housing. Therefore, ḥajj is not obligatory for you until your essential needs are secured; if, after covering those necessities, something remains in your hands, then perform ḥajj. In short, the pilgrimage is not incumbent upon you and you are not held liable for it until you have money in excess of what suffices for your accommodation and the living expenses of yourselves, your children, and everyone whose maintenance you are responsible for.

Signs of an accepted ḥajj

Question: What are the signs that a ḥajj has been accepted? Kindly inform us, and may Allah reward you with every good.

Answer: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “An accepted pilgrimage (al-ḥajj al-mabrūr) has no reward except Paradise.” Ḥajj al-mabrūr is the pilgrimage that Allah accepts, and it has many signs, among them the following:

• That the expenses of the journey come from lawful earnings. One’s provisions carry great weight in a Muslim’s life, especially during the pilgrimage. It is reported that when a person performs ḥajj with pure wealth, a caller proclaims, “Your provisions are lawful, your mount is lawful, and your ḥajj is accepted.” Conversely, if someone performs ḥajj with unlawful wealth, a caller proclaims, “No labbayk and no saʿdayk for you—your provisions are unlawful, your expenditure is unlawful, and your ḥajj is burdened with sin, not rewarded,” or words to that effect. Thus, funding the pilgrimage with wholesome, lawful earnings is one of the signs of an accepted ḥajj.

• Another sign is that Allah grants the pilgrim success in performing all the rites as legislated, in the required manner, without falling short, and that he avoids everything Allah has forbidden during ḥajj, thereby fulfilling it in accordance with the Sharīʿah.