Chapter: Its Merit and Those upon Whom It Is Obligatory

592 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “One ʿumrah to the next serves as an expiation for whatever lies between them, and an accepted hajj (al-ḥajj al-mabrūr) has no reward but Paradise.” Agreed upon (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• Expiation (al-kafārah): Linguistically derived from kufr, meaning to cover and conceal. Juristically it is the removal of what has become due on a person’s record because of a sin or an offense.
• Hajj: In language, “intention” or “aim.” In the Law: the intent to visit the Sacred House of Allah in veneration, by carrying out prescribed acts at a specified time.
• Mabrūr: al-birr is a comprehensive term for every kind of goodness; mabrūr is derived from it. One says, “barrahu” (he treated him well), hence “he is mabrūr.” Later the expression “Allah made the deed barr” came to mean “Allah accepted it,” as though He showed favor to the deed by accepting it and not rejecting it. The sign of its acceptance is the performance of all its pillars and obligations with sincere intention and avoidance of the prohibited.
Al-Nawawī said: The soundest and most prevalent view is that mabrūr is the hajj unmarred by sin, and its indicator is that its fruits appear in the pilgrim, so that his state after hajj is better than it was before.