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Summary
1)
The virtues of Hajj.
2)
Hajj
by proxy is permissible only when one is incapable of performing it themselves.
3)
Dispraising those
who proxy in Hajj despite being capable.
4)
One who performs Hajj on behalf of others must maintain a sincere intention.
5)
Hajj is an act of worship and not a business.
6)
The ruling on charging money to perform
Hajj.
7)
How to perform Hajj on another's behalf.
O people! Fear Allaah the
Almighty and know that Hajj is one of
the finest acts of worship and the greatest in reward. It was related that the
Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam said: “(The performance of) `Umrah is an expiation for
the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward for Hajj Mabroor
(i.e., the one accepted by Allaah) is nothing except
Hajj is a physical
devotion that every Muslim is required to physically fulfil, though a small
part of it pertains to money - such as when one offers a sacrificial animal.
The
Sunnah of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam has clarified that in the event of a person
being genuinely unable to perform Hajj, then it is permissible by proxy.
It was related in Saheeh Al-Bukhari on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas,
may Allaah be pleased with him, that: “A woman asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah!
My father is very old. There is the obligation of Hajj upon him from Allaah,
but he is incapable of sitting on the back of a camel.’ Thereupon Allaah's
Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Perform Hajj on his behalf.”” This happened
on his Farewell Pilgrimage. In another narration, a woman came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
and asked: "My mother had vowed to perform Hajj but she died before
performing it. May I perform Hajj on her behalf?" The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
replied: "Perform Hajj on her behalf. Had your
mother been in debt, would you not have paid it off? Therefore pay (her debt
to) Allaah, as He has the most right to be paid."
If a person has the
ability to perform Hajj in person, he
is not permitted to authorise another person to make Hajj on his behalf. Many people loosely resort to Hajj by proxy in the case of
supererogatory Hajj, even though they
are well capable of performing it. By doing this they deprive themselves of the
immense reward attained from the fatigue of worship and all that it contains of
remembrance, supplication, submissiveness to Allaah, redoubling of reward,
useful meetings, etc. In one of the two narrations reported from Imaam Ahmad
bin Hanbal, may Allaah have mercy upon him, he forbade proxy in
supererogatory Hajj for those who are
capable of performing it in person. Thus, a Muslim should not be careless
concerning the matter of Hajj; he
should either perform supererogatory Hajj
in person if he wishes, or provide pilgrims with money in order to share with them
the reward of Hajj.
O people! Hajj is a type of worship which is
performed by the servant as a means to please Allaah and to attain reward in
the Hereafter. A servant’s attention must not be diverted to attaining worldly
gains during Hajj. Unfortunately,
many people who perform Hajj on
behalf of others do this solely for the sake of money, which is prohibited
since worldly considerations should not spoil acts of worship.
Allaah the Almighty says
that which means: “Whoever desires the life of
this world and its adornments – We fully repay them for their deeds therein,
and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not
in the Hereafter but the fire. And lost is what they did therein [i.e., during
worldly life], and worthless is what they used to do.” (Hood: 15-16).
He also says that which
means: “And when you have completed your
rites, remember Allaah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with
[much] greater remembrance. And among the people is he who says: 'Our Lord!
Give us in this world,' and he will have in the Hereafter no share.”
(Al Baqarah: 200).
Allaah will reject any
worship that is not done purely for His sake. The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
prevented seeking worldly gains in places of worship when he said: “If you see a man indulging in a (financial) transaction in
the mosque, say to him: 'May Allaah not render your trade profitable.'”
If this strict attitude is taken against those who utilise places of worship
for worldly gains, what about those who turn the worship itself into a means of
attaining worldly gains? Indeed it is not rare for us to find those requested
to make Hajj on behalf of others
bargain and ask for extra money, which is turning worship into a craft or
profession.
For this reason the Hanbali
jurists maintained that it is invalid to hire a man to perform Hajj on behalf of another. Shaykh
Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah declared that whoever makes Hajj only to attain hire will have no
reward in the Hereafter. However, if proxy is made for a religious purpose,
such as benefiting others with the reward of Hajj or aiming to increase acts of obedience through supplication
and remembrance of Allaah during the rituals of Hajj, then Hajj by proxy will be valid and
acceptable in this case.
Those who charge proxy
in Hajj should devote their intention
to seeking the pleasure of Allaah, aiming to exercise the rituals related to Allaah’s
House, remembering Him and supplicating to Him, in addition to the fulfilment
of the needs of their fellow Muslims who authorised them to make Hajj on their behalf. They should not divert
their attention to gaining worldly benefits; for if this becomes their sole
interest, they will not be permitted to charge proxy in Hajj. If one entertains a sound intention for proxy in Hajj, all the money he gets from the
authorising person will be his, unless the latter demands refunding the remaining
amount after covering the costs of the Hajj.
The deputy should intend to perform Hajj
and ‘Umrah on behalf of the authorising
person, unless the former allows him to perform ‘Umrah for his own benefit. A person deputised to make Hajj on behalf of another person cannot
deputise a third party, unless he obtains the consent of the person who
commissioned him to make Hajj on his
behalf. All the reward of acts related to rituals of Hajj goes to the authorising person, but the redoubling of reward
through offering supererogatory prayers and Tawaf,
as well as extra types of worship that exceeds the rituals goes to the authorised
person. The representative in Hajj
should exert the best of his efforts to accomplish the verbal and practical
acts related to the rituals, since this is a trust that he should fulfil duly.
When pronouncing Talbiyah, he should say: ‘labbayka ‘an fulan’ (i.e.,
'O Allaah I respond to Your call on behalf of so and so'.) If he forgets
the name of the person he is performing Hajj or 'Umrah for, he
may intend it with his heart, saying: ‘labbaika ‘
O servants of Allaah!
Fear Allaah and do not pay much attention to worldly gains; and don’t turn
worship into a means of attaining material gains!