Praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, the last of prophets, on his family, and all his companions.

The Secretariat General of Academy, congratulates the pilgrims on their arrival in these Holy and Safe Places, coming from every distant path, enduring every trial (the hardest and the easiest), with different skins and nationalities, but united by Islam that reconciles hearts and souls. They came to answer the call of Allah, which concretizes in the most grandiose way the unity of Muslims and inscribes in the believing Muslim souls the sense of solidarity and consolidates the bonds of mutual aid and alliance between Muslims.

The Secretariat General of Academy would like to remind them of watching their character and conduct during the performance of their rites so that their Hajj may be accepted and their work approved, and so that they may attain the most perfect and fulfilling reward from their Creator.

Firstly: Hajj Al-Mabrur (accepted) is the one where the pilgrim strives not to perform sins and offences during the pilgrimage; no sexual intercourse, no perversions and no quarrels and strives in all his situations to perform acts of good and charity; to eat, drink, dress and spend only lawful money and to seek through his work only the Face of Allah. Allah said: « And they were not commanded except to worship Allah » Al-Bayyina -5

The sincerity (worshipping Allah exclusively) requires the pilgrim to attach his heart to Allah, to believe firmly that He holds by His Hand, the control of all things, and therefore, to devote all kinds of worship to Him alone, by following the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), and by following his path and not preferring any other word from anyone over his word, in accordance with what Allah (SWT), said « And whatever the Messenger has given you – take » Al-Hashr -7

Secondly, it is incumbent upon the pilgrim not to commit any offence that would dimish his Hajj and decrease his reward, especially since the Prophet (PBUH) promised a virtuous reward to the one who refrains from these, saying: “Whoever performs the Hajj avoiding Ar-Rafath and Al-Fusq, will come out of it as the day his mother gave birth to him.) Thus, Ar-Rafath refers to evoking words related to carnal desire and multiplying glances for pleasure and Al-Fusq refers to any act of perversity, including lying, backbiting, slander and insult and any act that may lead to litigation. It is up to the pilgrim to comply with the laws of Allah during the performance of his Hajj in order to deserve this great reward and take advantage of his stay in these Holy Places in everything that will bring him closer to Allah and to direct his body and soul towards this goal. It is also incumbent upon the pilgrim to feel the sanctity of these holy places, to behave well there and to experience the sacredness of this time. Furthermore, he should adhere to the lawful objectives of Hajj and all the precepts of Sharia such as good character and conduct and avoid any act that may lead to differences, disputes and animosities and refrain from anything that may cloud the atmosphere of Hajj and hinder the pilgrims such as clapping, spurious calls, rallying and all acts that may harm them.

Third: It is incumbent upon every pilgrim to strive to help his brothers to achieve all the objectives of their Hajj and to facilitate the performance of their rites by complying with the regulations and following the instructions of the Hajj organizers and the leaflets in Makkah, Madinah and all the Sacred Places which are designed to preserve order, which will benefit all and remove all the negative aspects that the Hajj seasons experience.

Finally, the Secretariat General of Academy takes this opportunity to express its sincere thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, headed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, May Allah protect him, for putting all means at the service of the pilgrims to the Sacred House of Allah and the visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque. We supplicate Allah to reward them with the best rewards, bless their efforts and support them in any work that facilitates the performance of the Hajj rites

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.

IIFA Secretariat