Hajj pilgrimage is an annual religious gathering of Muslims living across the globe in the Holy City of Makkah. With their packages for hajj tour pilgrims arrive in the kingdom to perform the holy rituals of the obligatory pilgrimage. These rites commence on the 8th of Dhu-al-Hijjah and last till the 12th of Dhu-al-Hijjah. During this period of 5 days, the pilgrims have to perform various necessary rites and supplications.
Traveling for Hajj requires a person to spend from its financial as well as physical resources, therefore, Allah Almighty has only made it obligatory for those who can easily afford it. Nonetheless, tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims reach Haramain every year to perform the religious obligation of Hajj.
The different types of Hajj.
The types of Hajj differ based on the way in which the pilgrimage to Makkah can be observed; the regulations governing its rituals; where the pilgrim lives; whether a pilgrim intends to make umrah along with Hajj and whether one wants to offer an animal sacrifice or not. Depending on these variations, Hajj pilgrimage has three major different types;
• Hajj-al-Ifrad.
• Hajj-al-Tamattu.
• Hajj-al-Qiran.
1. Hajj-al-Ifrad.
When observing Hajj-al-Ifrad pilgrims wear Ihram with the intentions of performing Hajj only. When they reach the holy city of Makkah, they observe the tawaf of the arrival as well as Sayee for Hajj. Pilgrims observing Hajj-al-Ifrad don’t shave or clip their hair as they don’t disengage from the ihram, rather, they remain in the state of Ihram till after the stoning of Jamarat-al-Aqabah on the Eid day. It also remains permissible for such pilgrims to postpone their Sayee for Hajj until after Tawaf for Hajj, yet a lot of people prefer performing it earlier for their convenience.
2. Hajj-al-Tamattu.
For Hajj-al-Tamattu, pilgrims assume ihram for umrah only during the months of Hajj i.e., upon reaching Makkah city, they observe Tawaf and Sayee for Umrah. Afterward, they either shave or clip their hair. On the day of ‘Tarwiyah’ (8th of Dhu-al-Hijjah) they put on their Ihram again, but this time Ihram is assumed for Hajj only and carry out all of its requirements.
3. Hajj-al-Qiran.
When performing Hajj-al-Qiran, pilgrims wear ihram for both umrah as well as hajj pilgrimages. Alternatively, they can wear the ihram first for umrah and then intend for hajj pilgrimage before the tawaf for hajj. The obligations imposed on the pilgrims performing Hajj-al-Qiran are the same as on those performing Hajj-al-Ifrad. The only difference is that it’s compulsory for pilgrims performing Hajj-al-Qiran to sacrifice an animal while those performing Hajj-al-Ifrad are not obligated to do so.
As per the hadith of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW), the best of the three forms of Hajj is Hajj-ul-Tamattu. In fact, even if a pilgrim had already made intentions to perform Hajj-ul-Qiran or Hajj-ul-Ifrad, it’s permissible to change their intentions to Hajj-ul-Tamattu.
