Wife Performing Hajj on Behalf of Mother-in-law
4-12-2025 | IslamWeb
Question:
My mum was late without performing hajj. I took my wife to Hajj and when later she had 2nd opportunity through government sponsored, she did it on my mum behalf, does it surfice for her and myself who would have done it on her behalf?
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 (
) is His slave and Messenger.
Dear questioner, you have not made it clear to us, whether your mother is still alive or has passed away, as knowing her situation affects the ruling. What we can say briefly is the following:
If your mother has passed away, then there is no problem in performing Hajj on her behalf. Whether you perform it, your wife performs it, or someone else does. What matters is that the person performing Hajj on her behalf has already performed Hajj for themselves.
However, if your mother is still alive and someone will perform the obligatory Hajj on her behalf, then the matter will fall under either one of these two possibilities:
The first case: that your mother is physically unable to perform Hajj herself, with a permanent disability that is not expected to improve, or that she is physically and financially unable –not financially only- such as being afflicted with incurable illness that makes Hajj too difficult for her, or that she is elderly and unable to perform Hajj. In this situation, it is valid for her to appoint someone to perform Hajj on her behalf using her own money, and it is also valid for someone to volunteer and perform Hajj on her behalf using their own money.
The second case: if your mother is only financially unable, then she may not appoint someone to perform the obligatory Hajj on her behalf. Likewise, if she is physically unable or ill with an illness that is expected to improve, she also may not appoint anyone to perform Hajj on her behalf.
Furthermore, it is a condition that your mother gives permission for Hajj on her behalf if she is alive; one may not perform Hajj on her behalf without her consent. Ibn Qudamah (
) said in Al-Mughni: “It is not permissible to perform Hajj or Umrah on behalf of a living person except with their permission, whether obligatory or voluntary.” [End of quote]
In conclusion, if these conditions are fulfilled, then there is no objection for you to perform Hajj on her behalf, or for your wife to perform Hajj on her behalf.
Allah knows best.