Before The Start Of Hajj Journey

Please be careful about certain things:

1. Purify your intention (Niyyat) for Hajj only for the sake of Allah and exclusively keeping in view the
heavenly reward.

Do not allow any worldly honour and vanity or any financial advantages or any worldly selfish design to mix up with your intention for Hajj.

There is of course no Harm if even then some worldly benefits are attained to by Allah's grace (and according to Hadith wordly benefits will also be certainly available), but you should not impurify your intention for their sake.

2. Turn to Allah in penitence from all sins small or grievous. There are three pre-requisites for a sincere penitence:-

a. Repentence and regret for the sins committed in the past in the possible redress of the omissions.
b. For the present, to give up all the sins.
c. For future, to resolve not to commit any sins.

These are the three requisites of a sincere penitence without which mere uttering the words of penitence will not be sufficient.   

          The omissions and short-doings of the past which can be accomplished after their due time are as under:

1. Fasts and prayers which could not be fulfilled after your having attained to the age of puberty.

They must be calculated correctly and if correct calculation is not possible, then they should be accomplished on the basis of a guess calculation.

2. If you have not paid the 'Zakat' of your money and effects in the past, it should be paid now by way of calculations or a careful guess.

3. If you took an oath and violated it, it should be expiated for. Similarly if you made a vow to Allah but could not fulfill it, it should be fulfilled now.

The rights of human beings which can be redressed may be defined as for example you owe a debt to a person or you are under financial dues to any one; you have teased someone with your words or caused him trouble by your acts or you have spoken ill of someone in his absence ; for all such things you are to beg pardon of the rightful persons as well as well as to pay back all the dues which otherwise should be got remitted if the rightful persons willingly do so.

Rules Of Action:

If the person whom you owe a debt has died, pay it back to his heirs or get it absolved by them.

If the creditors are numerous and their whereabouts are not known, give as much amount as you owe to them to the poor as alms on their behalf. If you did any Haram to them with your words or acts, pray often for the remission of those whom you had harmed. You would, Allah willing, be relieved from the liability for all their rights.

If the missed prayers and fasts are too large in number to be accomplished before the 'Hajj' journey, or your liabilities to others are so excessive in quantity that, at present it is out of your power to pay them back or to get them absolved, then what you are to do is that you determine just now a firm resolution in your mind either to discharge all these obligations or to get them remitted by the rightful persons. At the same time,  you are to pay back whatever dues you can. For the rest, you are to execute a will and appoint someone of your relatives or sincere friends as its executor, so that in case of your failure he may pay back all your liabilities.

For an indebted person who cannot spare funds after paying his debts, it is better not to intend to go for 'Hajj' before the payment of his debts.

He should first avail of all his resources in relieving himself from all the liabilities. If before payment of the debts he performed 'Hajj' , the 'Hajj' obligation would however stand discharged. This, of course, excludes the usual current commercial loans for which Hajj cannot be postponed.

If an indebted person has no effects, whatsoever, which can suffice the payment of his debts, his proceeding to 'Hajj' will not be lawfull without the permission of his creditors.

(Manasik, Mulla Ali).

3. Be careful in legitimate collection of funds for 'Hajj'. The 'Hajj' performed with ill gotton funds stands unapproved and loses the Heavenly reward, though even then it stands discharged.

Rule Of Action:

A person with doubtful resources of his funds should borrow sufficient money for 'Hajj' expenses from a non-Muslim and then he should pay it back out of his own funds, so that he may not be deprived of the divine bounties and Heavenly rewards.

4. At the time of preparations for 'Hajj', do not forget to arrange for necessary cloth for 'Ihram'.

A sheet and a loin-cloth (i.e. two sheets of cloth) suffice the dress for 'Ihram'.

It is better to be of white cloth. An 'Ihram'  comprising of two big towels, which can be easily used in place of the necessary sheet and loin, is far better for the days of intense summer or chilly winter seasons.

If conveniently possible, arrange two or three 'Ihrams' for use one by one in case of their being dirty.

Hajj-Merits And Precepts By Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani.