The ruling on delaying Hajj while having the means

The questioner : There are young men who are in a state of ritual purity. The obligation of Hajj is upon them, and they are aware of their ability to perform it. What is Allah’s ruling regarding them, and what is the ruling if they die in that state while offering weak excuses?

The Shaykh : The stronger opinion among the scholars is that Hajj is an immediate obligation once its conditions are met. When the conditions are fulfilled for a person, he must hasten to perform it. If he delays, he is doing wrong, committing a sin, and incurring a sin. Those who are negligent about Hajj, despite its immediate obligation, are like those who are negligent about prayer and waste it. Although the ruling differs in that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever, while the one who abandons Hajj is not a disbeliever, in any case, I advise these negligent brothers, whom Allah has blessed with the ability to perform it, to repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to hasten to perform this obligation. If they die, Allah may facilitate for them heirs who will perform the obligation on their behalf. However, the heirs may also be negligent and not perform this obligation on their behalf.