SECTION 22 – Making Conditions When Entering Ihram for Hajj
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him:
The daughter of Zubayr ibn Abdulmuttalib, Dubaa, came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I wish to perform Hajj. Should I make a condition?" The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, “Yes.” Dubaa asked, “How should we say it?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Say: ‘Labbaik Allahumma labbaik.’ I am ready for Your command, O Lord. I am prepared to obey Your command, O Allah, on the condition that You do not prevent me from leaving Ihram where You have prevented me.” [545]
COMMENTARY:
Dubaa is the daughter of the Messenger of Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him uncle. It is said that she was a companion (Sahabiya). Because she was stout and unwell, she asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, "O Messenger of Allah, I fear I will not have the strength to complete Hajj. If I become ill, may I leave Ihram? My place of termination from Ihram, where You allow me to rest, is where my strength fails." He said to her, “Yes.”
According to the Hanafi school of thought, if a pilgrim encounters enemies or is afflicted with an incurable illness that prevents him from performing the rituals of Hajj, he sends his sacrificial animal to the sacred precinct (Haram) from wherever he is. When he estimates the arrival of his sacrificial animal in the Haram, he leaves Ihram.
According to Shafi’i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, such a dispensation is only permissible in the case of encountering enemies. There is no leaving Ihram after sacrificing an animal due to illness.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, gave Dubaa a special permission. As can be understood from the text, one may sacrifice his sacrificial animal and leave Ihram wherever weakness arises. (Bezl-ul-Mechûd, p.8, p. 377, Mealimü’s-Sünen Avn-ül Ma’bûd, vol.2, p.89)