The jurists unanimously agreed that the permissibility of shedding the blood of the hadiy – except in the case of one who is prevented from completing Hajj – is limited to the Haram, and it is not permissible to slaughter the sacrifice outside the sanctuary.

If a person has intercourse with his wife after the first stage of exiting Ihram and before doing Tawaf Al-Ifadah, he is sinful but his Hajj is not rendered invalid. He should go out of the Haram zone in order to enter Ihram anew, and do Tawaf Al-Ifadah. He also has to slaughter a sheep, and distribute the meat to the poor of the Haram, and not eat any of it himself.

• If you have intercourse during `Umrah before completing Sa`i, the `Umrah is invalidated, but you have to complete it, then make it up and sacrifice a sheep on behalf of each of you, to be slaughtered in Makkah and its meat distributed to the poor. • With regard to intercourse after Sa`i but before shaving the head or cutting the hair, it does not invalidate `Umrah, but Fidyah is due with a choice between offering a sacrifice, fasting for three days or feeding six poor persons.

If the pilgrim does any of the restrictions of Ihram deliberately with no excuse, he has sinned and the violation is of three types: 1. That for which there is no Fidyah, which is entering into a marriage contract. 2. That for which the Fidyah is to sacrifice a camel, which is having intercourse before the first stage of exiting Ihram. 3. That for which the Fidyah is to fast for three days, which may be done consecutively or separately, as he chooses; or to sacrifice a sheep of a type that is acceptable for the `Eid sacrifice, or one-seventh of a camel or of a cow instead, and to distribute its meat among the poor and not eat any of it himself; or to feed six poor persons, giving each one half a Sa` of staple food. He is given the choice between these three options if he removes any hair or nails, puts on perfume, touches a woman with desire (but without having intercourse), if a woman puts on gloves or a face-veil, or if a male puts on form-fitting clothes or covers his head.

7 Things to avoid in ihram: 1- shaving the hair of the head; 2- using perfume; 3- sexual intercourse; 4- touching one’s wife with desire; 5- killing game; 6- wearing sewn garments by men; 7- wearing niqab by women.

The obligatory acts of Hajj are seven: 1- Entering ihram; 2- Standing in ‘Arafah; 3- Staying overnight in Mina; 4- Staying overnight in Muzdalifah; 5- Stoning the Jamarat; 6- Shaving the head or cutting the hair; and 7- Farewell tawaf.

• Hajj by proxy (Hajj al-badal) is not valid in the case of the obligatory Hajj on behalf of one who is able to perform Hajj himself. • Hajj al-badal may be performed on behalf of a sick person who has no hope of recovery, or one who is physically incapable, or one who has passed away. • Proxy Hajj cannot be done on behalf of one who is financially incapable (and cannot afford to go for Hajj), because the obligation of Hajj is waived for the one who is poor. • It is permissible for a woman to perform Hajj on behalf of a man, and for a man to perform Hajj on behalf of a woman. • It is not permissible for anyone to perform Hajj on behalf of two or more people in one Hajj. • It is not permissible for anyone to have the aim of earning money by performing Hajj on behalf of another. • If a Muslim dies without having performed the obligatory Hajj, and he met all the conditions of it being obligatory, then it is obligatory to perform Hajj on his behalf from the wealth that he left behind. • With regard to evaluating the Hajj that a man performs on behalf of someone else, and whether it is like the Hajj he does for himself, or is lesser or greater in virtue, that is known only to Allah. • The best is for a son to perform Hajj on behalf of his father, and for a relative to perform Hajj on behalf of his relative, but if he hires a stranger to do it, that is permissible. • It is not stipulated that the one who performs Hajj on a person’s behalf should know his name. • It is not permissible for the one who has been appointed to perform Hajj on behalf of someone else to appoint someone else to do it except with the consent of the one who originally appointed him. • One should seek out good, sincere and trustworthy people who have knowledge of the rites of Hajj to perform proxy Hajj (Hajj al-badal).

There are 5 conditions of Hajj being obligatory: 1- being Muslim; 2- being of sound mind; 3- being an adult; 4- being free and 5- being able to do it.

Some virtues of Makkah and Madinah: 1. The best spot on earth, in and of itself, is Makkah, then Madinah. 2. One prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah is better than one hundred thousand prayers offered in any other mosque. 3. Makkah is unique in that it is the place where Hajj and `Umrah. 4. Allah, may He be Exalted, swears by Makkah. 5. Allah, may He be Exalted, decreed Makkah to be a sanctuary the day He created the heavens and the earth. 6. Madinah is the location of Hijrah. 7. In Madinah, most of the verses on rulings and laws were revealed. 8. In Madinah there is the Prophet’s Mosque and the blessed Rawdah.

1. The actions of Hajj and `Umrah are among the things prescribed which is difficult to comprehend the wisdom behind them, and they were prescribed in this manner as a test to see to what extent people will obey their Lord, for Allah tests His slaves with whatever He wills. 2. The pilgrim who is doing Hajj or `Umrah should not leave any time during his Hajj or `Umrah to be wasted with that which is of no benefit; rather he should strive to remember Allah, may He be exalted, as much as he can, and honour the symbols of Allah as they should be honoured.