Hajj al-Badal

by Asma bint Shameem

🔺Doing hajj on someone else’s is called Hajj al-Badal.

🔺It can only be done on behalf of someone who’s passed away or is permanently sick or disabled and unable to do hajj ever.

🔺The person who’s performing this Hajj Badal has to have done his own Hajj before he performs Hajj on someone else’s behalf.

📌 Proof:

🍃The Prophet ﷺ heard a man saying, Labbayk ‘an Shubrumah

(Here I am (O Allaah, for Hajj) on behalf of Shubrumah).

He said:

“Have you performed Hajj on your own behalf?”

He said: No.

He said: “Perform Hajj on your own behalf, then on behalf of Shubrumah.” (Abu Dawood- saheeh by al-Albaani)

🔺Can someone else pay for Hajj Badal?

It’s not a condition in order for Hajj to be valid that it should be paid for with one’s own money.

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“The validity of her obligatory Hajj is not affected by the fact that she has not spent any of her own money on it, or that she has spent only a little and that most of her Hajj expenses have been paid by someone else. Based on this, if her Hajj meets all the conditions and she does all the essential parts of Hajj, then she has fulfilled the obligation of Hajj, even if someone else pays for it.”

(Al-Lajnah Al-Daa’imah Li’l-Buhooth Al-‘Ilmiyyah Wa’l-Ifta (Fataawa Al-Lajnah, 11/34)

🔺 How to do Hajj al-Badal?

There’s nothing much to do.

All you do is make the intention on the person’s behalf when you enter into ihraam. That’s all.

📌 Proof:

🍃A woman who’s mother had died came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked:

“O Messenger of Allaah, she owed one month’s fasting, should I fast on her behalf?

He said: “Fast on her behalf.”

She said: She never went for Hajj, should I perform Hajj on her behalf?

He said: “Perform Hajj on her behalf.”

(Muslim)

🔺Is it permissible to accept payment for doing hajj Badal?

It is permissible for a person to accept payment to perform Hajj or umrah on someone else’s behalf but the intention for performing hajj or umrah on their behalf should NOT be to do this as form of “earning a living” or to “earn money”.

Rather the intention should only be to help someone out and take the money only as much as needed and as a means to help him perform the hajj or umrah.

🍃 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

“The one who performs Hajj in order to earn money has no share in the Hereafter.

But if he takes on the task of performing it on behalf of another for a religious purpose, such as if he intends to benefit his brother by performing Hajj on his behalf, or if he intends to do more acts of worship, duaa and dhikr in the holy places, then there is nothing wrong with that and it is a sound intention.

Those who take on the task of performing Hajj on behalf of others should make their intention purely for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala and their intention should be to fulfil their desire to worship around the House of Allaah, remembering Him and calling upon Him, as well as fulfilling their brothers’ needs by performing Hajj on their behalf.

They should keep away from worldly intentions of earning money.

If they have no intention in their hearts other than earning money, then in that case it is not permissible to take on the task of performing Hajj on behalf of others.

If a person takes on the task of performing Hajj on behalf of another with the proper intention, then the money that he receives is all his, unless it was stipulated that he should return anything that is left over.”

(Ad-Diya’ al-Lami‘ min al-Khutab al-Jawami‘, 2/477, 478)

🍃 And Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“It is unfortunate that many of those who perform Hajj on behalf of others only do so in order to earn money.

But this is haraam for them, because it is not permissible to do acts of worship with the intention of worldly gain .

Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala says:

“Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter; to them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein, and they will have no diminution therein.

They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire; and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do” [Hud 11:15-16]

Allaah does not accept any act of worship that is not done for His sake, and the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ forbade earning money in places of worship.

He ﷺ said:

“If you see anyone buying or selling in the mosque, then say:

May Allaah not make your trade profitable.”

If this has to do with the one who makes place of worship into a place for earning wealth, and he is to be prayed against, asking that Allaah not make his trade profitable, then how about those who make the act of worship itself a means of worldly gain, as if Hajj were a commodity or a profession like that of a builder?

You find the one who is asked to perform proxy Hajj asking for more and bargaining, saying:

This is too little; this is not enough; give me more, for So and So gave me such and such, or So and So offered me such and such, and other such words that turn acts of worship into a profession.

Hence the Hanbali fuqaha’ (may Allah have mercy on them) clearly stated that hiring a man to perform Hajj on behalf of someone else is not valid.

🔺What if I forget the name of the person on whose behalf I’m doing Hajj?

There’s no need to take the name of the person on whose behalf you’re doing Hajj; rather just the niyyah is enough. And there’s nothing to be said out loud.

🍃 Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:

“If he is doing Hajj on behalf of a woman or a man, and forgets the person’s name, it is sufficient for him to form the intention, and there is no need to mention the name.

If he forms the intention when entering ihraam that this Hajj is on behalf of the one who gave him the money, that is sufficient.

The intention is sufficient, because actions are but by intentions, as it says in the hadith from the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam.”

(Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz 17/79).

🔺 What about the rewards?

There’s a difference of opinion among the scholars about this:

🍃Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“The reward for actions connected to Hajj will go in its entirety to the one who appointed him as his proxy; with regard to the extra reward for prayers and tawaaf that he does voluntarily outside of the rituals of Hajj, and reading Qur’aan, (that reward) will go to the one who performs Hajj, not the one who appointed him as his proxy.”

(Ad-Diya’ al-Laami‘ min al-Khutab al-Jawaami‘, 2/476)

🍃And the scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“Whoever does Hajj or ‘umrah on behalf of another person, whether that is in return for payment or otherwise, the reward of Hajj or ‘Umrah will go to the person on whose behalf he did it, and there is the hope that he will also have a great reward, commensurate with his sincerity and intention to do good.”

[Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (11/77-78)]

And Allaah knows best