We’ve created a list of mental and physical actions to do in the days leading up to the trip, and we’d like to share them with you as well:

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1. Prepare for tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’aba) by walking 2,000 steps, approximately a mile, a day. When you make this exercise specifically to prepare yourself for your journey, recite some adhkar (a phrase glorifying Allah) with each step.
2. Become conscious of your spending – literally every penny. Consciousness and awareness now will help you keep focus on the spiritual rather than the material during the trip. This is the same thing that as mindfulness. It starts with focus on things as simple as breathing. Breathe deeply and slowly.
3. Focus on what you are feeding your body and try to purify it. This means what you see, what you watch, what you hear, and what you’re feeding yourself. Of course, if you are able, try to fast for a few days leading up to your trip. This naturally helps the purification process. Another method is to try to have your wudhu intact at all times. Every time your wudhu is invalidated, perform a fresh one, and try to be in a state of wudhu when you lie down to sleep at night.
4. Start talking to Allah NOW – strengthen your relationship with your Lord. It’s natural to head into Umrah preparation thinking solely about logistics – visas, passports, immunizations, tickets, packing, luggage, and the list goes on and on – saving the spirituality for the actual trip. However, Umrah is as much about what we do in the days leading up to our journey as it is about the actual journey itself. We get as much out of our Umrah experience as we put into it.
Whether you intend to perform Umrah next week or sometime later, keep making du’a that it happens for you and that your pilgrimage is accepted. This inculcates love towards the Holy Cities and keeps them in your heart.
Hajj and Umrah can be very comfortable and luxurious experiences for some of us. Even for those who have only heard second-hand stories about the air conditioned tents with plush carpets and the breakfast buffets that would put Las Vegas to shame have a difficult time reconciling the austere history with the modern extravagance. But regardless of how much we pay for our package and what accommodations are arranged, we have to treat the opportunity like the blessing it is. Our Lord has given health, wealth and the necessary time to make this pilgrimage. Our bodies, our faith and our finances have been preserved for all our lives until this point. After those lifelong favors, Our Lord issues us an invitation that comes to our hearts in the form of guidance. How do we repay that favor? And after all His mercies that bring us to the Ka’aba, Our Lord rewards us even more for making the journey.
Wherever you are in life, make Umrah and Hajj a destination for yourself. Tell yourself and promise your Lord that you are beginning your pilgrimage today. Start a modest saving plan strictly to visit Makkah, and every moment between now until you are able to drink water from the spring of Zamzam will be rewarded as an effort towards worship. If you already have your tickets, this still applies to you. If you have already completed Hajj and Umrah multiple times, and have the resources to sponsor someone else who has never completed the pilgrimage, then perhaps there is a different project for you to become involved, even if that means pennies at a time.
The invitation comes from Allah but the rites we perform are learned from Our Prophet (SalAllahu ‘Alayhi Wasalam). Of the many authentic narrations that extol the virtues and benefits of good manners, among them is the Messenger (SalAllahu ‘Alayhi Wasalam) saying, “Verily, I have only been sent to perfect good manners.” If we are blessed enough to walk the streets of Makkah, then we have a responsibility to do so in the manner my Prophet (SalAllahu ‘Alayhi Wasalam) would expect a member of his Community to do so. Whether we are just returned from Makkah, or perhaps are uncertain of ever visiting the Holy City, we must embody the perfection of character and display the best of manners wherever we are.
British Haj Travel is providing first-rate Umrah and Haj travel services in the United Kingdom for nearly a decade now along with custom-made tours across the world.

source: aqlonline.com

Assuming Ihraam:
Ihraam is a state of ritual consecration, which begins with uttering the Niyyah (intention) and ends with cutting the hair.
A) Where is one to enter Ihraam?
One is obliged to enter into the state of Ihraam at one of the Meeqaats (stations designated for Ihraam). He may not enter before or after. If he enters it after, it is invalid.

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Note: The airplanes going to Hajj generally do not stop at the Meeqaats. So if one is taking an airplane, he may prepare for Ihraam from his home. Before reaching Meeqaat, the plane crew announces it, and at that point, he is required to enter the state of Ihraam by uttering the Niyyah.
B) Meeqaats:
Thul-Hulayfah (today: Abyaar ‘Ali): for people of Madeenah. It is recommended for people at this Meeqaat to pray two Rak’ahs, not for Ihraam, but because the place is blessed, as the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam has told us.
Juhfah (today: Raabigh, near Juhfah), for the people (pilgrims coming from the direction) of Syria.
Qarn Al-Manaazil (As-Sayl), for the people of Najd.
Yalamlam, for the people of Yemen.
Thaat-‘Irq, for the people of Iraq.
These Meeqaats are also for anyone passing by them.
As for people living within these Meeqaats (near Makkah), they make Ihraam from their homes.
C) Preparation for Ihraam
Trim fingernails
Shave underarms and pubic hair
Men trim moustache
Perform Ghusl
Men: Apply perfume to head and beard (not garments)
Wear Ihraam clothes
D) Men’s Ihraam Clothing
Ridaa’ (upper garment) and Izaar (lower garment); both preferably white.
Shoes / Sandals must not cover ankles.
Note: right shoulder open only during Tawaaf.
E) Women’s Ihraam Clothing
Normal clothes, according to Islamic guidelines.
No Niqaab (sewn face cover with eye openings).
No gloves.
Can cover face with scarf, etc.
F) How does one enter Ihraam?
1. He should face the Qiblah (Ka’bah), and make Talbiyah, saying in a loud voice: “labbayk Allaahumma bi ‘Umrah” (Here I am, O Allaah, to make ‘Umrah).
2. If he fears that sickness or some condition may prevent him from completing the Hajj, he has the option of making a condition, by saying: “Allaahumma mahilli haythu habastani” (O Allaah, my place is wherever you prevent me). If he does this and is then prevented for some reason, he may leave Ihraam for ‘Umrah, and there will be no sacrifice required on him
At this point, he has entered Ihraam, and must observe all the conditions of a Muhrim (person in the state of Ihraam).
Note: If going by airplane, he should not assume the intention of Ihraam until right before flying over the Meeqaat (plane crew announces it), to ensure that he does not pass the Meeqaat without having made the intention and saying the required Talbiyah.
3. After making his Talbiyah for Hajj, he should say (while still facing the Qiblah): “Allaahumma haathihi hajjatun la riyaa’a feeha wala sum’ah” (O Allaah, this is a Hajj, free of wanting to be seen and wanting a high reputation by people).
Note: There are no special two Rak’ahs to be prayed for Ihraam, according to the Sunnah. However, if time for obligatory prayer has come in when one arrives at the Meeqaat, he should pray first then assume Ihraam. The two Rak’ahs of Waadi (vale of) Al-‘Aqeeq are not for Ihraam but because the place itself is blessed, as mentioned earlier.
G) What about Menstruating Women?
Also recommended to take Ghusl prior to Ihraam.
Must wear Ihraam clothes
Must utter Niyyah at the Meeqaat.
When pure, make Ghusl and perform ‘Umrah
H) Actions forbidden in the State of Ihraam:
1. Forbidden for men to wear fitted garments (shirts, trousers, garments, underpants, undershirts, Ihraam clothes with studs, etc.) or footwear covering the ankles. It is recommended (Sunnah) that men wear a white Ridaa’ (lower garment) and Izaar (upper garment).
2. Men may not wear anything covering their heads [such as caps, (Ghutrahs) kerchiefs, etc.] However, he is allowed to take the shade of a tent, umbrella, or other similar things.
3.Women may not wear Niqaab or gloves. That is, she cannot tie the Niqaab or anything similar around her face. However, she can cover her face by allowing her Khimaar, or Jilbaab (long and wide head cover), to hang over it, without tying it. And it is permissible for it to touch her face.
4. Perfume / perfumed products (like some types of shampoos, soaps, tissues).
5. Cutting fingernails
6. Cutting, shaving or removing any hair from the body. However, it is permissible for anyone who has some illness, which necessitates shaving. And he must give a Fidyah (compensation) of fasting 3 days, feeding 6 poor people, or sacrificing one sheep.
7. Sexual intercourse and anything which arouses sexual desire.
8. Any sins.
9. Argumentation, animosity, and disputes of all kinds.
10. Marriage proposals or any marriage contracts.
11. Hunting land animals, or having anything to do with their hunting (pointing towards the animal, etc.).
12. Eating from hunted animals, which were hunted for you, or which you helped in any way to hunt.
Rules of Makkah
1. Prohibited to cut down trees or pluck any plants.
2. Prohibited to hunt animals or birds, drive them out, or help in doing so.
3. Picking up dropped items on the ground.
The Talbiyah:
The pilgrim is ordered to raise his voice with the Talbiyah; women loud enough for next person to hear: : “labbayka allaahumma labbayk. labbayka la shareeka laka labbayk. innal-hamda wan-n’imata laka walmulk. La shareek lak.” (Here I am, O Allaah, here I am! You have no partner. Here I am. Indeed, all praise and every bounty is Yours, and all Dominion is Yours. You have no partner.)
– He may also say along with it, Laa ilaaha illallaah (there is no god worthy of worship except Allaah).
– He should continue to say the Talbiyah aloud until reaching Makkah.
Entering Makkah:
1. He should enter the Masjid with his right foot and say: “A’oothu billaahil- ‘Atheem wa biwajhihil- kareem wa sultaanihil- qadeem minash-Shaytaanir- rajeem. Bismillaah, Allaahumma salli wa sallim ala Muhammad, Allaahumma iftah li abwaaba rahmatik.” (I seek refuge with Allaah, the Greatest, and with His Glorious Face, and His Eternal Authority from the accursed Satan. In the Name of Allaah, O Allaah, send your peace and blessings on Muhammad. O Allaah, open up for me the doors of Your Mercy).
2. Once he sees the Ka’bah, he can raise his hands and say any supplication he wishes.
Tawaaf:
Note: Must have Wudhoo’ for Tawaaf.
1. Start at the Black Stone.
a) Say: “Bismillaah wallaahu Akbar” (first time only).
b) Touch the Black Stone with the hand and kiss it. One can also make Sajdah (prostration) on it.
c) If one cannot kiss it, he can touch it with his hand then kiss his hand.
d) If one cannot even touch it, he should signal toward it with his hand.
He should do this each time he passes the black stone, except say only “Allaahu Akbar” the other times.
2. He should start making Tawaaf, toward his left (counterclockwise). One Tawaaf is complete when he reaches the Black Stone again. First three rounds, he should walk quickly. Last four rounds, he walks normally.
3. Each time he passes the Yemeni corner (the corner BEFORE the Black Stone, he should try to touch it but not kiss it. If he cannot touch it, he should NOT signal toward it.
4. As he is going between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, he should say (the verse which means): “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” [Quran 2:201]
5. Throughout his Tawaaf, he should make all kinds of Thikr (remembrance of Allaah) and Al-Marwah” (supplication). There is no prescribed Thikr. He should avoid talking unnecessarily. The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Tawaaf around the House (Ka’bah) is prayer, except that Allaah has made speaking lawful in it. But whoever speaks let him only say good.” [Ibn Hibbaan and others]
Maqaam Ibraaheem and Zamzam:
6. After completing Tawaaf, the men should cover their right shoulders. Then the pilgrim goes to Maqaam Ibraaheem, while reciting the verse (which means):
“And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer.” [Quran 2: 125]
7. He should stand such that Maqaam Ibraaheem is between himself and the Ka’bah and should pray two Rak’ahs. In the first Rak’ah, he should recite Soorat (chapter) Al-Kaafiroon (No. 109), and in the second Rak’ah, he should recite Soorat Al-Ikhlaas (No.112).
Note: If there is no space at Maqaam Ibraaheem, pray anywhere.
8. He should then go to the Zamzam well, drink his fill of Zamzam water (remembering to make Al-Marwah”), and can pour some over his head.
9. He should return to the Black Stone, make Takbeer, and touch it.
Sa’y Between As-Safa and Al-Marwah:
Note: It is not obligatory to have Wudhoo’ for Sa’y, but preferable.
10. Starting with the bottom of As-Safa, he recites the verse (which means):
“Indeed, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah . So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs ‘Umrah – there is no blame upon him for walking between them. And whoever volunteers good – then indeed, Allah is appreciative and Knowing.” [Quran 2:158]
Then he should say: “Nabda’ bima bada’a Allaahu bih,” “We begin with what Allaah began with.”
He says this only once (at the beginning), and not each round of Sa’y.
11. He climbs As-Safa until he can see the Ka’bah, then faces the Ka’bah and says the following Takbeer:
“Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar. La ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu yuhyee wa yumeetu wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadeer. La ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu anjaza wa’dahu wa nasara ‘abdahu wa hazamal- ahzaaba wahdah.”
He may then make any Al-Marwah’ and Thikr he wishes.
12. He makes Sa’y (walks) to Al-Marwah, running while he is between the two green posts. He ascends its, faces the Ka’bah, and says the same as he did while he was on As-Safa. This completes one circuit.
13. He repeats this until 7 circuits have been completed, finishing at Al-Marwah.
Leaving State of Ihraam:
14. He then shortens his hair, ending the ‘Umrah. Men shorten their hair from all over, or shave their hair. Shaving is preferable.
Women cut about one fingertip of their hair from one place.
He has then left the state of Ihraam and his ‘Umrah is complete.

Article by: Islamweb.net

Recently, I attended the burial of an important friend. My friend was a Rabbi. Rabbi Avner Bergman was an extraordinary guide and, even though I am Muslim, I considered him to be my very own Rabbi. At the encouragement of a Jewish American friend in DC and an Israeli friend in LA, I wrote about the impact of his loss in the Jerusalem Post because I wanted to show through our relationship, there is a special plane, a dimension in which Muslims and Jews can share a mutual love.

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Soon after publication, I received an anguished response from one of my closest friends. She had waited several days to digest her feelings before disclosing them to me. As I scrolled through the email, I found myself pausing, periodically arrested by waves of distress and dismay.
Her first objection was to my mention of the Israeli friend who had encouraged me to publish. She writes:

The way we have grown up in the Middle East, there is no place for friendship with an Israeli. That I can say for sure has been drummed in so hard and strong that no amount of thought or reason can change. Why is that I ask? Partly it is because of history and how Israel originated and how they have persecuted Palestinians and continue to do. Partly it is because of our own failings and impotence in the face of cruelty and injustice. We see and hear of their crimes on a daily basis and yet we as a country, as a nation and as a brethren of faith, have not raised more then a feeble voice to say “no” or “stop.” This impotence makes us hate ourselves and hate whatever reminds us of our inferiority. But lastly it is the way the Israeli’s have manipulated the world stage and continue to do in many aspects.
Although the rational part in me tells me that not all Israelis are the same and they are some amongst them who have helped Palestinians more than we will ever do but these I would not call Israeli because they do not believe in its ideology. So an Israeli is an enemy never to be befriended.

I read the above, like you, stunned.
My Israeli friend, Alon Avidan is a brown-eyed, tender-hearted man of medicine. He has an irrepressible kindness, warmth which I noticed immediately upon meeting him. We became friends, finding ourselves already colleagues in the same field. It was this Israeli with whom I sought counsel months earlier, when the same Muslim friend wrote to me about an ailing family member. Together Alon and I formulated a careful plan of care, searched the medical literature and wrote a detailed email consult to help in her hour of need. Unbeknown to her, Alon, ‘the Israeli,’ had already acted as a friend to her.
Her observation that a good Israeli was anathema or more accurately, (in her assessment) an oxymoron struck me as frankly delusional. Clearly, if Alon had been ‘good,’ and good to a Muslim, he couldn’t be Israeli! Go back and read that section of her reasoning. But her observation about ‘impotence’ was one I understood well, given my experience of living in her nation for two years, one which I published in my first book, In the Land of Invisible Women.
Feelings of powerlessness, lack of a public palpable voice and an inability to influence ruling dictates are hard to imagine unless one has lived both outside of an experience of Western democracy (however flawed its nature) and beyond the bounds of a vibrant, free press. So, while I empathized, I had to accept this is how much, in fact most, of the Muslim Ummah (global Muslim community) must feel, pretty much all of the time. Relating to Jews, for the modern day Muslim, returns always to the denominator of Israel’s modern birth and fraught infancy, though agreed, much additional animosity bursts from deeper roots.
Her observations about self-hate among Muslims including her fellow citizens are accurate. I hadn’t really grasped how deep this self loathing this could run despite over a decade of relationships with Muslims in the Middle East and a lifetime of my own Pakistani heritage. Pejorative comment has long been made concerning the ‘self-loathing Jew’ but I would suggest the self-loathing Muslim appears to be a much more relevant problem today. My friend’s struggle with her own sentiments perfectly captures the self-hate which exists deep within many Muslims.
Her views in particular were deeply shocking to me. We have a long friendship: I regard her as the sister I never had; we have worshiped together on several occasions at Makkah, even performing the holy pilgrimage of Umrah around the Kaa’ba, the cuboid building Muslims recognize as the House of God built first by Abraham. Ironically, it was she who first took me to see the imprint of Abraham’s footsteps, the father of monotheistic religion and the father who for eternity binds us to Jews as siblings. We worked in the intensive care unit together piecing together human beings shredded by trauma, she the surgeon, me the physician. To me, she was, for a very long time, above all, the paragon of a Muslim.
After taking a break, I continued to read what she felt about my love for a Jew, a Rabbi no less, and how he taught me how our faith’s interlocked.

Next you describe how you learnt through your Rabbi that Islam and Judaism are interlocked. But unfortunately that makes for them being equal and in my view, they aren’t. They are in sequence, something like old generation computers and modern day ones. The basic principle is the same, but the newer one is far better at everything a computer is meant to do. So, Jews have more to learn about Islam than we about Judaism, especially considering that a lot of their sources have been corrupted over time but at least we know the Quran has not been and will never be…

My paragon continued to fail me. Islam teaches in the Quran that to each People is sent their own Book, by which they must judge themselves and no People must judge another by their own Book. Only the Divine can be final arbiter. By my flawed, mortal logic, to assert one faith as superior to another is therefore to question the wisdom of Divinity. Her words reminded me intensely of the analogy of faiths to computer programs — the ‘latest’ revisions must be the greatest, as though embodying Thomas Friedman’s New York Times columns. Perhaps she had read and inadvertently digested them?
The reality I am afraid is quite the opposite: while Tom has been busily scratching away columns in his DC office he has stumbled into accurately intuiting what so much of the Muslim world believes. These beliefs are anathema to me, specifically because I am a Muslim. Being a Muslim to me means I am first a humanist (that I recognize each human being to be equal to another), that I recognize free will as key fundamental to the practice of any belief and that such equality is relegated independent of belief, race, gender, nationhood, including being Israeli.
While her observation about the literary integrity of the Quran (in terms of its consistent reproduction without alteration) I believe to be true, today all of us must accept we are living with the consequences of the undeniable distortion of this document into dark forces which couldn’t be more removed from the Quran’s intent. Its derived application therefore, has been very corrupted, if not its word.
Whether Mumbai Bombers, Taliban, Al Qaeda, Chechnyan suicide bombers, Madrid or Bali perpetrators, each of these “Muslims” who “adhere” to the unaltered Quran are distorting our revealed book in dastardly ways which surely compete, or perhaps even eclipse, any literary corruption of other original, revealed books which have been changed through transcription and interpretation through the ages. And so, while The Word of the Quran has not been corrupted (as my friend phrased it) it surely has been corrupted in its intent and reach, by exactly those elements the Prophet Mohamed (SAW) predicted would defile Islam in the worst way: forces from within, forces disguised by the deepest veneers of ritualistic, devout Islam.
Her letter captures the curious admixture of superiority and humiliation which is commonly encountered in the Ummah as it wrestles with its place in the current world order, particularly so in today’s Middle East. She wrote about ‘how Jews needed to learn from Muslims’, while expressing impotence at an inability to influence her own country’s national and international policies. Herein lies the rub: Islam is the last revealed faith, yet Muslims remain today, in their own minds and own worlds, impotent. I assert this attachment to a fictional superiority and a sense of righteous purity most disables Muslims today.
Troubled, I recalled Leslie H Gelb’s recent editorial in the Daily Beast http://tiny.cc/P30JI identifying that only Muslims can stop terror, articulating the need for moderate Muslims to engage. I found myself thinking, okay, where is everyone else? Increasingly, calls like Mr. Gelb’s are beginning to rise in number. For many years, Thomas Friedman, a self-described optimist who admits he sees “the glass as half full” seeks to empower and broadcast the notion of moderate Muslims to a wider audience. I admire such resilience. But I am beginning to believe his indefatigable optimism an entirely different kind of delusion: insanity.
After over a decade of engaging with my fellow Muslims in the Muslim worlds of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia specifically, I am much less hopeful than Tom. My long suffering family is familiar with my railings and rants at the collective silence which captures so much of the Muslim voice. But it is this within the confines of this silence, more than any Taliban or Al Qaeda within which our final destruction will be wrought.
Recently, Tom wrote hopefully about the Nigerian father ‘who knew best.’ Heartening indeed, but ultimately, despite his best intentions the father’s efforts were futile. Tom identified ‘it will take a village’ to embolden fathers like these.
No Sir, I say: not a village, Tom, it will take an Ummah.
Our feeble voices, of solitary, moderate Muslims are precisely the sound of ‘one hand clapping’, to quote my mentor Dr. Joan Kirschenbaum Cohn. We need the other hand. No amount of single-handed clapping will muster up any sound. If we think such views are how a scholarly friend, a daughter of a professorial father feels, can you imagine what a teacher in Rawalpindi, an Afghani ragamuffin in Herat, an Egyptian engineer in Luxor, or a Yorkshire-bred Pakistani holds inside their minds? Something deep inside me shudders, and rightly so.
I am reminded of the trite statement that ‘education is no panacea’ for ignorance or hate but this is no longer a matter of education, demographics, nationalities, race, or indeed any of the reassuring demographic data with which we soothe ourselves as we try to breed order and insight into disorder and chaos closing in upon us. We have long passed that point.
Such divides are no longer a matter of education, wealth, poverty, faith, nationhood; instead they have become a frightening matter of enlightenment. Blind, sweeping and unquestioned prejudice is to me nothing less than sheer, monumental Jahaliyat (Arabic for pre-civilization darkness). It is against such opaque darkness we, the moderates, like boxers blinded with swollen eyes, must flail and punch.
Today’s Jahaliyat comes very well-dressed, well-spoken, well-credentialed, well- traveled. How to reach it, and ultimately dismantle it? To expose it. To shame it, and to enable powerful Muslim voices who have the stomach for definitive and lacerating evisceration of these attitudes for what they are: irrefutably and nauseatingly inhumane, backward, self-destructive and originating out of deep fears, insecurities and bitter, bitter resentment.
Until moderate Muslims find each other, ‘find the other hand,’ and start a global response in the form of nothing less than a cacophony of figurative clapping, we will remain as we are now: voiceless, unseen, meaningless, amputated from the furious, destructive conversation raging between blind Islamofascism and Western civilization.
Understand, these resentments will not be extinguished with a resolution between Israelis and Palestinians — never, though without their extinction there can be no peace in the Middle East. Instead, these resentments are only extinguished when we finally accept the humanity that exists in all of us irrespective of faith, our ability to empathize with one another and the courage to relinquish arrogance and superiorities which, if not discarded will ultimately extinguish us one and all.
As Muslims, our jihad is not against Jews, or Israelis or Americans or Shia or Sunni or moderates or orthodox. No. Rather, our jihad has to be against the Jahaliyat that exists within ourselves. Its time we took ownership of the disease within ourselves and begin the purge towards health and ultimately Islam’s purest, benevolent intent.

 Article source The Huffington Post

What a beautiful example to follow! And thus, on a similar note, I have listed some of the extremely common mistakes that scores of people make, year after year, so that we can be weary of them and protect and prevent ourselves from making them. This way Insha Allah our Haj will be closer to the Sunnah and more acceptable to Allah.

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Mistake #1: Thinking that Du’a isaccepted at first glance of the Ka’bah
Many people have the wrong notion that the first time they look at the Ka’bah, any Du’a that they make will be answered. Not true! This has no evidence from the Shariah. And any Hadith that one may find regarding this matter is either extremely weak or fabricated. When asked about Du’a being accepted at the first sight of the Ka’bah, Sheikh Sa’d Al-Humayd replied:
“This is not true; there has to be evidence for this to be true, because acts of worship should only be based on evidence. And that evidence must be Sahih in and of itself and it should be clear and unambiguous. And Allah knows best.”
Mistake #2: ‘Kissing’ the Black Stone from far away and stopping during Tawaf to do so
Kissing the Black Stone is a beautiful Sunnah, and an honor indeed for the one who is able to do so. However, due to the immense crowd, majority of the people cannot reach it. So many people try to “kiss” it from far away. When they are inline with the Black Stone, they stop in their tracks during Tawaf, face the Black Stone, put up both hands on the side of their head and ‘kiss’ the Black Stone in air, as if the Black Stone were right in front of them. Or they throw ‘flying kisses’ at the Black Stone. Besides being a wrong practice, stopping the flow of Tawaf causes disruption and unnecessary crowding in that area, thereby creating a lot of inconvenience to fellow pilgrims.
‘Distance kissing’ is not from the Sunnah of course. All the Prophet (peace be upon him) did while doing Tawaf was kiss the Black Stone if he easily could do so, or touch it with his hand and kiss his hand. But, when it was crowded, he only pointed to it from far away and said, “Allahu Akbar.” That’s it.
It was narrated that Abu Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) perform Tawaf around the House, touching the corner (where the Black Stone is) with a crooked staff which he had with him, then kissing the staff.” (Sahih Muslim)
Ibn Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed Tawaf on his camel, and every time he came to the corner (where the Black Stone is) he would point to it and say Allahu Akbar.” (Al-Bukhari, no. 4987)
That’s all we need to do. If we are far away from the Black Stone, we should point to it with our right hand, say Allahu Akbar and move on. No facing the Ka’bah, no ‘distance kissing’, no stopping dead in your tracks. Keep moving and don’t disrupt the flow of the Tawaf.
Sheikh Bin Baz said, “It should be noted that the Tawaf remains perfectly valid without kissing the Black Stone. If one does not or cannot kiss the Black Stone. it is sufficient simply to point to it, saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ when one comes parallel to it, although one may be at a distance from it.” (Fatawa Bin Baz)
Mistake #3: Shouting out Du’a in unison
Some people shout at the top of their voices, in unison, while making Du’a during Tawaf. They follow an Imam or a leader who says out different Du’as aloud, and then the followers all repeat after him in unison. This causes a lot of confusion and disturbs others engaged in their own Du’as, making them lose focus and Khushoo’. And obviously, it is also not befitting that one should shout and raise his voice in a place so sacred as the Haram.
The right thing to do is to know, before you go for Tawaf, the Du’as that you want to make, the Qur’an you want to recite, etc. This way you won’t have to follow anybody and you will be making your own Du’a, in your own language, from your own heart. It will give you better concentration and satisfaction. Plan your Du’as ahead of time, repeat them to yourself, with humility and Khushoo’.
After all, you’re making Du’a to the One Who hears all and sees all. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Each one of you is conversing with his Lord, so do not disturb one another or raise your voices over one another when reading (or he said) when praying.” (Abu Dawood, Sahih by Al-Albani)
Mistake #4: Designating specific Du’as for specific rounds
Some people designate specific Du’as for each round and there are even books that have specific Du’as written for every round. This is not something from the Shariah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not recite any specific Du’a in any of the rounds, and neither did his companions. If there was such a thing, then he would have told us about it, and he would have done so himself first.
The only Du’a that he did specify during Tawaf was when he reached at the end of each circuit between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. He would say, “Rabbana atina’ fid-dunya hasana wa fil-akhirati hasana wa qina adhaban-nar (Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of the Fire).”
Mistake #5: Doing Tawaf on someone else’s behalf
Many people make this mistake. They circumambulate the Ka’bah seven times and then they donate the reward of this Tawaf to their loved ones, their family members or their relatives who have passed away. Also, when people go for Haj or Umrah, their relatives and friends specifically ask them to “do one Tawaf on their behalf”. This is not valid and there is no evidence for its permissibility. Only Haj and Umrah can be done on others’ behalf, but Tawaf individually cannot be done for someone else.
Sheikh Bin Baz said, “Tawaf around the Ka’bah cannot be done by proxy, so no one can do Tawaf on behalf of someone else, unless he is doing Haj or Umrah on his behalf, in which case he may do it on his behalf along with the rest of Haj or Umrah.” (Fatawa Bin Baz)
Mistake #6: Multiple Umrahs
Some people perform multiple Umrahs after finishing their own, going outside Makkah either to Masjid Ayesha (Tan’eem) or other Meeqat points to put on a new Ihram and perform more Umrahs again and again. Some people do one Umrah everyday, some even more! This is not from the Sunnah and not from the practice of the Sahabah.
If it was good to do multiple Umrahs all in one trip, surely the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have done so himself and the Sahabah would have done so too. But we see that although the Prophet (peace be upon him) stayed in Makkah for 19 days after the Conquest, yet he did not leave Makkah to do Umrah, even though he could have easily done so.
Sheikh Bin Uthaymeen said, “Ibn Taymiyah mentions that the Salaf are agreed that making multiple Umrahs is discouraged. In any case, leaving Makkah and going to the boundary of the sacred precincts to make a second or third Umrah is an unfounded practice that was unknown during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The only exception to this was the case where Ayesha sought permission to make a single Umrah after Haj because of special circumstances. If it was generally recommended to leave Makkah to perform Umrah in this way, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have encouraged his Companions to do so.”
Actually, instead of making multiple Umrahs, it would be better to perform as many Tawaf as you can for yourself. Tawaf is an act of worship that cannot be done anywhere else except Makkah and this is a golden opportunity.
Ibn Taymiyah said, “The Salaf agree that performing voluntary Tawaf is superior to going to Al-Tan`eem or to the boundaries of the sacred precincts and making Umrah.” (Majmu Al-Fatawa)
Mistake #7: Thinking that the Jamarat are devils
When some people go to stone the Jamarat, they think they are going to stone the devils. In fact, they think they are stoning Iblees himself! They even call this ritual, “Stoning the Shaitan.” That is not true. The Jamarat are not devils. All we do when we stone these Jamarat is an act of remembering Allah, following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as an act of worship. That’s it. No need to get emotional, no need to cuss at the Jamarat, no need to push and shove.
Mistake #8: Touching or wiping over the Ka’bah
Some people touch the Ka’bah or Maqam Ibrahim thinking there is blessing in it. They also touch and wipe their hands on the pillars of the Grand Mosque or the Prophet’s Mosque and then they wipe the hands over themselves believing this is something good. This is another act with no basis in the Shariah of Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do any of this. If it was good, he would have done so. But he didn’t, so we won’t either.
Blessings come from following what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have prescribed, and not from introducing innovations.
Mistake #9: Thinking that praying 40 prayers in Madina is compulsory
Some people think it’s necessary to complete 40 prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque and that this is necessary and part of Haj. It’s not. This is based on a weak Hadith. Neither is it necessary to complete 40 prayers there nor is visiting Madina a part of Haj. Obviously it is good if you can spend as much time as you can in Madina and pray as much as you can in the Prophet’s Mosque, but to think that one has to complete 40 prayers there is not correct.
Sheikh Bin Baz said, “The widespread idea that the visitor should stay for eight days so that he can offer 40 prayers in the mosque is wrong. Although it says in some Ahadith that “whoever offers 40 prayers therein Allah will decree that he is safe from the Fire and free from hypocrisy,” it must be known that this Hadith is Da’eef (weak) according to the scholars and cannot be taken as proof or relied upon. There is no set limit for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque. If a person visits for an hour or two, or a day or two, or for more than that, there is nothing wrong with that.” (Fatawa Bin Baz)

Article source Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj has unveiled plans to further strengthen the electronic regulations to improve the services as well as streamline the arrival and departure of pilgrims with the beginning of the Umrah season on Nov. 23 (Safar 1).

Image source

Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar will attend on Thursday a meeting of the concerned officials and heads of Umrah service providers to discuss the updated electronic services, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This will be the second meeting aimed at developing the international electronic network for Umrah and further improving the services and facilities for pilgrims in the new season.
Eissa Rawas, deputy minister for Umrah affairs, said the meeting is being convened in view of the resounding success of last year’s Umrah season when a total of 6.15 million foreign pilgrims performed the lesser pilgrimage.
“The meeting will discuss the pros and cons of last year’s Umrah operation plan to improve the facilities and services. Introduction of the e-regulations has contributed significantly in upgrading the services,” he said.
Hajjar announced recently that the arrangements made during 2012 to restrict the number of pilgrims because of space constraints due to the ongoing expansion of the Grand Mosque would continue in the coming season also. The ministry made 20 percent and 50 percent cuts in the number of foreign and domestic Haj pilgrims respectively while the period of Umrah visas was reduced from one month to 14 days.
The e-tracking system is the major highlight of the e-regulations introduced by the ministry. The system enables the ministry to have an electronic control on the entire process, including issuance of visas, monitoring of services provided to pilgrims, entry and departure of pilgrims etc.

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