Sincerity in Hajj: Key to Acceptance and Blessings

Understanding the Importance of Sincerity in Hajj

Hajj is the fifth and a significant pillar of Islam. The one who is granted the opportunity to perform Hajj is truly fortunate. However, this does not mean that a Muslim who has not been able to perform Hajj is inferior or insignificant. Allah has kept balance in the religion, and through giving some people an excuse, making others rich, and subjecting some to poverty and hardship, the real purpose is to test people. The one who passes the test will be the one with good deeds and who fears Allah the most. Deeds refer to every action and statement through which a person seeks closeness to Allah with sincerity and follows the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in performing those actions.

In this world, many people seem wealthy, but few follow lawful means to earn their livelihood. Most people, without concern for what is lawful or unlawful, are busy accumulating wealth. A large number of wealthy people neither properly pay their Zakat nor work to eliminate poverty in society through charity. Instead, they are caught up in extravagance, wastefulness, and a disordered life. Some people earn their living lawfully and use it for rightful purposes, but others spend their wealth in the path of goodness, such as in mosques and educational institutions, taking care of the poor and needy, paying Zakat, and performing Hajj and Umrah. However, in many cases, there is an element of showing off, seeking fame, and trying to gain praise. We cannot doubt anyone’s intention, for only Allah knows the true intention, but we can make judgments based on outward actions. We can reject actions that fall into the realm of evil or that do not align with the Sunnah or those actions that could cause a lack of sincerity. This is the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ who said: “When you see something wrong, reject it.”

Hajj is a great act of worship that is obligatory only once in a lifetime, and one should not be negligent in performing it. Nor should one perform acts that may negatively affect the rituals of Hajj. In this brief article, I will try to explain how to maintain sincerity of intention in this important act (Hajj), so that it is accepted by Allah and becomes a means of atoning for sins and a path to Paradise.

Just like the acceptance of other acts of worship depends on sincerity and following the Sunnah, the same applies to Hajj. Those who wish to perform Hajj must acquire knowledge of its rituals to be able to perform all its obligatory acts in accordance with the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged his Ummah to seek knowledge of the religion, and the purpose behind this was to enable a Muslim to act correctly upon it. Specifically, regarding Hajj, the Prophet ﷺ said:
يا أَيُّها الناسُ خُذُوا عَنِّي مناسكَكم، فإني لا أَدْرِي لَعَلِّي لا أَحُجُّ بعد عامي هذا (صحيح الجامع: 7882)
Translation: O people! Learn from me your rituals of Hajj, for I do not know whether I will be able to perform Hajj after this year.

Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
رأيتُ النبيَّ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ يرمي على راحلته يوم النحر، ويقول: لِتأخذوا مناسككم، فإني لا أدري لعلِّي لا أحج بعد حجتي هذه (صحيح مسلم: 1297)
Translation: I saw the Prophet ﷺ throwing pebbles while riding his mount on the day of sacrifice, saying: “Learn your rituals of Hajj, for I do not know if I will be able to perform Hajj after this pilgrimage.”

Both of these narrations show that those performing Hajj should learn the correct way to do it. Do you not know that when three companions of the Prophet ﷺ intended to go against the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ forbade them, even though their intentions were pure, but their actions were contrary to the Sunnah? Consider this hadith:
عن أنسٍ أنَّ نفرًا من أصحابِ النبيِّ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم سألوا أزواجَ النبيِّ صلى اللهُ عليه وسلم عن عملِه في السرِّ؟ فقال بعضُهم: لا أتزوَّجُ النِّساءَ. وقال بعضُهم لا آكلُ اللَّحمَ. وقال بعضُهم: لا أنام على فراشٍ. فحمد اللهَ وأثنى عليه فقال: ما بالُ أقوامٍ قالوا كذا وكذا؟ لكني أصلي وأنامُ. وأصوم وأفطرُ. وأتزوَّج النساءَ. فمن رغب عن سُنَّتي فليس مِنِّي (صحيح مسلم: 1401)
Translation: Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some companions of the Prophet ﷺ asked the wives of the Prophet ﷺ about his private worship. One of them said, “I will never marry women.” Another said, “I will never eat meat.” A third said, “I will never sleep on a bed.” The Prophet ﷺ praised Allah and said: “What is the matter with those people who say such things? But I pray and sleep, fast and break my fast, and marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.”

This shows that without following the Sunnah in Hajj, it will not be accepted. In fact, following the Sunnah and maintaining sincerity in Hajj is necessary for the acceptance of the action. The Prophet ﷺ has said:
إنما الأعمالُ بالنياتِ، وإنما لكلِّ امرئٍ ما نوى، فمن كانت هجرتُه إلى دنيا يصيُبها، أو إلى امرأةٍ ينكحها، فهجرتُه إلى ما هاجر إليه (صحيح البخاري: 1)
Translation: Actions are judged by intentions, and every person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, whoever emigrated for the purpose of worldly gains or to marry a woman, his emigration is for that for which he emigrated.

An action that lacks sincerity will be rejected, and it will be unacceptable to Allah. There is another issue where if an action involves showing off, seeking fame, or worldly desires, its outcome will be dreadful. There is a long hadith in Sahih Muslim, and due to its length, I will provide just the translation:
Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
On the Day of Judgment, the first person to be judged will be the one who was martyred. He will be brought forward, and Allah will remind him of the blessings He bestowed upon him. He will recognize them. Allah will ask, “What did you do with these blessings?” He will reply, “I fought in Your path until I was martyred.” Allah will say, “You lied. You fought so that it would be said, ‘He is brave,’ and it was said.” Then he will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Hellfire. Similarly, the one who learned knowledge and taught it, and recited the Qur’an, will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of His blessings, and he will recognize them. Allah will ask him, “What did you do with these blessings?” He will reply, “I learned and taught knowledge and recited the Qur’an for Your sake.” Allah will say, “You lied. You did it so that it would be said, ‘He is a scholar,’ and it was said.” He will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Hellfire. Likewise, the person whom Allah gave wealth and every kind of property will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of His blessings, and he will recognize them. Allah will ask him, “What did you do with these blessings?” He will say, “I left no path where You would be pleased to spend this wealth, but I spent it on Your behalf.” Allah will say, “You lied. You did it so that it would be said, ‘He is generous,’ and it was said.” He will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Hellfire. (Sahih Muslim: 1905, translation by Professor Muhammad Yahya Sultan Mahmood Jalapuri)

This hadith mentions three people: a martyr, a scholar, and a generous person, who will all be cast into Hell due to the lack of sincerity in their actions. They performed good deeds, such as fighting in battle, acquiring knowledge, and spending wealth, but their deeds lacked sincerity, leading to their punishment.

If an action is devoid of sincerity, its outcome could be as dreadful as described. May Allah protect us.

If anyone performs an action and at the same time commits shirk (associating partners with Allah), such as performing Hajj and invoking others besides Allah, asking for children or sustenance from them, or making requests to them for assistance, then all their actions are rendered null and void. Such people will be cast into Hell, where they will remain forever.

Allah’s command is:
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (الأنعام: 88)
Translation: If they had associated partners with Allah, all that they did would have been rendered void.

Allah’s command is:
إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ (المائدة: 72)
Translation: Indeed, whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode will be the Hellfire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.

Allah’s command is:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ (البینہ:6)

Translation: Those who disbelieve, that is, the People of the Book and the polytheists, will be in the fire of Hell, remaining therein forever. They are the worst of creatures.

From all the aforementioned texts, it is clear that if someone performs Hajj but does not follow the Sunnah, their Hajj will be rejected. Similarly, if someone does not maintain sincerity in their Hajj, their Hajj will also be rejected. Moreover, anyone who uses Hajj as a means of fame and showing off will face a very dreadful outcome. And anyone who associates partners with Allah during Hajj will render their Hajj invalid, and all their other deeds will be wasted, leading them to be cast into Hell, where they will remain forever.

Now, we need to reflect on how carefully we should perform the rites of Hajj. We must abandon blind imitation and sectarianism and instead learn the teachings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, performing Hajj according to these teachings. We must also avoid actions that reflect showing off, lest our Hajj becomes a means of leading us to Hell instead of being accepted by Allah.

Actions that can diminish or destroy sincerity in Hajj

Once we understand that sincerity of intention is a condition for the acceptance of Hajj, and that without it our Hajj will not be accepted, we must also try to identify the actions that can diminish or destroy sincerity in Hajj.

(1) Showing Off (Riya): Showing off in worship is extremely harmful, as we have previously discussed with evidence. Riya is when someone performs worship with the intention of showing it to others. Whether it is Hajj, prayer, or fasting, if it is tainted by riya, the act becomes invalid. Today, with social media and the prevalence of vanity, even a small mistake could lead to riya. There are many forms of riya, such as when a person publicizes their Hajj so that people call them a “Haji,” or they want to be called a “Haji” by others. They may ask others to call them by this title or be pleased when someone refers to them as such. People sometimes hold lavish farewell parties before going for Hajj, offering expensive meals to relatives and influential people, which can lead to pride in one’s actions and a lack of sincerity in worship. Some may also waste their time during Hajj taking selfies or posting updates on social media, which is not only a waste of time but also a destruction of their deeds. There are Muslims who commit shirk during Hajj and do not abandon their polytheistic practices even while performing this sacred duty.

(2) Seeking the Favor of Others Besides Allah: If someone performs Hajj with the intention of gaining closeness to someone other than Allah—such as a saint, a spiritual leader, or anyone (living or dead)—this is as dangerous as showing off, and in fact, even more harmful. There are people who perform acts of worship, including Hajj, seeking the favor of others besides Allah. Such people are misguided, and their Hajj is invalid. Allah guides such people and protects them from misdirected beliefs like performing Tawaf around graves or giving a tomb visitation the same status as Hajj, may Allah protect us.

(3) Seeking Worldly Gains: If someone performs Hajj with the intention of earning wealth, attaining prestige, or seeking praise from people, their Hajj is performed for worldly purposes, and such an act of worship will be rejected. This is a widespread issue, where many people consider Hajj a means of gaining wealth or a position in a mosque, school, or organization. They do this to increase their status among people, so that they are addressed as “Haji” instead of their real name. Many such individuals feel offended if they are not referred to as “Haji” after returning from Hajj, and some even go as far as refusing to speak to those who do not acknowledge them as “Haji.” Before going on Hajj, they may not have given invitations to those who could not afford it, but they would go out of their way to give extravagant gifts to those who invited them for expensive meals.

(4) Pride and Arrogance: While performing Hajj is indeed a great honor, using it to boast about one’s superiority over others, looking down on those who couldn’t afford it, or flaunting one’s accomplishment, is against sincerity. Some people perform Hajj repeatedly or do Umrah frequently and boast about it in front of others, while there are poor and needy people in their own village who are struggling to make ends meet, and they fail to spend on them. They may spend a lot on their own reputation but neglect the needy, the teachers, the students, and the preachers. I have seen many people taking loans or selling land just to perform Hajj, simply to show off in front of others in their village.

(5) Arrogance: Humility and modesty are crucial in worship. If arrogance replaces humility, the person becomes overly proud of their deeds. As a result, they consider their actions superior and look down on the deeds of others. Just as some Hajj pilgrims suffer from this disease of arrogance, some scholars and preachers also fall into this trap. These individuals fail to recognize the worth of others and insist that their way of knowledge and preaching is the only correct one.

(6) Physical Benefits: Indeed, worship provides countless spiritual and physical benefits, but no one should perform Hajj with the sole intention of getting exercise or improving their physical health. There should be no worldly goal or purpose in mind that could corrupt the Hajj, although it might reduce the level of sincerity. However, if someone is suffering from a physical illness, they may pray to Allah for healing during Hajj and hope for purification from sins and physical cleanliness, and there is no harm in this.

Apart from this, the lack of fear of Allah, weak faith, and the heart’s attachment to worldly matters are also factors that affect sincerity. A believer should fear Allah so that they perform their worship with sincerity, continue to perform righteous deeds with faith, and consistently cleanse their heart from worldly distractions.

May Allah grant us the ability to act with sincerity and accept the Hajj of all monotheists, granting them entry into Paradise. Specifically, may Allah guide the Muslims who engage in shirk to understand the true purpose of Hajj and grant them the opportunity to repent from shirk. May He also grant all Muslims the ability to unite in one place as He had gathered them during Hajj. Ameen.