Hajj is an act of worship. It is also one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The fact that a Muslim is required to perform Hajj only once in his lifetime imparts certain unique qualities to it. During the few days that Hajj lasts, the pilgrim is required to immerse himself totally in this unique experience. He discards his usual clothes and changes into a shroud-like attire, gives up all pleasures and temptations of everyday life and, along with millions of similar minded and attired Muslims from all over the world, devotes every waking minute to the remembrance of Allah. He lives in tents and under the sky, is subject to physical hardship and emotional stress, and sacrifices of himself and whatever he possesses-all in the path of Allah. He expects that his sins will be forgiven, and believes that he will be transformed by this great experience into a better human being. This spiritual and religious event in Islam has absolutely no parallel in human history.
Hajj is also unique in that it has no prescribed prayers and supplications. The pilgrim may pray in a fashion and language of his choosing. Books on Hajj, however, do recommend some prayers, many of which have their origin in books of Ahadith. The reader is advised to consult these books if he so desires. The intent of this chapter is to present a few of the prayers commonly recited by the pilgrims during Hajj. The seven prayers of Tawaf are specially recommended.
(a) Talbiyah
" Here I am at Thy service O Lord, here I am. Here I am at Thy service, and Thou hast no partners. Thine alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and Thine alone is The Sovereignty. Thou hast no partners. "
(b) Prayer At Maqam-o-Ibrahim
O Allah! Thou knowest that which I keep secret and that which I disclose. Grant me Thy pardon. Thou knowest my needs; grant me my wishes. Thou knowest that which is in my breast; forgive me my sins. O Allah! I seek from Thee a faith that will saturate my heart, and a true conviction that will make me realize that naught can befall me except what Thou hast decreed for me, and that I may find contentment in whatever Thou hast given me. Thou art my patron in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die in a state of Islam and to be counted among the righteous. O Allah! on this occasion of our presence in this place, let not any of our sins go unforgiven, nor any of our worries undispelled, nor any of our needs unfulfilled or unfacilitated by Thee. And let all our tasks be made easy, and our minds relieved, and our hearts illuminated and our actions judged as pious. O Allah! allow us to die as Muslims and to join the ranks of the virtuous without any distress. Amen, O Lord of the Universe.
(c) Prayer at Multazam
O Allah! Lord of this Ancient House, free our necks and the necks of our fathers and mothers and brothers and children from the fires of Hell. O Thou who art Master of Beneficence, Benignity, Grace, Bounty, Munificence and Benevolence! O Allah! let the final result of all our affairs be good, and protect us from degradation in this world and eternal doom in the Hereafter. O Allah! truly I am Thy slave and the son of Thy slave, standing beneath Thy door and holding to Thy threshold in humility before Thee. I hope for Thy Mercy and I fear Thy punishment in Hell. O The Eternally Beneficent! O Allah! I ask Thee to accept my remembrance of Thee, and relieve me of my burdens, and set right my affairs, and purify my heart, and illuminate my grave for me and forgive me my sins. And I beseech of Thee high ranks in Paradise. Amen.
(d) Prayers of Tawaf
The prayers usually recited during Tawaf of the Kabah are given below:
(i) First Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
All Glory is to Allah! All Praise is to Allah! There is none worthy of worship but Allah! Allah is the Greatest. There is no power, nor strength except that from Allah, The Most High, The Greatest! Blessings and Peace be upon the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (pbuh). O Allah! By my faith in Thee, and by my belief in Thy Book, and in fulfillment of the vows I made to Thee, and following the sunnah of Thy beloved Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh), (I perform the Tawaf of the Holy Kabah). O Allah! truly I ask Thy forgiveness, and Thy protection, and everlasting soundness in faith in this world and in the Hereafter , and that I be granted Paradise and be freed from the fires of Hell.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(ii) Second Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! This House is Thy House, and this Sanctuary is Thy Sanctuary, and this Security is Thy Security, and this slave is Thy slave. I am Thy slave and the son of Thy slave. And this place is a refuge from the fires of Hell for him who seeks Thy protection. Forbid our flesh and our bodies to the Fire. O Allah! Endear to us the Faith, and adorn with it our hearts, and make hateful to us disbelief, wickedness and transgression, and cause us to be among those who are rightly guided.
O Allah! Protect me from Thy punishment on the Day when thou shalt resurrect Thy slaves. O Allah! Allow me to enter Paradise without any accounting.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(iii) Third Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! Truly, I seek refuge in Thee from doubt and from associating with Thee others (in worship), and from discord, hypocrisy, and immorality, and from returning home to see my family and my children in an evil state of affairs. O Allah! Truly I ask Thee for Thy pleasure and that I be allowed to enter Paradise. And I take refuge in Thee from Thy anger and from the fire of Hell. O Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from falling from your grace in my grave and from the temptations in this life and trials at the time of death.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(iv) Fourth Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! Allow this pilgrimage to be accepted, and this endeavor to be rewarded, and my sins to be forgiven , and my good deeds to be approved and cause my business to flourish; O Thou, who knoweth all that is in our hearts! O Allah! Take me out of darkness into light. O Allah! I ask thee, that I be worthy of Thy Mercy, and certain of Thy Forgiveness, and immune to all sins, and be worthy of rewards for all my virtues, and be worthy of entering Paradise and be immune from Hell. O My lord! Make me content with what Thou hast bestowed upon me. And let Thy Blessings be with what Thou hast given me. And compensate all that I lack with Thy own favor.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(v) Fifth Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! Bestow upon me the shade of Thy Throne on the Day when there shall be no shade except Thine, and there shall be no countenance except Thine. And allow me a drink from the cistern of Thy Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh)- a drink so pleasant that it may quench my thirst for ever. O Allah! I ask Thee the best of that which Thy Prophet, our Master Muhammad (pbuh) has asked of Thee. And I seek refuge in Thee from the evils from which Thy Prophet, our Master, Muhammad (pbuh) has sought refuge in Thee. O Allah! Truly I beseech Thee to grant me Paradise and its delights and whatever may bring me nearer to it whether by word, or by act, or by deed. And I seek refuge in Thee from the fires of Hell and whatever may bring me nearer to it whether by word, or by act or by deed.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(vi) Sixth Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! Thou hast many claims on me in my relations to Thee, and many claims in my relations to Thy creatures. O Allah! release me of those which I owe to Thee, and give me the strength to bear those which I owe to Thy creatures. Make me content with what Thou hast made lawful and enable me to reject what Thou hast declared forbidden. And make me content with obedience to Thee, and let me beware of Thy disobedience. And make me content with Thy favor so that I may not seek favor from any one else, O Thou, whose Mercy is All Embracing. O Allah! Truly Thy house is Glorious and Thy Countenance Benign, and Thou, O Allah! art Clement, Noble and Great. Thou lovest forgiveness, so forgive me.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
(vii) Seventh Shawt (i.e., Circuit)
O Allah! I seek from Thee a faith that is perfect, a conviction that is true, a heart that is full of devotion towards Thee, and a tongue that is forever engaged in Thy remembrance; and provisions that are vast, lawful and clean, and a repentance that is sincere; a repentance before death, peace at the time of death and Thy Benign Forgiveness and Mercy after death, and Thy Pardon at the time of reckoning, and the reward of Paradise and a reprieve from the fires of Hell. Accept my prayers O The Mighty One! O The Forgiver! O My Lord! Increase me in my knowledge and may I be counted among the righteous.
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of fire, and allow us to enter Paradise with the righteous ones. O Glorious One! O All Forgiving! O Lord of the Universe!
Add new comment