This issue is a matter of uṣūl al-fiqh discussion — whether a command (amr) requires immediate compliance or allows for delay. Scholars of uṣūl have differed extensively, as detailed by Imām al-Shawkānī.
[Irshād al-Fuḥūl, pp. 99–101]
The stronger view, chosen by Imām Ibn Ḥazm and others, is that a command requires immediate action, including the command for Hajj.
① فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ
"So race to [all that is] good."
[al-Baqarah: 148]
② وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
"And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord."
[Āl ʿImrān: 133]
① Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ said:
تعجلوا إلى الحج فإن أحدكم ما يدرى ما يعرض له
"Hasten to perform Hajj, for none of you knows what may happen to him."
[Aḥmad: 1/314]
② The Prophet ﷺ also said:
من أراد الحج فليتعجل فإنه قد يمرض المريض وتضل الراحلة وتعرض الحاجة
"Whoever intends to perform Hajj, let him hasten, for illness may occur, the riding animal may be lost, or a need may arise."
[Ḥasan: Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 990; Aḥmad: 1/214; Ibn Mājah: 2883]
③ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) intended to send men to the towns to impose jizyah on those who had the means for Hajj but had not performed it, saying:
ما هم بمسلمين — "They are not Muslims."
He repeated this twice.
[Saeed ibn Manṣūr as in al-Talkhīṣ: 2/426; al-Bayhaqī: 4/334]
Those who allow delay cite that although Hajj became obligatory in 5 or 6 AH, the Prophet ﷺ performed it in 10 AH. This reasoning is countered by noting the difference of opinion on when Hajj became obligatory — some scholars, including Imām Ibn al-Qayyim, state it was in 9 or 10 AH, so the delay argument is inconclusive.
[Irshād al-Fuḥūl, pp. 99–101]
Stronger Opinion
The stronger view, chosen by Imām Ibn Ḥazm and others, is that a command requires immediate action, including the command for Hajj.
Qurʾānic Evidence
① فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ
"So race to [all that is] good."
[al-Baqarah: 148]
② وَسَارِعُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
"And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord."
[Āl ʿImrān: 133]
Prophetic Evidence
① Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ said:
تعجلوا إلى الحج فإن أحدكم ما يدرى ما يعرض له
"Hasten to perform Hajj, for none of you knows what may happen to him."
[Aḥmad: 1/314]
② The Prophet ﷺ also said:
من أراد الحج فليتعجل فإنه قد يمرض المريض وتضل الراحلة وتعرض الحاجة
"Whoever intends to perform Hajj, let him hasten, for illness may occur, the riding animal may be lost, or a need may arise."
[Ḥasan: Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 990; Aḥmad: 1/214; Ibn Mājah: 2883]
③ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) intended to send men to the towns to impose jizyah on those who had the means for Hajj but had not performed it, saying:
ما هم بمسلمين — "They are not Muslims."
He repeated this twice.
[Saeed ibn Manṣūr as in al-Talkhīṣ: 2/426; al-Bayhaqī: 4/334]
Scholarly Opinions
- Imām Aḥmad, Imām Mālik, Imām Abū Ḥanīfah: Immediate performance is required when able.
- Imām al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Yūsuf, Muḥammad: Delaying is permissible.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/280; al-Muhadhdhab: 1/204; Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj: 3/235; Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ: 1/578; Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 2/323]
Rebuttal to Delaying Argument
Those who allow delay cite that although Hajj became obligatory in 5 or 6 AH, the Prophet ﷺ performed it in 10 AH. This reasoning is countered by noting the difference of opinion on when Hajj became obligatory — some scholars, including Imām Ibn al-Qayyim, state it was in 9 or 10 AH, so the delay argument is inconclusive.
