Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … According to the narrations of Musnad Ahmad and Sahih Muslim, the reason for this blessed hadith was that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam delivered a sermon and in it he said: ((Yā ayyuhā an-nāsu! innallāha ‘azza wa jalla qad farada ‘alaykum al-hajja fa-hujjū.)) … O people! Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj. Upon hearing this, a man said: O Messenger of Allah! Is it every year? The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam remained silent in response, but when he repeated this question three times, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: If I were to answer in the affirmative, it would become obligatory (every year), while you would not have the ability to do so. Thereafter, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam uttered the aforementioned words. This is an established principle of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) that a command given by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in absolute terms requires the act to be performed once. When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to the people that Allah, the Exalted, has made Hajj obligatory upon you, therefore perform Hajj, now whoever performs Hajj once in his lifetime will have fulfilled the requirement of the command given in this hadith. Therefore, there remains no room for the question of whether it is obligatory once or every year.