performs Hajj for the first time, and anyone else must observe the pilgrimage in the manner laid down by the Sharʿ. However, the first-time pilgrim may be unaware of some—or even most—of the rites, so he needs someone to clarify them for him. He should therefore choose travelling companions who are qualified to do so.

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The Months of Hajj

Question: What is the meaning of Allah’s statement, "Pilgrimage takes place during well-known months; whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in them must abstain from rafath, fusūq, and jidāl during the pilgrimage" (Al-Baqarah 2:197), and of the next verse, "so that they may witness benefits for themselves" (Al-Hajj 22:28)? And what is the meaning of the Prophet’s ﷺ saying, “Hajj is ʿArafah”? Kindly advise us and may you be rewarded.

Answer: Allah the Exalted says, "Pilgrimage takes place during well-known months…" (Al-Baqarah 2:197). In this noble verse Allah, Mighty and Majestic, defines the temporal miqāt for Hajj: the well-known months He mentions are the month of Shawwal, the month of Dhu al-Qaʿdah, and the first ten days of Dhu al-Ḥijjah. Whoever enters the state of iḥrām during that period has assumed iḥrām within the months of Hajj, and his iḥrām for Hajj is valid by the consensus of the Muslims. The phrase "whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in them" means: whoever enters iḥrām for Hajj during these specified months must refrain from rafath (sexual intercourse and anything that leads to it), for that is forbidden to the person in iḥrām.

As for fusūq—that is disobedience and sin. While all sin is forbidden to a believer at any time, its prohibition and the burden of its offence become even more severe when one is in a state of iḥrām.