How to Perform Hajj: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Days, Rites and Types of Hajj

Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime for every Muslim, man or woman, who meets its conditions. Qur'an 3:96-97 describes the first sanctuary appointed for mankind at Becca and calls pilgrimage to the House a duty for those who can find a way there, and 22:26-27 recalls Ibrahim proclaiming the pilgrimage. In Sahih Muslim 1337 the Prophet, asked whether Hajj was due every year, said that if he said yes it would become obligatory and people would not manage it.

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta lists the conditions as sanity, maturity, freedom and capability, both financial and physical, and notes that the majority hold that Hajj should be performed as soon as a person is able. A child's Hajj counts, and the adult who brings the child is rewarded, as Sahih Muslim 1336 reports, but maturity is a condition of the obligation, so ask how your school treats a Hajj performed before adulthood.

For women, the schools differ over travelling without a husband or mahram. A Hanafi answer from Darul Iftaa in Leicester explains that the Hanafi and Hanbali schools make a mahram a condition for a journey of travelling distance, while the Shafi'i and Maliki schools permit the obligatory Hajj in a trustworthy group; SeekersGuidance's Shafi'i answer and Egypt's Dar al-Ifta both permit it when the journey and company are safe. Saudi entry and registration rules are a separate, administrative question.

Sources: [1] [2] [7] [9] [8] [10] [11] [12]

Tamattu, qiran and ifrad are three valid ways of performing Hajj that differ in whether and how Umrah is joined to it. In Sahih al-Bukhari 1562, Aisha reports that on the Farewell Pilgrimage some pilgrims entered ihram for Umrah only, some for Hajj and Umrah together and some for Hajj only, and that those in ihram for Hajj, or for both, stayed in it until the day of sacrifice. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah describes all three as valid.

Qur'an 2:196 requires an offering from whoever joins Umrah to Hajj, or a fast of three days during the pilgrimage and seven after returning for someone who cannot find one. The Ministry states that tamattu and qiran require a sacrificial animal (hady) and ifrad does not. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta notes that the schools differ over which type is best: Maliki and Shafi'i scholars prefer ifrad, Hanafis qiran and Hanbalis tamattu. Confirm which type your group is arranging before travelling.

Sources: [13] [14] [3] [15] [16]

Hajj begins with ihram: the intention made before passing the miqat, followed by the talbiyah. The miqats, the clothing and the ihram restrictions are the same as for Umrah, and the Umrah guide covers them in detail. The Ministry notes that the months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhul Qa'dah and the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, and Qur'an 2:197 tells pilgrims to avoid lewdness, abuse and angry disputes during them.

Pilgrims performing tamattu leave ihram after their Umrah and, as Sahih Muslim 1218a describes, enter it again for Hajj on the day of Tarwiyah; those performing ifrad or qiran remain in ihram throughout. Sahih al-Bukhari 1521 promises that whoever performs Hajj without sexual relations, evil or sin returns as if newly born, so guard your speech and temper as carefully as the clothing rules.

Ihram is lifted in stages on the 10th. Sahih al-Bukhari 1754 records Aisha perfuming the Prophet before tawaf al-ifadah, under a chapter on perfume after the stoning and shaving, and Sunan Abi Dawud 1978, graded sahih by al-Albani although Abu Dawud called it weak, says that after stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah everything becomes lawful except relations with one's spouse. Confirm the details of your school with your group scholar.

Sources: [14] [4] [17] [18] [19] [20]

The main rites fall between the 8th and the 13th of Dhul Hijjah in a fixed order, summarised in the table below. Jabir's account of the Prophet's Hajj in Sahih Muslim 1218a is the fullest early description: prayers at Mina on the day of Tarwiyah; a sermon at Arafah after the sun passed its zenith and a stay until sunset; the sunset and night prayers together at Muzdalifah, rest until dawn and supplication at al-Mash'ar al-Haram; then, before sunrise, on to Mina to throw seven pebbles at the jamrah with Allahu akbar each time, the sacrifice, and then the ride to the House in Makkah.

The days of tashriq that follow are spent at Mina. Sahih Muslim 1299b reports stoning after sunrise on the Day of Sacrifice and after the sun had declined on the later days, and Sahih al-Bukhari 1751 describes Ibn Umar throwing seven pebbles at each of the three jamarat in order, with takbir and supplication. Qur'an 2:203 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 889 allow pilgrims to leave after two of these days, and Sahih al-Bukhari 1755 makes the farewell tawaf the last act before leaving Makkah, with menstruating women excused.

Sources: [17] [21] [22] [6] [23] [24] [25]

Standing at Arafah is the one rite without which there is no Hajj. Sunan an-Nasa'i 3016 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 889, both graded sahih (Darussalam) on sunnah.com, report the Prophet saying that Hajj is Arafah, and that whoever reaches it before dawn on the night of Muzdalifah has completed his Hajj. Sahih Muslim 1348 adds that there is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire.

Egypt's Dar al-Ifta explains that being present on any part of the plain, even for a brief moment, fulfils the pillar; Hanbali scholars start its time at dawn on the 9th, Abu Hanifah, Malik and al-Shafi'i just before midday, and it runs until dawn on the 10th. Staying until sunset follows the Prophet's practice, and a Hanafi answer from SeekersGuidance says it is wajib in that school to remain until a moment after sunset.

Spend the day in remembrance, supplication and repentance; Qur'an 2:198-199 tells pilgrims to remember Allah as they press on from Arafat and at the sacred monument and to ask His forgiveness. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah lists Arafah at noon among the places where heatstroke is common, so plan for shade and water.

Sources: [26] [23] [27] [28] [29] [5] [30]

Pillars (arkan) are rites without which Hajj is invalid and which a sacrifice cannot replace; obligatory acts (wajibat) are required, but leaving one is compensated, usually with a sacrifice. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah list four pillars: ihram, standing at Arafah, tawaf al-ifadah and sa'i. Dar al-Ifta's six requirements are ihram from the miqat, stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah, the hady, shaving or shortening, stoning on the days of tashriq and the farewell tawaf.

The schools classify some rites differently, as Sheikh Ahmad Kutty's comparative summary on IslamOnline shows: the Shafi'i school counts shaving or shortening as a pillar, as does the list of Malaysia's Federal Territory Mufti; Hanafi scholars treat ihram as a condition and sa'i as obligatory rather than a pillar; and the farewell tawaf is obligatory for Abu Hanifah, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad but Sunnah for Malik. Kutty stresses that the imams differ in classification, not in how seriously they take these rites. If something goes wrong, ask your group scholar before leaving Makkah.

Sources: [28] [31] [25] [32] [33] [34]

You need an official Hajj visa and permit before you travel. Nusuk Hajj, overseen by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, offers pilgrims from the countries it serves packages from authorised providers, and the Ministry's Hajj page lists requirements and Hajj affairs offices by country. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia tells American pilgrims that Hajj can only be performed on a Hajj visa issued through Nusuk, warns of fake visas and packages, and says Hajj without a permit can lead to deportation, detention, fines or a ban. Nusuk's homepage adds that registering does not guarantee acceptance.

Prepare your health early. The Ministry's requirements for pilgrims from Nusuk Hajj countries include a certificate for the quadrivalent (ACYW) meningitis vaccine received at least ten days before arriving, and its health advice is to consult a doctor, bring enough medication with a medical report, and guard against heatstroke. Rules change every season, so confirm the current list for your country.

• Register only through Nusuk Hajj or your country's official Hajj channel.
• See a doctor, complete required vaccinations early and carry a medical report and enough medication.
• Build walking stamina and plan for heat: drink regularly, use shade and rest between rites.
• Learn the rites of your type of Hajj, and your school's pillars and obligations, with your group scholar.
• Note where the Ministry's pilgrim assistance booths are around the Sacred Mosque and the holy sites.

Sources: [35] [25] [36] [37] [30]

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