1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

50 Questions

My mother and I are going on Hajj with her sister who is Sunni. How can we all perform the rites correctly? And am I allowed to do Hajj in Niyaba of another Sunni aunt who is deceased?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

1. Going for Hajj with Sunni Muslims does not harm your Hajj as far as you perform the Hajj in the proper way according to the Prophet (SAWA) and Ahlul Bayt (AS). You need to read a book of Hajj steps according to Ahlul Bayt (AS) or to contact Shi'a scholars how can guide you.

2. Going for Hajj on behalf of a Sunni deceased person is allowed if you have already performed you own obligatory Hajj, or if Hajj is not yet obligatory on you because you can't afford it.

Wassalam.
Is Hajj obligatory on a spouse who is a homemaker and does not earn income?
Amina Inloes

Hajj is prescribed for both men and women in Islam and is obligatory one time on anyone who is able to perform it.

If she is not able to perform hajj (because she cannot afford it, because it would cause hardship, because she is physically unable to, because she cannot get a visa, or for other reasons), then it is not obligatory right now. 

Sometimes we are not able to do things in life because of our circumstances, and this is part of life. We are not responsible for the things we cannot do. 

As the Qur'an says, Allah does not intend to burden us!

If she is not able to go, it is good for her to pray for Allah to grant her the opportunity to go in the future and to have the intention to go if it becomes possible. How often are prayers to go to hajj answered!

If her circumstances change so that she becomes able to do it, then it becomes obligatory.  

However the intent behind Islamic law is that everyone who can perform hajj does so regardless of whether they are a homemaker or not. 
Is payment of Khums on savings a precondition for performance of Hajj or can any outstanding Khums be paid after the Hajj has been completed?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Delaying the full payment of Khums is a sinful act whether Hajj is intended or not.

Hajj is invalid if any amount used in its obligatory acts are from saved money out of which Khums is not paid fully.

Wassalam.
Is there a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a) saying that if we cannot go for Hajj we should go for Ziyarat of Imam Hussein (as) and that will be recorded as doing Hajj? If so, why is it not the case for Ziyarat of Imam Ali (a) or the Prophet Muhammad (s)?
Amina Inloes

Yes, this is in the book Kamil al-Ziyarat:

The narration is as follows: I said to Imam Sadiq (A), “May I be sacrificed on you, I cannot afford to go to Hajj every year.” The Imam (A) replied: If you ever wanted to go to the Hajj but could not afford it, go to the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (A), for indeed it will be recorded as a Hajj for you. And if you ever wanted to go for Umrah but could not afford it, go to the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (A), for indeed it will be recorded as an Umrah for you.

As for why? Allah knows best.

However, some thoughts. First, it is not neglecting hajj, only discussing the situation where it is impossible.

Second, it is also said that worshipping at Masjid al-Kufa has a similar reward to hajj, and Masjid al-Kufa is associated with Imam Ali (A) so this general idea is not only said about Karbala (although it is more emphasized for Karbala).

Third, if someone from afar cannot perform hajj, then probably they also cannot go to Medina and visit the Prophet (S), so it is not worth mentioning here.

Fourth, there are many narrations that indicate there is something spiritually unique about Karbala and where Imam Husain (A) was laid to rest, and visiting Imam Husain (A) is emphasized above visiting the resting places of the other Imams. So, it is good to trust in that and assume there is in fact a hidden merit to visiting Karbala which is not found in other places. There are many aspects of the spiritual world that we don't see with our physical eyes and in our everyday reality. Of course, it is also very good to visit Imam Ali (A)!

The best way to answer this question for one's self is to go to all these places (hajj, Najaf, Karbala) and develop a personal view. If you have not, may Allah bless you with the opportunity!