Agency in Hajj and 'Umrah on Behalf of the Living and the Dead

Question:
Regarding Hajj and 'Umrah, is agency permissible on behalf of a capable person, or a deceased person who had previously performed Hajj and 'Umrah? Is it permissible to appoint an agent for these individuals?

Answer:
It is permissible for someone to perform 'Umrah on behalf of a deceased person, whether it is an obligatory or voluntary act, because he is dead and unable to do it himself. The same applies to Hajj and 'Umrah on his behalf; even if it is voluntary, it increases his reward, because his deeds have been cut off and he is in need of reward. Therefore, it is permissible to perform Hajj and 'Umrah on behalf of a deceased person, whether obligatory or voluntary. As for a living person, there is a distinction: if he is able, he must perform the Hajj of Islam and the 'Umrah of Islam himself. If he is unable, he appoints someone to perform the Hajj of Islam and the obligatory act of Islam on his behalf. This is based on the hadiths in which it is mentioned that Abu [Sufyan] was overtaken by the command of Allah, and he said: I rely on this for the obligatory act. As for the voluntary act, I am not aware of any evidence or proof for performing voluntary Hajj or voluntary 'Umrah on behalf of a living person; this is only established for the obligatory act.