Mut'ah of Hajj

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This is a sub-article of Ihram.

"Mut'ah of Hajj" or "hajj al-tamattu" (joy of Hajj), involves relaxation of the ihram between the Umrah and Hajj, including the dress code and other prohibitions.

Contents

[edit] Introduction

[edit] Hajj

Hajj is the greater pilgrimage performed each year in Mecca where Muslims from all over the world participiate.

[edit] Umrah

Umrah, or the lesser pilgrimage, is a Hajj that is not performed on the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

[edit] Ehram

While being on a Hajj or Umrah, the participants need to adhere to certain strict clothing and moral codes.

[edit] Umar Uthman and Ali

All three were companions (Arabic: Sahaba) of Muhammad whom later became rulers (Arabic Caliph) of the Muslim community (Arabic: Ummah).

[edit] Overview

There exists two form of pilgrimage, the "minor pilgrimage "(Arabic Umrah) and the "major pilgrimage" (Arabic Hajj). The major one contains more rules, and is obligatory upon all Muslims to perform once per life. While doing a pilgrimage, no mater if it is minor or major, the Muslim needs to adher to some very strict dress codes that also includes some other rules (Arabic: Ihram).

In pre-Islamic Arabia, if one would go to the minor pilgrimage a short period before the major one would commence, he was forbidden to go out of the dress code if he intended to follow it up with a Major pilgrimage.

This rule was abrogated by Muhammad, who said it was allowed to go out of the strict dress codes between the two pilgrimages, and this relaxation became known as "joy" (Arabic: Mut'ah) or more distinctly, the "joy of pilgrimage", Mut'ah of Hajj or in Arabic :Hajj al-Tamattu. This is not mentioned in the Qur'an, rather it is a part of the Sunnah.

[edit] History

This relaxation was seen as one of the greatest sins in the pre Islamic days of Arabia, but Muhammad decreed the prohibitions of relaxation between the Umra and Hajj as void[1] during the Farewell Pilgrimage. At that point Umar, the future second Sunni Caliph, asked:

"Are we supposed to go to our wives and then go to the Kaaba"?[citation needed]

Following Muhammad's decree, some people chose to cast off their Ihram after the Umrah

[edit] Controversy

During Umars reign as Sunni Caliph, he re-introduced the prohibition.[2] Conflict arose between Ali and the other Sunni Caliphs regarding this issue. Uthman upheld Umars re-introduction and urged Ali to respect Umar's reintroduction of the pre-Islamic rules. Ali replied:

"I see you want to forbid people to do a thing that the Prophet did?"[3]

and:

"I will not leave the tradition [Sunnah] of the Prophet on the saying of a man ([Umar])."[4]

Shi'a Muslims view this as yet another point where Umar deviated from true Islam, by giving ignorant pre-Islamic fatwas, and his followers following them, despite Ali urging them to follow Muhammad's Sunnah.

Today, Sunni have changed their stance and allow the Mut'ah of Hajj.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sahih Bukhari 26.635
  2. ^ Sahih Muslim 7.2801, Hadith of Umar's speech of forbidding Mut'ah
  3. ^ Sahih Bukhari 26.640
  4. ^ Sahih Bukhari 26.634

[edit] External sources

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