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My brothers, my sisters, we are a few weeks away from the Hajj.

The Hajj is a fifth pillar of Islam.

It is incumbent upon those who can afford the journey,

who can manage it in terms of health and who have permission from authority to visit the holy lands.

That is called Istitaha, the overall ability.

It's not only about finances, it also has to do with your health and whether you are actually able to go.

And it also has to do with whether or not you have the permission to be there by authority in that particular land.

If you have all of that, you would then be one of those whom it is incumbent upon.

If you delay it unnecessarily, you would be sinful.

May Allah make it easy for all the Hajj, all those who are planning to go, all those who shall be going for the Hajj.

May Allah make it easy for them and accept it from them.

However, have you ever thought to yourself, why is it that Allah made this compulsory journey?

You've got to go to Makkah.

I was once asked by a non-Muslim, what's the big deal?

And I said, there's a very big deal.

Subhanallah, a huge deal, why not?

You may not understand it, but we do as Muslims.

So I thought perhaps we'd revise the history of it and see and refresh so that our hearts can yearn once again to visit the Holy Lands.

Remember, if you don't have the permission to go for the Hajj, but you do have permission to go for Umrah, which is the Minipul Grammich, then you should do so.

And the more often or however many times you could go for the Umrah, it will always be beneficial for you, for your spirituality, for your religion, for your closeness with Allah.

In fact, a narration says, the Minasins committed between two Umras that you have fulfilled are automatically wiped out.

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