Is It Permissible To Perform Ḥajj And ʿUmrah On Behalf Of A Prisoner?

2026-07-10 08:49

[Excerpt] al-Wajīz fī Aḥkām al-Asīr al-Muslim

By al-Ḥārith bin Ghāzī al-Naẓārī

(Muḥammad bin ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Murshidī)

Question # 2:

Is it permissible to perform Ḥajj and ʿUmrah on behalf of a prisoner?

[Answer]

A prisoner’s appointing of someone to perform Ḥajj on their behalf varies according to the nature of the captivity and the condition of the prisoner, as follows:

First: Is the Ḥajj obligatory (farḍ) or voluntary (nafl)?
Second: Is the prisoner expected to be released or not?

[i] The first case: The Ḥajj is obligatory, and the prisoner is not expected to be released.

In this case, it is permissible to appoint a proxy on their behalf.

[ii] The second case: The Ḥajj is obligatory, and the prisoner is expected to be released.

In this case, it is not permissible to appoint a proxy on their behalf. If it occurs, it is invalid (insufficient), and they must perform the Ḥajj of Islam after their release.

[iii] The third case: The Ḥajj is voluntary.

In this case, it is permissible to appoint a proxy on behalf of the prisoner, whether the prisoner is expected to be released or not.

Ibn Qudāmah—may Allāh the Exalted have mercy upon him—stated regarding the ruling on appointing a proxy for the obligatory Ḥajj for someone who is imprisoned and whose release is not expected:

"Whoever meets the conditions for the obligation of Ḥajj, but is unable to perform it due to an obstacle whose removal is despaired of—such as a chronic illness (zamānah), an ailment from which recovery is not expected, or being so frail of constitution (niḍw al-khalq) that they cannot remain upright upon a mount except with unbearable difficulty, or an elderly person nearing the end of their life (al-shaykh al-fānī), and those similar to them—whenever they find someone to act as a proxy on their behalf for Ḥajj and [possess] the wealth to compensate them, it becomes obligatory upon them to do so. This is the opinion of Abū Ḥanīfah and al-Shāfi‘ī.

Mālik said: Ḥajj is not obligatory upon them." —Al-Mughnī, 4/318.

He (may Allāh the Almighty have mercy on him) also said regarding the ruling on appointing a proxy for the obligatory Ḥajj for someone who is imprisoned but whose release is expected:

"As for one whose illness is expected to pass, the prisoner, and the like, it is not permissible for them to appoint a proxy (istinābah). If they do so, it shall not suffice [as a valid Ḥajj], even if they do not recover. This is the opinion of al-Shāfi‘ī.

Abū Ḥanīfah stated: They may do so. This [proxy Ḥajj] is considered conditional (murā‘an); if they become able to perform Ḥajj themselves, it becomes obligatory upon them to do so, and if not, it suffices them, because they are incapable of performing Ḥajj themselves, making them similar to one whose recovery is despaired of.

Our evidence [the Ḥanbalī position] is that since they hope to attain the ability to perform Ḥajj themselves, they are not permitted to appoint a proxy, and it does not suffice if they do so, just like the poor person. [Such a person] differs from one whose recovery is despaired of, because the latter is absolutely incapable and despaired of attaining the original ability [to perform Ḥajj], making them similar to the deceased."

And because the textual evidence [in the Sunnah] only mentioned performing Ḥajj on behalf of an elderly person, who is someone from whom it is not expected that they could perform Ḥajj themselves; therefore, no one may be analogized to him except for one who is in a similar state.

Based on this, if one who hopes to attain the ability to perform Ḥajj themselves appoints a proxy, and subsequently becomes [a person] whose recovery is despaired of, they must perform Ḥajj on their own behalf once again. This is because they appointed a proxy at a time when appointing a proxy was not permissible for them, thus they are similar to a healthy person." — Al-Mughnī, 4/322.

And he—may Allāh the Exalted have mercy upon him—said, contrasting voluntary Ḥajj with the obligatory Ḥajj:

"If a person is incapacitated by an inability that is expected to pass—such as a sick person whose recovery is expected, or a prisoner—it is permissible for them to appoint a proxy for it. This is because it is a Ḥajj that is not binding upon them [i.e., a voluntary Ḥajj], and since they are unable to perform it themselves, it is permissible for them to appoint a proxy for it, just like the elderly person.

The difference between it and the obligatory Ḥajj is that the obligatory Ḥajj is the worship of a lifetime, so it is not permanently missed by delaying it past this year. On the other hand, the voluntary Ḥajj is prescribed for every year, so this year's Ḥajj would be missed by delaying it. Furthermore, if a person dies before performing the obligatory Ḥajj, it is performed [by proxy] after their death, whereas the voluntary Ḥajj is not performed, and would thus be missed." —Al-Mughnī, 4/323.

For further reading, see al-Majmū‘, 6/431 and al-Muḥallā, 7/61.

—End of Quote, from al-Wajīz fī Aḥkām al-Asīr al-Muslim

~ Galandān

س2 _ هل يجوز الحج والعمرة عن الأسير؟

استنابة الأسير من يحج عنه تختلف بحسب الأسر وحال الأسير كما يلي:

أولاً: هل الحج فرض أم نفل؟

ثانياً: هل الأسير موجوا الإفراج عنه أم لا؟

الحالة الأولى: أن يكون الحج فرضاً والأسير غير مرجو الإفراج عنه.

في هذه الحالة يجوز الإنابة عنه.

الحالة الثانية: أن يكون الحج فرضاً والأسير مرجو الإفراج عنه.

في هذه الحالة لا يجوز الإنابة عنه وإن وقعت فهي غير مجزيه وعليه حجة الإسلام بعد خروجه.

الحالة الثالثة: أن يكون الحج نافلة.

في هذه الحالة يجوز الإنابة عن الأسير سواً كان الأسير مرجو الإفراج عنه أم لا.

قال ابن قدامة رحمه الله تعالى في حكم الإنابة عن الحج الفرض لمن كان محبوس ولا يرجى خروجه: (من وجدت فيه شرائط وجوب الحج، وكان عاجزا عنه لمانع مأيوس من زواله، كزمانة، أو مرض لا يرجى زواله، أو كان نضو الخلق، لا يقدر على الثبوت على الراحلة إلا بمشقة غير محتملة، والشيخ الفاني، ومن كان مثله متى وجد من ينوب عنه في الحج، ومالاً يستنيبه به، لزمه ذلك. وبهذا قال أبو حنيفة، والشافعي.

وقال مالك: لا حج عليه) المغني 4/ 318.

قال أيضاً رحمه الله تعالى في حكم الإنابة عن الحج الفرض لمن كان محبوس ويرجى خروجه: (ومن يرجى زوال مرضه، والمحبوس ونحوه، ليس له أن يستنيب. فإن فعل، لم يجزئه، وإن لم يبرأ وبهذا قال الشافعي.

وقال أبو حنيفة: له ذلك.

ويكون ذلك مراعى، فإن قدر على الحج بنفسه لزمه، وإلا أجزأه ذلك؛ لأنه عاجز عن الحج بنفسه، أشبه الميئوس من برئه.

ولنا، أنه يرجو القدرة على الحج بنفسه، فلم يكن له الاستنابة، ولا تجزئه إن فعل، كالفقير، وفارق المأيوس من برئه؛ لأنه عاجز على الإطلاق، آيس من القدرة على الأصل، فأشبه الميت.

ولأن النص إنما ورد في الحج عن الشيخ الكبير، وهو ممن لا يرجى منه الحج بنفسه، فلا يقاس عليه إلا من كان مثله.

فعلى هذا إذا استناب من يرجو القدرة على الحج بنفسه، ثم صار مأيوسا من برئه.

فعليه أن يحج عن نفسه مرة أخرى؛ لأنه استناب في حال لا تجوز له الاستنابة فيها، فأشبه الصحيح.) المغني 4/ 322.

وقال رحمه الله تعالى عن الحج الفرض: (فإن كان عاجزا عنه عجزا مرجو الزوال، كالمريض مرضا يرجى برؤه، والمحبوس جاز له أن يستنيب فيه؛ لأنه حج لا يلزمه، عجز عن فعله بنفسه، فجاز له أن يستنيب فيه، كالشيخ الكبير، والفرق بينه وبين الفرض، أن الفرض عبادة العمر، فلا يفوت بتأخيره عن هذا العام، والتطوع مشروع في كل عام، فيفوت حج هذا العام بتأخيره، ولأن حج الفرض إذا مات قبل فعله، فعل بعد موته، وحج التطوع لا يفعل، فيفوت.) المغني 4/ 323.

وللمزيد من الاطلاع أنظر المجموع 6/ 431 و المحلى 7/ 61.