Fatwa ID: 03690

Answered by: Imam Abdul-Malik Sheikh

Question

As salaamu Alaykum,

I would like to ask if I would be exempt from Hajj if I had the means but I have no one to leave my disabled child with? My family can't have him as he is quite difficult to care for and they have their own circumstances. My husband's family can't help either and he has never been away from us, e.g. in respite care etc. Would it mean, even if we could afford to, I could not travel with my husband?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime. In order for the for Hajj to be obligatory, a person must be an adult, sane, Muslim, who is free, healthy, and who has the physical and financial ability to make the journey.[1]

If you have a disabled child who needs care and you are not able to make arrangements for a carer, you may delay the Hajj until a time when you are able to make care arrangements for the disabled child.

Though you say the child has never been away from you in respite care, ultimately your plan is to be away from the child for the purpose of Hajj. Therefore, as an alternative to delaying Hajj, you may wish to explore suitable respite care.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Imam Abdul-Malik Sheikh

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham