And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the obligation of Hajj and its virtue: "From Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father):

The woman said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The obligation of Hajj enjoined by Allah on His devotees has become due on my father and he is old and weak, and he cannot sit firm on the Mount; may I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, you may."

أن امرأة قالت: يا رسول الله إن فريضة الله على عباده في الحج أدركت أبي شيخًا كبيرًا لا يثبت على الراحلة أفأحج عنه؟ قال: نعم

Sahih al-Bukhari 1513

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And from Laqit ibn 'Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said:

my father is a very old man who is unable to perform the hajj and the ‘umra , or to ride." He replied, “Perform them both on behalf of your father.

إن أبي شيخ كبير لا يستطيع الحج ولا العمرة ولا الظعن قال: حج عن أبيك واعتمر

Mishkat al-Masabih 2528

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who said: "A good, authentic hadith. And from al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

I was seven years old when I was taken to perform Hajj (pilgrimage). This was during the time the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed the Hajjat-ul-Wada' (Farewell Pilgrimage).

حج بي مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في حجة الوداع وأنا ابن سبع سنين

Riyad as-Salihin 1281

Narrated by al-Bukhari. And from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father)

The Prophet (ﷺ) came across a caravan at Ar-Rauha' and asked who the people in the caravan were. They replied that they were Muslims. They asked: "Who are you?" He (ﷺ) said, "I am the Messenger of Allah." Then a woman lifted up a boy to him and asked: "Would this child be credited with having performed the Hajj (pilgrimage)?" Whereupon he (ﷺ) said, "Yes, and you will have a reward."

أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لقي ركبًا بالروحاء فقال: من القوم؟ قالوا: المسلمون، قالوا: من أنت؟ قال: رسول الله، فرفعت امرأة صبيًا فقالت ألهذا حج؟ قال: نعم ولك أجر

Riyad as-Salihin 1282

Narrated by Muslim. And from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him)

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) performed Hajj on a packsaddle and the same Mount was carrying his baggage too.

أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حج على رحل وكانت زاملته

Sahih al-Bukhari 1517

Narrated by al-Bukhari. And from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) who said: كانت عكاظ ومجنة وذو المجاز أسواقًا في الجاهلية فتأثموا أن يتجروا في المواسم فنزلت: ليس عليكم جناح أن تبتغوا فضلًا من ربكم في مواسم الحج Ukaz, Majannah, and Dhu al-Majaz were markets in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, so they feared to trade during the seasons, so it was revealed: "There is no blame upon you if you seek a portion of the bounty of your Lord" during the seasons of Hajj Narrated by al-Bukhari."

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
These hadiths were cited by al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on the obligation of Hajj and its virtue. The first and second hadiths are about whether someone who is unable to perform Hajj can have someone else perform it on their behalf or not. In the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), a woman asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said: This indicates that if a person is unable to perform Hajj due to an inability that is not expected to end, such as old age or an illness that is not expected to be cured, or the like, then someone may perform Hajj on his behalf. In this is evidence that it is permissible for a woman to perform Hajj on behalf of a man, and likewise it is permissible for a man to perform Hajj on behalf of a woman, a man on behalf of a man, and a woman on behalf of a woman; all of this is permissible. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the man who informed him that his father was an old man who could not ride, perform Hajj, or perform 'Umrah, and he said: In these hadiths is also evidence of the permissibility of children performing Hajj. Here is al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "I was taken with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for Hajj in the Farewell Pilgrimage, and I was seven years old". A child was taken for Hajj, which indicates the permissibility of Hajj for children. Likewise, the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas where a woman lifted a boy to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said: In these two hadiths is evidence of the permissibility of children performing Hajj. The child does what the adult does, and if he is unable to do something, it is done on his behalf if it is something that can be delegated, or he is carried if it is something that cannot be delegated. For example, if he cannot perform tawaf or sa'y, he is carried. If he cannot throw the pebbles, they are thrown on his behalf, because carrying him to the pillars involves hardship and there is no benefit in carrying him because he is not throwing with his own hand. Therefore, we say that for tawaf and sa'y he is carried, and for throwing the pebbles they are thrown on his behalf. Then, does the one performing tawaf and sa'y while carrying his child intend the sa'y for himself and for his child, and the tawaf for himself and for his child? We say: No, there is a distinction. If the child does not form the intention and his guardian tells him to intend the tawaf and the sa'y, there is no harm in performing tawaf with him while carrying him, intending it for himself and for the child. But if the child does not understand the intention, he does not perform tawaf with him intending two intentions, one for himself and one for the one he is carrying. Rather, he performs tawaf first for himself, then he carries his child and performs tawaf with him, or he places him with another person to perform tawaf with him. This is because one act cannot have two intentions. This is the distinction in the issue of performing tawaf with a child. Then, if a person performs Hajj as a representative for someone else, it is obligatory for him to do everything in his power to complete the Hajj, including its pillars, obligations, and complements, because he is a representative for another, so he should not be negligent in what he does on behalf of another. This is unlike Hajj for oneself; if you leave a recommended practice in your own Hajj, there is no harm. But in Hajj on behalf of another, strive in it as much as you can. And success is from Allah.

The questioner : Shaykh, what is al-dha'n?