CHAPTER I

Conditions And Status of Pilgrimage.

INTRODUCTION

With this great Sura which inspires the necessity of unity and co-operation between Believers (Muminin) as well as confidence in each other; and calls for justice;

With this great Sura in which Allah produced His evidence unto mankind, as stated by Imam Shafi’e (May Allah’s Mercy be upon him) if no other evidence had been revealed by the Creator this sura would have been sufficient;

Yes indeed, with this verse of the Holy Quran, we present these Islamic directives, which we trust with the help of Allah, will be useful to them.

May Allah bless His choicest Prophet Muhammad, the Redeemer and Beacon of enlightenment; his relatives; companions and those who followed his footsteps to the last day.

Dear Pilgrim:

You have left the worldly ambitions behind, renounced the world’s fascinated pleasure and sacrificed your precious money, and valuable possessions so willingly for the sake of Allah. and for the sake of Pilgrimage to His Sacred House to perform one of the fundamental bases of Islam. Ever since you left home, you felt exhausted throughout restless travel by Air, by Sea, by Land or on camelback. Whatever means of transport you maintained, yet fatigue and lack of comfort cannot be avoided:

Despite all difficulties you have set aside all kinds of worldly pleasures to perform an important Pillar of Islam, placing the love of Allah above the love of your homeland and the performance of the Pilgrimage ritual above national duties.

You have given up your relatives and children, who are the most delightful sources of life, and preferred the spiritual enjoyment as well as the encounter of your Muslim brothers around the Sacred House to mention with them the Name of Allah and to perform together the duty unto Allah, than other pleasures of Life.

By so doing, dear pilgrim, you are under the protection and hospitality of Allah during your visit to His Sacred House, for Allah has secured to pilgrims either a safe return home or a domicile in Paradise for those who pass away while on pilgrimage. The Divine hospitality provides for the response of Allah to the call of pilgrims and the reward for their expenditures.