81ef36a416a41a ]

So you may be wondering how the dates above were arrived at. Good question. First we can calculate the moon phases in August, which is when the month of Dhul Hijjah will start this year inshAllah,As we can see the new moon is expected on the Monday, 21-Aug-2017 at 21:30 (in Makkah). But will it be visible on this day? This is where we have to calculate the moon crescent visibility curves to verify. Moon crescent visibility curves for three days are as follows,

As can be seen from these curves,

  • The moon will not be visible on Mon, 21-Aug-2017
  • The moon will be visible by the naked eye on Tue, 22-Aug-2017. This means that the first day of Dhul Hijjah will be Wednesday, 23-Aug-2017
  • So the first day of Hajj (the 8th of Dhul Hijjah) will be on Wednesday, 30-Aug-2017 inshAllah

Ref

  1. “Moonsighting.com”, http://www.moonsighting.com/
  2. “Accurate Times”, International Astronomical Center (IAC)

Types of Hajj

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There are three types (or methods) of performing Hajj,

  1. Tamattu
    1. Umrah then Hajj
    2. The pilgrim would first perform Umrah
      1. Entering into Ihraam at the Meeqat with the Niyah for Umrah
      2. After performing Umrah the pilgrim must come out of the state of Ihraam
    3. The pilgrim would then perform Hajj
      1. Entering back into Ihraam with Niyah for Hajj on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah
    4. There are two separate Niyah’s (one for Umrah and then one for Hajj)
    5. Animal sacrifice is compulsory
    6. Pilgrim is called Mutammati
  2. Qiran
    1. Umrah and Hajj together (in one Niyah)
    2. The pilgrim would first perform Umrah
      1. Entering into Ihraam at the Meeqat with the Niyah for Umrah and Hajj
      2. After performing Umrah the pilgrim must NOT come out of the state of Ihraam
    3. The pilgrim would then perform Hajj
    4. Animal sacrifice is compulsory
      1. The pilgrim must have with them the animal for sacrifice
    5. Pilgrim is called Qaarin
  3. Ifrad
    1. This is Hajj only without Umrah
    2. You would perform this type if you live in Mecca (Makkah)
    3. Animal sacrifice is optional
    4. Pilgrim is called Mufrid

Note

  1. Ihraam = A state in which one is prohibited to practice certain deeds that are lawful at other times. i.e. A state of ritual consecration
  2. Meqaat = Boundary of the area around Mecca (Makkah) which a pilgrim should not pass without being in Ihraam
  3. Niyah = Intention

Ref

  1. This post is an updated version of my earlier post – Hajj – Types
  2. “My Hajj – Part 1 – Introduction”, By The Wahy Project, 2017
  3. “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by Darussalam, Second Edition – August, 2006, Pg. 35 [10004]

What is Umrah?

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Umrah is a Pilgrimage to Makkah.

Essentially in a nutshell Umrah is,

  1. Paying a visit to the Kabah
  2. Performing Tawaaf around it
  3. Walking between the hills of Safaa and Marwah seven times,
  4. And then shaving one’s head or cutting one’s hair short

Furthermore,

  • Linguistically – Umrah means ‘Visit‘ (it is derived from the Arabic word Al-I’timar of the same meaning)
  • Legally – Visit to Makkah in performance of specific rites

Wait, you might be thinking isn’t that the same as Hajj? Yes & No – there are some key differences,

  • Umrah can be performed anytime in the year
  • Umrah’s physical performance is confined to the vicinity of the Masjid Al-Haram (in Makkah)
  • Whereas Hajj can only be undertaken during a specific Islamic month and is performed over several days, in several geographical locations.

Umrah is sometimes referred to as the Minor Hajj

Related

Ref

  1. “My Hajj – Part 1 – Introduction”, By The Wahy Project, 2017
  2. “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by Darussalam, Second Edition – August, 2006. [10004]
  3. “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj Seminar Notes”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by AMID Inspirations, November, 2015.

What is Hajj?

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Hajj is a Pilgrimage to Makkah.

It is a journey required at least once in a lifetime for every able Muslim male and female contingent on a number of pre-requisites including physical and financial means & ability.

Hajj is a great spiritual journey. But what does it mean practically?

Essentially in a nutshell Hajj is,

  1. Being at certain places (in a specific order)
  2. At certain times (on specific dates)
  3. And performing certain specific acts of worship, rituals and rites

Furthermore,

  • Linguistically – Hajj means ‘Intent‘
  • Legally – Hajj means Intending Makkah & Mashaair for specific rites during a specific time period in worship to Allah

Ref

  1. “My Hajj – Part 1 – Introduction”, By The Wahy Project, 2017
  2. “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by Darussalam, Second Edition – August, 2006. [10004]
  3. “Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj Seminar Notes”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by AMID Inspirations, November, 2015.

Back for 2017 / 1438

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I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. Sorry for not posting for a while – we’ve been really busy working on some new projects for everyone. The main one is an exciting Hajj (& Umrah) course which covers all the basics. Though it’s not quite finished yet, will be releasing a sneak peek in the next couple of weeks inshAllah. So stay tuned, lots of new posts to come real soon.

In the meantime, wanted to share a photo I took of “The Heavens” (stars) a while back. Really reminds me of the magnificence and beauty of Allah the Almighty’s creation. Subhan Allah!!! Hope you like it.

PS – You may have noticed some of the links on the site are not working. Unfortunately Dropbox (where some of the files are stored) is changing the way it allows sharing, so apologies for any inconvenience – we are working to update everything as soon as possible. But if you are trying to access any of the material and receive errors, please let us know via the contact page (or just leave a comment) and we will get it fixed for you.