the most virtuous deeds, for the Prophet ﷺ was asked, “Which deed is best?” He answered, “Faith in Allah.” He was asked, “Then what?” He said, “Striving in the path of Allah.” He was asked a third time and said, “An accepted pilgrimage.”

An accepted pilgrimage (ḥajj mabrūr) is one in which several conditions come together:

Second: It must be performed solely for Allah’s sake, motivated only by the desire for His good pleasure and nearness. The pilgrim seeks no ostentation, fame, or praise—he does not want people to say, “So-and-so has performed Hajj”; rather, he seeks only the Face of Allah.

Third: The rites must be carried out in the very manner the Prophet ﷺ performed them, as far as one is able to follow him.

Fourth: The expenses of the journey must come from lawful wealth, free of usury, fraud, gambling, or any other forbidden source. As some have said:

If you make the pilgrimage with funds whose root is illicit,
You have not performed Hajj—the camel has.

Meaning: the camels have traveled, but you yourself have not truly performed Hajj because your money was unlawful.

Fifth: The pilgrim must avoid rafath (sexual relations and all that leads to them), fisūq (sinful words and deeds such as backbiting, slander, lying, or looking lustfully at women), and jidāl (disputing and quarreling). Allah the Exalted says: “Whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in these months, let him not engage in sexual conduct, sin, or argument during Hajj.” Thus one must steer clear of rafath, fisūq, and jidāl, for bickering and wrangling among pilgrims diminishes the reward of the pilgrimage.