Is Hajj permissible without the explicit declaration, and if we are prevented from entering Makkah, are we considered blocked (mahsur) or not?
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The questioner : People from outside this country are prevented from entering, except for some who have been away for five years. The question is: Is it permissible for us to perform Hajj by reaching Makkah via a route that has no checkpoints, or by walking on foot? And if we are prevented, are we considered among the blocked (mahsur) or not?
The Shaykh : It is better for one who performs Hajj and does not fall under the dispensation to say upon entering the state of ihram: "If one who prevents me stops me, then my place of release is where I am stopped." Then, if he is prevented, he should exit the state of ihram and return without being in ihram, or exit the state of ihram and remain in Makkah. The important thing is that he exits the state of ihram without having to offer a sacrificial animal for being blocked. This is the better course, so that he is safe from matters that may have unpleasant consequences for him. Then we say: If a person has performed the obligatory duty, the rest is voluntary. It is not befitting for a person to expose himself to danger or to treat the verses of Allah as a mockery by entering the state of ihram in his usual clothes.
The Shaykh : It is better for one who performs Hajj and does not fall under the dispensation to say upon entering the state of ihram: "If one who prevents me stops me, then my place of release is where I am stopped." Then, if he is prevented, he should exit the state of ihram and return without being in ihram, or exit the state of ihram and remain in Makkah. The important thing is that he exits the state of ihram without having to offer a sacrificial animal for being blocked. This is the better course, so that he is safe from matters that may have unpleasant consequences for him. Then we say: If a person has performed the obligatory duty, the rest is voluntary. It is not befitting for a person to expose himself to danger or to treat the verses of Allah as a mockery by entering the state of ihram in his usual clothes.