Every year, as millions of Muslims start congregating in Makkah for the Haj, there are millions more in their homes, filled with love and longing for the House of Allah, wishing they were in the midst of this blessed multitude. They may be people who lack the physical and financial means for Haj, or simply those whose call has not yet come, who may feel a sharp sense of deprivation – a feeling of being somehow ‘left out' from the Divine Mercy that encompasses the chosen guests of Ar-Rahman and smoothes their path to felicity. At times like these, we need to be reminded that Allah surely knows the inner state of us all. Out of His infinite Mercy and Justice, He has guided us to several acts of worship which may seem ‘simple' to perform, yet whose reward equals the reward of performing Haj or leads to the forgiveness of previous sins, just like Haj. This is not to say that these acts of worship can ever be a substitute for the obligation of Haj. However, these acts are a consolation and a means of bringing glad tidings so that those unable to perform Haj do not despair of the Mercy of their Lord, or lose hope in Him. When performed with complete sincerity and certainty of belief, emulating the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet (peace be upon him), these acts of worship enable us to keep up with those on Haj in spirit and good deeds, even if we may not be physically with them. The following are excerpts from an article called ‘Al-Haj wa Asnaaf An-Naas Al-Arba'ah' [Haj and the Four Kinds of People] by Sheikh Nada Abu Ahmad that summarizes the various acts of worship whose reward equals Haj: n To sit in place after the Fajr prayer and engage in Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) until the sun rises, and then offer two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer): Ibn Umar narrated that it was the habit of the Prophet (peace be upon him), that whenever he offered the Fajr Prayer, he would not stand from his sitting place until the sun would rise and he would be able to offer (a two-Rak‘ah) prayer. On that he said, “Whoever offers the Fajr prayer, and then remains in his sitting place until the sun rises and he is able to offer (a two-Rak‘ah) prayer, (the reward of) that would be equal to (the reward of) Umrah and Haj accepted (by Allah).” (At-Tabarani; graded Hasan by Al-Albani) n To attend the assemblies of knowledge in the Masjid Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever goes early in the morning to the Masjid, with the sole intention to learn or teach good, (the reward of) that would be like the reward given to one who performs Haj and completes its rituals.” (At-Tabarani and Al-Hakim) n To invite and encourage people to attend assemblies of knowledge Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever guides to good, would have reward like the reward of those who follow him, without reducing anything from theirs; and whoever invites to error would bear sins like the sins of those who follow him, without reducing anything from theirs.” (Sahih Muslim) n To perform the five obligatory prayers in the Masjid Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever walks to attend a written (obligatory) prayer in congregation (in the Masjid), (the reward he gets for) that is like the reward of performing Haj once; and whoever walks to attend a voluntary prayer (in the Masjid), i.e. the Dhuha Prayer, (the reward he gets for) that is like the reward of performing supererogatory Umrah once.” (Musnad Ahmad with a good chain of narrators) n To offer both the Isha and Fajr prayers in congregation Abu Dharr narrated that some of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! The wealthy ones have taken away the reward. They offer prayers as we do, observe fasting as we do and give in charity out of their surplus wealth.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Has Allah not made for you (the reward of) offering the Isha prayer in congregation equal to that of performing Haj once, and the (reward of) offering the Fajr prayer in congregation equal to that of performing Umrah one time?'” (Sahih Muslim) n To recite Adhkar after prayer Abu Hurairah narrated that the poor among the Muhajiroon (Emigrants) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, “‘The wealthy ones have obtained the highest ranks and the (means of) enduring pleasure. They offer prayers as we offer prayers, observe fasting as we observe fasting, but they have extra wealth wherefrom they perform Haj and Umrah, take part in Jihad and give in charity (i.e. things we do not do).” Upon this the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Should I not teach you something by which you will catch up with those who have preceded you, and get ahead of those who come after you, and none but those who do as you do will be more excellent than you?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: ‘Exalt (to say ‘Subhan Allah'), then Praise (to say ‘Alhamdulillah') and then glorify (to say ‘Allahu Akbar') 33 times immediately after every (obligatory) prayer.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) According to Abu Salih, who narrated the Hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah, “When he was asked about the way they are recited, he said: “To say ‘Subhan Allah', ‘Alhamdulillah' and ‘Allahu Akbar' 33 times all.” n To perform Umrah in Ramadan If one is unable to perform Haj due to lack of resources, then Umrah in the month of Ramadan, has a reward equal to Haj performed in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Abdullah Bin Abbas narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a woman from the Ansar called Umm Sinan, “What prevented you from performing Haj with us?” She said, “Abu so-and-so (her husband), had only two camels used for carrying water. He and his son performed Haj on one of them, and the other was left to carry water for our boy.” On that he said, “Then Umrah performed in (the month of) Ramadan is equal (in reward), to Haj, or Haj performed with me.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) n To be dutiful to parents Anas narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “I have a desire for taking part in Jihad, but I have no power to do it.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him, “Is anyone of your parents still living?” He said, “My mother.” On that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him, “Then, fear Allah in (being dutiful to) her. If you do so, you will be (or get reward equal to that of) a pilgrim, the one who performs Umrah and a Mujahid.” (At-Tabarani and Al-Bayhaqi) n Striving to do one's utmost in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah The blessed days of Dhul Hijjah are superior to any other days of the year, and the opportunities to do good deeds during them are open to both: those who are at home and those who set out for Haj. Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No righteous deeds done on any day are dearer to Allah than those done on these 10, i.e. the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah! Not even Jihad (striving) in the cause of Allah?” He replied, “Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah, except for a man who sets out with his soul and property, and returns with nothing thereof.” (Al-Bukhari) So, whoever among you is far from the House of Allah, let him not move away, with his sins, far from the Mercy of Allah, for the Mercy of Allah is near to the one who turns to Allah in repentance and prays for forgiveness. Whoever fails to perform Haj to the House, or the House is far from him, let him then turn his face to the Lord of the House, for He is closer than the jugular vein to the one who invokes Him, and has hope in Him. Whoever misses the standing at Arafah this year, let him stand (to fulfill) the rights of Allah which he knows well. Whoever fails to spend the night at Muzdalifah, let him have strong determination to obey Allah Who has made obedience near and close to him. Whoever could not slaughter his sacrificial animal at Mina, let him slaughter his whims and fancies, perchance he would attain his desire: That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of great bounty. (Qur'an, 57:21)
