Hajj is a significant act of worship for Muslims. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim wants to perform Hajj at least once in life. According to hadith, the reward of an accepted Hajj is nothing but Jannah.
If you can’t do Hajj now, you will be happy to know that some good deeds will give you the same rewards as Hajj. So, you should know these righteous actions and perform them. Let’s reveal the deeds that equal the reward of Hajj.
What is the Reward of Hajj?
There are many hadiths that describe the rewards of Hajj. Some of them are-
a) Hajj Expiates Sins
Abu Hurairah (R) said I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allah, avoiding all sexual matters, and keeping away from sins (during Hajj), will come back as (free from sins) as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him” [Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
b) Accepted Hajj Results Paradise
Abu Hurairah (R) reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “The performance of Umrah is expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous ones. And the reward of Hajj Mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.” [Sahih Bukhari]
Righteous Deeds with Rewards Like Hajj
1. Performing Ablution at Home and Offering Fard Salah in Jamah
Praying Fard (obligatory) prayer in Jamah (union/congregation) is mandatory for Muslims. When you carry out ablution at home and then offer Farad prayer in the congregation, you will get the reward of Hajj as mentioned in the hadith.
The Messenger of Allah Muhammad ﷺ said: “Whoever performs ablution in his home and then goes out to perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque has a reward similar to the reward of a Hajj pilgrim. Whoever goes out to perform the (voluntary) mid-morning prayer (Duha) has a reward same as the reward of the one performing Umrah.” [Sunan Abu Dawud]
In another hadith, Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “Has Allah not rendered for you the ‘Isha’ prayer in congregation equal to Hajj, and the Fajr prayer in congregation equal to ‘Umrah?” [Sahih Muslim]
2. Dhikr from Fajr to Sunrise and Praying Two Rak’ahs
Remembering Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala during the beginning and end of the day have lots of significance. And Dhikr after the Fajr prayer and afterwards praying two rak’as will give you the equal rewards of Hajj according to hadith.
Anas ibn Maalik (R) narrated that The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever prays Fajr in the congregation, then sits down and engages in Dhikr-Azkar (Allah’s remembrance) until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, he will have the reward of one Hajj and one Umrah. Complete! Complete! Complete!” [Jami at-Tirmidhi]
Based on this hadith, some scholars say if women pray at home and do the same, they will get the reward too.
3. Sincere Intention of Doing Hajj
In Islam, good intentions have great virtues. If you intend to do a good deed like Hajj, then try for it at your best but can’t perform Hajj for some reason, you’ll get the reward of Hajj insha Allah. The following hadith supports it.
In a Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said: “The one who intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, he will get rewarded for it as if he did it. And if he does it, his reward will be multiplied ten times.” [Sahih Muslim]
4. Dhikr after Obligatory Prayer
Abu Darda (R) narrated, “We say once to the Prophet, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Rich people are surpassing us in reward. They perform Hajj; we do not perform Hajj. They join in the struggle; we cannot join. Then the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Shall I tell you about a deed that you do that will earn you more reward than what they do? And that is after every prayer you read Allahu Akbar 34 times, Subhanallah 33 times, and Alhamdulillah 33 times.” [Musnad Ahmad]
5. Being Good to Your Parents
Islam gives a high rank to parents. The Quran and Sunnah teach us to care for our parents at our highest level. The reward of serving parents is similar to the reward of Hajj.
Anas (R) reports that a man came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said: “I wish to participate in Jihad, but I cannot afford it.” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ enquired if any of his parents were alive, to which he said: “Yes! My mother is alive”. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Show Allah how you serve her. If you do so (properly), you will be like a: Haji (one doing Hajj), a Mu’tamir (one doing ‘Umrah), and a Mujahid (one striving in the way of Allah).” [Tabarani]
6. Learning and Teaching in The Masjid
The first word of the Quran (according to revelation) is IQRA (read). Quran and Sunnah mention different virtues to the teachers and students of Islamic knowledge. The following hadith highlights the rewards like Hajj.
Abu Umama (R) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever goes to the mosque with the intention of learning or teaching something good will be rewarded like a person who performs Hajj completely.” [Tabarani]
7. Preparing Pilgrim or Take Care of His Family
Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever prepares a pilgrim or takes care of his family, he will receive a reward equal to that of a Hajj; It will not be reduced from the reward of the Hajj.” [Sahih Ibn Khuzaimah]
8. Performing Umrah in Ramadan
Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) narrates Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “If you perform Umrah in Ramadan, you will get the same reward as performing Hajj with me.” [Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim]
9. Observing the Ten Days of I’tikaf
Ali Ibn Hussain (R) narrates from his father (RA) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “He who observes the ten days I’tikaf during Ramadhan will obtain the reward of two Hajj and two Umrah.” [Bayhaqi]
10. Leaving Masjid for Learning or Teaching Goodness
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever leaves for the mosque in the morning, for no reason but to learn goodness or teach others, he will have a reward as if he has completed the Hajj pilgrimage.” [Al-Mujam al-Kabir]
11. Attending Eid Prayer
Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym (RA) said, “The reward for attending Eid al-Fitr prayer is equal to the reward of performing ‘Umrah, and the reward for attending Eid al-Adha Prayer is equal to that of performing Hajj.” [Lata’if al-Ma’arif]
Several More Righteous Deeds
There are also a few more deeds that have similar rewards to Hajj, according to some righteous predecessor scholars. Some of these honourable tasks include-
i. Performing Jumu’ah Prayer
Sa`id bin al-Musayyib (R) narrated that offering the Jumu’ah (Friday) Prayer is “more beloved to me than a Nafl (voluntary) Hajj.”
ii. Fulfilling Fellow Muslim’s Needs
Hasan al-Basri, (R) said, “Going to fulfill the fellow Muslim brother’s need is better than one Hajj after another.”
iii. Avoiding Sin
Fudhail ibn Iyadh (R) said, “Protecting one’s tongue against sin is more important than Hajj or Jihad.”
Some other predecessor Islamic scholars said: “To abstain from any wrong deed is better than five hundred voluntary Hajj”
Conclusion
The aforementioned good deeds aren’t alternatives to Hajj. These are some righteous acts that will give you rewards like Hajj. These actions are easy to do but give lots of rewards. So, Muslims shouldn’t miss these good acts anyway. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala accept all of us to do these noble actions to gain the reward of Hajj.
Note: Remember you must perform Hajj when it becomes Fard (obligatory) upon you. Nothing compares to physically performing Hajj.
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