Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi 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:
Steps to Follow Before Paying for Parents’ Hajj:
- ✅ Perform your own obligatory Hajj first
- ✅ Ensure financial ability to sponsor others
- ✅ Take both parents if possible
- ✅ Prioritize your mother if only one can go
- ✅ Support siblings only if truly unable to help themselves
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Obligation of Performing Hajj for Oneself First
A person who is financially able has the duty to perform pilgrimage on behalf of himself first before he does it for others or send others for hajj including parents.
Reward in Taking Parents for Hajj
However, if he has the means to take his parents with him, he should not hesitate to do so, as pleasing parents is akin to pleasing Allah and it is immensely rewarding.
If he has only limited means, then the priority is to spend on his own obligatory Hajj.
Preference Between Parents if Only One Can Be Sponsored
After having done that, he should prefer his parents. He should choose his mother over his father, if he can only pay for one.
Responsibility Toward Siblings in Financial Need
If the brothers are adults, then they are supposed to look after themselves. If they could not, because of the circumstances beyond their control, then, if he can afford it, after fulfilling his primary obligations, then he should support them too, as best as he can.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.