On Hajj in the past year, 1407 AH, and regarding the night of staying at Muzdalifah, it happened that one of my relatives left with her son after midnight, as she is considered among the weak, since she is unable to stone the pillars after the sun rises due to the severe crowd, but after leaving she entrusted her son to stone on her behalf, claiming she was unable to do so. Does she owe anything when she did not stone the first pillars herself?

The questioner : In the Hajj of the past year, 1407 AH, regarding the night of staying at Muzdalifah, it happened that one of my relatives left with her son after midnight, as she is considered among the weak, since she is unable to stone the pillars after the sun rises due to the severe crowd. However, after leaving, she entrusted her son to stone on her behalf, claiming she was unable to do so. Does she owe anything when she did not stone the first pillars herself? We ask for guidance on this.

The Shaykh : Stoning the pillars is one of the rituals of Hajj, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and performed it himself, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): It is an act of worship by which a person draws near to his Lord. It is an act of worship, because a person throws these pebbles in this place in worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and in establishing His remembrance. It is based purely on the worship of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Therefore, a person should be humble and submissive to Allah when stoning the pillars, no matter what. If the matter is between hastening to stone these pillars at the beginning of the time or delaying them to the end of the time, but if he delays them, he stones with tranquility, humility, and presence of heart, then delaying is better. Because this virtue is a virtue that pertains to the act of worship itself, and what pertains to the act of worship itself is prioritized over what pertains to the time or place of the worship. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A person delays the prayer from the beginning of its time for the sake of relieving oneself or removing the severe need that has arisen, which is food.
So, if the matter is between stoning the pillars at the beginning of the time but with hardship, severe crowding, and preoccupation with preserving life, or delaying them to the end of the time, even at night, but with tranquility and presence of heart. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted a dispensation to the weak among his household to leave Muzdalifah at the end of the night so that they would not be harmed by the crowding that occurs when all the people are present after the dawn.
If this is clarified, then it is not permissible for a person to appoint someone to stone the pillars on his behalf, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: There is no difference in this between men and women. If this is also clarified, and that stoning the pillars is an act of worship, and that it is not permissible for a capable man or woman to appoint a substitute for them in it, then he must stone it himself, except for a sick woman or a pregnant woman whose pregnancy is feared for, and the like of that, for she may appoint a substitute.
As for the issue that occurred for this woman, who is mentioned as not having stoned despite her ability, what I see is that the most cautious thing for her is to slaughter a fidyah (ransom payment) in Makkah and distribute it to the poor for leaving this obligatory act.