16 Spiritual Effects of Hajj

There are countless virtues of the rites of Hajj and much wisdom behind them. Whoever is blessed with the correct understanding of them is blessed with much goodness. Here are 16 examples of the spiritual effects of Hajj on a person:

When a person travels to carry out the rituals of Hajj, he is reminded of his journey to Allah and the Hereafter. When he travels, he leaves behind his dear friends, wife, children and homeland – likewise is the journey of the hereafter.
The one who goes on this journey equips himself with enough provision to help him reach the sacred land, so let him remember that for his journey to Allah, he needs to have sufficient provisions to help him get there safely.
When the pilgrim puts on the two garments of his ihram (in which case he is called a muhrim), he cannot help but be reminded of the shroud in which he will be wrapped after he dies. This prompts one to give up disobedience and sin. Just as he has given up his regular clothing for Hajj, likewise he has to give up sin.
When one says “Labbayk Allahumma labbayk” at the miqat (station of entering ihram), he means that he has responded to his Lord, so how can he insist on still sinning and not respond to Allah’s call to give it up?
When one gives up haram things while he is a muhrim, and keeps himself busy with the talbiyah and dhikr, this shows him how the Muslim should be any other day.
When one enters the Sacred House of Allah, which has been made as a safe haven for mankind, he remembers the sanctuary of the Day of Resurrection, which no one can reach without striving hard and making a resolute effort. The greatest thing that keeps a person safe on the Day of Resurrection is tawhid (monotheism) and avoiding shirk(associating others with Allah).
Kissing of the Black Stone teaches the visitor to honour the sunnah and not to oppose the laws of Allah with his weak reasoning. He recognises that there is wisdom and goodness behind the laws and rituals which Allah has prescribed for mankind, and he trains himself to submit himself totally to Allah.
When one does tawaf, he is reminded of our father Ibrahim (AS), who built the House to be a place of sanctuary for mankind and a place of safety. He called them to perform pilgrimage to this House, as did the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
When one drinks the water of Zamzam, he is reminded of the blessing which Allah has bestowed upon mankind in the form of this blessed water, from which millions of people have drunk throughout time, but it has never dried up.
When one performs saʿi, he is reminded of the trial that afflicted Hajar (RH), the mother of Isma’il (AS) and the wife of Ibrahim (AS); when she ran back and forth between al-Safa’ and al-Marwah, searching for water which would save her from what she was suffering, and especially so that she could give her little son, Isma’il (AS), water to drink. Since this woman was patient in the face of this adversity and turned to her Lord. This teaches man that whatever the need may be, we should turn to Allah.
The wuquf (standing) in ʿArafah reminds the pilgrim of the groups of people on the Day of Gathering. If the pilgrim feels exhausted from being in a crowd of thousands, how will it be to be amongst the whole of mankind, barefooted, naked, uncircumcised and standing for a very long time?
When one throws the pebbles at the Jamarat, the Muslim is physically denouncing the satan and following the sunnah of the Isma’il (AS) and the Prophet Muḥammad (SAW), while training oneself to obey Allah unquestioningly. Even if he does not understand the reason and wisdom behind this throwing (ramy), and cannot make the connection between rulings and their purpose, this is a demonstration of complete submission (ʿubudiyyah) to Allah.
When one slaughters his sacrifice (hady), one is reminded of the great event when our father Ibrahim (AS) submitted to the command of Allah to sacrifice his only son Isma’il (AS), after he had grown up and become a help to him. One is also reminded that there is no room for emotions which go against the commands and prohibitions of Allah.
When one comes out of ihram and all that had been forbidden once again becomes permissible, this teaches one about the result of patience and that after hardship there is ease.
When one has finished performing all the rituals of Hajj as they were prescribed by Allah and in the manner that Allah loves, one can hope that Allah will forgive all the sins, as the Prophet (SAW) promised in the hadith, “Whoever does Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not have sexual relations (with one’s wife), commit sin, or dispute unjustly (during the Hajj), will come back like the day his mother gave birth to him.” This presents one an opportunity to start a new page in his life, free of sin.
When one comes back to his spouse and children, and experiences the joy of meeting them again, this reminds him of the greater joy of meeting them in Paradise. This also teaches him that the greatest loss is losing oneself and one’s family on the Day of Resurrection, as Allah says, “The losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, that will be a manifest loss!”