Hajj is important to Allah Ta`ala and the prophets. Allah Ta`ala mentions it as the most important event of the Hijri calendar: ‘’They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are indicative of time for the People, and of Hajj.’’(2:189) Hazrat Shu`aib a.s. made condition to Moussa a.s. as dowry for his daughter 8 years counted as 8 Hajjs:

قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

’’He(the father) said to Musa: ‘’I wish to marry you one of these two daughters of mine on condition that serve as my employee for 8 Hajjs(years). If you complete 10 (Hajjs-years), then it will be from your benevolence. And I do not want to impose on you. Soon you will find me, Insha Allah-if Allah wills- , as a righteous person.’’ (28:27)

The importance of Hajj used as a yardstick for accounting the number of years is highlighted in this ayah. Also note that it is permissible according to Ahnaaf  to put condition of dowry to serve for the family business or a specific work in the supervision of the wife for such amount of years, but important to define the working hours, the pay packet accounted for and all working contract details should be well defined. (Shami)

وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ : لَهَا قِيمَةُ الْخِدْمَةِ ، قَيَّدَ بِالْخِدْمَةِ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ تَزَوَّجَهَا عَلَى سُكْنَى دَارِهِ أَوْ رُكُوبِ دَابَّتِهِ أَوْ الْحَمْلِ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ عَلَى أَنْ تَزْرَعَ أَرْضُهُ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مَنَافِعِ الْأَعْيَانِ مُدَّةً مَعْلُومَةً صَحَّتْ التَّسْمِيَةُ لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ الْمَنَافِعَ مَالٌ أَوْ أُلْحِقَتْ بِهِ لِلْحَاجَةِ نَهْرٌ عَنْ الْبَدَائِعِ . شامي  

Mowlana Sa`d Kandlewi Sahab damat barakatuhu mentioned this maslah due to the fact that lots of son in law leave the girl without talaaq and run away from the in laws. So when the son in law failed to fulfil the required dowry of working contract and ran away, then the girl may cancel the nikah easily through an official faskh due to non accomplishment of dowry. This will save the girl from being left without talaaq and be without husband.  

Another hikmah of the dealing of Shu`aib a.s. is the last part of the ayah. One would discover the honesty and reliability of a person when you have finished dealt with that person for a long time. Honesty is not lip service nor attached to cloaks or titles. Mowlana Maseehullah r.a. in a context said: Kisi ke deen ko dekhna ho, to us ke dunya ko dekho : If you want to evaluate the level of piety of a person, then discover it from the way he proceed in his business dealings.

The Mubarak path road of Hajj is a sunnah that is left during this era. Every step that the beloved prophet SAW took in Hajj is a sunnah for us to emulate. This great path track of Hajj is well described in Bukhari by Ibn Umar r.a. In fact hazrat Ibn Umar r.a. used to stop where the beloved prophet SAW used to stop. He used to pray wherever the beloved prophet SAW prayed. (Bukhari)

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ سَالِمَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَتَحَرَّى أَمَاكِنَ مِنْ الطَّرِيقِ فَيُصَلِّي فِيهَا وَيُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ أَبَاهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِيهَا وَأَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي فِي تِلْكَ الْأَمْكِنَةِ  بخاري

In fact the Mubarak track of Hajj from Madinah is important and the beloved prophet SAW used to remind his sahabahs about the track that contains the path steps of other prophets also:

  عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ سِرْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ مَكَّةَ وَالْمَدِينَةِ فَمَرَرْنَا بِوَادٍ فَقَالَ أَيُّ وَادٍ هَذَا فَقَالُوا وَادِي الْأَزْرَقِ فَقَالَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى مُوسَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ مِنْ لَوْنِهِ وَشَعَرِهِ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَحْفَظْهُ دَاوُدُ وَاضِعًا إِصْبَعَيْهِ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ لَهُ جُؤَارٌ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ مَارًّا بِهَذَا الْوَادِي قَالَ ثُمَّ سِرْنَا حَتَّى أَتَيْنَا عَلَى ثَنِيَّةٍ فَقَالَ أَيُّ ثَنِيَّةٍ هَذِهِ قَالُوا هَرْشَى أَوْ لِفْتٌ فَقَالَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى يُونُسَ عَلَى نَاقَةٍ حَمْرَاءَ عَلَيْهِ جُبَّةُ صُوفٍ خِطَامُ نَاقَتِهِ لِيفٌ خُلْبَةٌ مَارًّا بِهَذَا الْوَادِي مُلَبِّيًا مسلم

Hazrat Ibn Abbas r.a. said that we travelled with the beloved prophet SAW and we passed through a valley. The beloved prophet SAW asked:’’ Which valley is this?’’ They answered: ‘’Valley Azraq’’. The beloved prophet SAW said: ‘’As if I am seeing Musa a.s. putting his fingers in his ears absorbed in saying the labbaiks, descending this valley.’’ Furthermore, after that they passed by a humped mountain path. The beloved prophet SAW asked about that place`s name. The sahabah answered: ‘’Harsha or Lift.’’ The beloved prophet SAW described with descriptions about Yunus a.s. passed through the same place saying labbaik aloud.(Sahih Muslim)

My wish is that the whole sunnah track of Hajj be revived as how it was at the times of sahabahs radiyallahou `anhoum. Else a minimum request to all future Hajis is that they should try to find those places that are ear marked from the ahadiths about the sunnah track and then they may do 2 rakaahs nafils there and read lots of dourouds and du`as there. At least those places that the beloved prophet SAW prayed.   

The road development and the last century turn have paled out the sunnah route of Hajj. But now Ulamas living in the Kingdom or elsewhere should try indicate those earmarked places to Hujjaaj and Mu`tamirs so as to revive this left out sunnah.