Traveling for Hajj at a very high cost

05/12/2009| IslamWeb

Question

A sister wants some explanation on an issue related to Hajj. In our country, some people travel to Hajj as organized by the state which may take years of waiting. Other people travel for Hajj through travel agencies that charge them very high costs compared to the state-sponsored method. Someone told her that paying such high costs is extravagance and that she should wait for her turn even if she has to wait for a long time. What is the Sharee‘ah ruling on that?

 

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.

 

If a person can afford to pay such high costs and it will not result in him failing to fulfill any rights that are due on him, then there is no harm to pay them. This is not extravagance, and he will gain a great reward for this Hajj, if Allah wills. The Prophet was reported to have said to ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her: “Your reward will be proportionate to your expense.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim. This is Al-Bukhari’s version]

Allah Knows best.