Can i take the loan to perform Hajj?

Hajj is one of the five pilgrims of Islam forming the base of the religion. Being the fifth pillar of Islam, the Ibadah has a lot of religious significance and performing it brings great virtue to a person. Hajj is mandatory to every Muslim who is physical, mentally and financially stabled and those who despite their health in these three genres skip the obligatory Ibadah have to encounter the wrath of Almighty Allah at the Day of Judgment.

Hajj is the ritual that can only be performed by your own Halal money and is not permissible to be delivered at a loan in Sharia. Allah Almighty makes the regulation clear by descending the following verse on the last Messenger of His SWT, Prophet Muhammad SAWW:

“And Hajj to the house of Allah (holy Kabah) is a duty that mankind owes to the Almighty, for those who are endowed to undertake the voyage.” (Surah Al- Imran)

Not all of the people are able to reach to the holy land of Kabah and one of the main reasons is financial issues. Hajj is a pretty expensive journey that requires a handsome amount of money. In primeval times, people used to travel towards Makkah on camels and had months and months spent on traveling. With the advancement of technology and time, the transportation and circumstances changed but the issue of being full- pocketed remains the same. Today, traveling is a matter of hours and a few clicks but a good amount is required to be there in your dreamland.

More than 1.6 million Muslim from all across the world come and visit the holy Kabah in the month of ZilHajj to perform Hajj. If someone has a longed desire to visit the holy house of Almighty then he must make sure that the jaunt of Hajj is performed by his own money that has come from reliable and authentic resources. If a person is unable to perform Hajj because he cannot afford the expenses of the trip then such person has a leniency to be excused by the Almighty. Following the utmost desire to perform Hajj and taking the loan is not an appreciated piece of work by the Almighty Allah. Hajj that is delivered by taking the loan from someone will not be accepted by Allah.

The loan is taking money from someone without interest (the taker has to return the same amount of money that was taken). If a person has taken a loan from someone and die then he will be not forgotten by the Allah for the amount he has taken only if the giver will forgive him for the sake of Almighty. Removing debt of a parent is not essential for the children but if he or she can do that then it will bring great virtue and fortune to the one.

If a person is endowed to perform Hajj then he must not delay it. Hazrat Ibn e Abbas RA narrated that Prophet Muhammad SAWW said;

“Whoever anticipates delivering Hajj (the major Pilgrimage) then h or she should make haste.”

Taking the loan and performing Hajj is not only a practice disliked by Allah Almighty but also by the Messenger of Allah. The man has come to encounter many obstacles in his or her life and one of the major of them is the financial problems. There will a lot of the times when you need money so urgently that you have no other option but borrowing it from someone else. Taking loan in such cases is not a sin or a wrongdoing and it is completely fine to give or take loans while in need. But the performance of Hajj is a different matter; a matter full of piousness and firm belief.

Taking a loan is not an issue until you intend to give it back to the owner. Taking the loan and not returning it on purpose is a sinful gesture not appreciated by the Sharia. Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa RA narrated that once he asked Prophet Muhammad SAWW bout a person who has not performed Hajj; “Should he not get a loan to perform the Pilgrimage?” Prophet Muhammad SAWW replied: “No”. The following small incident makes the idea of taking loan clear.

If a person has taken money for his personal working and does not return it back then also he will not be endowed to perform Hajj. Not only loaner who takes debt for Hajj purpose is not allowed to perform Hajj but also the one who has taken money for some other work.

If we look at the merits and demerits of it then it is purely for the sake and convenience of a Muslim. Islam is the religion that backbones the idea of convenience the most. If a person takes the loan to perform Hajj and then be not able to return it back then his life will be in the chaos that ill disturbs his daily peace. In some cases, the situation becomes worse. To avoid such conditions, the commands of the Almighty are there and being a Muslim it is obligatory to follow the path that is set by the Sunnah and Sharia because that is the path which is the most righteous for a person that will lead him to a prosperous life here and after.

If you are planning for performing Hajj or Umrah this year, then contact us for the best Hajj and Umrah package. Qibla Travels Ltd is one of the leading Hajj and Umrah travel agency company in the UK. We have the huge range of packages for Hajj and Umrah.

source: travelforumrah.co.uk