Pilgrims can perform 3 types of Hajj:
For the sake of simplicity, we've provided a description of the first, Le Hadj "tamatou'".
Let's now turn our attention to the rites of Hajj. Remember that we have opted for the explanation of the Hajj "tamatou'" (i.e. the pilgrim chooses here to perform his Umrah before his Hajj). This is a practical Hajj for those who come from afar, as they can perform both Hajj and Umrah.
We are therefore at 8th day of Dhul Hidjaalso known as Yawmul-Tarwiya.
On this day, the worshipper becomes sacred (puts himself in a state of Ihram). He performs the great ritual washing (Ghusl), perfumes himself and puts on his Izar and his Rida (a kind of sheet or towel).
The hajj (pilgrim) then makes the intention for the performance of his great pilgrimage (Hajj) as we saw for the performance of the 'Umrah (see above).
The worshipper does these things in the morning of this blessed day (the 8th day of the month of Dhul Hidja) in the place where he is staying (in this case, a hotel). He then sets off for Mina, making and repeating the Talbiya :
(approximate translation) : "I answer Your call O ALLAH, I answer Your call. You have no partner. Praise and Beneficence are Thine; so is Royalty, Thou hast no partner.".
When in Mina, the worshipper will perform his Dohr, his 'Asr, his Maghrib, his 'Icha with shortening but without joining them (no Djam'). The same applies to Fajr on the following day (9 Dhul Hidja).
To sum up the pilgrim's day on 8 Dhul Hidja, here's a quick look at what you need to do:
a) Ghusl (ritual bath) + perfume + sacred garment (ihram) in bedroom.
b) Make your intention to perform Hajj, standing in your room, facing the Qibla, saying:
c) Say the Talbiya and repeat it until he finishes stoning the stelae (Djamarat) representing the Devil (on 10 Dhul Hidja).
d) Go to Mina and perform the remaining prayers of the same day, reducing them (Dohr in 2 units, 'Asr in 2 units, maghreb in 3 units and icha in 2 units) as well as the Fajr of the following day (9 Dhoul Hidja) in 2 units.
You should know that the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Nafila prayers (non-obligatory = supererogatory) with the exception of the Fadjr prayer and the evening Witr prayer.
The 9th day of Dhul Hidja is a crucial day in the pilgrimage (Hajj). It is therefore advisable to read insha ALLAH the rites to be performed on this day. It also has a very strong symbolic value when pilgrims stand and invoke their Lord.
This special day of Hajj is also known as the Day of Arafat ("yaoum arafat" in phonetics). When the sun rises, the worshipper sets off from Mina to reach 'Arafat by saying and repeating the Talbiya. When they reach a place called Namira, not far from 'Arafat, pilgrims stay in the mosque there to listen to the Sheikh's dars (lecture). The pilgrim will also perform the Dohr and 'Asr prayers behind the Sheikh of the mosque. The Sheikh will perform the taqsir (shortening) and the Djam' (gathering of prayers) at the time of the Dohr.
After that, the worshipper goes to the famous 'Arafat site. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) did he not say that "Hajj is Arafat" (authentic hadith).
He stands beside the stones at the foot of Jabal El Rehma (Mountain of Mercy): the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and blessings be upon him) had positioned itself at this location.
In the event that it is impossible for the pilgrim to stand there due to overcrowding, he may stand in the place of his choice as long as he does not leave the area of 'Arafat.
The pilgrim then turns towards the Kaaba, hands raised, to invoke the Lord of the Worlds (in this regard, the best of Creatures (Peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of invocations is the invocation of the day of Arafat...", and also that: "There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the fire of hell than the day of Arafat") and to make the Talbiya.
The Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The best saying that I and the prophets before me uttered in the afternoon of the day of 'Arafat is:
Approximate translation : "There is no god but ALLAH, the ONE, without partner. To Him be Kingship Absolute and to Him be Praise, and He is Almighty over all things". .
The haj (pilgrim) remains in this heavenly state of devotion and submission until dusk, repeating the Talbiya and imploring ALLAH 'azza wa jal.
A few points to remember:
At dusk, the haj (pilgrim) will take the road to Mouzdalifah. Mouzdalifah is a place between 'Arafat and Mina. It is here that the faithful take the stones to stone the Jamarats (columns or steles) representing the Shaytan (devil), may ALLAH curse him, in Mina.
The pilgrim will therefore go to Mouzdalifah. If the haj (pilgrim) has room in front of him, he may hasten his journey. Once in Mouzdalifah, the pilgrim prepares to pray the Maghreb (in 3 prayer units) and the Icha (in two prayer units). He will perform a single adhan for both prayers, but one iqama each. He will sleep there until the morning prayer.
Sisters, the weak and the elderly can leave Mouzdalifah after midnight.
During this blessed night, the haj (pilgrim) will prepare to experience another highlight of his Hajj (pilgrimage) which will take place the following day with the permission of ALLAH 'azza wa jal: the stoning of the steles representing the Shaytan (ALLAH curse him) and the immolation of the sheep. In this way, he will imitate the Prophet Ibrahim, a close friend of the Lord of the Universe, in his act of worship towards ALLAH 'azza wa jal, as well as the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and blessings be upon him).
So today is the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hidja. This grandiose day is also known as the day of immolation (yaoum an-nahr).
At Sobh time, the worshipper performs the prayer at Mouzdalifah. The pilgrim then goes to a mosque at El Mach'arou-l-Haram (the name of a mountain in Muzdalifah). He faces the Ka'ba and proclaims the praise, the glory and the Oneness of his Lord ALLAH 'Azza wa Jal, addressing invocations to him. He does this until dawn by the permission of ALLAH. For those who are unable to do this, it is possible to perform this action wherever possible as long as it remains within the domain of Muzdalifah.
After that, he goes to Mina before sunrise saying the Talbiya. When he arrives at a place in Mina called El Mouhassire, the pilgrim hastens if he can.
He then goes to the Great Stele (Jamara El Koubra) for the stoning.
When he reaches Mina, the haj (pilgrim) takes small stones (a little bigger than a chickpea) to throw at the Great Stele (also called Jamara El Aqaba, as it is the closest to Mecca) and stone it.
The pilgrim then stands in front of the stele, taking care to have Mecca on his left and Mina on his right, and throws his stones (7 stones), proclaiming for each throw:
When the haj (pilgrim) has cast the last stone, he stops reciting the Talbiya.
The stoning of the great stele begins when the sun rises and lasts until Fadjr on the 11th day of Dhul Hidja. The haj (pilgrim) must take care that the stones he throws land in the Haoudh (a kind of basin): he must therefore be as close as possible, without pushing the others.
Once this rite has been completed, the haj (pilgrim) goes to the place reserved for sacrifices in Mina, called "El Manhar", to slaughter his animal. It is, however, possible to slaughter the animal at other places in Mina, or even in Mecca.
It should be noted that the beast must be slaughtered by himself, otherwise he will have it slaughtered by someone else. The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) asks that the animal be turned towards the Ka'ba, resting on its left side (for the camel, the left front leg is tied and the face is turned towards the Ka'ba to sacrifice it). At the moment of sacrifice, it is said:
Approximate translation : "In the name of ALLAH, ALLAH is the Greatest. O Allah, this comes from You and is destined for You". .
TO REMEMBER :
Once he has sacrificed his animal, the haj (pilgrim) preferably shaves off his hair, starting with the right side, or else cuts it short.
The sisters remove a tiny bit of their hair (the equivalent of a phalanx).
After cutting his hair, the haj (pilgrim) goes to Mecca in order to perform the Tawaf El-Ifada (tawaf of "breaking through"). The haj (pilgrim) will take care to embalm himself with musk or perfume before going there, as this is a Sunna practice. Once he is in Mecca, 7 journeys (chaout) must be made around the Ka'ba, in the same way as we described in the arrival Tawaf (tawaf El-Qoudoum) on the occasion of his "pre-Hajj" Umrah, EXCEPT for two things he does not do this time: putting his Rida (sheet) under his right armpit (action called AL-IDTEBA') and hastening his walk during the 1st three chaout (action called EL-RAML).
Next, the haj (pilgrim) performs two prayer units behind the Maqam Ibrahim, then heads towards Safa and Marwa to perform the Sa'y (journey between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa) as for his Umrah.
After that, the haj (pilgrim) performs the Dohr salat in Mecca, before returning to Mina (on the same day, the 10th of Dhul Hidja). Drinking the water of Zam Zam is also a good thing.
Note that after the rites of stoning the Jamarat El 'Aqaba and shaving the hair, the haj (pilgrim) is allowed to desecrate (this desecration is called small desecration or 1st desecration): all the previous prohibitions become permitted again with the exception of sexual relations. It is only after the Tawaf El-Ifada (tawaf of the "flood") that the great desecration or 2nd desecration is carried out and the man can once again have intercourse with his wife.
After performing the Dohr prayer and drinking Zam Zam water, the haj (pilgrim) will return to Mina to stay for the Ayam El Tashriq (corresponding to the 11th, 12th and 13th days of Dhul Hidja). He must, with the help of ALLAH, stone the 3 stelae with 7 small stones for each stela, during the 3 days.
Therefore, after El Zawal (the afternoon) of the 11th day of Dhul Hidja, the worshipper begins this series of stonings with the small stele (jamara el soughra) by throwing the 7 small stones at it, pronouncing the formula "ALLAHOU Akbar" for each small stone thrown. After this, the haj (pilgrim) moves to the right of the stele, and moves towards the Kaaba to make dou'as by raising his hands. He will try to remain in this position for as long as ALLAH allows. Then, he goes towards the second stele (jamara el wosta) and throws the 7 small stones at it with the formula for each small stone thrown: ALLAHOU Akbar. He then goes to the left of the stele, and does the same as for the previous stele: position facing the Ka'ba, invocations with hands raised, as far as he can. Then the haj (pilgrim) goes to the 3rd stele (jamara el Koubra), and stands in front of it so that Mecca remains to his left and Mina to his right. He then throws the 7 small stones at it, saying ALLAHOU Akbar with each throw. However, unlike the two previous stonings, the worshipper leaves without stopping or performing dou'as.
The Haj (pilgrim) will do the same insha ALLAH the next day (12th day of Dhul Hidja) and the day after that (13th day of Dhul Hidja).
TO REMEMBER :
a) You should not stone during the mornings of these 3 days, but after what is known as El Zawal (afternoon). You can therefore stone at night if possible. People who are weak (the elderly, the sick, etc.) can take advantage of this time as there are usually fewer people around, so there is less risk of being jostled insha ALLAH. Besides, you should know that it's better to stone yourself in the evening than to have someone else do it for you.
b) There is no need to worry about going to Mecca to perform the Tawaf on the evenings of the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hidja.
c) It is a good idea to perform salat at the El Kaïf mosque (near the stelae) during the period spent in Mina.
d) When he has finished performing the stonings, the haj (pilgrim) will have completed the rites of the Hajj (great pilgrimage). They then go to Mecca to spend the last few moments before returning home. He will then be able to perform salat at the Ka'ba and Tawaf with the help of ALLAH 'azza wa jal.
Next comes the Tawaf El Wada', also known as the farewell Tawaf. As soon as he prepares his luggage, the haj (pilgrim) will perform bi idhniLLAH the Tawaf El Wada', in the same way as he did for the Tawaf of "breaking through" (Tawaf El-Ifada). After this, the worshipper leaves the Masjid El Haram (Ka'ba), taking care to leave with the left foot, while pronouncing the formula:
The Hajj is over.
Praise be to ALLAH, Lord of the Universe.
The haramainvoyages.com team has put together a 6-step explanation of the Hajj
to help pilgrims understand this rite...
