Can aged mother go for hajj
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
ASSLMWLK,
Please advise me if my mother aged 72 yrs can go
for Hajj along with her sister aged 68 yrs and brother in law aged 69 yrs. The
reason is my father has expired, and I am working in private firm where I
am not getting leave for 1-1.5 months required for Hajj. I am married
and have dependent wife [house wife ] and son [10 yrs ]. In this scenario
it seems difficult for me to carry my mother for Hajj. So can she go along with
her sister and brother in law.
Instead of not going for Hajj in above circumstances, I
Think it is better to grab the opportunity and go with her sister. I can even
send my wife for Hajj to help her to carry rituals. Please advise me if this
can be accepted as per Islamic law.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Can aged mother go
for hajj
In the name of Allah,
We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah
guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide
them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah
Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the
seal of His Messengers.
Shariah Law dictates that the
Hajj pilgrimage is only obligatory on every adult believer, man or woman, who
has the financial and physical means to afford the journey; thus if one is
financially or physically incapable of performing the journey, such a person
will not be accountable for not being able to fulfill their obligation of Hajj
in the Court of their Lord Most Merciful.
Secondly, there is also a
concession in Shariah that if a believing woman, although she may have the
financial and physical ability to perform her obligation of Hajj, but is unable
to find a ‘mehram’ male relative to accompany her to Hajj; she will be excused
for not performing her Hajj in the Court of her Lord Most Gracious.
The majority of the scholars and
jurists in Islam are of the opinion that it is permissible for a believing
woman to perform the Hajj pilgrimage without a male ‘mehram’ relative, provided
she is accompanied by trustworthy and pious believers in the group.
Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh
5.10
Topic: Hajj
of a Woman without a mehram
Al-Hafiz says:
"Among the Shafi'ite scholars the most commonly accepted opinion in this
regard is that a woman may travel with her husband, or one of her mahram
relatives, or a group of trustworthy women, or even one such (trusted) woman
companion. According to one view, reported by Al-Karabisi and recorded as sound
in Al-Muhadhib, a woman may travel by herself provided the way to Hajj is
secure and safe. This applies to both Hajj and 'Umrah.
It is reported in
Subul as-Salaam: "A group of scholars hold that an old woman may travel
without being accompanied by any mahram relative."
This permission for
a woman to travel without a mahram in the company of trusted companions or when
the journey to Hajj is safe is supported by what is reported by Bukhari from
'Adi ibn Hatem, who says: "I was with the Prophet (saws) when a man came
to him and complained of poverty. Another man complained about highway robbery.
Thereupon the Prophet (saws) said: 'O 'Adi! Have you seen the city of
This opinion is
also supported by the fact that Umar gave permission to the wives of the
Prophet (saws) to perform Hajj while accompanied by 'Uthman and Abdur-Rahman
ibn 'Awf. Uthman would announce them to people telling them to avoid looking at
them or coming close to their camels.
If, however, a
woman fails to abide by this provision and performs Hajj alone - without being
accompanied by any mahram - her Hajj would still be valid.
The author of Subul
as-Salaam says that Ibn Taimiyyah said: "Hajj of a woman without a mahram
is valid.’
In brief, those for
whom Hajj is not compulsory due to sickness, poverty, fear of highway robbery,
or in the case of a woman because no mahram is available to accompany her, if
these people nonetheless perform Hajj, it will be credited to their account.
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me alone. Allah Alone
Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister