Step 3 of 12
The Pillars and Obligations of Hajj
The acts of hajj are of three kinds. A pillar (rukn) is an act without which the hajj is not valid, and no sacrifice can make up for it. An obligation (wajib) is required, but if it is missed, a sacrifice (dam) makes up for it and the hajj stands. The rest of what the Prophet ﷺ did is sunnah: it brings reward, and no penalty is due for leaving it.
All four schools agree that standing at 'Arafah and the tawaf of hajj that follows it (tawaf al-ifadah) are pillars. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Hajj is 'Arafah," and Allah says: ﴿وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا۟ بِٱلْبَيْتِ ٱلْعَتِيقِ﴾ (“And let them circle the Ancient House.”)
They also agree that stoning the jamarat is an obligation, not a pillar. Beyond this the schools sort the remaining acts differently, as set out below, and each step of this guide notes where they differ on its ruling.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Take your rites from me." Whatever the ruling on an act, the best course is to perform it as he performed it.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Is ihram a pillar of hajj?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi.
Show each school
- Condition (shart)Hanafi
- Pillar (rukn)Maliki · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- Ihram is a condition of hajj, like purity for the prayer: it must come before the rites but is not itself one of them.
- Maliki
- Ihram, the intention of entering the rites, is the first of the pillars of hajj.
- Shafi'i
- Ihram, the intention to enter hajj, is the first of its pillars, and no sacrifice can replace it.
- Hanbali
- Ihram is a pillar of hajj, based on the hadith that deeds are only by their intentions.
Is the sa'i between Safa and Marwah a pillar of hajj?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi.
Show each school
- Obligatory (wajib)Hanafi
- Pillar (rukn)Maliki · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- The sa'i is obligatory but not a pillar; one who leaves it owes a sacrifice, and his hajj stands.
- Maliki
- The sa'i is a pillar; the hajj is not complete without it, and no sacrifice can replace it.
- Shafi'i
- The sa'i is a pillar, because the Prophet ﷺ performed it in his hajj, and no sacrifice can replace it.
- Hanbali
- In the relied-upon view the sa'i is a pillar; another narration from Imam Ahmad holds that it is obligatory and made up by a sacrifice.
Is shaving or shortening the hair a pillar of hajj?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Shafi'i.
Show each school
- Obligatory (wajib)Hanafi · Maliki · Hanbali
- Pillar (rukn)Shafi'i
- Hanafi
- Shaving or shortening is obligatory, and it is what releases the pilgrim from ihram.
- Maliki
- Shaving or shortening is obligatory, and leaving it calls for a sacrifice.
- Shafi'i
- In the relied-upon view, shaving or shortening is a rite of hajj and one of its pillars, which no sacrifice can replace.
- Hanbali
- Shaving or shortening is one of the obligations of hajj, and leaving it calls for a sacrifice.
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi 889 Graded by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih · Al-Albani: Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad SahihSahih
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1949 Graded by Al-Albani: Sahih · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Sahih · Shuaib Al Arnaut: Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad SahihSahih
- Qur'an 22:29
- Sahih Muslim 1297Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
Create a free account to keep your place as you go. Create a free account · Sign in