Must I Repeat Hajj If I Recover After Someone Performed It on My Behalf?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If someone performs Hajj on my behalf due to a chronic illness, must I repeat it if I later recover?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
If you become healthy again before your death, you will have to repeat this Hajj that has been performed on your behalf while you were sick. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
This is because the time to perform Hajj is one’s lifetime. If the physical ability to perform it has been achieved after being lost, the obligation to perform it personally returns. [Ibid.]
Allah, Most High, says:
“Complete the pilgrimage and minor pilgrimage for Allah.” [Quran, 2:196]
All of the above is regarding sickness regarding which recovery is hoped.
As for chronicle sicknesses regarding which there is no hope of recovery, such as blindness, the obligation to perform Hajj is lifted altogether, and you don’t have to send anyone to perform Hajj on your behalf. [Ibid.]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching for ways to learn Islam reliably and was disappointed at the answers he found locally.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
