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Any Obligations on Those Who Intended Hajj During COVID-19?

27 June, 2021
Q Some people intended Hajj, but the Saudi authorities limited hajj this year due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Are there any obligations on whose who intended hajj?

Answer

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 you made plans to go for Hajj this year and you could not make it, it was no fault of yours. Therefore, there is no obligation on you and Allah will reward you for your intention.


In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

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Hajj is obligatory only when one fulfills the essential conditions, including financial and physical ability and ensuring a safe passage to and back.

Because of the unprecedented situation of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Saudi authorities cancelled Hajj for those who come from outside Saudi Arabia and limited it to residents. 

So, if you made plans to go for Hajj this year and you could not make it, it was no fault of yours. Therefore, there is no obligation on you and Allah will reward you for your intention.

We learn from the Prophetic precedents that if a person had made the firm intention to perform a noble deed, but could not do it for no reason of his own, Allah will reckon it as if he did it.  In other words, Allah will reward him for his intention.

If – God forbids-  you were to die before you could witness another year when they lift the ban on Hajj, then you would be absolved of your duty.

If, however, you were to live to see the normal conditions (after the lifting of the ban or fear of safety), you would be obligated to perform Hajj – provided you can do so, both physically and financially.

Almighty Allah knows best.