‘What To Do To Achieve Hajj Mabrror’
NAHCON Staff, Imam Shamsideen Ibrahim (left); NAHCON Director, Alhaji Halidu Shati; NAHCON Imam, Dr. Ahmed Saad; NAHCON, Chairman, Alhaji Zikrullah Olakunle Hassan, Ulamah NAHCON Oyo State, Sheikh Musa Nojimdeen and Imam Soliudeen Olorungbebe during National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) one-day national workshop to train the trainers on pilgrim education and orientation in Lagos.PHOTO: SHAKIRAH ADUNOLA
Apart from having the power and ability to perform the hajj exercise, some prerequisites must be upheld while intending pilgrims conform with the dictates of Allah (SWT) for the holy exercise to be accepted (Hajj Mabroor).
To this end, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) recently organised a one-day national workshop to train the trainers on pilgrim education and orientation.
Speaking at the event, the chairman of NAHCON, Alhaji Zikrullah Olakunle Hassan, said it is imperative to be equipped with hajj management skill to achieve a successful hajj exercise. According to him, “Even Saudi Arabia recognised the need to have a hajj institute where people are trained on the rudiments of hajj.”
He stated further that the hajj institute does not mean that people are taught only the rudiments of hajj, it is also a place where hajj management is taught extensively including IT, finance, logistics and others. Hassan noted that hajj has become a multi-billion industry and anybody who wants to be involved in the hajj process must know hajj management.
He said: “Being an Islamic scholar is not a sufficient prerequisite to be a successful hajj manager, the hajj institute is the best option where you can learn everything about hajj to be a successful hajj manager.
He added that without training and retraining, Nigeria cannot have a successful hajj operation, particularly as Saudi Arabia keeps on exploring different avenues to upscale hajj management.
The resource person, the National Amirah of FOMWAN, Hajia Rafiah Idowu Sanni, said that the needs of women on hajj are as equally important as those of the men, because their expected Ibaadaat and the rewards are the same. She said that attention should be given to the tools, resources and preparations that will aid women in having successful pilgrimages. According to her, the tools will enable female pilgrims to have a blissful and accepted hajj, especially in their mahram and dressing.
Sanni said: “A travelling Muslim woman needs a male guardian from anyone on the list specified by Allah as unlawful for her to marry due to being close in blood relations, or close in degrees of consanguinity and affinity.
She added: “Allaah says in Surah Nur verse 31 ‘And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments except what normally appears. Let them draw their veils over their chests, and not reveal their ‘hidden’ adornments except to their husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their sons, their stepsons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, their fellow women, that ‘bondwomen’ in their possession, male attendants with no desire, or children who are still unaware of women’s nakedness.”
“A woman’s mahrams through breastfeeding are the same as her mahrams through blood ties. These include a man with whom a woman was breastfed by the same nursing mother and so on. From this, a woman’s mahram can be her husband, father, brother, father-in-law, son, stepson, nephews and uncle.”
Disclosing that menstruation prohibits women from performing the hajj rituals, the resource person said: “If a female pilgrim starts menstruating towards the end of her pilgrimage, then she needs to remain in Makkah (or return to Makkah) until her period is over.
“She can then perform tawaf. Likewise, if a female pilgrim starts her menstrual period at the time of some hajj rites like tawaf (circumambulation of the Kaaba), she has to suspend her tawaf until she finishes menstruating and has her ritual bath. She can then go and perform her tawaf. This shows that in a state of impurity that menstruation is one, the circumambulation of the Kaaba is prohibited,” Sanni stated.
She urged intending female pilgrims menstruating to take cognisance of menstruation prohibition and prepare their bodies for the possibility of the occurrence of the menstrual period irrespective of the days of their cycles because stress and unusual physical activities can increase the pace of the cycle and induce a menstrual period at an unexpected date. Sanni advised intending female pilgrims to go along with sanitary towels or pads to avoid uncomfortable circumstances.
She noted that taking on the Ihram must be preceded by having a spiritual bath called the Ghusl with the intention of Umrah and Hajj. The National Amirah of FOMWAN said: “This entails an intention to perform ghusl, ablution and pouring water over the head to the roots of the hair and pouring water over the entire body without exception. A menstruating woman will also put on her Ihram and her private areas must be properly clean and guarded with sanitary towels, pads and or clothing to prevent leakages.”
Enumerating the importance of good health, Sanni said good health is one of the conditions of hajj and that a pregnant woman is unlikely to pass the physical fitness test required to be able to perform hajj.
She said: “A pregnant woman needs proper care and surveillance because the foetus is entitled to be properly cared for. All these can be difficult to maintain in a circumstance that requires tedious physical activities and mental stability.
“Intending female pilgrims should state the true conditions of their health status, and make their conditions known to, at least, a trusted person from their immediate circle. Special attention should be given to women with High blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, ulcers and serious allergic reactions to food and other things.” She explained further that the dressing of female pilgrims must at all times be guided by the regulations of Allaah as seen in Qur’an 33 verse 59.
“An intending female pilgrim must dress like a Muslim woman, to please her Lord. The female pilgrim should cover her entire body with garments that will not show the shape, colour or form of her body and clothes that are free, not transparent, short or too colourful, and not adorned or worn for fame and pride. This clothing must also be neat, clean and well put together,” she added.
She noted that the Ihram of a Muslim woman is a wide covering dress or attire that covers the entire body without the face veil and hand gloves, the ihram clothes can be black or any other colour.
Sanni said: “After forming the intention for ihram, it is not permissible for the muhrimah (woman in ihram) to put on any kind of perfume, whether on the body or clothes. It is also not permissible for the muhrimah to remove any hair from her head or body by any means or clip the nails.
“It is not permissible for a woman to allow her husband to have intercourse with her or to be intimate with her so long as she has not yet exited ihram completely. Women do not need to recite “Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk,” the Talbiyah out loud but should be done with a lower voice,” she said.
