Having read a Hadith in Al-Bukhari that a pilgrim will be rewarded in proportion to the amount of money he spends and the physical effort he undertakes, my rich friend plans to spend very generously on his pilgrimage and to cover the distance between the different places walking
While God rewards us richly for doing what He has assigned to us as duties, He also takes into account the trouble we take in order to fulfill these duties. A person who is in difficult circumstances, trying to save a little every month in order to pay for his journey to offer the pilgrimage, is rewarded for his persistence and determination to fulfill this duty. An old man who is physically weak and finds the tawaf and Sai’e very tiring, particularly when the area is overcrowded earns more reward for the extra physical effort he makes. But this does not mean that we should try to tire ourselves out in order to earn more reward. There are plenty of other ways, which ensure greater reward.
If we take the case of this rich man, he may decide to fly first class in order to increase his spending on his pilgrimage. But this is wrong. He may get more reward if he flies on a cheaper ticket and gives the difference as Sadaqah or charity. [It is acceptable, however, if he travels first class because he can afford it and it is his normal mode of travel as he finds it more comfortable.]
Similarly, he gains little by walking from Makkah to Arafat, particularly if he is not used to walking. He could travel in a more comfortable way and, if he wants more reward, he may offer night worship after the pilgrimage is over. What is important to realize is that there is no virtue in deliberately tiring ourselves out. If we have to make a greater effort because of our circumstances, God gives us reward for that, but we do not need to cause ourselves discomfort for that.
During the bus ride taking us from Mina to the Ka’abah for the tawaf of Ifadah, one or two of us might have dosed off because of tiredness. They went to the Ka'abah directly, without having a fresh ablution. Is this correct?
When you are on a bus, in the sitting position, and you dose off, then your ablution, or wudhu is not invalidated, because there is no possibility that you may inadvertently make a discharge of wind that would invalidate your ablution. Therefore, those people were all right to go to the Ka’abah and do their tawaf of Ifadah. They need not worry about the validity of their tawaf or their prayer, provided, of course, their ablutions were not invalidated in some other way.
Some people anticipate the imam when they are in congregational prayer and make their movements either with him or even preceding him. Please comment.
It is a very serious flaw in prayer if a person precipitates the imam’s action. The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: “The imam is there to be followed.” This is a clear instruction that everyone in the congregation should wait for the imam to make his move before they move. The Prophet, peace be upon him, also says: “Does not a person who lifts his head before the imam fear that God may change his head or his image into that of an ass?”
Imams should advise their congregation of the serious nature of this breach so that they may abide by the Prophet’s instructions.