I know that it is appropriate to perform the pilgrimage or the Umrah on behalf of a relative who is dead, but is it permissible to offer either of these duties on behalf of the one who is alive, as many expatriates do?
Substitute pilgrimage may be offered on behalf of relatives who died without having fulfilled this duty. The same applies to the Umrah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was asked whether one may offer the pilgrimage on behalf of a deceased parent and he said that this should be done. Similarly, if a relative is too ill to be able to do the journey, it is valid if someone else offers the pilgrimage on his behalf. This could be a relative who performs the substitute pilgrimage voluntarily, or the person himself may hire a man or a woman to do the pilgrimage for him, paying all the expenses of the person hired for the purpose. The only condition is that such deputy should have done his/her own pilgrimage first.
There are several Hadiths, which confirm this. A woman said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, that her father is too weak to be able to sit on the back of his camel. Could she offer the pilgrimage on his behalf? The Prophet, peace be upon him, told her to do so. Another Hadith mentions that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was traveling for his own pilgrimage with many thousands of his companions, he heard someone declaring that he is doing the pilgrimage on behalf of a man called Shibrimah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked him who was Shibrimah. The man said: “He is a brother of mine.” The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked him whether he had done the pilgrimage already. The man answered in the negative. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him: “Then offer the pilgrimage on your own behalf first, then you may offer it on behalf of Shibrimah.”
Some well-meaning expatriates feel that they should take the opportunity and save their relatives the trouble and expense of doing the pilgrimage or the Umrah by doing these duties on their behalf. Or they may do so because they know that their relatives are too poor to be able to afford the journey. This is not right, because if a person cannot afford the journey, he does not meet the condition of ability, which makes the pilgrimage a binding duty for him or her. This duty is conditional on one being able to undertake the journey, both physically and financially. If one does not meet this condition, he is exempt from doing it. If the relative concerned is one’s own parent, it is infinitely better to arrange for one’s parents to come over and do the pilgrimage themselves. If one cannot do that, he may pray for them in the Haram. If neither he nor they can afford the expense, he may do the pilgrimage on their behalf as an act of dutifulness, knowing that it is not binding on them. He will be richly rewarded for that, God willing. But he need not go further and do the pilgrimage or the Umrah on behalf of other relatives who are similarly placed with regard to ability, because they are not required to do it themselves.
Could you please let me know whether it is permissible to offer the pilgrimage or Umrah on behalf a deceased person or one who lives abroad.
Offering the pilgrimage or the Umrah on behalf of a deceased person is perfectly legitimate. Indeed, if a person did not perform the pilgrimage in his lifetime, his heirs should set aside from his estate a sum of money sufficient to cover the expenses of someone who is willing to travel and do the pilgrimage on his behalf. The only condition for the substitute pilgrimage to be valid is that the person doing it should have offered his own obligatory pilgrimage first. If he did not, then his pilgrimage is counted as his own obligatory one, and not for the person on whose behalf he undertakes it.
A man may do the substitute pilgrimage on behalf of a woman or vice versa. If substitute pilgrimage is undertaken on behalf of a living person, this is only done in the case of that person being too ill to undertake the journey and he or she is unlikely to recover. Otherwise, pilgrimage is a personal duty and should be offered by the person himself.
Why Is The Tawaf Movement Anti-Clock Wise?
In matters of worship, we accept without question what Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has taught us. There need not be an apparent reason for the form of any particular worship. Otherwise we would be questioning every thing and suggesting alternatives. People may ask: ‘why do we do one Rukoo‚ and two prostrations, or sujood in prayer?’ Why do some prayers include two Raka’ahs while others have four?
We should remember that whatever God does or orders must have a purpose. We accept that God’s purpose is always wise and beneficial. Hence, we do our worship as the Prophet, peace be upon him, has taught us. When he started his pilgrimage, he announced to the large number of his companions traveling with him: “Learn from me your rituals.” It is a clear order that the pilgrimage and the Umrah should be done exactly in the manner he did or approved. When he did his tawaf he walked round the Ka’abah in an anti-clock wise movement. This is why we do the same.