Dying before performing Hajj
Fatwa No: 361099

Question

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, Shaykhs. If a Muslim woman does not find any Muslim in her family or relatives whom she can ask to perform Hajj with and she dies before performing it, what should she do? She is asking because she thinks that maybe she was able to perform Hajj financially and physically during her lifetime, but she did not do so that year or during those years because she was not serious in the religion. What can she do? It is only a suspicion, but what if that was the case? She follows the opinion that says that one should perform Hajj right away when it becomes obligatory, that very year. She has written in her will that someone else should perform her Hajj before the distribution of her possessions if she dies before performing it during her lifetime, but she cannot find any Muslim in her family at this time. What should she do? Her non-Muslim family will probably read her will after her death and maybe completely ignore it. Please advise, respected Shaykhs. May Allah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

You should know that Allah, the Exalted, does not burden a soul with what is beyond its ability. If a woman is able to perform Hajj and neglects it until she becomes unable to perform it, then she must repent to Allah of her neglect and perform Hajj whenever she can. She is not required to do anything else. If she dies before becoming able to perform Hajj, she bears no sin as long as she has sincerely repented to Allah of delaying it.

If she stated in her will that someone should perform Hajj on her behalf and her estate is sufficient to cover the Hajj expenses but her heirs neglected her will, then they bear the sin, and she bears no sin for that because she has done what is within her ability. The principle in this regard is that Allah, the Exalted, is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful; He does not burden a soul with what is beyond its capacity.

Allah knows best.

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