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Fatwa CenterGoing for Hajj while indebted
Question
assalam alaikum.i have a father age,51,who has not gone for hajj.he would like to go ths year inshallah but he has not finished paying his debts.every year he plans to go but postpones because he is not able to finish paying his debts,not because he can not afford to pay them,but because he has also lent out his money to others who have not yet paid him.what do you advice?i really want him to go this year because he is 51,and no one knows how long he will leave,i want him to complete his pillar of islam before he dies.please answer as soon as you can.thank you.
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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Hajj is an obligation on whoever has the ability to perform it, Allaah Says (what means): {And [due] to Allaah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House-for whoever is able to undertake the journey.}[Quran 3:97]. The financial ability is one of the meanings included in the word "ability". This means that a person finds a means or transport that would take him to Hajj [to Makkah] after having fulfilled his obligations and necessary needs. Among the obligations that one is obliged to fulfil is to pay the debts that one owes to people. Moreover, it is not permissible for a person to delay repaying his debts if he has enough money to repay.
If a person has money where if he pays his debts he will not be able to go for Hajj, and if he performs Hajj, he will not be able to pay his debts, then such a person is not considered among those who are able to perform Hajj. However, if he still wants to perform Hajj, he should inform his creditors and seek permission from them. If he does not do so, his Hajj is valid but he is sinful for delaying the repayments of his debts.
Nonetheless, if a person has enough money to repay his debts and to spend on the expenses of Hajj, then it is an obligation on him to perform Hajj and to repay his debts.
This is regarding the debts that are due now, as regards the delayed debts which are not yet due, then it is not an obligation to repay them before their due time, and in this case it is permissible to perform Hajj even when owing these debts. It is also permissible for a person to borrow money in order to perform Hajj, and we hope that Allaah will help him in doing so. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85899 and 84034.
Allaah Knows best.
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