و الله الله فی بیت ربکم لا تخلوه ما بقیتم فإنه إن ترک لم تناظروا
Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. To abandon or neglect it is like leaving one of a building’s pillars unfinished; the structure will collapse, bringing ruin upon those within it.
عن أبی جعفر ع قال: بنی الإسلام على خمس على الصلاه و الزکاه و الصوم و الحج و الولایه و لم یناد بشیء کما نودی بالولایه.
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج2، ص: 18
Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, said: “Islam is founded upon five [principles and pillars]: prayer, zakat, fasting, Hajj and wilayah. No matter has been proclaimed with the emphasis given to wilayah.”
Abandoning Hajj means abandoning the covenant of servitude. It is a sign of breaking one’s pledge and of impudence. Hajj is an expression of divine fervour and love; to abandon it is to forget that love. Hajj signifies turning one’s attention to God, the One beyond compare; to abandon it is to turn away from God and cease setting out toward Him.
Breaking the covenant is a kind of declaration of war against God.
الحج و ضده نبذ المیثاق
Hajj, one of the soldiers of reason, is opposed by the breaking of the covenant.
Circumambulating the Kaaba is like striving to obtain God’s pardon and forgiveness, like the angels who circumambulate the House of Worship. To abandon Hajj is to abandon the seeking of forgiveness, and to abandon seeking forgiveness is, in a sense, to invite punishment.
الله الله فی بیت ربکم فلا یخلو منکم ما بقیتم فإنه إن ترک لم تناظروا و أدنى ما یرجع به من أمه أن یغفر له ما سلف
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج7، ص: 51
Fear God! Fear God with regard to the House of your Lord. Do not leave it without visitors for as long as you live, for if it is abandoned, you will be given no respite thereafter. The least that a pilgrim takes home from the pilgrimage is the forgiveness of their past sins.
عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: لو ترک الناس الحج لما نوظروا العذاب أو قال أنزل علیهم العذاب.
حنان بن سدیر عن أبیه قال: ذکرت لأبی جعفر ع البیت فقال لو عطلوه سنه واحده لم یناظروا .
عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: کان علی ص یقول لولده یا بنی انظروا بیت ربکم فلا یخلون منکم فلا تناظروا. عن أبی بصیر عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: لا یزال الدین قائما ما قامت الکعبه
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج4، ص: 271
عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: لو أن الناس ترکوا الحج لکان على الوالی أن یجبرهم على ذلک و على المقام
عنده و لو ترکوا زیاره النبی ص لکان على الوالی أن یجبرهم على ذلک و على المقام عنده فإن لم یکن لهم أموال أنفق علیهم من بیت مال المسلمین
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج4، ص: 272
Hafs ibn al-Bukhturi, Hisham ibn Salim, Mu‘awiyah ibn ‘Ammar and others have narrated from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, that he said: “If people abandon Hajj, the ruler is obliged to compel them to perform it and to remain there. And if they abandon visiting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the ruler is obliged to compel them to make that visit and to remain in the Prophet’s sanctuary. If they have no money, they should be supported from the Muslims’ public treasury.”
عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: إن الله لیدفع بمن یصلی من شیعتنا عمن لا یصلی من شیعتنا و لو أجمعوا على ترک الصلاه لهلکوا و إن الله لیدفع بمن یزکی من شیعتنا عمن لا یزکی و لو
معوا على ترک الزکاه لهلکوا و إن الله لیدفع بمن یحج من شیعتنا عمن لا یحج و لو أجمعوا على ترک الحج لهلکوا و هو قول الله عز و جل- و لو لا دفع الله الناس بعضهم ببعض لفسدت الأرض و لکن الله ذو فضل على العالمین «2» فو الله ما نزلت إلا فیکم و لا عنى بها غیرکم.
الکافی (ط - الإسلامیه)، ج2، ص: 451
Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: “God wards off punishment from those among our Shi‘a who do not pray on account of those among them who do pray. If they all agreed to abandon prayer [and none prayed], they would perish. God wards off punishment from those among our Shi‘a who do not pay zakat on account of those who do. If they all agreed to abandon zakat [and none paid it], they would perish. And God wards off punishment from those among our Shi‘a who do not perform Hajj on account of those who do. If they all agreed to abandon Hajj, they would perish…” This is the saying of God, Exalted and Majestic: “Were it not for God’s repelling some people by means of others, the earth would surely have become corrupt; but God is gracious to all the worlds.” By God, this verse was revealed only concerning you, and no one else is intended by it.