A man has wealth and is able to perform Hajj, but he is lax about it despite his advanced age. What is the ruling on his prayer, his marriage, and other matters? Is he sinful for this delay?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : A man has wealth, and Allah has made all the means of Hajj easy for him, but he is lax about it despite his advanced age. What is the ruling on his prayer, his marriage, and other matters? Is he sinful for this delay?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, he is sinful for this delay. If he dies, some scholars said: "He dies as a disbeliever, even if he is praying". We ask Allah for safety. However, the stronger view is that one does not become a disbeliever for leaving off Hajj. Nothing among the acts of worship makes one a disbeliever for leaving it off except one, which is prayer. If he is lax about Hajj and dies, he is sinful, a transgressor, and deserving of punishment, but he is not a disbeliever. The scholars differed on whether Hajj should be performed on his behalf after his death in this case, or not. The majority of scholars held that it should be performed on his behalf. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is not performed on his behalf", because the man was determined to leave it off and was lax. How can we perform it on his behalf, and what benefit would it have for him with Allah? Hajj is an act of worship; if he does not perform it himself, there is no benefit in it. In any case, the matter is serious. It is obligatory for this one, whom Allah has enriched and given the ability to perform Hajj, to perform Hajj before he dies. Let him repent to Allah and hasten. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, he is sinful for this delay. If he dies, some scholars said: "He dies as a disbeliever, even if he is praying". We ask Allah for safety. However, the stronger view is that one does not become a disbeliever for leaving off Hajj. Nothing among the acts of worship makes one a disbeliever for leaving it off except one, which is prayer. If he is lax about Hajj and dies, he is sinful, a transgressor, and deserving of punishment, but he is not a disbeliever. The scholars differed on whether Hajj should be performed on his behalf after his death in this case, or not. The majority of scholars held that it should be performed on his behalf. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is not performed on his behalf", because the man was determined to leave it off and was lax. How can we perform it on his behalf, and what benefit would it have for him with Allah? Hajj is an act of worship; if he does not perform it himself, there is no benefit in it. In any case, the matter is serious. It is obligatory for this one, whom Allah has enriched and given the ability to perform Hajj, to perform Hajj before he dies. Let him repent to Allah and hasten. Yes.