“Allah has prescribed Hajj for you.”
– Wajabat: the verb wajaba–yajibu–wujūban means “to become necessary and firmly established.” In legal usage, a wājib (obligatory act) is that whose performer is rewarded and whose neglecter is punished. Al-Muḥīṭ defines it as “that which becomes binding upon us on the basis of evidence.”
– Taṭawwuʿ: i.e. a voluntary contribution, an extra (nafilah) act of worship.
Lessons derived from the ḥadith
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The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—regularly nurtured his Companions with admonition, instruction, and deeper understanding of the religion.
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Hajj has been made obligatory for all Muslims, except those whom evidence specifically exempts because they lack the ability.
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The pilgrimage is required only once in a lifetime; anything beyond that is a supererogatory act.
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The bare imperative form does not, by itself, indicate repetition beyond one fulfilment unless another proof establishes that.
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Some rulings are delegated by Allah to His Messenger. Whether they come through his personal ijtihād or through revelation, all of them constitute Allah’s law, for he does not speak from desire, and Allah confirms him only upon the truth.
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Whatever the Lawgiver remains silent about is pardoned; your Lord is not forgetful. The duties required of the servants have been clarified by Allah and His Messenger, and whatever they left unmentioned is left aside.
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It is preferable to keep silent and not delve into matters for which the Revealed Law has provided no mention. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “O you who believe! Do not ask about matters which, if disclosed to you, would distress you; and if you ask about them while the Quran is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allah has pardoned that” (5:101).
Al-Bukhārī (6845) and Muslim (4349) record: “The gravest offender among the Muslims is the one who asks Allah about something that was not forbidden, and then it is forbidden because of his question.”
Sunan al-Dāraqutnī (4/184) transmits from Abū Thaʿlabah, in a marfūʿ report: “He has remained silent about certain things as a mercy to you, not out of forgetfulness; so do not ask about them.” -
The ḥadith includes the statement: “Allah has prescribed Hajj for you, so perform Hajj,” and an imperative entails immediacy.