.• Pilgrimage: A duty owed to Allah — an outstanding debt
Why is the pilgrimage made a duty owed to Allah. Why do we not say the same of prayers or of fasting?
Allah gives His message in the clearest of terms. Here, pilgrimage is stated in a way which makes it similar to a debt. Since pilgrimage can be offered only at a particular time every year, a delay in offering it once it becomes a duty is similar to the delay in settling a debt when a person has the money to pay it off. Moreover, if one dies without offering the pilgrimage when he has been able during his lifetime to offer it, it remains outstanding in the same way as a loan given to the deceased which must be settled after death.
It is important to know first of all that once a person is able to undertake the duty of pilgrimage, he or she must do it without delay. If, however, a person dies before he offers the pilgrimage when the conditions of ability have been met during his lifetime, then before his estate is divided among his heirs and indeed before the execution of his will, if any, a portion of his money should be set aside which must be sufficient to meet the expenses of pilgrimage and Umrah so that someone else may do the pilgrimage on his behalf. This applies whether the deceased had been too lax about fulfilling his duty or had every intention to fulfill it, but was prevented by his circumstances, or an illness or any other legitimate reason.
The person who offers to substitute pilgrimage on someone else's behalf should have performed the pilgrimage for himself first. On his pilgrimage journey, the Prophet heard one of his companions that his pilgrimage was intended on behalf of Shibrimah. The Prophet asked who Shibrimah was. He answered that he was a brother of his. The Prophet asked him whether he had offered the pilgrimage before and when the man answered in the negative, the Prophet said to him: "Offer the pilgrimage on your own behalf first, then offer it again on behalf of Shibrimah." It is perfectly acceptable that one of the close relatives of a sister does the pilgrimage on behalf of the deceased and it is also appropriate if someone is hired for the purpose. Some scholars maintain that what should be paid to a person who is doing a substitute pilgrimage is only the expenses incurred in doing so. He could not have a fee for doing the pilgrimage. But this is a question over which scholars have different views, with some of them maintaining that if a fee is paid, it is perfectly legitimate. On the other hand, if the relatives of the deceased tell the person who is doing the substitute pilgrimage that they will pay him a certain amount of money, he is entitled to take what he saves of that amount for himself.
It is also perfectly acceptable that a man does the pilgrimage on behalf of another man or a woman, and the opposite is also true: a woman may do pilgrimage on behalf of another woman or a man.
Pilgrimage is binding only on those who can afford it. If the deceased was never able throughout his life to afford the journey to offer pilgrimage because of his poverty, then such a duty was not applicable to him. Nevertheless, if one of his children does the pilgrimage [or arranges with another person to do it on his behalf], it is acceptable and greatly rewarding to the child concerned. It counts as an exceptional act of dutifulness on their part. It ensures reward of pilgrimage for their parent and a gratifying reward for them.
• Pilgrimage: A pillar of Islam
Is pilgrimage the fifth pillar of Islam, even for people living in Saudi Arabia?
Pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam. This applies to all Muslims wherever they live. It is needless to say that pilgrimage is easiest for people of Makkah and surrounding areas. Still, when these people do the pilgrimage, they receive its reward in full. You must not forget that a person may live in Makkah for 70 years and not do the pilgrimage. Hence, one who offers the pilgrimage acknowledges its place in Islam. Someone may say that a person who comes from a remote area spends more time and money in performing the pilgrimage, will he receive the same reward? To this I answer that Allah is the most just of judges. While the basic reward of pilgrimage is earned by all pilgrims, Allah may multiply the reward to whomever He wills. None will be treated unfairly.
Pilgrimage: A question of validity
When I offered the pilgrimage last year, I was not fully aware of all the duties I had to do and their timing. I did the sa'ie before doing the tawaf of arrival. I missed the sacrifice because when I went to the bank, they were not accepting any new payments. I also missed the tawaf of farewell. Is my pilgrimage valid?
The sa'ie has always to be done after a tawaf. It can be done after the tawaf on arrival or the tawaf of Ifadah. If you were asking me the same question during your pilgrimage, I would have told you to repeat the sa'ie after the tawaf of Ifadah. However, since the pilgrimage is over and you have returned home, I hope that your mistake falls within the category for which no compensation is required. The Prophet says : "My nation has been forgiven what they do through genuine mistakes, or out of forgetfulness, or what they are forced to do." I pray that this applies to you in this particular case.
As for the sacrifice, it remains outstanding. You can offer it this year instead of last year. Even if you missed out on doing it during the pilgrimage season, you can still do it afterward. You may ask one of your friends who is going to the pilgrimage to buy a voucher on your behalf and do what is necessary. If you delay it further, you go to Makkah or ask someone who is going there to arrange the slaughter and the distribution of the meat of the sacrificed sheep to the poor of the Haram area. As for the tawaf of farewell, you have to slaughter a sheep in compensation for that. The same applies to this sacrifice as the other.
There is no question that your pilgrimage is valid. Pilgrimage is not invalidated except through sexual intercourse during Ihraam. On the other hand, if one does not attend at Arafat on the 9th of Thul Hajjah, he is not a pilgrim. The other essential duty of pilgrimage is the tawaf of Ifadah. If one misses that and goes back home without doing it, he has to come back for it, even if he has gone to Alaska or to New Zealand, which perhaps are the farthest points from Makkah.
As for missing other duties, or doing them wrongly, the slaughter of a sheep is adequate compensation. When it is done, the pilgrimage is considered complete.