One assumed Ihraam but was prevented from entering Al-Haram

Question

After assuming Ihraam in the plane, I was prevented from entering the sacred lands as I did not have my visa because the officials in the travel agency responsible for the ‘Umrah services forgot my passport. What shall I do?

Fatwa

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  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) is His Slave and Messenger.

If the questioner assumed Ihraam for a ‘Umrah and it later appeared that he did not have a visa and the authorities prevented him from entering Al-Haram, then the ruling of prevention applies. The majority of scholars view that if one is prevented by a disbelieving enemy, a Muslim, an authority or the like, he may disengage from Ihraam and he is liable to slaughter a sacrificial animal as Allah Almighty says (what means): {But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals.} [Quran 2: 196]

That is also because when the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) and his companions were prevented in Al-Hudaybiyah, he ordered them to slaughter, shave and disengage from Ihraam.

The sacrificial animal is a sheep or one seventh of a camel.

He should not disengage from Ihraam until the sacrificial animal is slaughtered. If he does not find a sacrificial animal, he should fast for ten days. He does not have to make up for this ‘Umrah because the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) did not command his companions who were prevented with him in the ‘Umrah of Al-Hudaybiyah to make up for it.

His ‘Umrah in the following year was called the ‘Umrah of Qadhaa’ or Qadhiyyah because the Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) sued Quraysh concerning it and agreed with them that that he would go back that year, leaving the Sacred House, and head to it the next year.

Allah Knows best.

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