Death during Hajj is a sign of a good conclusion of one’s deeds, Allah Willing. While a man was standing at ‘Arafah during the Hajj with the Messenger of Allah, he fell from his mount and broke his neck. The man was in the state of Ihram, thereupon the Prophet told his companions to bury him in his two garments and neither perfume him nor cover his head. He said: “He will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment proclaiming Talbiyah,” according to the Hadith of Bukhari and the Moslem.
The Chief Missioner of Ahlu-l-Lahi Society of Nigeria & Overseas, Sheikh Abdulahi Akinbode, says every activity of man depends on his or her intention. Without doubt, that is a great reward and most excellent degree. Hajj and Jihad are among the best deeds. But, to the best of our knowledge, there is no indication that he will be a martyr. Allah Knows best.
If you die during Hajj, keeping the Islamic perspective in mind, death is regarded as the end of the temporary world and the beginning of the world of the afterlife. In other words, it is the continuity of life in another form. Death can never be avoided, it can occur at any time, at any moment and every soul shall taste death. Every person’s term of death has been appointed and no one can intervene other than Allah.
When a believer holds the niyyah or intention of performing the pilgrimage of Hajj, they enter the state of Ihram. But if one passes away during the Hajj pilgrimage, if the intention is for the course of Allah, the judgement rests with the Almighty One.
If a pilgrim has gone to Hajj for materialistic tendencies, he will receive the reward for such and if he had gone to serve Allah, in order to fulfill the religious obligation, that is, a death in course of employment going by employment law, Decree 21 of Labour law.
On the issue of a pilgrim dying before entering the state of Ihram, Sheikh Akinbode says that according to the Islamic perspective, if a Muslim believer resolves to perform Hajj and then passes away, he must have died either before entering the state of Ihram or after. If the believer dies before entering into Ihram, Allah will reward the believer according to his intention. However, the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage must be performed on his behalf.
He added that a person experiencing death after entering the state of Ihram, according to the Islamic perspective, he shall have the reward of Hajj. He will also be raised on the Day of Judgment reciting the Talbiyah. For this reason, Hajj should not be performed on his behalf.
On the issue of a believer who saved money to perform Hajj but died before he could do so, he says, “If a believer resolves to perform Hajj by selling all his personal gains but dies before performing Hajj, Allah will Insha Allah record the reward of pilgrims for him because he intended to do an act of goodness and did all he could to prepare for Hajj. It is believed in Islam that if someone intends to do a good deed and begins to prepare for it, it will be recorded for him as if he did it. One of the person’s heirs should perform Hajj on his behalf with the money gained by selling his personal belongings.
He concludes that death at the Hajj is a blessing, if done with niyyah .For a Muslim believer to die during the Hajj pilgrimage is viewed as a major blessing. You are considered to have been cleansed of sin. There is a Hadith regarding What Happens If You Die During Hajj.
It is stated, “Whoever goes out for Hajj pilgrimage and dies, then the reward of Hajj will be written for him until the Day of Resurrection.” It is also proven in Sunnah that it is desirable for the believer who dies during Hajj to be buried in the Blessed Land of Makkah. On the whole, if one loses his life, he is regarded as ma tapi sheidh (somebody who died sinless) but the judgement is for Allah.
“It is only God who can determine that; the fact that someone dies in Hajj does not confer on him an express honour that he is going to Aljana, because before one goes to Aljana, he or she needs to be evaluated and appraised by the Almighty,” Akinbode said.
