Some Aspects

THE MESSAGE OF HAJJ told me, ‘I made five mistakes in the rituals, and a barber taught me the correct way.” (Al-Basa’ir wal Dhakha’ir by Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, Vol. 5, p. 131) Nowadays, nearly 95% of the pilgrims are elderly, many of whom are extremely old and find it difficult to perform the rituals of Hajj. For such people, it is better to appoint someone to perform Hajj al-Badal (Hajj on behalf of another or Hajj by proxy). In contemporary times, Hajj al-Badal has become common for deceased individuals, but according to Shariah, it is originally meant for people in such situations. A hadith states: “Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with them) said: A woman from Khath’am came during the Farewell Pilgrimage and said, ‘O Messenger of God, the obligation of Hajj prescribed by God has become due upon my father in his old age, but he is unable to sit on a riding animal. Should I perform Hajj on his behalf?’ He said: ‘Yes.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1854) Another form of Hajj Badal (Hajj on behalf of another) is when a person has passed away and has left a will stating that Hajj should be performed on their behalf. This situation is deduced through Islamic jurisprudence. According to Imam Malik, “Hajj may only be performed on behalf of someone if they have explicitly made a bequest requesting it. If no such bequest has been made, Hajj should not be performed on their behalf.” (Fiqh al-Sunnah, Vol. 1, p. 637) Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime for every able person.