{"_id":"69162dffadc606a241653a66","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Is it better to visit Madinah before Makkah for Hajj or ʿUmrah to \\\"seek the Prophet’s permission”?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Some people travel to Madinah before Makkah because they say they need the “permission” of the Prophet ﷺ before going to Hajj or ʿUmrah. What is the ruling on this? I've heard some say it is shirk, and others say it is an innovation.\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"According to the Mufti of Makkah, Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, many Shāfiʿī scholars held that it is better to perform Hajj before visiting the beloved Prophet ﷺ, as related by Imām al-Nawawī and others. However, other scholars, including Ibn Ḥajar himself, and in agreement with some early Muslim authorities, considered it better to visit the Prophet ﷺ before performing Hajj. This is ultimately a matter of scholarly judgment, with sound reasoning behind both views.\\n\\nTherefore, if some Muslims today choose to visit the Prophet ﷺ before going to Hajj, they should not be criticized or condemned for doing so.\\n\\nAs for the expression “seeking permission,” I have personally not heard this used, despite having spent many years among Indonesians. Yet I do not believe that those who say they visit the Prophet ﷺ to “seek permission” mean it literally. What they likely mean is that they visit him to seek blessing before Hajj, out of love and reverence for the one who taught us Hajj and every other act of worship, as well as every praiseworthy human trait. Their words should be understood metaphorically; as an expression of affection, respect, and spiritual connection, not worship.\\n\\nAll praise belongs to Allah, for never in the history of Islam has a single Muslim worshipped the Prophet ﷺ. The real problem arises when hearts that fail to understand love and reverence hastily accuse others of sin or idolatry. What would such people say if they had witnessed the Companions’ deep reverence for the Prophet ﷺ, how they competed for the drops of water that fell from his blessed body? Would they label the Companions as innovators or polytheists? May Allah protect us from ignorance and arrogance.\\n\\nThe key point is not to take such expressions literally. How could anyone reasonably think the Prophet ﷺ would deny someone permission to perform Hajj? Is not Hajj an obligation that he himself conveyed to us from Allah? It does not make any sense to seek permission for an obligation. Clearly, taking this statement literally would make no sense.\\n\\nTherefore, the most appropriate understanding is that such people seek the honor and blessing of visiting the Prophet ﷺ before Hajj, motivated by love, reverence, and gratitude for the one who guided us to every act of worship we perform today.\\n\\nMay Allah grant us love, understanding, and mercy in dealing with one another.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9ff50b76658b4c232a43","tag":"Hajj and Umrah: Other","count":39},{"_id":"668d9fe60b76658b4c23287a","tag":"Knowledge: Bidah","count":21}],"createdOn":"2025-11-13T19:14:07.852Z"}