From the chapter on loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or one of the Companions: Is it permissible for a person to perform Hajj on their behalf?
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The questioner : From the chapter on loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or one of the Companions, is it permissible for a person to perform Hajj on their behalf?
The Shaykh : As for the Companions, there is no harm in a person performing Hajj on their behalf, just as he performs Hajj on behalf of any Muslim. However, we see that supplication for the dead is far better than good deeds, even for the father and mother. If you supplicate to Allah for them, it is better than performing Hajj on their behalf, provided it is not an obligatory duty. This is because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) spoke about a person's deeds after his death, he said:Riyad as-Salihin 949, . He did not say "he performs Hajj on his behalf," nor "he gives charity on his behalf," nor "he fasts on his behalf," nor "he pays zakah," nor "he performs Hajj." He did not say any of that. He said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1376Sahih (Darussalam). Do you think, O believer, that there is anyone more sincere in advising the living and the dead than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)?
No, by Allah, we do not think so. Rather, we think the opposite: that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is the most sincere advisor to the living and the dead. And yet he said:Sahih Muslim 1631. This is one point.
Second: As for the Companions, we have finished with them, and we said that they are like all other people, but supplication is better for them and for others.
As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offering acts of worship to him is foolishness from the standpoint of reason, and an innovation from the standpoint of religion.
As for it being an innovation in religion, it is because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who witnessed the Messenger and kept him company and loved him more than we do, did not do this. Did Abu Bakr perform Hajj on behalf of the Messenger? Or 'Umar, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali, or al-'Abbas, his uncle?
None of them did this. We come at the end of time and offer the Messenger Hajj on his behalf or charity on his behalf. This is an error from the standpoint of Islamic law.
From the standpoint of reason, it is foolishness, because every good deed that a servant performs, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has the like of it, because whoever guides to good has a reward like that of the doer. And if you offer the reward of a good deed to the Messenger, this means you have only deprived yourself, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) benefits from your deed; he has a reward like yours whether you offer it to him or not.
And I think this innovation did not occur until the fourth century, and even then the scholars rejected it and said: there is no basis for it. If you are sincere in your love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and I hope you are sincere, then you must follow his Sunnah and his guidance. When you perform ablution, be as if you feel that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is performing ablution in front of you, and likewise in prayer and other matters, so that you achieve following him. I am not saying that he is physically in front of you, that he is in your house; I do not say that. But the meaning is that due to the intensity of your following of him, it is as if he is in front of you performing ablution.
Therefore, I am now pointing out an important point. For example: we perform ablution for prayer, praise be to Allah. When we perform ablution, most of the time and most people do not feel that they are doing anything other than fulfilling a condition of prayer. But we should observe:
First: that we feel that we are obeying the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), where He said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:6], and so on. This is one point.
Second: that we feel that we are following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), because he performed ablution like ours, or rather because we performed ablution like his.
Third: that we seek the reward, because in this ablution Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) forgives every sin committed by these limbs. When the face is washed, the last drop of water expiates for the person, and likewise for the rest of the limbs. These are three matters that we generally do not feel; we act as if we have merely fulfilled a condition of prayer. So I ask Allah to help me and my Muslim brothers to be mindful of them, so that the worship is obedience to Allah, following of the Messenger of Allah, and seeking the reward of Allah.
The Shaykh : As for the Companions, there is no harm in a person performing Hajj on their behalf, just as he performs Hajj on behalf of any Muslim. However, we see that supplication for the dead is far better than good deeds, even for the father and mother. If you supplicate to Allah for them, it is better than performing Hajj on their behalf, provided it is not an obligatory duty. This is because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) spoke about a person's deeds after his death, he said:
When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son who prays for him.
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث : صدقة جارية ، أو علم ينتفع به ، أو ولد صالح يدعو لهwho supplicates for him
يدعو لهa righteous son who supplicates for him
ولد صالح يدعو لهNo, by Allah, we do not think so. Rather, we think the opposite: that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is the most sincere advisor to the living and the dead. And yet he said:
or a pious child, who prays for him
أو ولد صالح يدعو لهSecond: As for the Companions, we have finished with them, and we said that they are like all other people, but supplication is better for them and for others.
As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offering acts of worship to him is foolishness from the standpoint of reason, and an innovation from the standpoint of religion.
As for it being an innovation in religion, it is because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who witnessed the Messenger and kept him company and loved him more than we do, did not do this. Did Abu Bakr perform Hajj on behalf of the Messenger? Or 'Umar, or 'Uthman, or 'Ali, or al-'Abbas, his uncle?
None of them did this. We come at the end of time and offer the Messenger Hajj on his behalf or charity on his behalf. This is an error from the standpoint of Islamic law.
From the standpoint of reason, it is foolishness, because every good deed that a servant performs, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has the like of it, because whoever guides to good has a reward like that of the doer. And if you offer the reward of a good deed to the Messenger, this means you have only deprived yourself, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) benefits from your deed; he has a reward like yours whether you offer it to him or not.
And I think this innovation did not occur until the fourth century, and even then the scholars rejected it and said: there is no basis for it. If you are sincere in your love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and I hope you are sincere, then you must follow his Sunnah and his guidance. When you perform ablution, be as if you feel that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is performing ablution in front of you, and likewise in prayer and other matters, so that you achieve following him. I am not saying that he is physically in front of you, that he is in your house; I do not say that. But the meaning is that due to the intensity of your following of him, it is as if he is in front of you performing ablution.
Therefore, I am now pointing out an important point. For example: we perform ablution for prayer, praise be to Allah. When we perform ablution, most of the time and most people do not feel that they are doing anything other than fulfilling a condition of prayer. But we should observe:
First: that we feel that we are obeying the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), where He said:
O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا قمتم إلى الصلاة فاغسلوا وجوهكم وأيديكم إلى المرافق ...Second: that we feel that we are following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), because he performed ablution like ours, or rather because we performed ablution like his.
Third: that we seek the reward, because in this ablution Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) forgives every sin committed by these limbs. When the face is washed, the last drop of water expiates for the person, and likewise for the rest of the limbs. These are three matters that we generally do not feel; we act as if we have merely fulfilled a condition of prayer. So I ask Allah to help me and my Muslim brothers to be mindful of them, so that the worship is obedience to Allah, following of the Messenger of Allah, and seeking the reward of Allah.