The Rulings of Hajj
1. It is compulsory upon every Muslim to perform, at least once in a lifetime, the Hajj pilgrimage [Hajjat-al-Islam]. If one meets all the criteria for the Hajj and is able to perform it, then s/he may not delay performing this obligation.
2. Hajjat-al-Islam becomes compulsory if one meets four criteria:
A. To be adolescent.
The person must have reached the age of adolescence. It is not compulsory upon a person who has not reached adolescence, but it is desirable for him/her to go to the Hajj, given the parent/guardian permission.
B. To be of sound mind.
The Hajj is not compulsory upon the insane.
C. To be free.
The Hajj is not compulsory upon the slave, although it is desirable for him/her to perform the Hajj given the permission of his/her master.
D. To be able.
The ability is defined as follows:
i. To be financially able to go to the Hajj pilgrimage and come back home.
ii. To be physically (health wise) able to go to Hajj and perform the various prayers and practices.
iii. That there is no hindrance or obstacle to prevent him from going to Hajj.
iv. That there is adequate time to perform the Hajj program.
3. It is desirable to perform the Hajj, if one is not financially sound.
4. If one performs the Hajj pilgrimage while s/he does not meet the criteria for performing the Hajj, the obligation and duty of Hajjat-al-Islam is not discharged for him/her, and therefore s/he must perform the Hajj when s/he meet the criteria.
5. If the cost of the Hajj pilgrimage, and that of the maintenance of his family, if applicable, is sponsored by another person or body, then the Hajj becomes compulsory for him/her.
If s/he performs the Hajj in this situation, then s/he has discharged his/her duty of Hajjat-al- Islam, and if at some other times s/he meets all the criteria of the Hajj, it would not be compulsory for him/her to perform the Hajj again. If he does not go to Hajj, then the Hajj will be unconditionally mandatory upon him, and he must go to Hajj under any circumstances, even if he was a wanderer, and (it would cause him) hardship.
6. He who was able to perform Hajj in the previous years but did not do so, it is obligatory upon him to perform Hajj in any way possible even if he does not meet the criteria.
7. If one is not able to go to Hajj (e.g. can not afford the costs involved), he may go to Hajj by proxy on behalf of others (i.e. someone pays him the cost to go to Hajj on his behalf).
However, if afterwards he becomes able to go to Hajj, then it would be obligatory upon him to go to Hajj for his own.
8. It is not obligatory upon the individual to sell his house, car, or other belongings to (enable him to) go to Hajj.
9. Hajj does not become obligatory upon an individual if going to Hajj constitutes harm to him. However if going to Hajj hinged upon him either abandoning an obligatory duty, or committing a Haram act, then the priority must be given to that considered to be more important from the view point of the Shari'ah
10. If one was financially able to go to Hajj, but could not do so because of old age or ill health, he must 'hire' (or sponsor) someone to perform Hajj on his behalf during his lifetime.
11. If a person who qualified to go to Hajj dies just before going to Hajj, it is obligatory that the cost of his Hajj is deducted from what he has left behind so that someone would go to Hajj on his behalf.
12. Hajjat al-Islam does not require the permission of the parents concerning the son, or the permission of the husband concerning the wife.
13. It is sufficient for the agent performing the Hajj on behalf of a deceased person to commence his agency from the MIQAAT, and it is not necessary for the agent to do so from the deceased hometown.
This is also applicable to the living person who is unable to go to Hajj, but wishes to do so by proxy.
14. If one willed that a Hajj is performed by proxy after his death, then it is mandatory to execute that will if the cost of the Hajj is not more than one third of what he has left behind, unless the inheritors agree to it, if it were to be more than one third.
This is case if the Hajj is not obligatory upon the deceased (i.e. not his first Hajj). However if it is obligatory upon the deceased, then the Hajj must be performed by proxy on behalf of the deceased in any way, even if the cost is more than one third.
15. If one vowed, or promised Allah that he would go to Hajj, then he must do so even if he had performed Hajj before.
16. If before qualifying for, or being able to go to, Hajj, one vowed to be, say, in Karbala on the Day of ARAFAH, but afterwards he could meet the criteria to go to Hajj, then his/her vow is superseded, and he must go to Hajj.
17. A man may go to Hajj on behalf of a woman, and vice versa.
18. One may, in the mandatory Hajj, intend to do the Hajj on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, or the infallible Imam (pbuh), or anyone else, dead or alive. The reward of the Hajj will be written for him and whomever he intended the Hajj for.
19. It is desirable for one to go to Hajj every year, and the reward of the Hajj is greater than giving the cost of the Hajj to charity in the cause of Allah.
20. If one is able do the Hajj without the Umrah, or to do the Umrah without the Hajj, then he must do whatever he is able to do.
21. If a woman started her period before the IHRAAM, and she declared her IHRAAM in that state, then if the monthly period ended and she became TAAHIR before the WUQUF in ARAFAAT, then it is obligatory upon her to do the duties of the Umrah of TAMATTU'.
If she is not TAAHIR by the time of the WUQUF in ARAFAAT, then it is obligatory upon her to switch to the Hajj of al-EFRAAD. She then must perform WUQUF in ARAFAAT and the duties of Hajj of TAMATTU'.
[All the Hajj of TAMATTU' duties must be performed except the TAWAAF, SA'Y and associated SALA, which necessitates going to the Holy Mosque of the CA'BAH.
{These correspond to Duties in Makkah, duties 7 - 11 of the 13 duties list of the Hajj of TAMATTU', given above.} When she is TAAHIR, she can continue to perform the remaining the duties of the Hajj of TAMATTU'.] After this she must do the MUFRADAH Umrah.
The same ruling applies if either HAYDH or NIFAAS occurs after IHRAAM and before TAWAAF.
22. If there were a difference of opinion about the moon sighting between the Shi'a and the Sunnah, and if it was not possible to perform the Hajj according to the view of the Shi'a, then one may perform the Hajj according the moon sighting of the Sunnah, and his Hajj is correct.