Narrated by Abū Razīn al-‘Uqaylī: He came to the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my father is an old man; he cannot perform Hajj, ‘Umrah, or travel.” He said: “Perform Hajj and ‘Umrah on behalf of your father.”

Narrated by Abū Dāwūd (No. 1810), and the wording is his; Aḥmad (No. 16190); al-Tirmidhī (No. 930); and by al-Nasā’ī (No. 2637) with the wording: “Perform Hajj and ‘Umrah on behalf of your father.”
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi‘(Nos. 188, 3127) and Ṣaḥīḥ Sunan al-Nasā’ī (No. 2473).

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

The companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were most diligent in learning the matters of their religion; they would ask the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, about the events and issues that arose before them. Narrated by Abū Razīn al-‘Uqaylī: He came to the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my father is an old man…” That is: his father had reached such an age that he was unable to undertake the journey for Hajj or ‘Umrah, neither on foot nor by riding, which is the meaning of his words: “nor travel.” The Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, thus instructed him to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah on behalf of his father.
This indicates the permissibility of deputizing on behalf of a living person who is permanently unable to perform Hajj, such as an elderly person or one afflicted with an illness from which recovery is not expected. However, this general ruling is restricted by the ḥadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with them both, in the story of Shubrumah, where the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Perform Hajj on behalf of yourself, then perform Hajj on behalf of Shubrumah.” This indicates that it is not valid to perform Hajj on behalf of another before performing it for oneself first.
Accordingly, deputation is permissible under two conditions: that the person on whose behalf Hajj is performed is permanently unable, such as an elderly person or a patient for whom recovery is not expected, and that the deputy has already performed Hajj on his own behalf.
Some scholars have cited this ḥadīth as evidence for the obligation of ‘Umrah. According to this view, it does not hold the rank of Hajj, for Hajj is a pillar of Islam.
In the ḥadīth, there is an example of dutifulness toward one’s parents and the diligence in conveying benefit to them after old age. It also demonstrates the leniency of the Sharī‘ah and its ease in alleviating hardship for those under obligation.

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