The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) delivered a sermon to us and said: "O people, Allah has ordained Hajj for you, so perform Hajj." A man asked: "Is it every year, O Messenger of Allah?" He remained silent until he said it three times, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If I had said yes, it would have become obligatory, and you would not have been able to do it." Then he said: "Leave me as I have left you, for those who were before you were destroyed only by their excessive questioning and their disagreement with their prophets. If I command you to do something, do as much of it as you can, and if I forbid you from doing something, leave it." There are many reports other than these two, and the Ummah has reached a consensus on the obligation of Hajj for one who is able once in a lifetime.
538 - Issue; Abu al-Qasim said: (Whoever possesses provisions and a mount, and is an adult of sound mind, Hajj and 'Umrah become incumbent upon him.)
The sum of this is that Hajj is only incumbent under five conditions: Islam, sanity, puberty, freedom, and ability. We know of no disagreement regarding all of these. As for the child and the insane person, they are not under legal obligation (mukallaf). Ali ibn Abi Talib narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said: "The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the mentally deficient person until he regains his reason." It was narrated by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and al-Tirmidhi (1), who said: It is a hasan (good) hadith. As for the slave, it is not incumbent upon him, because it is an act of worship of long duration, involves covering a distance, requires the condition of ability by way of provisions and a mount, and he would neglect the rights of his master which are attached to him; therefore, it is not incumbent upon him, just like Jihad. As for the disbeliever, he is not addressed with the branches of religion with a command that binds him to perform them, nor does it require compensation (qada'). The one who is not able, it is not incumbent upon him; because Allah the Almighty has specified the one who is able with its obligation, so it is specific to that state. And Allah the Almighty said:
= As it was recorded by al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Hajj, from the Book of Hajj Rituals. Al-Mujtaba 5/83. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 2/508. (1) Its documentation (takhrij) preceded in 2/50.
