Hajj that Allah has imposed upon His servants became incumbent upon my father when he was already an elderly man.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed her to perform Hajj on behalf of her father, even though a man’s ihrām (state of pilgrim consecration) is more complete than hers. And Allah knows best.

He, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

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On performing Hajj on behalf of a deceased or physically incapacitated person using money received either to cover expenses—which is permissible by agreement—or as payment under a contract of hire or as a stipulated reward, concerning which the jurists disagree. This applies whether the money used for Hajj is bequeathed to a particular person or as an asset without further qualification, donated, or taken directly from the estate. Some followers of al-Shāfi‘ī considered this recommended, saying that it is among the most wholesome ways of earning a living, since one performs a righteous deed and eats from lawful earnings.

Ahmad is explicitly reported to have said:

“I know of no one among the early generations who used to do this.”

He regarded it as an innovation and disapproved of it. His exact wording is recorded elsewhere. His disapproval concerned only contracts of hire and stipulated rewards.

I say:

The truth of the matter is that undertaking such a Hajj is recommended when the pilgrim intends one of two things: benefiting the person on whose behalf he performs Hajj, or the actual performance of