Our names (My wife and
I) have come up on the accredited Hajj list this year. We have a breastfeeding
baby who will be approximately 14 months old at the time of Hajj this year
(2019)

We would prefer for
her to be breastfed full term, for the health benefits etc.

Does the need of the
child take preference over Hajj? Or does Hajj take preference over the need of
the child?

We both feel more
inclined to deferring to next year. If we chose to defer, would we then become
sinful by not accepting the call for Hajj this year?

As things stand we
have the means for a very basic hajj and would probably need a little more time
to accumulate extra funds for a little more comfortable (not extravagant or
luxury) Hajj. We do not know if and when we will be granted the opportunity to
perform Hajj again, and as such do not want to rush the journey.

Answer: 

If a free, mature, sane, healthy, Muslim male possesses sufficient funds to pay for his travel expenses, accommodation, food and other basic related needs to fulfill his obligation of Haj, and at the same time has ample funds to take care of the needs of his family until his return, then Haj will be obligatory upon such a person. The Fuqaha have also written that the road to Makkah Sharif should also be safe for the obligation of Haj to be binding upon a person.

If the abovementioned requisites are found, then Haj will be obligatory upon you and breastfeeding the baby will not be regarded as a valid excuse for delaying this fundamental pillar of Deen.

As for your wife, if she too possesses sufficient funds to perform Haj, and you as her Mahram will be taking her along, then Haj will be obligatory upon her as well. If she doesn’t have sufficient funds to fulfill her obligation of Haj, but you as an individual has sufficient funds to perform your Haj then Haj will obligatory upon you, and not her. In such a case you will be required to perform your Haj on your own without any further delay.

Delaying Haj on the basis that you wife intends breastfeeding the child is not a valid excuse for you and neither for her if both of you have sufficient means to fulfill this lifetime obligation. A child that is 14 months of age is generally able to partake of solids and with the various substitutes available in the market nowadays, the child will comfortably be able to survive, therefore the obligation of Haj may not be delayed on this basis either, although we too agree that it is best that a child is breastfed for the full term of 2 years. After all, health is from Allah  alone, and due to your sacrifice it is possible that Allah Ta'aala will bless your baby with the best of health.

In regards to accumulating additional funds to perform a more comfortable Haj, this too is not a valid reason to delay one’s obligation of Haj. If you have sufficient funds to perform a basic Haj then too performance of Haj becomes obligatory. In conclusion, you do not have a valid Shari’ee excuse to delay your Haj.

Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is reported to have said, “Whoever intends performing Haj, then he should hasten (in fulfilling this obligation.)” Yet in another narration Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is reported to have said, “Whoever possesses the means to perform Haj but does not do so, then it doesn’t matter to me whether he dies as a Jew or Christian.”

This is a severe warning from none other than that personality that was sent as a mercy unto mankind. We therefore advise you not to procrastinate in performance of Haj but fulfill this pillar of Deen especially when it is obligatory upon you during the months of Haj.

And Allah Ta'aala knows best!

ANSWERED BY: Mufti Mohammed Desai 

CHECKED AND APPROVED BY: Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B 

Date: 13 Jumadal Ukhra 1440 - English Date: 18 February 2019