Hajj means visiting the House of Allah [the Kaʿbah in Mecca] and performing the prescribed rituals there. It is obligatory (wājib) on someone who fulfils the following conditions to perform hajj once in his lifetime: 1. being of the age of legal responsibility (bāligh); 2. being sane (ʿāqil) and a free person; 3.
on account of going for hajj, one must not be compelled to commit an unlawful (ḥarām) act which is more important to avoid than performing hajj; nor must he be compelled to abandon an obligatory act which is more important than performing hajj. However, if such a situation transpires and he goes for hajj, his hajj is valid (ṣaḥīḥ) although he will have sinned; 4. being able (mustaṭīʿ). This is determined by the following criteria: a.
he must possess the provisions, and – in the event that he requires it – the means of transportation for the journey; or, he must have the wealth to procure them; b. he must be healthy and able to travel to Mecca and perform hajj without having to experience excessive difficulty (mashaqqah). This condition is a requirement for the obligation of hajj when a person is performing it himself.
As for someone who has the financial capacity but not the physical ability to perform it himself, or performing it himself would cause him hardship (ḥaraj) and he is not hopeful of his physical condition improving, such a person must appoint a representative (nāʾib) [to perform hajj on his behalf]; c. during any stage of his journey, there must not be an obstruction to going further.
If the route is closed or a person fears he will lose his life or honour on the journey or his property will be taken, it is not obligatory for him to perform hajj. However, if he is able to go by another route, he must do so even if it is a longer route unless that route is so much longer and so unusual that it can be said the road for hajj is closed; d. he must have sufficient time to perform the rituals of hajj; e.
he must be able to meet the living expenses of those whose maintenance is obligatory for him, such as his wife and children, and those who, if he were to stop spending on them, it would cause him hardship; f. upon returning, he must have a business, a farm, an income from a property, or some other means of earning his livelihood, i.e. it must not be such that because of the expenses he incurs for hajj, he is compelled to live in difficulty when he comes back.