Legal sponsorship of Hajj

18/10/2009| IslamWeb

Question:

What is the legality of the Hajj performed by a Muslim, but was sponsored by a non-Muslim? 

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

There is no objection for the Muslim to accept gifts from non-Muslims, although he should not let this cause him to have affection towards this disbeliever or becoming his supporter and associate. Allah Says (which means): {You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred…}[Quran 58:22].

So, if the Muslim gets some money from a disbeliever in a legal way (a gift, for instance), then this is considered lawful property. The Prophet accepted gifts from some polytheists, e.g., gifts sent to him from the tsar and Egypt's ruler at that time.

According to the opinion of the majority of the Muslim scholars if the money he gets is unlawful and he uses it to perform Hajj, his Hajj is valid but he has sinned. But Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'The Hajj of the person who performs Hajj with ill-gotten money, is invalid.'

Allah Knows best.