B- Physical Health and Strength If a person is unable to...

B- Physical Health and Strength If a person is unable to travel to the holy places due to ill health, old age, or they are unable to stay there for the required periods because of extreme heat, it is not obligatory on them to set out for pilgrimage personally. However, they must send an agent to perform it for him. C- No Obstruction The route must be open and safe, i.e. there must be no barrier to reaching the Meqat and no danger to the pilgrim's life, his property or honour.

Otherwise, pilgrimage is not obligatory. That is the rule regarding the outbound journey. As for the ruling on the return journey, it is discussed in Rule 22 below. However, if after wearing ihram an eventuality, such as illness, arises, or a danger posed by an enemy, the special rules relating to such circumstances will be discussed.

Rule 13: If there are two routes available for the journey to pilgrimage, one safe and the other not, the obligation to perform pilgrimage remains; that is, the safe route must be taken, even if it is longer. However, if taking the longer route involves travelling through many countries, such a situation would constitute an obstruction on the same lines of the preceding rule, i.e. pilgrimage ceases to become obligatory.

Rule 14: If a person has property in his country which could perish or be lost if they went on pilgrimage, it is not obligatory on them to do so.

Similarly, it is not obligatory to make the journey of pilgrimage, if it was in response to a more urgent and more important act, called for by religious dictate, such as rescuing a person from drowning, or fire; or if the journey is dependant on committing a sin, the avoidance of which is more important than performing pilgrimage, or of equal importance.

Rule 15: If performing pilgrimage will result in a sin, either by an omission to do what is obligatory in religion, or the commission of a forbidden act, a sin will have been committed which will have to be answered. Such will remain unconnected with the pilgrimage which will be valid as a Hajjatul Islam, provided that all the other conditions for its validity are observed.

There is no difference in this regard whether the pilgrim was already duty-bound to perform pilgrimage or it became obligatory on them in that particular year. Rule 16: If there is an enemy on the way to pilgrimage and there is no defence against them except by paying of one's property as to be unfair to the pilgrim, it is not necessary to lose the property.