He—may Allah have mercy on him—was also asked:

“A man set out for Hajj to Allah’s Sacred House with provisions and a mount, but died on the way. Is his obligation thereby discharged or not?”

He replied:

“All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. His obligation is not thereby discharged. If he set out for Hajj when it became obligatory upon him, without neglecting it, he died without being sinful. If, however, he neglected it after it became obligatory, he died in a state of disobedience. Hajj is to be performed on his behalf, starting from the place he reached. If he left any wealth, the expenses must be paid from it, according to the stronger of the two scholarly opinions.

“The details are as follows:

“If a person has the means to perform Hajj, possessing provisions and a mount, Hajj becomes obligatory upon him by scholarly consensus. If he then sets out for Hajj as soon as he is able and dies on the way, Allah has guaranteed his reward. He dies without being sinful and receives the reward for his intention and purpose. If, however, he neglected it, then later set out and died before performing Hajj, he died in a state of disobedience and sin, though he receives the reward for what he did. His obligation is not thereby discharged; rather, Hajj remains a liability upon him, and it is to be performed on his behalf, starting from the place he reached. And Allah knows best.”