Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first part of Minhaj al-Talibin<\/em> closes with the Book of Pilgrimage (Kitab al-Hajj<\/em>), which also covers the lesser pilgrimage, ‘umrah<\/em>. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and the only one that depends on a specific place and a limited season. After purification, prayer, funerals, almsgiving, and fasting, the book ends its treatment of acts of worship with the one that brings them together in a single journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imam al-Nawawi (631\u2013676 AH \/ 1233\u20131277 CE) was himself a student of the rites and wrote more extensive works on them, but in the Minhaj<\/em> he presents them concisely. This article follows the main themes in the general order of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime for a Muslim who is mature, sane, free, and able (istita’ah<\/em>). The ability the school describes includes provisions and transport for the journey, security of the route, and, for a woman, the accompaniment of a husband, a mahram, or trustworthy women, according to the school’s established position. The book also explains the obligation to leave enough for the dependents who remain at home, and the rulings on debts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Shafi’i school, ‘umrah<\/em> is also obligatory once in a lifetime, according to the position the school relies upon. Al-Nawawi also covers the case of someone who cannot perform the pilgrimage in person because of permanent incapacity, for whom another person may perform it on their behalf under certain conditions. The pilgrimage of a child is valid and rewarded, though it does not replace the obligatory pilgrimage after maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book distinguishes two kinds of boundaries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ihram<\/em> is the state a pilgrim enters by intention, which is the first pillar of both Hajj and ‘umrah<\/em>. The recommended preparations include bathing, perfuming the body, and putting on the two unsewn garments for men. Women do not wear a special garment, but they avoid the face veil and gloves. The pilgrim then makes the intention and begins reciting the talbiyah<\/em>, which is recommended to repeat often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The school discusses three modes of performing the pilgrimage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Al-Nawawi explains the conditions for tamattu’<\/em> and qiran<\/em>, which require a sacrificial animal, or fasting as a substitute for those who cannot afford one, and states the school’s preference among the modes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While in ihram<\/em>, the pilgrim must avoid a list of acts. The main ones are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For each, the book gives the compensation that is due if the act is committed: a sacrificial animal, fasting, or feeding the poor, depending on the offense. Intercourse before the first release from ihram<\/em> invalidates the Hajj, and the book details the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shafi’i school distinguishes between pillars (arkan<\/em>), without which the Hajj is invalid, and obligations (wajibat<\/em>), whose omission requires compensation but does not invalidate the rite. The pillars are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The obligations include entering ihram<\/em> from the miqat<\/em>, spending the night at Muzdalifah and Mina, throwing the pebbles at the pillars at Mina, and the farewell tawaf<\/em>. Al-Nawawi describes each in order, along with the times in which they are valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book follows the chronology of the pilgrim’s journey. It begins with the arrival at Makkah and the tawaf<\/em> of arrival, then the departure to Mina on the eighth day, the standing at ‘Arafah on the ninth, the night at Muzdalifah, and the return to Mina on the tenth for the throwing of pebbles at the largest pillar, the sacrifice, and the shaving of the head. The pilgrim then performs tawaf al-ifadah<\/em> and the sa’y<\/em> if not already performed, followed by the days of tashriq<\/em> in Mina with further stoning, and the farewell tawaf<\/em> before leaving Makkah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The release from ihram<\/em> occurs in two stages, the first after completing two of the three main acts of the tenth (the stoning, the shaving, and the tawaf<\/em>), and the second after completing the third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book discusses the hady<\/em>, the sacrificial animal offered by pilgrims as an obligation or as a voluntary act of worship. It states the types and ages of acceptable animals, the time and place of slaughter, and who may eat from it. Those who cannot afford the animal for tamattu’<\/em> or qiran<\/em> fast ten days: three during the Hajj and seven after returning home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘Umrah<\/em> has four pillars: ihram<\/em>, tawaf<\/em>, sa’y<\/em>, and shaving or trimming the hair. Al-Nawawi notes that it may be done at any time of the year, and that its rites are a part of the structure of the greater pilgrimage, which is why the two are discussed together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book also touches on the rulings of the sacred precinct (haram<\/em>) of Makkah, in which hunting and cutting the plants are prohibited even for a person not in ihram<\/em>. It also mentions the sanctuary of Madinah and the recommendation of visiting the mosque of the Prophet, as an act of devotion outside the rites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The structure of Kitab al-Hajj<\/em> follows a clear arc: who must go, when and where the rites begin, how to enter the state of ihram<\/em>, what is forbidden within it, what is essential, and how the rites proceed in time. The book ends with the compensations that repair mistakes. For a reader, this order functions as both a legal and a practical map, moving from preparation to performance to repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For al-Nawawi, the pilgrimage is the most demanding act of worship, calling on the body, the wealth, and the will at once. Its detailed rules ensure that the rites are performed in the way transmitted from the Prophet, while the ritual of ihram<\/em>, simplicity of dress, and equality of all pilgrims point to the humility that the journey is meant to produce. With this book, the first part of the Minhaj<\/em> ends, having moved from the private act of cleansing to the great communal journey of the faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: This article summarizes the general Shafi’i position as presented in Minhaj al-Talibin. Details, including the preferred mode of Hajj and the compensation due for each offense, can vary between editions and commentaries. Prospective pilgrims should rely on a qualified teacher or their official pilgrimage guide for precise rulings.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part 1: Acts of Worship (Ibadat) – Pilgrimage (Hajj), including the lesser pilgrimage (\u2018umrah) Part of a series on the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","video_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[18,12,15,14,26],"class_list":["post-138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-part-1-acts-of-worship-ibadat","tag-acts-of-worship-ibadat","tag-fiqh","tag-imam-al-nawawi","tag-minhaj-al-thalibin","tag-pilgrimage-umrah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions\/141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. The obligation and its conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lslam.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/2.-Gemini_Generated_Image_etvk6etvk6etvk6e-1024x559.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. The times and places of the rites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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3. Ihram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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4. The prohibitions of ihram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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5. The pillars and obligations of Hajj<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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6. The course of the rites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. The sacrificial animal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. ‘Umrah<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. The sanctuaries of Makkah and Madinah<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why the order matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Closing reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n