Not just a Journey. It’s a Rebirth.
There is no deed more noble, more blessed, or more transformative than Hajj.
It is the greatest act of worship a Muslim can perform in their lifetime. It is a divine invitation. It is a journey of the heart before it is a journey of the body. And it is a chance to begin again.
But this opportunity comes with a warning: if you don’t go to Hajj with the right niyyah (intention), the right frame of mind, and the right attitude, you risk walking away having missed the greatest spiritual gift ever offered to you. Sadly, many people go to Hajj with the mindset of just ticking the box. “Because of the obligation. It’s something I need to cross off my list.” That sort of mindset destroys the barakah. It strips away the soul of Hajj.
Hajj is not meant to be transactional. It is meant to be transformational.
You must go to Hajj with the firm belief that you will not return the same person. You will return as a new version of yourself. A cleansed and an elevated version of yourself. You are being given a chance to wipe your record clean a literal rebirth.
If you fail to recognise this jackpot, this divine reset, then you have missed the opportunity.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever performs Hajj for Allah’s pleasure and does not commit sexual relations nor sin nor argue unjustly will return like the day his mother gave birth to him.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
This is not a metaphor. This is the reality of Hajj. It is rebirth. It is purification. It is a new beginning.
One of the most powerful illustrations of such an event is in the story of Amr ibn al-‘As (RA). He was the final person to accept Islam before the Hijrah, an elite Qurayshi leader, known for his fierce opposition to the Prophet ﷺ. When he finally decided to accept Islam, he hesitated as he stretched out his hand. The Prophet ﷺ asked, “O Amr, what is the matter?” and Amr replied, “I have a condition that Allah will forgive all I’ve done before this.”
The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said:
“O Amr, don’t you know that Islam wipes away what came before it? That Hijrah wipes away what came before it? And that Hajj wipes away what came before it?” [Sahih Muslim]
Even in that early stage of Islam, Hajj was described as a complete erasure of the past. The one who performs Hajj sincerely returns sinless, clean, and pure.
That is what you are being offered. And yet... many people walk away from Hajj unchanged. Untransformed. Unaware.
Why?
They approached Hajj with the wrong mindset.
So, what's the right mindset for Hajj?
You need to reorient your heart and ask yourself:
Why am I really going to Hajj?
Is my intention to share with others that I have completed it?
Is my intention simply to check it off my bucket list?
Or am I going because I want to come back as a new person?
Your niyyah is everything. It is the seed from which all spiritual fruits grow. If your niyyah is sincere and your goal is to seek Allah, be cleansed, and be renewed, then every test, every step, and every challenge you face in Hajj, it will elevate you.
Hajj is not just a series of rituals. It is a series of mirrors reflecting who you are, where you are going, and what you need to change.
One minute you are in a 5-star hotel. The next, you are sleeping under the open sky of Muzdalifah. One day you’re walking in comfort, the next you’re drained in a crowd of millions. Hajj will break you, and that’s the point. It will break your ego, your routine, and your attachments so that you can be rebuild again.
Allah didn’t invite you to be humiliated. He (SWT) wants to honour you. He wants to forgive you, and he wants to elevate you.
You are his guest. And the One who invites does so out of love, mercy, and generosity.