Fifthly. The people of knowledge should teach the pilgrims the rites of Hajj and its commands according to the Book and the Sunnah whenever meeting with them, and that should not stop them from calling to Tawheed which is the essence of Islaam and was the reason for sending of the Prophets, and the sending down of revealed books, as most of the people whom we have met - even some of those who are supposed to be seeking knowledge - we have found to be in complete ignorance of the real meaning of oblivious to the necessity of the return of the Muslims - upon their differing madhabs (schools of thoughts) and various parties - to unification and joining ranks upon the basis of the Book and the Sunnah, - in belief (Aqeedah) and Regulations (AHkaam) and transactions, and behaviour, and politics and economic affairs and all other aspects of life. And they must remember that any voice raised or any movement made to reform which is based upon any foundation other than this firm splitting and weakening of the Muslims - and will increase their shamefulness and humiliation - and the present state of affairs is the greatest proof of that - and Allaah is the One Whose help is sought.

And there is nothing wrong with debating in the best way - when required, as the kind of argumentation that is forbidden in Hajj is useless argument which is also forbidden outside Hajj, just like the eveil-doing that is forbidden in Hajj - for that is not the debating which is commanded in Allaah ta'ala's saying [Soorat-un-Nahi aya 125].



"Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious..."

However, it should be noticed that if it appears that there is no benefit in the discussion because of the other persons blindly sticking to his madhab or own opinion - and if he were to continue then there is fear of going into that which is not permissible - then it is better to leave that argument with him as the Prophet said: "I am a claimant for a house in the outskirts of Paradise for one who leaves off arguing even if he is in the right...⁽⁶⁾

No Difficulty

And the one who is inviting to the truth should always make things easy for the people in general and the pilgrims in particular as this making things easy is one of the principles of the kind of Sharee'ah - as is known - as long as there is no text against the point, for when there is a specific text then it is not permissible to make things easy by opinion. And this is the just and middle way which it is binding for every caller to the truth to adopt. And there is no need to take any notice to the people's objecting after that and saying: He is too strict, he is too lenient.

And there are various actions which are permissible for the pilgrims which they have become used to avoiding due to some people's fatawa going against the aforementioned principle. So I decided to make note of those:

1. Bathing, without need to because of (e.g.) wet dreams (iHtilaam), even if it involves rubbing the head - as it is authentically reported from the Prophet in Bukhaaree and Muslim and others from the narration of Aboo Ayyoob (RH).⁽⁷⁾

2. Scratching the head, even if some hair falls out as shown by the preceding hadith of Aboo Ayyoob - and it is the saying of Shaikhul-Islaam Taimiyya (RH).

3. Cupping/Blood-letting (iHtijaam) even if some of the hair is shaved off in the place required, as the Prophet had it done on the center of his head while in iHraam - and that is not possible without shaving some fo the hair. And this is also the saying of Ibn Taymiyyah - and the Hanbali scholars also - however, they say that he must make a sacrifice to make up for it, and they have no proof of this. Rather that is rejected by the Prophet's cupping - and had he made a sacrifice because of having done that then the narrator would have reported that - and his not having done so shows that it did not happen - so the correct position is the saying of Ibn Taymiyyah (RH).