Ways to Jannah

A cry of joy, a baby is born, free from sins, pure of obscenities and born on the correct fitrah. With all the sins that we have accumulated over the years, with our hearts going black, one yearns to expiate oneself, but it seems such an impossible task!

How can we get rid of a lifetime of sins? Sins that weigh on us heavily as the salt bags on a mule’s back. But even for a mule carrying its weighty bags, a day comes when it rains, dissolving the salt, and terminating his burden. This shower of wonderful water for us humans can be defined as “hajj”.

A wonderful opportunity of annihilating our burden of sins and starting afresh, for indeed it was narrated in al-Saheehayn that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever performs Hajj and does not utter obscenities or commit sin, will come back as on the day when his mother bore him.”  (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1521; Muslim, 1350)

Also Hajj happens to the fifth pillar of Islam. This statement itself elucidates the importance of this holy ritual.

But coming to the greatest virtue of hajj, we see that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

“The reward for an accepted hajj is nothing less than Paradise.”[Agreed Upon]

This hadith is evidence that an accepted hajj has no reward except paradise.
The scholars defined an accepted hajj as the hajj which is free from:

1. Rafath(sexual engagement)
2. Fusooq(sins)
3. Jidaal(arguing)

And Allah Knows Best!

So now with Hajj around the corner, those going for hajj should obligate upon themselves to learn the correct ways, etiquettes and manner for performing it. When we go for a tourist trip to some country, how much preparation we make for it, reading brochures, purchasing appropriate clothing, researching its culture, trying to learn a bit of its language. Hajj is of no comparison to such trips and is indeed once in a lifetime opportunity and so it is essential that we prepare ourselves accordingly. Keeping this in mind, one should also sincerely try to repent for all of his sins; major or minor, for one never knows when such an opportunity may come to pass again.

Finally as we stand on the Arafat praying, with people from all around the globe standing with us as equals, it reminds one of the day of judgement where we will be accounted for and recompensed, may Allah grants us paradise and may Allah make this Hajj as a means of paradise for us.

Ameen ya rabb

Bint Ayesha