Encouragement to Perform Hajj - II

Being physically able means that the Muslim is able to travel to the Sacred House without difficulty. If he cannot travel to the House or can only reach it with severe difficulty like a sick person or an elderly person; in such a case, if there is no hope of recovery from his sickness he should authorize a relative or someone to perform Hajj or ‘Umrah on his behalf. However, if he dies before authorizing someone to perform Hajj on his behalf, his heirs should perform Hajj on his behalf. If a woman does not have a Mahram, Hajj is not obligatory on her because she does not find the way to perform Hajj. A woman is forbidden by the Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) to travel without a Mahram (non-marriageable male).

Ibn ‘Abbaas said that he heard the Prophet, , say in a Khutbah:"No man should be alone with a woman without a Mahram, nor should a woman travel except with a Mahram."A man stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, my wife set out to perform Hajj and I have been recruited in such-and-such a battle." The Prophet said: "Go and perform Hajj with your wife." The Prophet, , ordered him not to go to the battle but to perform Hajj with his wife. He did not investigate whether the woman was young, or in a company of women or otherwise. This indicates that it is forbidden for a woman to travel without a Mahram in all cases, whether by plane or car. The woman's Mahram might be her husband or any man whom she is permanently forbidden to marry such as her father, grandfather up to all levels, and her son, her grandson down to all levels, her brother, the son of her brother down to all levels, the son of her sister down to all levels, her paternal and maternal uncle, or the paternal uncle of her father or mother or the maternal uncle of her father or her mother. The maternal uncle of a person is his maternal uncle as well as all his descendants until the Day of Resurrection. So, is the paternal uncle, whether through biological factors or breastfeeding.

Mahrams also include the Mahrams through a marriage relation, such as the father of the husband up to all levels, the son of the husband down to all levels, the husband of the daughter down to all levels and the husband of the mother up to all levels provided the husband has consummated the marriage. The Mahram must be sane and have already reached puberty. The male who has not reached puberty cannot be a Mahram because the purpose of the Mahram is to guard the woman and protect her, and this is not achieved by a young boy.

If a person finds that he has satisfied the conditions of the obligation of Hajj, let him perform it as early as possible. The commands of Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger are to be carried out immediately without delay. Ibn Al-Qayyim, the renowned student of Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, said, "Whoever abandons Hajj deliberately while he is able to do it until he dies, or withholds Zakaah and does not pay it until he died, the proofs and principles of Sharee‘ah indicate that he is not discharged of them even if they are done after his death, nor will they be accepted from him. The truth is most deserving to be followed."

Man does not know what will happen in the future, and so, you should be grateful for the blessings of Allaah The Almighty by thanking Him and performing what Allaah made obligatory upon you before death comes to you and you regret when regret is of no avail. Listen to what Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped. And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive, Lest a soul should say, "Oh [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allaah and that I was among the mockers." Or [lest] it say, "If only Allaah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous." Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good."} [Quran 39:54-58]

A Muslim who performs Hajj according to the guidance of the Sharee‘ah and follows the Messenger of Allaah, , his Hajj shall be complete whether or not ‘Aqeeqah was slaughtered on his behalf. Some of the common people think that there is no Hajj for the Muslim for whom ‘Aqeeqah was not slaughtered on his behalf. This is not correct, and there is no connection between Hajj and ‘Aqeeqah. Hajj is also valid even if a person did not make up for the days of fasting missed in Ramadhaan because there is no relationship between Hajj and fasting.

O slaves of Allaah, fear Allaah The Almighty Who Says (what means): {And fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the Promise of Allaah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allaah by the Deceiver.} [Quran 31:33]

O Muslims, perform Hajj that Allaah The Almighty prescribed for you. Do not neglect or be slow. Hajj is one of the great pillars of Islam on which it is built and without which Islam will not be perfect. Perform it with sincerity to Allaah and following the Messenger of Allaah, . The Muslim who is in charge of workers, who have not performed Hajj, should facilitate the matter for them and help them do it. Let him not prevent a worker from performing Hajj because the Muslim is rewarded for making these matters easy for others. The Prophet, , said: "Whoever prepares a fighter in the cause of Allaah will be considered fighting in His cause."

 When we see a person who has not performed the obligatory Hajj and he needs assistance, we should help him as much as we can, especially if he is under our responsibility and at our disposal. We should help and assist him in order to receive the reward and achieve goodness. We will not incur a great loss. A Muslim can go on the sixth day or the seventh or even the eighth day of Thul-Hijjah and return on the thirteenth day. So, Hajj takes only five days or so. When the Muslim quits work on these days for the sake of Allaah The Almighty, Allaah will compensate him with goodness and blessings. Help your brothers, for Allaah helps the person as long as he helps his brother, and whoever fulfills the need of his brother, Allaah The Almighty fulfils his needs.