A person intends to perform the obligatory Hajj, but he has many debts, and he is of the opinion that if he asks the creditors for permission, they will allow him to perform Hajj, and he is able to provide for it
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The questioner : This is a questioner from Sudan. He says he is a Sudanese resident in Riyadh who intends to perform Hajj, if Allah wills, next year, the obligatory Hajj. However, he has many debts. But he says, "I am of the opinion that if I ask their owners for permission, they will allow me." He is currently able to provide the costs of Hajj, including travel expenses, food, drink, and other things. The question is: Does he commit a sin if he does not ask the owners of the debts for permission?
The Shaykh : The issue is not one of asking for permission or not asking for permission. The issue is that if a person has debts, Hajj is not obligatory for him in the first place, and there is no blame on him for leaving it. He should not perform Hajj and leave the debts upon him. Even if the owners of the debts give him permission and say, "Perform Hajj, and you are free from us," we say, "Do not perform Hajj until you pay off the debt." Thank your Lord that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, did not make Hajj obligatory for you except with complete ability. A debtor does not have ability in reality, because his liability is occupied. So he does not perform Hajj until he pays off the debt, whether they give him permission or not. And if he meets his Lord while he has not performed Hajj because he has debts, he does not commit a sin by that, just as the poor person is not obligated to pay zakah, and he does not commit a sin if he meets his Lord while he has not paid zakah.
Likewise, if one who is unable to perform Hajj meets his Lord while he is unable, he meets his Lord without being blamed or faulted.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
O dear brothers and listeners, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in Qassim, and preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unaizah, has answered your questions.
May Allah reward your eminence, and thank you for your good follow-up. In conclusion, please accept the greetings of my colleague, the sound engineer Sa'd 'Abd al-'Aziz Khumays. And may peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you.
The Shaykh : The issue is not one of asking for permission or not asking for permission. The issue is that if a person has debts, Hajj is not obligatory for him in the first place, and there is no blame on him for leaving it. He should not perform Hajj and leave the debts upon him. Even if the owners of the debts give him permission and say, "Perform Hajj, and you are free from us," we say, "Do not perform Hajj until you pay off the debt." Thank your Lord that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, did not make Hajj obligatory for you except with complete ability. A debtor does not have ability in reality, because his liability is occupied. So he does not perform Hajj until he pays off the debt, whether they give him permission or not. And if he meets his Lord while he has not performed Hajj because he has debts, he does not commit a sin by that, just as the poor person is not obligated to pay zakah, and he does not commit a sin if he meets his Lord while he has not paid zakah.
Likewise, if one who is unable to perform Hajj meets his Lord while he is unable, he meets his Lord without being blamed or faulted.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
O dear brothers and listeners, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in Qassim, and preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unaizah, has answered your questions.
May Allah reward your eminence, and thank you for your good follow-up. In conclusion, please accept the greetings of my colleague, the sound engineer Sa'd 'Abd al-'Aziz Khumays. And may peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you.