Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
If anyone cherishes a sincere intention to do a virtuous deed, but is prevented from carrying it out for circumstances beyond his or her control, they will be rewarded.
Answering your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Hajj Rewards
Allah will reward you for your intentions. Hajj is obligatory only on those who have the ability to do so. Since you were prevented from doing so, you are excused. You should try again, and perform it only when you obtain the visa.
Allah says: {Mankind owes the duty to make Hajj to the House: those who can afford it.} (Aal `Imran 3:97)
It is evident from this that Hajj is obligatory on those who have the ability to do it.
As for your intention, you should be heartened to remember the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Actions are judged by intentions, and everyone will be rewarded accordingly.” (Al-Bukhari)
So, if anyone cherishes a sincere intention to do a virtuous deed, but is prevented from carrying it out for circumstances beyond his or her control, they will be rewarded.
Here is a story from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to confirm this. While returning from the expedition of Tabuk, he told his companions, “We have left behind us people who would always be with us no matter which valley we traversed or path we took; they had shared rewards with us!” when the companions said, “But they are in Madinah?”. He replied, “Yes, they are, but they could not join us this time because of valid reasons.”
In light of these, you should not be worried over your inability to do hajj this time; you should try next time and pray to Allah to grant you success to fulfill your cherished desire.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.