A man is ill on the day of the festival; is it permissible for him to delay the stoning until the last days of Tashreeq, or is it better for him to appoint a proxy?

The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : A man is ill on the day of the festival; is it permissible for him to delay the stoning until the last days of Tashreeq, or is it better for him to appoint a proxy?

The Shaykh : If a person is prevented from performing the stoning on the day of the festival by an obstacle, he should delay it until he is able to do so. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the shepherds to stone on one day and leave the next, and he did not tell them to appoint a proxy. Appointing a proxy for the stoning is not permissible to be done carelessly, because the stoning is one of the rituals of Hajj. And Allah the Exalted said: Therefore, it is not permissible for a person to appoint a proxy in it merely because he is tired or merely because of the crowd. We say: As for tiredness, if it is a permanent tiredness, such as a pregnant woman, an old man, or an old woman, then they may appoint a proxy. But if he is afflicted with a mild illness from which he hopes to recover by the last days of Tashreeq, then it is not permissible for him to appoint a proxy.

The questioner : Does he stone all of them on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth?

The Shaykh : Yes, he stones them all.