Q. When Allah says every one is responsible for his own deeds, no one else will be questioned for other’s deeds, how do you justify substitute pilgrimage, or Haj-e-Badal? If an old man gives money to his son for Haj on his behalf and dies, he will get reward just for the money that he gave, if any, but Allah will reward the son for performing the Haj, may be a little less.
M.H. Khan, Karachi
A. We do not justify anything, because nothing in our faith needs justification. We certainly explain things, because everything in Islam is logical and straightforward. The point is that when you say, “I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is God’s Messenger”, which is the second part of the declaration that you must make in order to be a Muslim, you must mean that you receive all teachings concerning faith, religion and its rules and teachings from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and no one else. If the Prophet states something, or approves of an action, then that is acceptable. If it is a religious action, then it is part of our faith. When a woman asked the Prophet if she could perform the pilgrimage on behalf of her father who was too old and weak that he could not sit up on his camel, the Prophet told her that she should do so.
In another case, he asked the person whether he would have repaid a debt his deceased father left unpaid. When the man said he would, the Prophet said to him: “A debt owed to God has more claim to be paid.” Moreover, when the Prophet, on his pilgrimage journey, heard someone declaring that his pilgrimage is offered on behalf of Shibrimah, the Prophet asked him who Shibrimah was. The man said: “He is a brother of mine.” The Prophet asked him whether he had already performed the pilgrimage himself. When the man answered in the negative, the Prophet told him to offer the pilgrimage for himself first, then he could offer it on behalf of Shibrimah.
This makes the case very clear. The evidence is overwhelming. Hence, there is no disagreement among scholars on the validity of substitute pilgrimage. The person on whose behalf the pilgrimage is offered receives all the reward for that pilgrimage, and the one doing it is rewarded for his action. If he is volunteering, then he gets very rich reward from God, particularly if he offers the pilgrimage on behalf of his parents. If he is paid for the trip, he receives reward as God pleases. The person, on whose behalf a pilgrimage is offered, because he cannot make the journey in his physical condition, receives the full reward, which is forgiveness of all past sins. This is not a borrowed concept from any other religion. This is an Islamic concept.