a disbeliever, for Allah says, “And whoever disbelieves.” In other words, whoever is able to perform Hajj yet refuses to do so commits disbelief. This may be minor disbelief: if someone denies that Hajj is obligatory, he has fallen into major disbelief by unanimous agreement of the Muslims; but if he acknowledges its obligation and still neglects it out of laziness, that is minor disbelief. Should such a person die while possessing sufficient means, the pilgrimage is to be performed on his behalf from his estate, because it is a debt he owes to Allah.

This verse therefore affirms that Hajj is obligatory; it is one of the pillars of Islam, as the Messenger ﷺ made clear in the ḥadith of Gabriel and in the ḥadith of Ibn ʿUmar.

According to one opinion, Hajj was made obligatory in the ninth year AH. The Prophet ﷺ did not perform the pilgrimage that year; instead, he performed it the following year, the tenth year AH. Why? Because he ﷺ “sent ʿAlī to announce to the people during that season: ‘After this year no idolater may perform Hajj, nor may anyone circumambulate the House naked.’” Once the idolaters and those who performed tawāf unclothed were barred in the tenth year, the Prophet ﷺ set out for the Farewell Pilgrimage.