Payment of debts before Umrah or Hajj

23-4-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

I owe money to banks for use of credit cards. I need to know, if I can go for Umrah and Hajj, without clearing my debts? Secondly, I want to sponsor my mom and my younger brother for Hajj this year. Do I have to clear my debts before I sponsor them for Hajj. Please advise in the light of Quran and Hadeeth, whether I can sponsor them for Hajj and whether can I go for Umrah.

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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.

Anyone who intends to perform Hajj or Umrah while indebted and the payment is due, and he would not be able to perform Hajj or Umrah after paying the debt; such a person must pay his debt first, because settling debts is obligatory. Hajj is not obligatory upon an indebted person.

However, if he is confident that he will be able to pay his debt after coming back and the lender permits him to perform Hajj or Umrah, then he can perform them.

In the same vein, if one has a long-term debt and he is confident that he will be able to pay his debt after coming back from Hajj, then he can perform Hajj or Umrah without seeking the permission of the lender.

Allaah Knows best.