There are many hadiths that speak about the virtues and rewards of Hajj, including the following:
It is narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked which deed was best, so he replied, “Belief in Allah and His Messenger.” He was asked what was the next in excellence, and he said, “Jihad for the sake of Allah.” He was asked about the next one and he (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “An accepted Hajj” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
An accepted Hajj denotes that:
a. It must be paid for with legal earnings.
b. One should keep away from evil, sin, and unjust disputes during it.
c. One should observe all its rituals according to the Sunnah.
d. One should not show off by doing Hajj; it should be done purely and sincerely for the sake of Allah.
e. One should not follow it with acts of disobedience and sin.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say, “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allah, shunning (during his Hajj) all sexual matters, and keeping away from sins, will come back as (free from sins) as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “(Performing an) `Umrah after another is an expiation for the sins committed between them, and the accepted Hajj has no less a reward than Paradise” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
`A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah, can we not go out on campaigns and fight in jihad with you?” He said, “Yours is the best and most beautiful of jihad, an accepted Hajj.” `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “I never stopped going for Hajj after I heard that from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)” (Al-Bukhari).
`Amr ibn Al-`Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Hajj wipes out whatever (sins) came before it” (Muslim).
`Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Keep on doing Hajj and `Umrah (following one with another), for they eliminate poverty and sins just as the bellows eliminates impurities from iron, gold, and silver” (At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i).
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The one who fights for the sake of Allah and the pilgrim who goes for Hajj or `Umrah are all guests of Allah. He called them and they responded; they ask of Him and He will give them” (Ibn Majah).
By Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid**
