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The most common Haji mistakes include: passing the miqat without ihram, reciting fabricated doa-doa for each tawaf circuit, pushing to kiss the Hajar Aswad, standing outside Arafah boundaries, leaving Arafah before sunset, skipping Muzdalifah, stoning all three Jamarat on the 10th, and shopping after the farewell tawaf. Each mistake has a specific remedy in the Sunnah.
The most common ihram mistakes include: (1) Passing the miqat without entering ihram — the jamaah haji must return to the miqat or pay fidyah (sacrifice a sheep). (2) Believing ihram is the clothing rather than the intention — ihram is a state entered through niyyah, not by wearing white cloths. (3) Men wearing underwear, socks, or fitted shoes beneath ihram garments — these are violations that require fidyah. (4) Women believing they must wear white or specific colors — women may wear any modest clothing. (5) Applying perfume to the ihram garments — perfume is only boleh on the body before making the niyyah, never on the garments. (6) Raising the voice in talbiyah for women — women should recite softly, not loudly. (7) Not making the conditional intention (ishtiraat) when there is a genuine fear of being prevented — Nabi permitted Duba'ah bint al-Zubayr to add this condition (Sahih Muslim, 1207). (8) Believing that wearing ihram garments before the miqat means being in ihram — wearing the garments without the intention does not initiate ihram.
Common tawaf errors include: (1) Reciting specific doa-doa for each circuit from books — there are NO authentic specific doa-doa assigned to individual circuits. The only established doa for a specific location is 'Rabbana atina fi al-dunya hasanah...' between the Yemeni Corner and the Hajar Aswad. The rest of tawaf is for any doa or dhikr you wish. (2) Pushing and shoving to kiss or touch the Hajar Aswad — the Sunnah when crowded is to point toward it and say 'Allahu Akbar.' Harming others is sinful and negates the reward. (3) Walking clockwise — the Kabah must ALWAYS be on your left side (counterclockwise). (4) Performing Raml (brisk walking) in all 7 circuits — Raml is only in the first 3 circuits and only in certain tawafs. (5) Wiping the body on the Kabah's walls or the Maqam Ibrahim — there is no basis for this in the Sunnah. (6) Touching all four corners of the Kabah — only the Hajar Aswad corner and the Yemeni Corner are touched in the Sunnah. (7) Praying the 2 rakaat of tawaf directly behind Maqam Ibrahim when it blocks the tawaf path — the shalat may be performed anywhere in the masjid. (8) Believing that wudhu breaking during tawaf invalidates all previous circuits — the majority say you renew wudhu and continue from where you stopped.
These are the most frequent errors pilgrims make during this stage of Hajj.
Scholarly references supporting this guidance from established Islamic sources.
Common sa'i errors include: (1) Starting sa'i at Marwa instead of Safa — sa'i MUST begin at Safa. Nabi (shallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: 'I begin with what Allah began with' and started at Safa (Sahih Muslim, 1218). Starting at Marwa means the first lap does not count. (2) Counting a round trip (Safa to Marwa and back) as one lap — each direction is one lap. Safa to Marwa = 1, Marwa to Safa = 2, and so on until 7, ending at Marwa. (3) Women jogging between the green markers — only men jog; women walk normally throughout. (4) Raising the hands toward the Kabah from Safa/Marwa as if praying — the hands are raised for doa, not for salah. (5) Climbing to the very top of Safa or Marwa — it is sufficient to reach the hill/marker and face the Kabah; you need not climb the ancient hilltop. (6) Believing sa'i requires wudhu — wudhu is sunnah but not required for sa'i menurut jumhur ulama. (7) Performing sa'i without completing tawaf first — sa'i must follow a valid tawaf. (8) Running the entire distance between Safa and Marwa — only the section between the green markers requires jogging for men.
Critical errors at Arafah include: (1) Standing OUTSIDE the boundary of Arafah — this is the most catastrophic mistake because it invalidates the entire Haji. The boundaries are marked with signs. Verify your location. The masjid of Namirah is partially outside Arafah — pray inside the boundary. (2) Leaving Arafah BEFORE sunset — Nabi (shallallahu alaihi wa sallam) stayed until sunset (Sahih Muslim, 1218). Leaving before sunset requires a fidyah (sacrifice) according to many scholars. (3) Fasting on the Day of Arafah while performing Haji — Nabi did not fast at Arafah during Haji. Fasting on this day is for non-jamaah haji. Umm Fadl sent a cup of milk to Nabi on Arafah and he drank it, showing he was not fasting (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1988). (4) Spending the day at Arafah in idle talk, sleeping excessively, or socializing instead of making doa — this is the greatest day of the year and the time for intensive doa. (5) Facing the mountain of Arafah (Jabal al-Rahmah) instead of the Qiblah — face the Qiblah when making doa, not the mountain. (6) Climbing Jabal al-Rahmah, believing it has special virtue — there is no special virtue in climbing the mountain; Nabi stood at the base near the rocks.
Common Muzdalifah errors include: (1) Skipping the overnight stay at Muzdalifah entirely without excuse — this is wajib, and missing it requires fidyah. (2) Delaying Maghrib and Isha past their combined time — pray them as soon as you arrive, combined with one adhan and two iqamahs. Do not delay. (3) Praying nafl shalat between Maghrib and Isha — Nabi (shallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not pray any nafl between them at Muzdalifah (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1673). (4) Leaving Muzdalifah before midnight without being among the weak, elderly, or women — the dispensation to leave early is only for those with valid excuses. (5) Spending excessive time collecting pebbles — you only need 7 for the first day; the rest can be collected at Mina. Small pebbles the size of chickpeas are sufficient. (6) Washing the pebbles — there is no basis for washing them in the Sunnah. (7) Believing you must collect pebbles specifically from Muzdalifah — pebbles may be collected from anywhere within the Haram boundaries.
Frequent stoning errors include: (1) Stoning all three Jamarat on the 10th of Dzulhijjah — only Jamarat al-Aqaba (the large pillar) is stoned on the 10th. The small and middle pillars are stoned only on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. (2) Throwing large rocks or shoes — Nabi (shallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said to use small pebbles the size of chickpeas (Sahih Muslim, 1299). (3) Stoning before noon (zawal) on the days of Tashreeq — the time for stoning on the 11th, 12th, and 13th begins after zawal according to the majority. Only the 10th has flexibility for stoning before noon. (4) Stoning in the wrong order on Tashreeq days — the correct order is small, middle, then large. Reversing the order requires re-stoning. (5) Not stopping for doa after the small and middle pillars — the Sunnah is to move aside, face the Qiblah, and make doa after stoning each of these two. (6) Making doa after stoning the large pillar — Nabi did NOT make doa after Jamarat al-Aqaba. (7) Throwing all 7 pebbles at once — each pebble must be thrown separately with 'Allahu Akbar.' (8) Appointing a proxy for stoning without genuine inability — delegation is only permitted for the sick, elderly, pregnant women, and young children.
Common innovations and general mistakes include: (1) Visiting the graves of Nabi's companions or other historical sites as acts of worship — visiting graves is for making doa for the deceased, not for seeking blessings from them. (2) Touching and wiping the walls of the Kabah or Maqam Ibrahim seeking barakah — only touching the Hajar Aswad and the Yemeni Corner is from the Sunnah. Umar ibn al-Khattab said about the Hajar Aswad: 'I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits. Had I not seen Nabi kiss you, I would not have kissed you' (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1597). (3) Believing that Haji requires visiting Madinah — Haji is complete without visiting Madinah. Visiting Nabi's Masjid is a separate meritorious act. (4) Performing specific numbers of shalat at specific spots in Masjidil Haram — there are no authentic narrations prescribing specific shalat counts at specific locations. (5) Group dhikr in unison during tawaf or at Arafah where one person chants and others repeat — each person should make their own individual doa. (6) Tying ribbons or cloth on fences near holy sites — this is a superstitious practice with no basis. (7) Shopping or conducting business after the farewell tawaf — the farewell tawaf must be the last act before departure.