Is the obligation of Hajj to be performed immediately or with delay? And a discussion on lost camels and sheep.
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The Shaykh : The second question: Is the obligation of Hajj to be performed immediately or with delay?
The scholars have two well-known positions in answering this question, some saying one and some saying the other. Some say it is with delay, and some say it is immediate. This second opinion is the one that should be said, and nothing else; for a person does not know his lifespan except Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so it is a hidden matter among the hidden things. How does he know that he will be struck by an illness that becomes chronic and permanent, so he is unable to perform Hajj, and he dies on the day he dies while in a state of sin? Because he was able to perform Hajj in one of the years of his life but did not perform it. Therefore, even as a precaution, a person should seize the opportunity of his health, youth, wealth, and the ease and simplicity of the road, and perform Hajj immediately, without procrastinating or postponing. To confirm this meaning, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 2883Hasan (Darussalam). In the past... they used to perform Hajj on their camels. Illness is known in every age, but they used to perform Hajj on their camels. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) draws the attention of those Muslims to the fact that they may be exposed to what is customary for them to be exposed to, which is the loss of a stray animal.
We once traveled to Makkah by land, and we would find some camels and some she-camels straying in this desert, in this grassland. We would ask and be told that these are strays that may return to their owners after months, or they may not return. Incidentally, for this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) distinguished between a lost camel and a lost sheep. If a person finds a lost sheep in the desert, with no shepherd, and no grass or pasture or anything similar that preserves the life of this animal, is it permissible for him to pick it up? The Messenger was asked this question, just as he was asked about a lost camel, so he distinguished in his answer between a lost sheep and a lost camel. He said regarding the lost sheep:Sahih al-Bukhari 2438. Your brother means its owner; he is not present. So it remains either for you or for the wolf that attacks it. The meaning of this statement, in the wise manner, is: take it and keep it alive, then announce it for a year, as is well known. If its owner comes out, he is more entitled to it and it belongs to him; otherwise, it is yours.
As for the answer regarding a lost camel, he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2438. This means in the large stomach. Do you know that in some battles, when the early Muslim mujahideen were in dire need of water and could not reach it from its sources, they were forced to slaughter camels in order to benefit from the water stored in their large stomachs? So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) draws attentionThe questioner : to the fact that a she-camel is not like a sheep. The she-camel has its hooves, meaning it is swift and the wolf cannot attack it. And it has its water in its stomach as well; so it can live on thirst for days and long days.
The point is: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says to these Arabs:Sunan Ibn Majah 2883Hasan (Darussalam). Therefore, Hajj must be performed immediately because of this hadith, and because of what we mentioned regarding the conditions that may befall a person and prevent him from performing Hajj, and because of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) at the end: [Ali 'Imran 3:133]. Here, "hasten to forgiveness" has an omitted possessive; hasten to deeds by which you earn the forgiveness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This indicates immediacy in what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has made obligatory, such as Hajj, for example.
The scholars have two well-known positions in answering this question, some saying one and some saying the other. Some say it is with delay, and some say it is immediate. This second opinion is the one that should be said, and nothing else; for a person does not know his lifespan except Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so it is a hidden matter among the hidden things. How does he know that he will be struck by an illness that becomes chronic and permanent, so he is unable to perform Hajj, and he dies on the day he dies while in a state of sin? Because he was able to perform Hajj in one of the years of his life but did not perform it. Therefore, even as a precaution, a person should seize the opportunity of his health, youth, wealth, and the ease and simplicity of the road, and perform Hajj immediately, without procrastinating or postponing. To confirm this meaning, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj, let him hasten to do so, for he may fall sick, lose his mount,
من أراد الحجَّ فليعجِّل ؛ فإنه قد يمرض المريض وتضلُّ الضَّالَّةWe once traveled to Makkah by land, and we would find some camels and some she-camels straying in this desert, in this grassland. We would ask and be told that these are strays that may return to their owners after months, or they may not return. Incidentally, for this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) distinguished between a lost camel and a lost sheep. If a person finds a lost sheep in the desert, with no shepherd, and no grass or pasture or anything similar that preserves the life of this animal, is it permissible for him to pick it up? The Messenger was asked this question, just as he was asked about a lost camel, so he distinguished in his answer between a lost sheep and a lost camel. He said regarding the lost sheep:
It is for you, for your brother, or for the wolf.
هي لك أو لأخيك أو للذِّئبAs for the answer regarding a lost camel, he said:
You have o concern with it as it has its water reservoir and feet
ما لك ولها ؟! معها خفافها وماؤهاThe point is: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says to these Arabs:
Whoever intends to perform Hajj, let him hasten to do so, for he may fall sick, lose his mount
من أراد الحج فليعجِّل - أو فليتعجَّل - ؛ فإنه قد يمرض المريض وتضلُّ الضَّالَّةAnd hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous
وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
Source
www.al-albany.com
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