The ruling on dedicating the reward of 'Umrah to a living father

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: I traveled from al-Madinah to Makkah to perform 'Umrah, and I was hesitating whether to perform it for myself or for my father. After finishing it, I said, “O Allah, I have dedicated its reward to my father,” knowing that my father is still alive. So, is this 'Umrah for me or for him?

Answer:
'Umrah belongs to the person for whom the intention is made at the time of entering ihram. It is not permissible to transfer its reward to someone else after entering ihram and after exiting ihram; this is only done at the time of entering ihram, at the time of entering ihram only. This is one aspect. The second aspect is that your father is alive. As long as a person is alive, one does not perform 'Umrah on his behalf, nor Hajj on his behalf as a voluntary act. The obligatory act is only if he is unable to perform it due to old age and frailty, or due to a chronic illness, in which case he appoints someone to perform Hajj and 'Umrah on his behalf. Likewise, one performs Hajj and 'Umrah on behalf of a deceased person. But for a living person, one does not perform 'Umrah on his behalf, nor Hajj on his behalf as a voluntary act, because there is no evidence for this. The evidence is only for acting on behalf of one who is unable due to illness or frailty.