Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1852
sahih

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:

A woman from the tribe of Juhaina came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "My mother had vowed to perform Hajj but she died before performing it. May I perform Hajj on my mother's behalf?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Perform Hajj on her behalf. Had there been a debt on your mother, would you have paid it or not? So, pay Allah's debt as He has more right to be paid."

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً، مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ جَاءَتْ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ أُمِّي نَذَرَتْ أَنْ تَحُجَّ، فَلَمْ تَحُجَّ حَتَّى مَاتَتْ أَفَأَحُجُّ عَنْهَا قَالَ ‏

‏ نَعَمْ‏.‏ حُجِّي عَنْهَا، أَرَأَيْتِ لَوْ كَانَ عَلَى أُمِّكِ دَيْنٌ أَكُنْتِ قَاضِيَةً اقْضُوا اللَّهَ، فَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ بِالْوَفَاءِ ‏

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References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 28, Hadith 32
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 29, Hadith 77 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The vow is an act of worship and pious deed that should not be done for anyone except Allah. He, The Mighty and Majestic, has praised the worship of His righteous servants; promised them rewards and recompense; and mentioned that some of their qualities is fulfilling their vows when He says: {They fulfil their vows} [Quran 76:7]. In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) reports that a woman from the Juhaynah tribe came and asked the Prophet ﷺ about the legal verdict for completing the Hajj on behalf of her mother who died yet vowed to perform it but did not complete it before her passing. The Prophet ﷺ said to her: “Perform the Hajj on her behalf.” Then, the Prophet ﷺlikened the Hajj that her mother owes to a debt, and it is incumbent to fulfil it, because it is a right due to a person; and the fulfilment of a vow is a right that Allah, The Almighty has over His creation. Therefore, fulfilling His right is more binding and deserving to observe than the rights of man. Perhaps, the Prophet ﷺallowed her to perform the Hajj on behalf of her mother with the understanding that the woman had already performed the obligatory Hajj for herself first; and then desired to perform it on behalf of her mother. This is based on a hadeeth transmitted by Aboo Daawood, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra), who narrates: “that the Prophet ﷺonce heard a man say: ‘Here I am O Allah on behalf of Shubrumah.” To which, The Messenger of Allah ﷺasked: “Who is Shubrumah?” The man replied: ‘A brother or close relative of mine.’ He ﷺ said in return: “Have you performed the Hajj on behalf of yourself?” The man said: ‘No.’ The Prophet then said: ‘Perform the Hajj for yourself, then perform it on Shubrumah’s behalf.” In some wordings of the hadeeth, it has been related: “This Hajj is for yourself, then perform the pilgrimage on behalf of Shubrumah.” This hadeeth shows the permissibility of performing Hajj on behalf of the deceased and the permissibility of vowing to perform the Hajj. It highlights the permissibility that one can make analogies and offering examples so that the person listening can makes themselves clearer and make an impact on the minds of those listening and make it easier for them to understand. It shows that likening something that is dissimilar can be equivocated to something that is agreed upon. It highlights that it is recommended for the scholar who is issuing fatwa to warn others with regard to the evidence he provides, if it results in a benefit and is more appeasing to the inquirer and encouraging that he will comply. And lastly, it strongly encourages filial piety, reverence, and devotion to parents by fulfilling their vows and debts..
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