Question:
A family members name has been accredited for haj. Alhumdulillah. The couple does not have the full amount required. They would like to take a loan from Another family member and start paying back after haj. Please advice what would be the ideal thing to do.
Answer:
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullāhi Wa-Barakātuh.
Respected Brother in Islām,
Kindly note that Hajj is compulsory upon every bāligh (Mature), sane, free Muslim, who is physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey to perform Hajj, and also capable of supporting their family during their absence from home.
Merely receiving accreditation for Hajj does not make it obligatory upon an individual. If a person is accredited to perform Hajj but lacks the financial means to cover the associated expenses, the obligation of Hajj does not apply to him / her.
If a person lacks the financial means to cover his Hajj expenses but still wishes to strive to fulfil the ritual of Hajj, it will be permissible for him to take a carefully considered loan. This loan should be manageable and repayable without causing undue hardship to themselves or compromising their family’s essential needs upon returning from Hajj. However, the loan must be free of interest, as engaging in any form of interest-bearing transaction is strictly forbidden in Islām. Rasūlullāh ﷺ has condemned and cursed all forms of involvement in interest.
It is narrated in a Hadīth by Jābir :
لعن رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء.
Rasūlullāh ﷺ cursed the one who receives interest, the one who lends it, the one who writes down the transaction and those who are witness to it. They are all the same (in terms of the gravity of the Sin). [Sahīhul Muslim 1598]
Lastly, assisting someone to fulfil the obligation of Hajj is among the noblest acts of kindness in our Deen. By extending an interest-free loan to a fellow believer for this sacred journey, one is not only supporting that person in a pivotal moment of his life in completing a pillar of Islām but also earning the pleasure and reward of Allāh, which is tremendous and incomparable.
The following is stated in one Hadīth:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ رَأَيْتُ لَيْلَةَ أُسْرِيَ بِي عَلَى بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ مَكْتُوبًا الصَّدَقَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا وَالْقَرْضُ بِثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ. فَقُلْتُ يَا جِبْرِيلُ مَا بَالُ الْقَرْضِ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ. قَالَ لأَنَّ السَّائِلَ يَسْأَلُ وَعِنْدَهُ وَالْمُسْتَقْرِضُ لاَ يَسْتَقْرِضُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ.
It was narrated from Anas bin Mālik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“On the night on which I was taken on the Night Journey (Isra), I saw written at the gate of Paradise: ‘Charity brings a tenfold reward and a loan brings an eighteen-fold reward.’ I said: ‘O Jibril! Why is a loan better than charity?’ He said: ‘Because the beggar asks when he has something, but the one who asks for a loan does so only because he is in dire need. [Sunan Ibnu Mājah 2431][1]
Allāh Ta’āla Knows Best.
Sulaimān Al-Amīn Victor
Student-Dārul Iftā
Haiti (Port-au-Prince)
Checked and approved by:
Mufti Muhammad Zakariyyah Desai.
