Hajj Badal

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Hajj Badal

Dr. Muhammad Sharif





We have already studied that Hajj is obligatory on every Muslim who is adult, sane, and free and who has financial capacity to bear its expenses. If a person fulfills these conditions and Hajj becomes obligatory on him, but he cannot perform it on account of old age or some disease or some physical disability, he can send some other person to perform Hajj on his behalf. This is called Hajj Badal. In support of Hajj Badal, following Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad are produced by the jurists:-
1) Abu Razin-al-Oqaili reported that he came to the Prophet and asked: O Apostle of Allah! My father is an old man. He cannot go for Hajj and Umrah nor can he ride a conveyance. The Prophet said: “Perform Hajj and Umrah for your father.” – (Reported by Abu Daud, Nisai, Tirmizi)


2) Fadhal bin Abbas has reported that a woman of Bani Khasha’m came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah! Obligation of Hajj prescribed by Allah has reached my father in such a state that he is too old to ride a conveyance. Should I perform Hajj on his behalf? The Prophet said: “Yes. This happened on the occasion of Prophet’s Farewell Hajj.” – (Reported by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi)


Conditions of Hajj Badal:
Some of the important conditions regarding Hajj Badal, according to the jurists are:
1) Hajj Badal can be performed only on behalf of a person who is permanently sick or disabled having no hope of recovery or regaining physical capacity.


2) One who sends some other person to perform Hajj on his behalf he must bear all the expenses of Hajj.


3) One who intends to perform Hajj Badal on behalf of some other person must have performed his own Hajj first. There is Hadith reported by Abdullah bin Abbas that the Prophet heard a person who was prouncing Labaik on behalf of some other person. When asked, person told the Prophet that he was performing Hajj on behalf of some relative but he had not performed his own Hajj. The Prophet directed him first to perform his own Hajj before performing it on behalf of others. (Reported by Nisai, Tirmizi, Abu Duad, Ibn Majah)


4)One who intends to perform Hajj on behalf of some other person, he must be an adult, sane and a free Muslim.


5) One who performs Hajj Badal he must make intention and put on Ihram on behalf of the person who is sending him on Hajj Badal. And he must also perform Hajj according to the wishes and instructions of the person who is sending him.


Performing Hajj on behalf of deceased
According to the majority of the jurists, if Hajj has become obligatory on a person but he dies without performing it, then Hajj must be performed on his behalf by any of his children or heirs irrespective of the fact whether he has left any bequest for that or not. They produce the following traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in support of their view.


1) Abdullah bin Abbas reported: A woman of Banu Jaheenah came to the Prophet and asked: My mother had made a vow to perform Hajj but she died without performing it. Can I perform Hajj on her behalf? The Prophet said: “Yes. You should perform Hajj on her behalf. Tell me if your mother had left some debt, would you not have returned it? So pay Allah’s debt because Allah has better right for its return.” – (Reported by Bukhari)


2) Boraidah Aslami reported that a woman came to the Prophet and asked: My mother died without performing Hajj. If I perform Hajj on her behalf, will it discharge her obligation to perform it? The Prophet replied: “Yes.” – (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Daud, Tirmizi, Ibn Majah)

However according to Imam Malik, Hajj can be performed on behalf of the deceased only when the deceased has made a will for that and has left some wealth behind him, one third of which can bear Hajj expenses.