the hadd punishments, so if they fall under agency by way of generality, it is more appropriate that they fall under it by specification, and the agent acts in place of the principal in repelling them with doubts. As for acts of worship, those that have a connection to wealth, such as Zakat, charity, vows, and expiations, agency is permissible in their collection and distribution, and it is permissible for the one paying them to appoint an agent to extract them and deliver them to their deserving recipients. It is permissible for him to say to another: "Extract the Zakat of my wealth from your own wealth," because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent his workers to collect and distribute charities, and he said to Mu'adh when he sent him to Yemen: "Inform them that they have a duty to pay charity, which is to be taken from their wealthy ones and returned to their poor ones. If they obey you in this, beware of taking the best of their wealth, and fear the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no veil between it and Allah." This is agreed upon. Agency is permissible in Hajj if the one on whose behalf the Hajj is performed loses hope of performing it himself, and likewise for 'Umrah. It is permissible to appoint a deputy to perform Hajj on one's behalf after death. As for purely physical acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting, and purification from ritual impurity, agency is not permissible in them because they are connected to the body of the one upon whom they are obligatory, so another cannot stand in his place, except that vowed fasting is performed on behalf of the deceased, and that is not considered agency because he did not appoint an agent for it, nor did anyone else appoint one. Agency is not permissible in prayer except for the two rak'ahs of Tawaf as a consequence of Hajj. Concerning the performance of vowed prayer [and in I'tikaf] (18)
(14) In the original and in M: "'ala". (15) In A: "ata'u laka". (16) In the original: "baynahu". (17) Reported by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Zakat, and The Chapter on Taking Charity from the Wealthy and Returning it to the Poor Wherever They Are, from the Book of Zakat; and in: The Chapter on Sending Abu Musa and Mu'adh to Yemen Before the Farewell Hajj, from the Book of Military Expeditions. Sahih al-Bukhari 2/130, 158, 159, 5/205, 206. And by Muslim, in: The Chapter on Calling to the Two Testimonies and the Laws of Islam, from the Book of Faith. Sahih Muslim 1/50. It was also reported by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on Zakat of Grazing Livestock, from the Book of Zakat. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/366. And by al-Tirmidhi, in: The Chapter on What Has Been Reported Regarding the Dislike of Taking the Best of Wealth for Charity, from the Chapters of Zakat. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 3/116. And by al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Obligation of Zakat, and The Chapter on Moving Zakat from One Land to Another, from the Book of Zakat. al-Mujtaba 5/3, 41. And by Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on the Imposition of Zakat, from the Book of Zakat. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/568. And by al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on the Merit of Zakat, from the Book of Zakat. Sunan al-Darimi 1/379. And by Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/233. (18) In the original: "wa al-I'tikaf".
