The Ruling on Leaving Hajj
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Your Eminence! Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says: [Al-Imran: 97] It is reported from the Companions that they did not consider the abandonment of any act of worship to be disbelief, except for prayer.
How do we reconcile this verse?The Shaykh: The answer to this verse is given in one of two ways: either it is said that whoever does not perform Hajj is a disbeliever, as some of the Salaf said, and that leaving Hajj while having the ability to perform it is disbelief, just like leaving prayer.
This is reported from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him),For from him is a narration: that whoever leaves Hajj is a disbeliever, and on this view, there is no difficulty.
And as for the opinion of the majority, which is the second way: They interpret the disbelief here as practical disbelief, meaning: it does not take one out of Islam,And that it is like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): (Two things among people are disbelief: attacking lineage and wailing over the dead) It is well known that attacking someone’s lineage, or a mourner wailing over a dead person, is not a disbelief that takes one out of the religion,They interpret this as practical disbelief, meaning: it is not a disbelief that takes one out of the religion, and this is supported by the statement of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him), who is one of the well-known Tabi'un: [The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not consider the abandonment of any act of worship to be disbelief, except for prayer] .
And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.
وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَHow do we reconcile this verse?The Shaykh: The answer to this verse is given in one of two ways: either it is said that whoever does not perform Hajj is a disbeliever, as some of the Salaf said, and that leaving Hajj while having the ability to perform it is disbelief, just like leaving prayer.
This is reported from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him),For from him is a narration: that whoever leaves Hajj is a disbeliever, and on this view, there is no difficulty.
And as for the opinion of the majority, which is the second way: They interpret the disbelief here as practical disbelief, meaning: it does not take one out of Islam,And that it is like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): (Two things among people are disbelief: attacking lineage and wailing over the dead) It is well known that attacking someone’s lineage, or a mourner wailing over a dead person, is not a disbelief that takes one out of the religion,They interpret this as practical disbelief, meaning: it is not a disbelief that takes one out of the religion, and this is supported by the statement of Abdullah ibn Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him), who is one of the well-known Tabi'un: [The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not consider the abandonment of any act of worship to be disbelief, except for prayer] .