Men performing Hajj and ‘Umrah on women's behalf and vice versa

8-9-2015 | IslamWeb

Question:

I want to ask how a person can perform Hajj on behalf of another person, men on behalf of women and vice versa, especially as regards Idhtiba‘ (male pilgrims wearing the clothing in a particular manner: passing it from below the armpit and putting it over the left shoulder), walking with a fast gait in the first three circuits of tawaf (circumambulation), running during sa‘y (going back and forth between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah) between the two green flags and, finally, shaving or cutting one's hair.

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Answer:

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

If a man performs Hajj or ‘Umrah on behalf of a woman, then he should perform the rituals as he performs them for himself, with the difference that he makes the intention for conducting the rituals on behalf of the person who has authorized him to perform Hajj on his behalf. So he should shave and cut his hair and perform such Sunnah acts that are required of men, and not women, such as Ramal (walking in an active gait) and Idhtiba‘. The same holds true for a woman who performs Hajj on behalf of a man. She should conduct the rituals just as she performs them for herself. She is not allowed to cut her hair, but she should only shorten her hair to the equivalent of a fingertip or so. Also, it is not permissible for her to do Idhtiba‘ or Ramal.

Allaah Knows best.