Etiquette Of Traveling To Hajj And Elsewhere: What To Pay
Attention To When Traveling To Hajj
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Is there a particular etiquette that the
traveller should pay attention to, especially when
travelling to Hajj?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are many points of etiquette to be followed by
the traveller, which the scholars have compiled. One
of those who compiled these rulings well was al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him), in his book al-Majmoo’
(4/264-287), where he mentions sixty-two points of
etiquette. We will mention some of them in brief, and
anyone who wants to know more may consult the writings
of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him).
He said:
Chapter on the etiquette of travelling:
This is an important topic, for which there is a great
need.
Our aim here is to refer to this etiquette in brief.
1 – When a person wants to travel, it is mustahabb for
him to consult those whose religious commitment,
experience and knowledge he trusts about travelling at
that time. The one who is consulted must be sincere in
offering advice and avoid being influenced by whims
and desires. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“and consult them in the affairs”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:159]
The saheeh ahaadeeth indicate that the people used to
consult the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) with regard to their affairs.
2 – Once he has decided to travel, the Sunnah is to
seek Allaah’s guidance by praying istikhaarah. So he
should pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then
recite the du’aa’ of istikhaarah.
3 – If he has decided to travel for Hajj or jihad or
any other purpose, he should start by repenting from
all sins and makrooh actions, and he should put right
any wrongs he has done towards people and pay off
whatever he can of the debts he owes them; he should
also return anything that has been entrusted to him
and seek forgiveness from anyone with whom he has any
dealings or friendship. He should write his will and
have it witnessed, and he should appoint someone to
pay off the debts that he was not able to pay. He
should also leave with his family and those on whom he
is obliged to spend enough funds to cover their needs
until he returns.
4 – He should seek to please his parents and those
whom he is obliged to honour and obey.
5 – If he is travelling for Hajj or jihad or any other
purpose, he should strive to ensure that his funds are
halaal and free from any suspicion. If he goes against
this and goes for Hajj or jihad with wealth that has
been seized by force, he is a sinner and although his
Hajj or jihad may be outwardly valid, it will not be a
proper Hajj (Hajj mabroor).
6 – It is mustahabb for the one who is travelling to
Hajj or for any other purpose for which provision is
carried to take a great deal of provision and money
with him, so that he can share them with those who are
in need. His provisions should be good (i.e., halaal),
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you
have (legally) earned, and of that which We have
produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at
that which is bad to spend from it”
[al-Baqarah 2:267]
He should give willingly so that it will be more
likely to be accepted.
7 – If he wants to travel for Hajj or jihad, he should
learn about how they are to be done, for no act of
worship is valid if done by one who does not know it
properly. It is mustahabb for the one who wants to do
Hajj to take with him a clear book about the rituals
which also speaks about their aims, and he should read
it constantly and often throughout his journey, so
that it will become fixed in his mind. Hence there is
the fear that for some of the common folk, their Hajj
will not be valid because they fail to fulfil one of
the conditions and so on. And some of them may imitate
some of the common folk of Makkah, thinking that they
know the rituals properly and thus being deceived by
them. That is a serious mistake. Similarly in the case
of one who is going out for jihad etc, it is
recommended for him to take a book which speaks of
what he needs to know, and the warrior should learn
what he needs to know about fighting and the du’aa’s
to be said at that time, and the prohibitions on
treachery, killing women and children, and so on. The
one who is travelling for the purpose of trade should
learn what he needs to know about buying and selling,
which transactions are valid and which are invalid,
what is halaal and what is haraam, and so on.
8 – It is mustahabb for him to seek a companion who
desires good and hates evil, so that if he forgets, he
can remind him, if he remembers, he can help him, and
if he happens to be a man of knowledge, he should
stick with him, because he will help him to avoid bad
attitudes such as boredom with travel and he can help
him to maintain a noble attitude and encourage him to
do so.
He should also be keen to please his companion
throughout the journey. Each of them should put up
with the other and view his companion with respect,
and be patient with whatever he may do at some times.
9 – It is mustahabb for him to bid farewell to his
family, neighbours, friends and all his loved ones. He
should bid them farewell and he should say to each of
them: “I place your religion, your faithfulness and
the ends of your deeds in the trust of Allaah.” The
one who is staying behind should say to the traveller:
“May Allaah bless you with taqwa and forgive you your
sins and make goodness easy for you wherever you are.”
10 – It is Sunnah to say the following du’aa’ when
leaving the house: Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allaah,
wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah. Allaahumma
inni a’oodhu bika min an adilla aw udalla aw azilla aw
uzalla aw azlima aw uzlama aw ajhala aw yujhal ‘alayya
(In the name of Allaah, I put my trust in Allaah and
there is no power and no strength except with Allaah.
O Allaah, I seek refuge with You lest I should stray
or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or do wrong
or be wronged, or behave foolishly or be treated
foolishly).”
11 – The Sunnah when leaving one's house and wanting
to get up on one's mount is to say Bismillah. Then
when he has mounted it he should say: “Al-hamdu
Lillaah illadhi sakhkhara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu
muqrineen wa inna ila rabbina la munqaliboon (In the
name of Allaah… All praise be to Allaah Who has placed
this (transport) at our service and we ourselves would
not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our
final destiny.” Then he should say Al-hamdu Lillaah
(praise be to Allaah) three times and Allaahu akbar (Allaah
is most Great) three times, then, “Subhaanaka inni
zalamtu nafsi faghfir li innahu la yaghfir ul-dhunooba
illa anta (Glory be to You, verily I have wronged
myself, so forgive me, for surely no one can forgive
sins except You).”
And: “Allaahumma inna nas’aluka fi safarina haadha al-birra
wa’l-taqwa wa min al-‘aml ma tarda, Allaahumma hawwin
‘alayna safarana haadha watwi ‘anna bu’dahu.
Allaahumma anta al-saahib fi’l-safar wa’l-khaleefah
fi’l-ahl. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min wa’tha’ al-safar
wa ka’aabat al-manzar wa su’ al-munqalib fi’l-maali
wa’l-ahl (O Allaah, we ask You for righteousness and
piety in this journey of ours, and we ask You for
deeds which please You. O Allaah, facilitate our
journey and let us cover its distance quickly. O
Allaah, You are the Companion on the journey and the
Successor (the One Who guards them in a person’s
absence) over the family. O Allaah, I seek refuge with
You from the difficulties of travel, from having a
change of heart and from being in a bad predicament,
and I seek refuge with You from an ill-fated outcome
with regard to wealth and family).” When returning the
same words are recited with the following addition:
“Aayiboona taa’iboona ‘aabidoona li rabbina haamidoon
(Returning, repenting, worshipping and praising our
Lord).”
12 – It is mustahabb to travel with a group of people,
because of the hadeeth of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If the people
knew what I know about being alone, no one would ever
travel alone at night.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari.
13 – It is mustahabb for the group to appoint the best
and wisest of their number as their leader, and to
obey him, because of the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed and Abu
Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When three
people set out on a journey, let them appoint one of
their number as their leader.” A hasan hadeeth
narrated by Abu Dawood with a hasan isnaad.
14 – It is mustahabb to set out at the end of the
night, because of the hadeeth of Anas who said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “You should travel at the end of the
night (or throughout the night) because it is easier
to cover a greater distance at night.” This was
narrated by Abu Dawood with a hasan hadeeth. It was
also narrated by al-Haakim who said: it is saheeh
according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
15 – He should adopt a kind and good attitude, and
avoid arguing or pushing and shoving people on the
road. He should guard his tongue against insults,
backbiting, cursing his mount or any other kind of
foul speech.
16 – It is mustahabb for the traveller to say takbeer
when going up a rise in the land and to say tasbeeh
when going down into valleys and the like.
17 – If he sees a village or town that he wants to
enter, it is mustahabb for him to say: “Allaahumma
as’aluka khayraha wa khayra ahliha wa khayra ma fiha
wa ‘a’oodhu bika min sharriha wa sharri ahliha wa
sharri ma fiha (O Allaah, I ask You for its goodness,
the goodness of its people and the goodness of what is
in it, and I seek refuge with You from its evil, the
evil of its people and the evil of what is in it).”
18 – It is mustahabb for him to make du’aa’ most of
the time when travelling, because his du’aa’ will be
answered.
He should try to remain in a state of purity and to
pray on time. Allaah has made it easy by allowing
tayammum and joining and shortening of prayers.
20 – The Sunnah when stopping in a place is to say
what was narrated by Khawlah bint Hakeem, who said: I
heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever makes a stop then
says: ‘A’oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah il-taammati min
sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words
of Allaah from the evil of that which He has
created),’ nothing will harm him until he moves on
from that place.” Narrated by Muslim.
21 – It is mustahabb for a travelling group to camp
close to one another and not to be scattered or
separated needlessly, because of the hadeeth of Abu
Tha’labah al-Khushani (may Allaah be pleased with him)
who said: When the people stopped in a place, they
would scatter in the mountain passes and valleys. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Your scattering in these mountain
passes and valleys is something from the Shaytaan.”
After that, they never stopped in any place without
being close together. Narrated by Abu Dawood with a
hasan isnaad.
22 – The Sunnah for the traveller is that when he has
done what he set out to do, he should hasten to return
to his family, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah,
according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Travel is a
kind of torment, which keeps one of you from his food
and drink. When one of you has finished what he set
out to do, let him hasten back to his family.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
23 – The Sunnah is to say when returning from a
journey that which is narrated in the hadeeth of Ibn
‘Umar, according to which the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he
came back from a campaign or from Hajj and ‘Umrah, he
would say takbeer on every high ground three times,
then he would say, ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa
shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala
kulli shay’in qadeer. Aayiboona taa’iboona ‘aabidoona,
saajidoona li rabbina haamidoon. Sadaqa Allaahu wa’dah
wa nasara ‘abdah wa hazama al-ahzaaba wahdah
(There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or
associate. His is the Dominion, to Him be all praise,
and He is Able to do all things. Returning, repenting,
worshipping, prostrating to our Lord and praising Him.
Allaah fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His
slave and defeated the confederates Alone). Narrated
by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
It was narrated that Anas said: We came back with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and when we reached the outskirts of Madeenah he said:
“Aayiboona taa’iboona ‘aabidoona li rabbina haamidoon
(Returning, repenting, worshipping and praising our
Lord).” And he kept saying that until we came to
Madeenah. Narrated by Muslim.
24 – The Sunnah when returning home is to start by
going to the mosque that is nearest one's home and
praying two rak’ahs with the intention of offering
salaat al-qudoom (the prayer of arrival), because of
the hadeeth of Ka’b ibn Maalik, according to which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
when he came back from a journey, would start by going
to the mosque where he would pray two rak’ahs and then
sit down. Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
25 – It is mustahabb to make food for the returning
traveller, whether it is made by the traveller himself
or by someone else for him, as indicated by the
hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him),
according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he came back to
Madeenah from a journey, would slaughter a camel or a
cow. Narrated by al-Bukhaari.
26 – It is haraam for a woman to travel without a
mahram unnecessarily, whether that is a long or a
short distance, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a woman who
believes in Allaah and the Last Day to travel for the
distance of one day and one night except with a mahram.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
End quote from al-Nawawi.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
The etiquette of travelling for Hajj is divided into
two categories: obligatory and mustahabb. The
obligatory etiquette means that the traveller should
fulfil all the obligations and pillars (essential
parts) of Hajj, and avoid the things that are
forbidden in ihraam in particular, and the things that
are forbidden in general, whether they are forbidden
in ihraam or when not in ihraam, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“The Hajj (pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar
year) months (i.e. the 10th month, the 11th month and
the first ten days of the 12th month of the Islamic
calendar, i.e. two months and ten days). So whosoever
intends to perform Hajj therein (by assuming Ihraam),
then he should not have sexual relations (with his
wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during the
Hajj”
[al-Baqarah 2:197]
The mustahabb etiquette when travelling for Hajj is
for a person to do all the things that he should do,
such as being generous to people, serving his
brothers, putting up with their annoyance, not
retaliating to mistreatment, and being kind to them,
whether that is after he puts on the ihraam or before,
because this etiquette is sublime and good, and is
required of every believer at all times and in all
places. There are also other points of etiquette that
has to do with the act of worship, such as doing Hajj
in the most perfect manner and striving to do it with
the proper etiquette in both word and deed. End quote.
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