This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail Amaal.
Allah Almighty says: ﴿فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾
"Therein are clear signs, the standing place of Ibrahim, and whoever enters it is safe. And Hajj to the House (Kaaba) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the journey; and whoever disbelieves, then indeed Allah is free from need of the worlds."
Reference: (3-Al Imran:97)
The majority of scholars have deduced the obligation of Hajj from ﴿وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ﴾. Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime after reaching puberty.
As proven from the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated by Imam Ahmad and Muslim, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon and said that Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj.
And Hajj is obligatory upon the one who is capable. Al-Hakim narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that it was asked from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) what is meant by (Sabeel) in this noble verse? He (peace be upon him) replied: the expenses of the journey and the riding animal. Al-Hakim says this hadith is authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim.
Reference: (Taseer ur-Rahman: 195/1)
قالت عائشة رضي الله عنها أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ما من يوم أكثر من أن يعتق الله عزوجل فيه عبدا من النار، من يوم عرفة، وإنه ليدنو ثم يباهي بهم الملائكة فيقول: ما أراد هؤلاء؟
Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Hellfire than the Day of Arafah. Then He boasts about them to the angels and says: What do these people want?"
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Hajj, Chapter on the Virtue of the Day of Arafah, No: 1348.
Benefit: Arafah is the fundamental pillar of Hajj. Pilgrims gather in the plain of Arafah on the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah. The Hajj sermon is delivered there.
عن عائشة رضي الله عنه قالت: يا رسول الله! نرى الجهاد أفضل العمل، أفلا نجاهد؟ فقال: لكن أفضل الجهاد حج مبرور
Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: O Messenger of Allah! We consider Jihad the most virtuous deed; should we not engage in Jihad? He (peace be upon him) replied: "The best Jihad for you is an accepted Hajj."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Hajj, Chapter on the Virtue of an Accepted Hajj, No: 1520.
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: بني الإسلام على خمس: شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وحج البيت، وصوم رمضان
Narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Islam is built upon five things: bearing witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakat, performing Hajj to the House, and fasting Ramadan."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Faith, Chapter on How Much is Your Faith, No: 8; Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter on the Explanation of the Pillars of Islam, No: 16.
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: من حج لله، فلم يرفث، ولم يفسق، رجع كيوم ولدته أمه
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: "Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or wrongdoing, nor disobeys Allah, will return as free from sin as the day his mother bore him."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Hajj, Chapter on the Virtue of an Accepted Hajj, No: 1521; Sahih Muslim, Book of Hajj, Chapter on the Virtue of the Day of Arafah, No: 1350.
