Can Hajj Be Delayed for Marriage?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

If Hajj is obligatory, can it be delayed until after marriage if it would be significantly easier? Is Hajj required for someone without a valid passport, and should they renew it immediately?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Allah Most High says:

“Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by people who are able to undertake it.” [Quran, 3:97]

In the Shafi‘i School, Hajj is an immediate obligation upon meeting the necessary conditions—being Muslim, of age, sane, and physically and financially able. While it is recommended to perform it as soon as possible, one is permitted to delay it unless there is a fear of missing the opportunity later or dying without fulfilling it. If one dies after delaying it unnecessarily, they die in a state of disobedience, and the Hajj must be performed on their behalf from their estate. [Nawawi, Rawdat al-Talibin]

Delaying Hajj until after marriage is permissible, though not recommended, as long as one reasonably expects to perform it later. However, delaying for ease or convenience alone carries spiritual risk and contradicts the advice of hastening to fulfill this obligation when able.

As for lacking a valid passport, the inability to travel directly affects one’s capacity to perform Hajj. If renewing the passport is within one’s means, one should renew it without delay to maintain readiness for the pilgrimage. However, if the process is genuinely difficult or restricted beyond one’s control, the obligation is temporarily suspended until possible access.

In summary, the Hajj should be performed as soon as possible. Delaying it for marriage is allowed but not ideal, and renewing a passport to fulfill the obligation should be prioritized when feasible.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.