What is the ruling on leaving one's job in order to perform the obligatory Hajj?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The questioner says: I work as a soldier, and since work increases during the Hajj season, requiring me to work on these days, what is the ruling on fleeing from work to perform the obligatory Hajj, not as a voluntary act, given that leave is prohibited in this month?
The Shaykh : The employed person is bound by the rules of his job, enslaved by the rules of his job, and it is not permissible for him to evade this job. In this state, Hajj is not obligatory upon him if resigning from the job for the sake of Hajj would result in the deduction of that amount from his salary or rank, for he has another year for Hajj. As for fleeing from jobs for that purpose, for the sake of Hajj, this is not permissible. The employed person is a trustee of his job, whether a soldier or anyone else; every employed person is a trustee of his job and must perform it in the best manner, from the first moment to the last. Just as an employed man would demand a single dirham if it were deducted from his salary, so if a single minute is deducted from his time contrary to the norm permitted by the state, he will be held accountable for it before Allah the Exalted. Therefore, the employed person and others must hold themselves accountable for performing what is obligatory upon them for Allah, and for performing what is obligatory upon them for His servants.
The questioner : Yes, even if it were a difference.
The Shaykh : Even if it were an obligation, because the obligation in this state is not required of him, since the obligation, as will come if Allah wills, is for the one who is able to find a way to it, and he in this state is not able to find the way to it.
The Shaykh : The employed person is bound by the rules of his job, enslaved by the rules of his job, and it is not permissible for him to evade this job. In this state, Hajj is not obligatory upon him if resigning from the job for the sake of Hajj would result in the deduction of that amount from his salary or rank, for he has another year for Hajj. As for fleeing from jobs for that purpose, for the sake of Hajj, this is not permissible. The employed person is a trustee of his job, whether a soldier or anyone else; every employed person is a trustee of his job and must perform it in the best manner, from the first moment to the last. Just as an employed man would demand a single dirham if it were deducted from his salary, so if a single minute is deducted from his time contrary to the norm permitted by the state, he will be held accountable for it before Allah the Exalted. Therefore, the employed person and others must hold themselves accountable for performing what is obligatory upon them for Allah, and for performing what is obligatory upon them for His servants.
The questioner : Yes, even if it were a difference.
The Shaykh : Even if it were an obligation, because the obligation in this state is not required of him, since the obligation, as will come if Allah wills, is for the one who is able to find a way to it, and he in this state is not able to find the way to it.
Source
دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام لعام 1402هـ - 3 — binothaimeen.net (17:18)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.