Must One Delay Hajj Until Personally Financially Able?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Must one delay Hajj until they are personally financially able, or can they perform it if someone else covers their expenses?

Answer

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

The Condition of Financial Ability

Hajj is not obligatory upon a person until they are personally financially able to perform it. This means that the duty of Hajj is binding only when one has the means to undertake the journey and fulfill its requirements.

Performing Hajj with Financial Assistance

If someone else facilitates the expenses of Hajj, then performing Hajj in that situation is valid. The pilgrimage would count as fulfilled if completed correctly.

Distinguishing Between Obligation and Validity

It is important to distinguish between two matters:

• Obligation: Hajj only becomes obligatory when a person is personally financially able.
• Validity: Hajj is still valid if performed with the financial support of another.

Understanding this distinction resolves the issue. A person is not required to delay Hajj if the opportunity arises through assistance, even though it was not yet obligatory upon them.

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

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.