Summary of hajj

                         A Summary of What The Pilgrims Do In Hajj


1 – The pilgrim should enter ihraam on the eighth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah from Makkah or its environs within the sanctuary. When entering ihraam for Hajj he should do what he did when entering ihraam for ‘Umrah: ghusl (full ablution), putting on perfume and praying. He should form the intention of entering ihraam for Hajj and recite the Talbiyah.

The Talbiyah for Hajj is the same as the Talbiyah for ‘Umrah, except that one should say here “Labbayka hajjan (Here I am for Hajj)” instead of “Labbayka ‘umratan (Here I am for ‘Umrah).” If he fears that some obstacle may prevent him from completing Hajj, he should stipulate a condition and say: “If something prevents me (from completing Hajj) I will exit ihraam at the point where I am prevented (from continuing).” If he is not afraid of any obstacle then he does not need to stipulate any condition.

2 – Then he should go to Mina and stay there overnight, and offer five prayers there: Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr.

3 – When the sun rises on the ninth day he should proceed to ‘Arafah and pray Zuhr and ‘Asr together there, shortened, at the time of Zuhr. Then he should strive in du’aa’, dhikr and prayers for forgiveness until the sun sets.

4 – When the sun sets, he should proceed to Muzdalifah and pray Maghrib and ‘Isha’ there when he arrives. Then he should stay there overnight until he prays Fajr, and remember Him and call upon Him until just before sunrise.

5 – Then he should move on to Mina to stone Jamrat al-‘Aqabah which is the last pillar that is closest to Makkah, throwing seven pebbles one after another, each one approximately the size of a date stone, saying takbeer (“Allaahu akbar”) with each throw.

6 – Then he should slaughter the hadiy (sacrificial animal), namely a sheep or one-seventh of a camel or one-seventh of a cow.

7 – Then he should shave his head if he is male; women should cut their hair but not shave it, taking off the length of a fingertip from all parts of their hair.

8 – Then he should go to Makkah and perform the tawaaf of Hajj.

9 – Then he should go back to Mina and stay there for those nights, namely the nights of the eleventh and twelfth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and stone the three Jamaraat (stone pillars) after the sun has passed its zenith, throwing seven pebbles, one after another, at each, starting with the smallest pillar – which is the one that is furthest away from Makkah, then the middle pillar. He should recite du’aa’ after both, then he should stone Jamrat al-‘Aqabah, after which there is no du’aa’.

10 – When he has finished stoning the pillars on the twelfth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, if he wishes he may hasten and leave Mina, and if he wishes he may delay (his departure) and stay there on the night of the thirteenth and stone the three Jamaraat after the sun passes its zenith. It is better to delay and stay longer, but it is not obligatory unless the sun sets on the twelfth and one is still in Mina, in which case it becomes obligatory to stay until one stones the three jamaraat after the sun passes its zenith. But if the sun sets on the twelfth day and a person is still in Mina but not by choice, such as if he had packed his bags and got into the bus or truck, but was delayed because of overcrowding and traffic jams, then he does not have to stay, because his staying until after sunset was involuntary.

11 – Once those days are over and the pilgrim wants to leave, he must not leave until he has performed the farewell tawaaf, going around the Ka’bah seven times. Women who are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth d o not have to do this farewell tawaaf.

12 – If the pilgrim is performing a voluntary Hajj on behalf of another person, whether a relative or otherwise, then he has to have done Hajj for himself before that. There is no difference in the way he performs Hajj apart from the intention, i.e., he should form the intention of performing this Hajj on behalf of that person, mentioning him by name in the Talbiyah and saying, “Labbayk ‘an [fulaan] (Here I am on behalf of [So and so]).” Then when he says du’aa’ during the rituals he should pray for himself and for the person on whose behalf he is performing Hajj.

With regard to the types of Hajj, there are three: tamattu’, qiraan and ifraad.

Tamattu’ is when the pilgrim enters ihraam for ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj (which are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qa’dah and the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah) and performs ‘Umrah and exits ihraam, then he enters ihraam again for Hajj from Makkah or its environs on the day of al-Tarwiyah (the eighth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah) in the same year as his ‘Umrah.

Qiraan is when the pilgrim enters ihraam for ‘Umrah and Hajj together, and does not exit ihraam until the day of Sacrifice, or he enters ihraam for ‘Umrah then includes Hajj with it before he starts his tawaaf.

Ifraad is when the pilgrim enters ihraam for Hajj from the meeqaat or from Makkah if he resides there or in a place that is closer than the meeqaat, and remains in ihraam until the Day of Sacrifice if he has a hadiy with him. If he does not have a hadiy with him, it is prescribed for him to cancel his Hajj and make it ‘Umrah, so he should perform tawaaf and saa’i, then cut his hair and exit ihraam, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told those who entered ihraam for Hajj but did not have a hadiy with them to do. This applies to the pilgrim doing qiraan, if he does not have a hadiy with him; it is prescribed for him to cancel his qiraan and make it ‘Umrah, for the reason mentioned.

The best kind of Hajj is tamattu’ for the one who has not brought a hadiy with him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told his companions to do that and insisted that they should do that.

                     

Rightly Guided Caliph: Hazrat Ali

Hazrat Ali as Khalifa

·         Ali's Caliphate (an Overview)

·         Ali accepted the caliphate very reluctantly. Usman’s murder and the events surrounding it were a symptom, and also became a cause, of civil strife on a large scale. Ali felt that the tragic situation was mainly due to inept governors. He therefore dismissed all the governors who had been appointed by Usman and appointed new ones. All the governors excepting Muawiya, the governor of Syria, submitted to his orders. Muawiya declined to obey until Usman’s blood was avenged.

·         The Prophet's widow 'Aaishah also took the position that Ali should first bring the murderers to trial. Due to the chaotic conditions during the last days of Usman it was very difficult to establish the identity of the murderers, and Ali refused to punish anyone whose guilt was not lawfully proved. Thus a battle between the army of Ali and the supporters of 'Aaishah took place. 'Aaishah later realized her error of judgment and never forgave herself for it.

·         The situation in Hijaz (the part of Arabia in which Mecca and Medina are located) became so troubled that Ali moved his capital to Iraq. Muawiya now openly rebelled against Ali and a fierce battle was fought between their armies. This battle was inconclusive, and Ali had to accept the de facto government of Muawiya in Syria.

·         However, even though the era of Ali's caliphate was marred by civil strife, he nevertheless introduced a number of reforms, particularly in the levying and collecting of revenues.

·         It was the fortieth year of Hijra. A fanatical group called Kharijites, consisting of people who had broken away from Ali due to his compromise with Muawiya, claimed that neither Ali, the Caliph, nor Muawiya, the ruler of Syria, nor Amr bin al-Aas, the ruler of Egypt, were worthy of rule. In fact, they went so far as to say that the true caliphate came to an end with 'Umar and that Muslims should live without any ruler over them except God. They vowed to kill all three rulers, and assassins were dispatched in three directions.

·         The assassins who were deputed to kill Muawiya and Amr did not succeed and were captured and executed, but Ibn-e-Muljim, the assassin who was commissioned to kill Ali, accomplished his task. One morning when Ali was absorbed in prayer in a mosque, Ibn-e-Muljim stabbed him with a poisoned sword. On the 20th of Ramadan, 40 A.H. died the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam. May God Most High be pleased with them and grant to them His eternal reward.

Conclusion

With the death of Ali, the first and most notable phase in the history of Muslim peoples came to an end. All through this period it had been the Book of God and the practices of His Messenger - that is, the Qur'an and the Sunnah - which had guided the leaders and the led, set the standards of their moral conduct and inspired their actions. It was the time when the ruler and the ruled, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, were uniformly subject to the Divine Law. It was an epoch of freedom and equality, of God-consciousness and humility, of social justice which recognized no privileges, and of an impartial law which accepted no pressure groups or vested interests.

After Ali, Muawiya assumed the caliphate and thereafter the caliphate became hereditary, passing from one king to another.

Some important points of the Khilafat of Hazrat Ali

The revolt in Ali army

The exhortations of Ali had no effect. About 20,000 men of Iraq let by Zaid b Hasan, and Mustur bin Fidki openly revolted and laid down their arms. The rebels approached Ali, and calling him no longer their Caliph, but simply Ali, declared "Ali you are appealing to the sword, and they are appealing to the Quran. Let the issue of the caliphate be deferred to the judgment of God's Book". They adopted a hostile attitude, and warned Ali that if he did not submit to their demand, he would meet the same fate as had befallen his predecessor, Usman.  

Heartbroken at the treachery of his men, Ali exclaimed with great grief, "Alas, you are deserting me at the critical time of need. Go and join the Syrian coalition against God and His Apostle." The rebels did not rest content with their own revolt. A large section of the army under Ashtar was still fighting, and they were having an upper hand. The rebels demanded that orders should be issued recalling Ashtar from the battlefield. The rebels went to the extent of reproaching Ali. He was accused of being an accomplice in the murder of Usman. He was accused of fighting against the Syrians to quench his thirst for self-aggrandizement. Ali threatened them with grave consequences and they threatened him in turn. The pressure of the rebels increased and Ali feeling helpless had to recall Ashtar from the front. Ashtar returned reluctantly. Ashtar upbraided them as traitors, hypocrites and villains. In return they reviled him. Because of this revolt in his army, Ali had to suspend action against the Syrians, and thus the victory which was in immediate sight, evaded him. Henceforward misfortune was to stalk the steps of Ali.  

Causes of the helplessness of Ali

The accounts of what happened at Siffin which have come down to us give no clue as to what was the cause of rebellion against Ali when victory was almost in sight. It is not plausible that this sudden development took place at the display of the leaves of the Holy Quran on their lances by the Syrians. Obviously it was the culmination of some deep set conspiracy. The exact extent of such conspiracy remains a mystery, but it appears that the treachery of most of the army chiefs of Ali was because of the bribery by Muawiyah. The army that Ali had brought to Siffin was more a motley crowd than a disciplined force, and this lack of discipline was its greatest weakness. It also appears that there was a good deal of jealousy among the Generals of the army of Ali. When Ali appointed Ashas as a General his appointment was opposed by Malik Ashtar who was the Commander-in-Chief of the forces of Ali, and these differences between the two Generals persisted during the course of the war. Ali believed in the truth of his cause to such an extent that he did not sponsor any propaganda to support such cause. On the other hand Muawiyah was a past master in making propaganda, and in this respect he outwitted Ali.

 Ali's reaction to the Arbitration decision

The arbitration decision came as a great shock to Ali. Ali had hoped that as the umpires were to take the decision in accordance with the injunctions of the Holy Quran, they would act with a due sense of justice and fair play. The decision that was taken was neither just nor fair. It was taken in the spirit of the old Arab traditions of the age of Ignorance and was repugnant to Islamic values. The umpires were supposed to judge the relative merits of Ali and Muawiyah in the light of Islamic values and then choose one out of the two. The umpires did nothing of the sort. Abu Musa the umpire of Ali had some bias against Ali because Ali had deposed him from the governorship of Kufa, and hence wittingly or unwittingly he acted against the interests of Ali. Ali had been duly elected as the Caliph by the authorized electorate and Abu Musa had no authority to depose Ali. 'Amr b Al-6Aas the umpire of Muawiyah was a clever man, and taking advantage of the weakness in the stand of Abu Musa, he manipulated victory for Muawiyah. Ali could not accept the decision, and the only option left with him was to renew the war against Muawiyah who had manipulated to win power through underhand means. Ali accordingly gave call for arms and exhorted the people to join the war for the vindication of the truth and the suppression of falsehood. The people responded enthusiastically to the call, and soon an army of 65,000 strong was assembled.

The Kharijites

After the Battle of Siffin the Kharijites had separated from the community and camped at Harura a few miles from Kufa. Their stand was that Ali had made a mistake in accepting the arbitration of men Ali was asked by them to lead them to war against Muawiyah. Ali had tried to conciliate them, and assured of them that he would lead them to war in case the decision of the umpires was against the injunctions of Islam. Some sort of conciliation was brought about between Ali and the Kharijites, and most of the Kharijites returned to Kufa. The Kharijites were a restive and over sensitive people of the extremist type. The Kharijites slipped from Kufa one by one, established a settlement at Nahrawan, a few miles to the east of the Tigris near Madain. The Kharijites from Basra and elsewhere in Iraq also migrated to Nahrawan Here the Kharijites gathered in strength. They elected an Amir of their own. They were very meticulous in observing prayers and following other injunctions of Islam. They aspired to live sinless lives. They declared that they were not interested in the affairs of this world, and that they had sold their lives to win paradise in the next world. Where a Kharijite picked up a date under a date tree and ate it he subsequently cut his right hand himself on the ground that the eating of the date without purchasing it from the owner amounted to a theft. On the other hand when any Muslim indulged in any controversy with them, they invariably killed him. They held that no one except themselves was a Muslim, and it devolved on them to get rid of such people who did not agree with them. They let loose a reign of terror in the countryside and created a problem of law and order for the administration. When the Kharijites of Basra migrated to Nahrawan they met in the way some Muslims including Abdullah the son of an eminent companion Khabab. The Kharijites killed him as well as the woman who accompanied him.  

Model answers of two Quranic Passages

Quranic Passages

Q. (a) Describe the main theme (s) contained in the passage.                                     [2]

     (b) Explain how this passage presents its theme in a distinctive way.                        [2]

Surah Al-Kausar 108: 1-3

(a)   The theme of this surah is Allah’s promise and reassurance for his prophet in times of hardships and opposition by their people. Allah has promised special favors and rewards for those offering regular prayers and he also warned those engaged in insulting and ridiculing special servants of Allah. This shows Allah’s special care of His prophet in the time of hardships.

(b)   Allah extended His consolation to the holy Prophet Pbuh who felt dejected after being mocked by the makkans over the death of his second son. Allah promised abundance of spiritual children in the form millions of his followers. Another promise is the destruction of Prophet’s enemies. This way Allah shows his concerns over the condition of Holy Prophet Pbuh who was worried at the moment. Allah has also revealed surah al-duha in another similar condition to console him against insulted behavior of enemy over an unusual delay in receiving revelations.

Surah al-alaq

(a)   These verses are the part of the first ever revelation sent to the last messenger of Allah. It mentions two of Allah’s most important attributes: His creating man and the bestowing knowledge upon him. Allah has perfected man through various certain stages of development and finally enabled him to read and write with the help of pen.

(b)   These verses remind us the exclusive favor of Allah by creating Adam and then granting him the faculty of knowledge that raised his status even above angles. This superiority of Adam was due to knowledge and the faculty of mind awarded by Allah. Human ability of holding and making use of pen are supportive evidence in this regards. In some other verses of the Quran Allah said “And He (Allah) taught Adam the names of all the things” (2:31). This refers to Allah’s great reward to Adam and his progeny. The mention of knowledge and pen together in the passage conveys to us the link between the two and their importance for all humans.

Syllabus and Paper Pattern of Islamiat 2058

SCHEME OF ASSESSMENT

Candidates will be required to take two written papers, and answer in English.  To be awarded a
final grade in the examination, candidates must take both papers.

Paper 2058/1

This paper will be 1½ hours long.  It will contain 5 questions of which candidates must answer
Question 1, Question 2 and two others.

1.  Major themes of the Qur’an
Three passages will be set , of which candidates may choose any two.                                                                                                       [8 marks]

2.   The history and importance of the Qur’an
  This question will usually be set in more than one part, and will require an essay length
answer.                                                                                                   [14 marks]

3.  The life and importance of the Prophet Muhammad
  One or two questions will be set, usually in more than one part, requiring essay length
answers.                                                                                                  [14 marks]

4.  The first Islamic community
  One or two questions will be set, usually in more than one part, requiring essay length
answers.                                                                                                   [14 marks]

The total mark for this paper will be 50.

Paper 2058/2

This paper will be 1½ hours long.  It will contain 5 questions of which candidates must answer
Question 1, Question 2 and two others.
 
1.  Major teachings of the Hadiths of the Prophet
Four passages will be set , of which candidates may choose any two.                                                                                                          [8 marks]

2.  The history and importance of the Hadiths
  This question will usually be set in more than one part, and will require an essay length
answer.                                                                                                      [14 marks]

3.  The period of rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and their importance as leaders
  One or two questions will be set, usually in more than one part, requiring essay length

answers.                                                                                                      [14 marks]

4.  The Articles of Faith and the Pillars of Islam
  One or two questions will be set, usually in more than one part, requiring essay length

answers.                                                                                                       [14 marks]

The total mark for this paper will be 50.