What is the interpretation of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's statement: "Whoever leaves off Hajj, there is no harm if he dies a Jew or a Christian"?
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The questioner : What is the interpretation of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's statement: "Whoever leaves off Hajj, there is no harm if he dies a Jew or a Christian," in light of the statement that Allah forgives all sins except shirk (associating partners with Allah)?
The Shaykh : The answer, may Allah bless you, is from two aspects. The first aspect is that we were pointing to something that drew attention to the fact that this is not established as a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is from the words of 'Umar. The difference between the two is that the words of the Messenger are Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), whereas the words of anyone other than the Messenger are not Shari'ah. If this hadith were authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would say that its meaning is that this man, as long as he died in that state, is a disbeliever. In that case, your question would not apply. But first, this is not based on the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Second, since it is from the words of 'Umar, one of us might dare to speak about 'Umar's words and say that this came from him out of necessity, as an exaggeration and a warning. That is, the one who leaves off this obligatory duty, which is only once in a lifetime, not performing Hajj to the House of Allah the Sacred while he is able to do so, this person will see that he is either a Jew or a Christian. But this is not a report; he is not reporting that this person died a Jew, but rather it is a warning that he may die, if Allah wills, a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian. So, in short, since it is not a fabricated hadith and it was confusing for some people, let them rest from it. The second answer, of course, has its status with us: 'Umar did not say "he dies," but rather "he may die, if Allah wills, a Jew," and so on, as an exaggeration in expression regarding the one who leaves off this obligatory duty. I hope I have answered your question. Now, change the topic.
The Shaykh : The answer, may Allah bless you, is from two aspects. The first aspect is that we were pointing to something that drew attention to the fact that this is not established as a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is from the words of 'Umar. The difference between the two is that the words of the Messenger are Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), whereas the words of anyone other than the Messenger are not Shari'ah. If this hadith were authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would say that its meaning is that this man, as long as he died in that state, is a disbeliever. In that case, your question would not apply. But first, this is not based on the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Second, since it is from the words of 'Umar, one of us might dare to speak about 'Umar's words and say that this came from him out of necessity, as an exaggeration and a warning. That is, the one who leaves off this obligatory duty, which is only once in a lifetime, not performing Hajj to the House of Allah the Sacred while he is able to do so, this person will see that he is either a Jew or a Christian. But this is not a report; he is not reporting that this person died a Jew, but rather it is a warning that he may die, if Allah wills, a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian. So, in short, since it is not a fabricated hadith and it was confusing for some people, let them rest from it. The second answer, of course, has its status with us: 'Umar did not say "he dies," but rather "he may die, if Allah wills, a Jew," and so on, as an exaggeration in expression regarding the one who leaves off this obligatory duty. I hope I have answered your question. Now, change the topic.