The Sin of Hajj Explained | Khaled Abou El Fadl | Usuli Excerpts

In this clip from the Q&A session for Surah 59: Al Hashr and Surah 24: Al Nur, part of the Project Illumine Original Qur'anic Commentary (Tafsir) Halaqas, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl elaborates on why he has come to the determination that spending money to attend Hajj given the current authorities who have asserted dominance over the holy sites of Islam has now become a sin.
He further explains this assertion originally made in his Khutbah from 24 June 2022 (see link below). He also references previous fatawas in Islamic history that similarly arrived at the prohibition of Hajj when it was dominated by unjust authorities (see link below).
The Khutbahs where Dr. Abou El Fadl addresses the current state of Hajj are below:
The Myth of the Decent Person and the Sin of Hajj, Usuli Institute Khutbah, 24 June 2022
• The Myth of the Decent...
The Calculus of A Moral Decision and the Tapestry of Morality, Usuli Institute Khutbah, 17 June 2022
• The Calculus of A Mora...
The book the Shaykh references is:
“Intellectual Life in the Hijaz before Wahhabism Ibrahim al-Kuranis (d. 1101/1690) Theology of Sufism” By Naser Dumairieh
The article the Shaykh references is: Prohibiting the Pilgrimage: Politics and Fiction in Mālikī Fatwās brill.com/view/journals/ils/2...
For more on Charles Koch who the Shaykh mentions: The Muslim Cost of SCOTUS and the Dawning of the New Colonizer, Usuli Institute Khutbah, 1 July 2022
• The Muslim Cost of SCO...
Visit the recording of the Q&A where this excerpt was taken from to hear the question and full response:
Surah 59: Al Hashr and Surah 24: Al Nur | Q&A | Project Illumine
• Surah 59: Al Hashr and...
Also relevant to this topic, on 8 August 2022, Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl discusses more on Mecca and Saudi Arabia today during the Project Illumine Halaqa on Surah 22: Al Hajj.
Explore our KZbin page for more short excerpts from our Project Illumine Halaqa series. Additionally, follow us on our social media platform like Instagram (@usuliinstitute) where you will find more short excerpts, quotes, and clips from our videos!

[@gatnash]

Inability to visit Mecca will always be deeply painful for those of us who used our voices to speak up about injustice. The moral clarity of this khutbah gives some consolation. Thank you.

[@mariumjeelani9431]

This was amazing. Sheikh's words are always so intellectually rich and well-articulated. They always speak of true morality and justice. Thank you to the entire team for all their efforts x

[@latifx3944]

I would love to go to Hajj, but it is grossly expensive, and I have a hard time believing the Prophet would have approved. Ive long argued with myself if I would even go due to the corruption but tied to obligation. Hearing about him standing on the Kabba twisted my stomach and Im not sure I would have been able to remain silent at the sight in person. Ive asked people in authority around my mosque ways to help refugees Muslims and similar things, but everyone seems so complacent and would rather throw dinner parties. Any time I ask, the subject is quickly changed or ignored. Maybe its because Im a not a "born" muslim, as we (or so it seems) are kept separate from our fellow brothers and sisters and, as a result, arent as productive as we could be. Ive just become so frustrated that when I give, i give in charity towards places and people that I know are actively involved and have mostly ceased interacting at my local mosque. Thank you for discussing the subject, as it has weighed heavy on my heart. Peace be upon you.

[@jamies7899]

May Allah keep you safe and secure. Thank you for the alternative to hajj; I have been conflicted about that for some time.

[@luqman.luqman.luqman]

Subhanallah! This is a very sad reality ya Shaykh

[@anonymous2150]

Thought provoking. Huwallahi i never think that way.

[@chegeuvera]

Truth

[@delstone5736]

The Prophet (saw) would seek to reestablish Islam via the khilafah in the Hijaz and then unite the Muslim lands under as we saw in the first century of Islam. Sadly this is all ignored today.

[@dearrationals]

Dear Sheikh, I have a question. I will give an example. A Muslim woman is oppressed and a victim of much violence and misogyny in her so-called "Islamic" land. She moves to a European country for safety. Perhaps she feels bitter helping such a Muslim ummah. (After all, no white coloniser is holding the hand of a Muslim man and forcing him to treat women this way and to restrict their rights and movement). What would you advise her?

[@musoodtoffie4838]

Just a reminder, no person spends money to go on hajj to fatten the pockets of this or that person. We don't go because we wish to contribute to a noble cause. We go because our Creator commands it. Allah's commands are not subject to anybody's geo political concerns, we don't negotiate with our Lord on our terms. You want to make the Muslim world better by literally crumbling a fundamental pillar of islam, that in itself is so crazy to comprehend but you literally spoke on behalf of Allah and said that Allah will listen, understand and forgive those who listen to you...forget everything else and really understand what it means that you genuinely deciding gods forgiveness and cursing people to hell fire. You've gifted yourself authority even our Nabi did not have...

[@belzeri6518]

Did Allah not tell us that killing someone unjustly is like killing the whole of humanity ? If our money is going to the corrupt Saudi Hindutva Zionist regime to kill innocent people in Yemen palestine India and who else god knows where, then we are committing a major sin as we would be partaking and supporting the people in taking the life of other unjustly

[@noorahamid3376]

The prophet didn't do hajj when the kaaba was in the hands of the oppressors of arabia so why should we when it is under the authority of one of the largest oppressors of our time. Just because they claim to be muslims doesn't mean they practice any of the values islam came to establish.