Importance of Hajj

Like Salat and Zakat, Hajj is an obligatory prayer. It is one of the fundamentals of Islam. The Holy Qur'an has enjoined the believers to perform Hajj at least once in one’s lifetime. This hadith also underlines the obligatory nature of Hajj. In another hadith the Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) said, “O people, Hajj is prescribed for you, so you should perform it.”

Hajj is obligatory only for the believers who have means and resources enough to go on the pilgrimage. And, if, even after having ability and resources enough to undertake the journey, one refrains from Hajj, it means that his heart is not with God but elsewhere and the attachment which he should have to the oneness of God and its centre is not in him, so God also does not care for such a person and he may die in any condition he likes. As the Jews and Christians do not perform Hajj, one who abstains from it is likened to them. Indifference to Hajj is in fact an attitude of unbelief. That is why Caliph Umar once said he would like to impose Jizia on those who refrain from Hajj while in a position to undertake the pilgrimage.

In another tradition the Holy Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) said that one who intends to perform Hajj should not delay it, for possibly he may fall ill or his she-camel dies, and also possibly some urgent business intervenes to make the undertaking of journey impossible.