All praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evil of our souls, and the adverse consequences of our deeds. Whoever Allaah guides, there is none that can misguide him. And whoever He misguides, then none can guide him aright.

I bear witness that there is no deity that is worthy of worship except for Allaah; He is alone, having no partners. And I bear witness and testify that Muhammad - sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam - is His perfect worshipper and messenger.

The goal of this term paper was to give the Muslim woman a chance to see those Fiqh rulings that are specific to her in Hajj - since many a time her rulings are lost in the general discussion of how to perform Hajj. In the end one should have a general idea of those things that a woman differs in Hajj from men. They should be able to recognize differences in ritual worship between the women and men. And they - in sha' Allah ta'ala - should get a clear understanding of issues that are commonly differed upon.

After having been given the opportunity - alhamdullilah - to attend Hajj for a few years, the subject that came to mind to write about for this course of Fiqh Al-Kitaab was Sunnah was that of women in Hajj. Because of the lack of experience people, not specifically from North America, have with the rites of Hajj, I wanted to give the Muslim woman a chance to look specifically at those things which she needs to focus on and understand.

With the intention of writing a term paper that would elucidate the Fiqh rulings specific to women in Hajj, I went about organizing the topics under three chapters, the first dealing with Ihraam, and the second with ritual differences between the men and women.

In conclusion, all praise is due to Allah, subhaanahu wa ta'ala. All goodness is from Him - Jalla wa a'ala - and no matter how much we praise Allah it would not equal the blessings that He - subhaanahu wa ta'ala - bestowed upon us.

I thank the American Open University, with their diligent work in helping to carry the message of Islam to homes all across the United States and abroad, for giving me the chance to study this topic and benefit from it's contents.

And with special mention, I must thank my instructor Dr. Houcine Chouat who responded favourably to the idea of this essay being written in English, instead of the standard Arabic. May Allaah ta'ala reward him, and the entire administration at the American Open University, with the best of reward and may they find safety on a Day when no wealth or children will avail, only those that came with a sound heart.

And our final prayer is that to Allaah belongs all praise.

Muhammad Alshareef

Shawwaal, 1422

Part 1 : Chapter One: Ihraam
Part 2 : Chapter Two: Male / Female differences in Ritual Worship
Part 3 : Conclusion

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