As you embark on the greatest journey of your life, pause and reflect on your intentions.
Why are you performing ḥajj? Is it because it is socially expected of you? Is it because it is an item in your life to-do list to tick off?
Performing ḥajj with the correct intention is vital. When the Prophet ﷺ set out to perform ḥajj, he said, “O Allah, a ḥajj in which there is no showing off nor reputation sought” (Ibn Mājah).
Maximising intentions was the habit of the pious people of the past. They would perform one action for which they would have multiple intentions, so that they could be rewarded abundantly for every intention.
Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) writes, “There is no act of obedience except that it can carry many intentions. What settles in the heart of the believing servant depends on the level of his eagerness for good, his striving for it, and his reflection upon it. Through this, deeds become purified and rewards are multiplied.”
Two pilgrims may walk the same steps and perform the same rites, yet the distance between their rewards may be as vast as the distance between the heavens and the earth. This is why Yaḥyā b. Abī Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) said, “The intention reaches further than the action.”
“How many a small act is elevated by an intention, and how many a great act is diminished by an intention.” – ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak (raḥimahullāh)
Before you embark on your journey, reflect and set your intentions. And throughout your journey, constantly renew and purify your intentions. Your intentions for performing ḥajj can include the following:
- To seek the pleasure of Allah Alone
- To attain closeness to Allah
- To make a sincere repentance
- To attain the forgiveness of Allah
- To seek the mercy of Allah
- To be protected from the Hell-fire and gain entrance into Jannah
- To remember the hereafter
- To express the Oneness of Allah and achieve ikhlāṣ
- To fulfill the command of Allah and complete the fifth pillar of Islam
- To attain taqwā
- To respond to the call of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām)
- To fulfill the sunnah of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām), the other great Prophets of Allah and our beloved Prophet ﷺ
- To attain the reward of 100,000 prayers by praying in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and 1,000 prayers in al-Masjid al-Nabawī.
- To respect and honour the holy places so that the memories of the events which are connected with these places may be preserved and this may continue to produce good effects in our hearts.
Reflect: What other intentions can you have for performing ḥajj?
Act: Face the qiblah. Praise Allah and send ṣalawāt upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Spend at least 5 minutes asking Allah to grant you a ḥajj mabrūr. Then convert the above intentions into duʿās and ask Allah with humility and desperation. (E.g. O Allah, make my ḥajj a means of attaining Your forgiveness.)
Multiply your intentions to multiply your rewards.
