A person intends to perform Hajj this year, but he has a debt to another person, and he has searched for him but could not find him. What should he do, and is it necessary to obtain the consent of the creditor?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This questioner says that he intends to perform Hajj this year, but he has a debt to another person, and he has searched for him but could not find him. He asks: What should I do, and is it necessary to obtain the consent of the creditor?
The Shaykh : First, we say: One who has a debt does not have to perform Hajj at all, even if he has not yet performed the obligatory Hajj, because Hajj is not obligatory upon him until he pays off his debt. So he should focus on paying off his debt, and if he delays Hajj from one year to another until he settles the debt, that is fine.
I am amazed at people’s eagerness to perform Hajj while they have debts, and they know or do not know that the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is based on leniency, and that one who has a debt does not have to perform Hajj. Yet they delay paying the creditors, or they do not delay but they perform Hajj. This is a mistake on their part without a doubt.
We say: Pay off your debt, then perform Hajj. If you do not know the creditor, search for him as much as possible. If you cannot find him, and you have ample wealth such that you know you will perform Hajj and still have a significant surplus remaining after the debt, then there is no harm in performing Hajj.
The Shaykh : First, we say: One who has a debt does not have to perform Hajj at all, even if he has not yet performed the obligatory Hajj, because Hajj is not obligatory upon him until he pays off his debt. So he should focus on paying off his debt, and if he delays Hajj from one year to another until he settles the debt, that is fine.
I am amazed at people’s eagerness to perform Hajj while they have debts, and they know or do not know that the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is based on leniency, and that one who has a debt does not have to perform Hajj. Yet they delay paying the creditors, or they do not delay but they perform Hajj. This is a mistake on their part without a doubt.
We say: Pay off your debt, then perform Hajj. If you do not know the creditor, search for him as much as possible. If you cannot find him, and you have ample wealth such that you know you will perform Hajj and still have a significant surplus remaining after the debt, then there is no harm in performing Hajj.