Preparations for Hajj, Umrah and travelling to the holy lands

With the intention of travelling to fulfill a religious obligation in mind, the Muslim must do the following: 

1. He must turn to Allah with sincere repentance. He must repent of his sins and ask Allah's Forgiveness. He must resolve that he will never tread the path of sin again. He must also render back the trusts to whom they belong. If this is not possible, he must urge the people whom those trusts belong to, to set him free from the chains of their trusts and forgive his inability to render them back. His sincere repentance depends on how successful he is. 

2. He must write his will before he travels to Hajj. He must state clearly what should be done if he should die there. He must be quite explicit about the amount of his debts and creditors so that his heirs can pay them back. It is obligatory to write a will when it involves fulfilling obligations such as rendering back trusts or debts where as it is a Sunnah to write a will, when it fulfills the preferred duties.  

3. He must exert his utmost so that the provision used for Hajj would be free from any unlawful gain and debts. Some scholars held that if someone fulfills his prescribed duty of pilgrimage by unlawfully gained money, Allah will not accept his Hajj. Others held that he will be guilty of sin for doing so but his Hajj is considered valid. The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Surely Allah is pure, and He does not accept anything but what is pure and If someone is brought up on unlawfully gained money, he is doomed to Hell.  

4. It is the duty of the pilgrim to learn and memorize the rites of Hajj and 'Umrah. If he is literate, he should take a guide book illustrating the obligations and Sunnahs of Hajj and Umrah so that he can consult it if needed. If he fails to understand how those rites are performed by his own, it is sometimes obligatory that he should hire, if he can afford it, a well-informed companion who can guide him through those rites. 

5. Imam Annawawi held that it is preferred that a pilgrim should bid farewell to his family, friends and neighbors. In their turn, they should see him off saying: 'To Allah I commend your Islam, your trust - one's formal duties of worship - and the conclusion of your deeds. May Allah provide you with piety, forgive your sins and ordain for you whatever is good wherever you are. 

6. On leaving his abode, it is preferred that the pilgrim should pray two rak'at. At-Tabarani reported that the two rak'at have much good for his family. Then he should recite Ayat Al-Kursi and Surat Quraish in which Allah states: 'For the tradition of Quraish, their tradition of travelling in winter and summer, so let them worship the Lord of this House, who provides them with food lest they should go hungry, and with security lest they should live in fear. So that Allah will protect him in his travel and protect his family until he returns. 

7. It is preferred for a pilgrim to say when leaving home 'In the name of Allah, I repose my trust in Allah, and there is neither power nor any might except with Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from leading others astray, causing others to slip or being caused to slip by others or doing wrong or being wronged by others, or behaving foolishly or being treated foolishly by others'. 

Two authentic Hadiths were reported to the effect that this supplication should be said by a traveler on leaving home. 

8. Many authentic Hadiths reported that as soon as the traveler (pilgrim) leaves home with the intention of riding, he should say before riding: 'In the name of Allah". Then, as soon as he is seated, he should say: 'Glory to Him Who has subjected this means of transport to our use, for we could never have accomplished this by ourselves. And to our Lord, surely, must we return'. Right after that, he should say three times: Praise be to Allah and Allah is the Greatest. Then, he should say: 'Glory to You (O Allah), there is no god but You, I have indeed wronged my soul, so forgive me, verily none can forgive sins except You'. Finally, he should say: 'O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from You on this journey of ours, and actions that please You. O Allah, lighten our journey, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, You are our companion during the journey, and guardian of our family. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the hardship of the journey, the gloominess of the sights, and from finding misfortunes in property and family on our return. 

9. It is preferred that he should set out accompanied by pious, self-effacing, honest, self-disciplined, cooperative, trustworthy, and selfless companions. They should elect one of them as Amir - chief. They should obey him and act upon his words. He should put things in order. He should organize their tight schedule devoting proper time for resting, sleeping and eating. Everything should run by the schedule. Al Bukhari reported that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said: If the people knew about travelling alone as I am, then nobody would travel alone at night. Ahmad reported that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) cursed whoever travels alone in the void desert. 'Void' refers to the vast uninhabited desert. The Prophet said in another authentic Hadith, A single traveler is a devil, two are two devils but three are a caravan.  

To illustrate, when one travels alone or is accompanied by only one traveler, he is compared to a devil with respect to being deprived of the motivation to mercy and good. If three travelers set out together, they form a travelling party. As such, they are safe and fearless. Abu Dawoud narrated in an authentic Hadith, that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said: If three travelers set out on a journey, they should choose one of them as their chief.  

10. The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) hated travelling at the beginning of night, when the sky is pitch dark. He preferred travelling after that time. In this respect, the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said, Earth is folded at night  

11. It is a Sunnah that a traveler should say, 'Allah is the Great' when he goes up a high place, and 'Glory be to Allah' when he goes down hill. On approaching a village, he should say, 'O Allah I ask You of the good in it, and the good of what You have placed in it, and I seek refuge from its evil and the evil of what You have placed in it.'. When he stops at a place, he should say, 'I seek refuge with all the perfect words of Allah from the evil of His creatures'. He must not stop for rest or sleep at a place at night because it was reported that the Prophet prohibited it. 

12. The pilgrim should keep in mind that he is embarking on pilgrimage so as to win Allah's reward. As such, he should follow a middle course of action. He should not lead a life of luxury and conspicuous consumption while he is performing the rites of Hajj. He should not eat or drink in access. He should not go beyond the normal or accepted limits. He must be sensitive to the needs of others. He should feel for them. He should help the weak. He should help his companions in their need. He should give part of his money and food to those who need it desperately. He should treat others as equals. He should be humble and self-effacing. He should know that travelling in groups forces people to show themselves for what they really are. Daily contact exposes the hidden self of others. Muslim women must beware of showing off their ornaments. They should not be soft in speech. They should not deliberately or unintentionally do things which drive people to think about them. They should not lead others astray or help to lead them to sin. If they have intention to seduce people, they will be severely punished. Every traveler should preoccupy himself with the remembrance of Allah, recitation of Qur'an or any form of worship. He should perform those activities in secret so that he does not disturb or upset others. High-pitched voice usually disturbs others and makes them lose concentration, accordingly it is unlawful and forbidden. 

13. As soon as the pilgrim leaves the outskirts of his country, he acquires the privileges bestowed on travelers by Allah. Allah has relieved the travelers of fasting and half of the prayers - he can shorten the prayers which consist of four rak'at to two rak'at. He also enjoys the privilege of combining two prayers during travelling. He can combine two prayers, performing both at the time of the first e.g. Dhuhr and Asr together, or delay praying Dhuhr until the time of the Asr prayer. He can also combine Maghrib and Isha prayers at sunset or delay Maghrib prayer until the Isha time and then combine them. However, it is forbidden to pass the time of Asr prayers then combine Dhuhr and Asr prayers with Maghrib. It is also forbidden to delay combining Dhuhr and Asr until the sunlight disappears. He is allowed to combine Maghrib and Isha, either during the time of the earlier or the later prayer. Provided that he does not delay them until the time of the morning prayer -Fajr. It is forbidden to combine Fajr with Maghrib and Isha. The two rak'at of Fajr do not follow the rule of combining prayers.

It is forbidden to delay the Fajr prayers until after sunrise. Performing obligatory prayers out of their proper time is judged as one of the Great Sins. One Adhan - call to prayer - is made for combined prayers whereas, two Iqamahs are said. If the Muslim is on the road, e.g. riding in a car or bus, and the driver refused to stop for prayers and he was afraid he should miss the proper time of prayers, he can stand and pray in the car or bus. If this is not possible, he can simply pray sitting down. He can bow and prostrate or move his head down and then up again as if he bowed and prostrated. It is advisable to take along Hasan Ayoub's book 'Purity And Prayer'. It answers questions like what are the obligatory acts of the prayer and what one should do if he should miss the proper time of prayer. It offers a detailed answer to such questions, for instance, in the above mentioned case the Muslim can perform dry ablution (Tayammum) by touching the dust on a car or train and wiping his face and hands up to the wrist. He should keep an amount of dust, sand or stone as a precaution so that he can use them in need. He can simply wrap it into as handkerchief, a piece of cloth or a paper bag.  

14. It is quite acceptable for the Muslim traveler to perform the Nawafil prayers, e.g. the Sunnah prayers, Duha prayer and Qunut prayer, sitting even though he has the ability to stand. It does not make any difference whether he was travelling mounting or by car or by plane. He should do his best to face the Quibla, if there is no way to know where the Quibla is, he should try to figure it out as much as he can then pray standing, or sitting. If this is not possible he can simply move his head up and down as in prayer while he sits down.

Hajj And Umrah Guides, Pilgrimage Essentials, Mecca & Medina Topics Links:

Advice To Pilgrims | A Step by step Hajj and 'Umrah | Adhkar (Pertaining to the remembrance of Allah) | A Lasting Word For Hajj And 'Umrah | An Account of the Miqat | An Account of visiting the Prophet's Mosque | Ayaam at-Tashreeq | Binding on the pilgrim to refrain from sins | Command about the Menstruating and similar women | Conditional Ihram | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day One | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Two | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Three | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Four | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Five | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Six | Day of Arafah | Day to Day Activities of Hajj | Dhabh | Duties of pilgrims at 'Arafah | Entering Mecca | Entering Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) and Tawaf | Errors Often Committed by Pilgrims | Etiquette of Ihram | Etiquette of Visiting the Prophet's (P.B.U.H) Grave | Farewell Pilgrimage of the Messenger of Allah | Farewell Tawaf | Farewell Tawaf is binding on everyone except the menstruating and women with post childbirth bleeding | Fixed time for Hajj | Fixed time for Hajj | Four Khutbahs in Hajj | Hajj in Pre-Islamic Times | Hajj of a woman | Hajj, Umrah & Ziyarah At a Glance | Halq or Qass | Halq or Qasr: Shaving or Clipping | Ihram | Ihram for youngsters | Ihram: Introduction And Significance | Innovations of `Arafah | Innovations Before Ihraam | Innovations of Hajj, `Umra and Visiting Madinah | Innovations of Ihraam and Talbiyyah, etc. | Innovations of Muzdalifah | Innovations of Sacrifice and Shaving the Head | Innovations of Sa'y Between Safaa and Marwah | Innovations of Stoning | Innovations of Tawaaf | Innovations of Visiting Madinat-ul-Munawwarah | Innovations of Visiting Bait-ul-Maqdis | Innovations: Various Innovations | Istilaam | Kinds of Ihram | Leaving Arafah to spend night in Al Muzdalefah | Many `Umrahs after Hajj is not encouraged by the Shari`ah | Maqaam Ibraaheem | Meeqaat | Merits of Hajj | Merits of 'Umrah | Minaa | Neglecting and delaying the throwing of pebbles | No Specific Supplication for Tawaf and Sa'y | Not allowed to shave the beard | Not obligatory to visit the Prophet's Mosque | Objective of Hajj - To seek the Divine Pleasure | Obligations during Hajj and Umrah | Performing Hajj on behalf of others | Permitted and Forbidden things in the State of Ihram | Pilgrim with Sacrificial Animal in the month of Hajj should intend Qiran (accompanied Hajj) and the one | Pillars of Hajj | Prayers at Arafah | Preparations for Hajj, Umrah and travelling to the holy lands | Preparing for Hajj or 'Umrah | Prerequisites and Sunnahs of valid Tawaf | Ramy | Reaching Miqat at a Time other than the Hajj Season | Regulations Concerning Hady (Sacrificial animals) | Restrictions of Ihram | Rites, obligations and Sunnahs of Umrah | Sa'y | Sa'y between Safa and Marwah | Sa'y and its rituals | Sacrificial animals | Shaving or clipping hair | Sunnah and allowed throwing | Sunnahs of Tawaf | Supplication at the beginning of the journey | Supplication on entering the Mosque | Supplications at Arafah | Supplications: Some All-Inclusive Supplications | Supplications: Some Supplications which may Be Recited At 'Arafat, at the Sacred Sites, and at Other Places of Supplication | Talbeeyah | Tawaaf | Tawaaf al-Ifaadah | Throwing Al Jemar | Throwing pebbles on behalf of other people | Types of Hajj | Umrah | Veiling and giving up the display of beauty is compulsory for women | Verdict on spending the night at Mina | Visitation of the Prophet's Mosque | Visiting Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi | Visiting Quba Mosque and Al-Baqi' cemetery | What a Pilgrim should do when he reaches the Miqat | What Is Required of the Pilgrims | What is allowed to a Muhrim | Where to pick the pebbles from and the number and size of pebbles | Woman's Hajj with Mahram, expenses of Hajj, taking husband's permission | Woman may enter into the Ihram in any dress | Wuqoof 'Arafaat | Wuqoof Muzdalifah | Zamzam