Q. I am planning to do the Umrah on behalf of my father who is alive and in good health. However, he does not have enough money to pay for his travel. He has to sell some of his assets in order to do so. In the circumstances, can I do it on his behalf?
Abd Al-Rahman
A. Certain types of worship are possible to do by proxy, such as the pilgrimage and the Umrah, and the payment of zakah and charity. Normally, the pilgrimage and the Umrah are offered on behalf of someone else if he dies before fulfilling either duty, or if he can afford to pay for the journey but suffers from a chronic illness that prevents his travel. In this latter case, he asks someone else to do his duty, paying all the expenses involved. This is a totally different from the case put by the reader. Therefore, I will give him the following reply.
You cannot do the Umrah on behalf of your father since he is alive and in good health. If he does not have enough money to finance his trip to do the pilgrimage or the Umrah, then he is exempt from these duties until such time as he has sufficient funds to undertake the journey. If his assets are essential for his living, such as his home or shop then he should not sell them in order to do these duties. If the assets are extra to his needs, and his family’s needs, he may be then in the position of ability in which case he must consider how to perform his duties. The important thing to remember is that the pilgrimage and the Umrah are duties for those who are able to perform them, and the ability is both physical and financial.
If you are keen on your father doing the pilgrimage or the Umrah, then you should invite him to do so, paying his expenses. If you can afford this, it will be far more rewarding for both your father and yourself than if you do the Umrah on his behalf when he is exempt from it. In fact, doing it on his behalf in the present circumstances is not possible.
Unsolicited Gift
Q. We visited Madinah in Ramadan. My husband and 8-year-old son were praying outside the mosque when someone gave my son some clothes. I wonder whether to let the child wear them, because we are not sure whether this was a gift or zakah. If the latter, we cannot take it because we lead a comfortable life by the grace of God. Please advise.
A. Syed
A. You should assume that this was a gift from someone who wanted the child to feel happy. You cannot just leave it aside, because then you would be abandoning something that is useful. If the man who gave it to your son classified it as part of his zakah, then he should have first established that the child’s family qualifies as zakah beneficiaries. Since he has not done so, you should assume that it was a gift and as such it is lawful for your son to wear it.
