مَحْظُورَاتُ الْإِحْرَامِ وَالْفِدْيَةُ

The principle Allah says: "Hajj is in well-known months. Whoever undertakes it must not engage in intimate relations (rafath), nor sin (fusuuq), nor quarrel (jidaal) during Hajj" (meaning of 2:197, text below). Once in iḥraam, permitted things become forbidden, until one leaves iḥraam (lessons 5 and 7). And sins, which are always forbidden, become even more serious.

Prohibitions for everyone, men and women 1. Removing hair from the head or body, by shaving, cutting or plucking (2:196); and, by analogy, clipping the nails, by agreement of the scholars [À VÉRIFIER]. 2. Using perfume after the intention: on the body, on clothes, deliberately perfumed food or drink, perfumed soap or cream. About a pilgrim who died in iḥraam, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not perfume him and do not cover his head, for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection saying the talbiya" (Bukhari 1265, Muslim 1206). 3. The marriage contract: "The muḥrim does not marry, does not marry anyone off and does not propose marriage" (Muslim 1409). For the Hanafis, a contract concluded in iḥraam remains valid [À VÉRIFIER]. 4. Intimate relations, and what leads to them (kissing and caressing with desire). 5. Hunting a wild land animal, or helping to hunt it (5:95-96); fishing at sea is permitted (5:96). In the sacred zone (al-ḥaram) of Makkah, even without iḥraam, it is forbidden to hunt, and to cut the trees and plants that grow there by themselves (Bukhari 1834, Muslim 1353) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros].

For men only 6. Wearing a garment sewn or made to the shape of the body or of a limb: shirt, t-shirt, trousers, underwear, socks, gloves (Bukhari 1542, Muslim 1177). 7. Covering the head with something that touches it: skullcap, cap, turban, hood. Sheltering under a parasol, a tent or a vehicle is permitted: a tent was pitched for the Prophet ﷺ at Namira, and he was shaded with a cloth while he stoned (Muslim 1218, Muslim 1298) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro du second].

For women only 8. The niqaab and gloves (Bukhari 1838). The rest of her clothing, her socks and her jewellery are permitted.

What remains permitted • Washing, changing, washing one's iḥraam garments or putting on others. • Wearing glasses, a watch, a belt, a ring; using unscented soap and cream; taking one's medication. • Scratching gently, even if a hair falls out unintentionally [À VÉRIFIER]. • Killing harmful animals: "Five harmful animals may be killed in the ḥaram" (Bukhari 1829, Muslim 1198), such as the scorpion, the mouse and the vicious dog. Before leaving, prepare unscented products: soap, shampoo, deodorant, sunscreen, wipes [À VÉRIFIER : liste].

The fidya: making up for a fault Allah says: "Whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head (and shaves) owes a compensation: fasting, charity or a sacrifice" (meaning of 2:196). Ka'b ibn 'Ujra's head was full of lice during iḥraam; the Prophet ﷺ told him to shave and to choose: fast three days, feed six poor people (half a ṣaa' each) or sacrifice a sheep (Bukhari 1814, Muslim 1201). Scholars classify faults into three groups (simplified presentation) [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des écoles]: • Prohibitions of comfort (hair, nails, perfume, sewn garment, covered head, niqaab, gloves): the fidya by choice, on the model of Ka'b: three days of fasting, or six poor people fed, or a sheep. The schools specify from what quantity it is due (how many hairs, how long a garment is worn); the Hanafis distinguish a full compensation from a smaller charity depending on quantity or duration [À VÉRIFIER]. • Hunting: an equivalent compensation, judged by two just persons (5:95). • Intimate relations: before the first release from iḥraam on 10 Dhul-Ḥijja (lesson 7), they invalidate the Hajj, by agreement of the scholars; the pilgrim still completes his rites, must perform Hajj again, and must sacrifice a camel (badana) according to the majority. After the first release, the Hajj remains valid, with a compensation [À VÉRIFIER : détails selon les écoles, et règle pour la 'Omra].

Forgetfulness, ignorance, coercion Whoever commits a prohibition out of forgetfulness or ignorance: • For the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, he owes nothing for what concerns comfort (perfume, garment, covered head), but he owes the fidya for what destroys (hair, nails, hunting). • For the Hanafis and Malikis, the compensation is due in all cases [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des avis]. In all cases, one stops as soon as one realises: one removes the garment, one washes off the perfume.

Fidya and dam: two different things • The fidya makes up for a prohibition committed (the above). • The dam (a sheep sacrificed in the ḥaram and distributed to its poor) makes up for an obligation (waajib) of Hajj that was omitted, such as passing the miiqaat without iḥraam (lesson 2) or leaving 'Arafa before sunset (lesson 6) [À VÉRIFIER : liste des devoirs selon les écoles]. Whoever cannot afford it fasts ten days, according to many scholars [À VÉRIFIER]. Today, these sacrifices are most often paid through an official voucher or through the group: to be completed by the centre.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The prohibitions of iḥraam are not a punishment: they are a stripping away. For a few days, one gives up perfume, usual clothes, adornment and married life, in order to devote oneself entirely to Allah. Verse 2:197 places quarrelling next to intimate relations and sins. This shows that Hajj is not judged only by its actions: a pilgrim who performs all the rites but quarrels on the bus, pushes and insults has missed part of his Hajj. The fidya is a mercy: a fault can be made up for, and the story of Ka'b ibn 'Ujra shows that Allah takes illness and discomfort into account. It even leaves a choice between fasting, feeding or sacrificing. Finally, the schools distinguish what is done deliberately from what is done out of forgetfulness or ignorance. Whoever makes a mistake should not panic: he stops, then he asks.

Lessons to draw from it • Before leaving, prepare unscented products. • For men: check sandals, belt and bag before taking iḥraam. • Watch your tongue: no quarrelling in queues, buses and tents, even when you are right. • In case of a mistake: stop at once, then ask the group leader or the imam what is owed. • Keep a small sum aside for a possible compensation.

Key points to remember • 2:197: no rafath, no fusuuq, no jidaal. • For everyone: hair and nails, perfume, marriage, intimate relations, hunting. • Men: no garment sewn to the shape of the body, no covered head; women: neither niqaab nor gloves (Bukhari 1838). • The fidya of Ka'b: three days of fasting, six poor people fed or a sheep (2:196; Bukhari 1814, Muslim 1201). • Intimate relations before the first release: the Hajj is invalidated.

The main message Iḥraam withdraws you for a time from the comfort and quarrels of this world: respect its limits with care, and if you make a mistake, Allah has given you a way to make up for it.

The text: Surah Al-Baqara (2), verse 197 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 2:197]

The text: Surah Al-Maa'ida (5), verse 95 [TEXTE ARABE À INSÉRER : sourate 5:95]

Meaning: 2:197: "Hajj is in well-known months. Whoever undertakes it in them must not engage in intimate relations, nor sin, nor quarrel during Hajj. And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provisions; but the best provision is piety. And fear Me, O people of understanding." 5:95: "O you who believe, do not kill game while you are in the state of iḥraam. Whoever of you kills it deliberately owes a compensation equivalent in livestock, judged by two just persons among you, as an offering to reach the Ka'ba, or an expiation by feeding the poor, or its equivalent in fasting…" (summarised meaning of the end of the verse).

Arabic text: deliberately not typed, to avoid any error; it is to be copied from the centre's mushaf (or a verified source) at the place indicated.