A word from the Shaykh regarding Hajj and on whom it is obligatory.

The Shaykh : As for the second point: What I want to speak about is that it is part of the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that when the time for one of the pillars of Islam ends, the time for another pillar begins. Ramadan has ended, which was the time for performing one of the pillars of Islam, namely fasting. And in that very moment when Ramadan exited, the months of Hajj entered. We are now in the months of Hajj, because the months of Hajj begin with the setting of the sun on the last day of Ramadan. This is part of the wisdom of Allah so that we feel that all our times are filled with the obedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The obligation of fasting has ended, and the obligation of Hajj has come.
And Hajj is obligatory upon every Muslim, but out of the mercy and kindness of Allah, it is not obligatory in a lifetime except once. Even if a person is among the wealthiest of the servants of Allah, he is not required to perform Hajj except once, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
And Hajj is not obligatory except upon the one who is able. It is not obligatory upon the one who is unable. So if we assume that a poor person has nothing, is he required to perform Hajj? I mean, is he required to borrow money to perform Hajj? No. Even if he were to meet his Lord before performing Hajj, he would meet his Lord with the pillars of his Islam completed, because the fifth pillar, which is Hajj, is not obligatory upon him when he is unable to perform it.
And is it obligatory for a person who is sick to perform Hajj? No. Even if he has money. But if his illness is expected to end, let him wait until he recovers and performs Hajj himself. And if his illness is not expected to end and he has money, let him appoint someone to perform Hajj on his behalf, based on the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): So the one who is unable to perform Hajj due to illness: if his illness is expected to end, he waits; otherwise, what? Otherwise, he appoints someone to perform Hajj on his behalf if he has money. As for the one who has no money, Hajj is not obligatory upon him.
A woman has money but cannot find a mahram to perform Hajj with her. Is Hajj obligatory upon her? No, even if she is among the wealthiest of women, but if she has no mahram, she does not perform Hajj. Now, if she has a mahram and she says to him, "Perform Hajj with me, and I will provide all the expenses," is he required to perform Hajj with her? No, he is not required to do so, except if he has not yet performed the obligatory Hajj and she gives him money sufficient for Hajj. In this case, we say it is sufficient for him to perform Hajj for the sake of fulfilling the obligation, not for the sake of being her mahram and accompanying her in this situation. So, should the woman be sad if she has money but cannot find a mahram? Should she be sad that she missed Hajj? The answer is: she should not be sad and she should not fear punishment, because Hajj was not obligatory upon her. Even if she were to meet Allah (Mighty and Majestic), she would meet Him without any sin regarding Hajj.
Now, a person has money but has a debt that its owner is demanding. He has, for example, five thousand, which he could use to perform Hajj, but he is owed five thousand, and the owner of the debt says, "Give it to me." Is Hajj obligatory upon him? Yes. Why? Because he has a debt, and Hajj is not obligatory upon a person if he has a debt and does not have what remains after the debt, because Allah the Exalted said: And many people perhaps borrow money for the sake of Hajj, and this is a mistake. It is not from the Shari'ah to borrow money for the sake of Hajj. Hajj is not obligatory upon you. Did you see if a poor person, is zakah obligatory upon him? Yes, it is not obligatory. You now do not have to perform Hajj because you cannot afford it, so why do you regret? Why do you grieve? Why do you be distressed? Do not be distressed, my brother, there is nothing upon you.
Now, if a person has a debt and has money in his hand, and he is confident that when the debt comes due, he will have what to pay it, like the Real Estate Development Fund. Many people have debts to the Fund, but they are confident in themselves that when the installment comes due, they will pay it, and they now have money with which they can perform Hajj. Is Hajj obligatory upon them? The answer is: Yes, Hajj is obligatory upon them because they are able. But if he says, "I am not confident that I will pay when the installment comes due, and I am now saving," then Hajj is not obligatory upon him because he is in debt.
Many people say: "Did you see, if the owner of the debt permits me, do I perform Hajj?" We say: No, even if he permits you, because if he permits you, nothing is dropped from you. But if he says, "Perform Hajj, and I will drop from you the amount of the Hajj expenses," then at that time we say, perform Hajj. And if he says, "I am demanding you, but I grant you permission to perform Hajj," what is the benefit? There is no benefit. For this reason, many people ask and say: "The owner of the debt has permitted me." We say: The operative cause is not that he permits or does not permit. The operative cause is that your liability is occupied, and occupying the liability with debt is a great matter. If I were to tell you that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not pray over him, he delayed, he did not pray over him meaning the debt reached this extent that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) refrained from praying over the debtor if he did not have the means to pay. And we are lenient in this now, we are lenient. A person performs 'Umrah and has a debt. He performs Hajj and has a debt. He furnishes his house with luxurious furniture and has a debt. He buys a luxurious car and has a debt. You find him buying a car for forty thousand, while he could find a car that suffices him for ten thousand, is that not so? Rather, I have heard some people buy a car for more than forty thousand, while ten thousand suffices them. This is from foolishness. Foolishness in intellect. Do not take debt lightly, ever. Debt is difficult. For this reason, it is said: "Debt is humiliation in the day and sleeplessness in the night" but for the sensible person. As for the one who does not care, this one does not care.
And we ask Allah for you and for us success in what He loves and is pleased with, for He is Able to do all things. And now, to the question period, because I think there are many, and also the lecture session has ended.