How fortunate are these souls who are blessed with the following words from the Prophet (peace be upon him):

The sign of an ‘accepted Hajj’ is that upon one’s return, his life changes from worst to good.

“Whoever performs Hajj for the Pleasure of Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from it (free from sin) as the day on which his mother gave birth to him. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

“Verily there shall be no reward for a mabroor (accepted) Hajj except Paradise.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

It is hoped that all the pilgrims were sincere in their intentions and had traveled thousands of miles only to secure the pleasure of Allah by fulfilling the obligation laid down upon them. May Allah the Almighty grant all the pilgrim’s acceptance and grant them opportunity again and again to visit the Sacred bud. Ameen.

Nevertheless, we wish to draw the attention of the pilgrims towards certain points which are necessary and of utmost importance to observe and for which many pilgrims are seen neglectful of their significance.

Firstly, the sincerity of intention should remain even after the performance of Hajj. There should be no pomp or show. One should not wish to be called or recognized as a hajji (pilgrim).

Many people adopt the habit of talking frequently about their journey in order that people may come to know of  their Hajj. They talk about the expenses incurred in the way of Allah, their charity amongst the poor and needy, their devotion and worship, their assisting the weak and old, etc.; and all is mentioned only with the intention of gaining fame. This is a deceit from Satan who ruins the `ibadat (acts of worship) without the person even knowing.

It is therefore of great importance that the pilgrim does not talk about his Hajj without necessity as it may lead to riyaa’ (show, insincerity). However, if necessity arises and one must talk about his Hajj then he is at liberty to do so. But, he must not indulge in this type of conversation unnecessarily.

Secondly, it is noted through experience, that many pilgrims return with only the bad side of the journey and make it a habit of talking about nothing except the hardships they have encountered during Hajj. The pilgrims should strictly refrain from this.

On the contrary they should talk about the greatness of the sacred places, the spiritual gains, the enjoyment in devotions of Haramayn (the sacred sanctuaries of Makkah and Madinah; `Umrah, Tawaf, feeling of peace at the Prophet’s grave, salah in Masjid All-Haram and Masjid-un-Nabawi etc).

If one looks at his journey of Hajj carefully he will find that the good things far outweighs the bad. Every second spent in these sacred places is incomparable with anything in the world.

The journey of Hajj is a long journey; one has to travel by air, pass the immigrations, go through the customs, encounter people who speak foreign languages, etc. In these circumstances, difficulties are certain to arise. when we travel in our country do we always travel with comfort and ease? Do we never encounter difficulty? Do we not find ourselves held up in traffic for hours on a motorway?

Considering the fact that 2-3 million pilgrims perform the rituals of Hajj at one time, in one place and that they all come from different countries and backgrounds and that many of them have never before used or seen the facilities available to them.

We think the difficulties encountered are insignificant. Moreover, the pilgrims are rewarded abundantly by Allah (Exalted be He) upon every difficulty encountered in their journey whereas tile same is not tile case whilst we are on another journey.

Those people who engage in these types of conversation become the cause of discouragement to others who have not yet had the opportunity to perform Hajj. These unfortunate pilgrims fall into the category; … and would keep back (men) from the Way of Allah, and from the Sacred Mosque,… (Al-Hajj 22:25). They should take heed that if people are discouraged by their conversation and postpone their Hajj then those who have discouraged them will be equally responsible.

Thirdly, the sign of a ‘mabroor Hajj’ or an ‘accepted Hajj’ is that upon one’s return, his life changes from worst to good. He becomes totally punctual in fulfilling the commands of Allah. His love and inclination towards the Hereafter increases and love for the worldly pleasures decline.

Therefore, it is essential that the pilgrim is watchful over his actions and should try his utmost to instill in himself good characters and refrain from all types of evil. He should try his best to fulfill the obligations laid down by Allah and avoid all the things forbidden by Him.

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Source: islaam.org