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Should I prioritize paying off my haram mortgage or performing Hajj this year?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Muftisays.com
Assalamualakum
I have a mortgage, which I now know is haraam. I am trying to get out of this situation and the intention I have taken is to inshallah save everything I can at the end of the month and pay off the mortgage as soon as possible and therefore sacrifice any luxuries that one may want in order to finish this sin.
The dilemma I am facing is that I have not performed Hajj and have made intention to go this year.
So the question is that should I perform Hajj, which will no doubt cost a few thousand pounds, even if I could use my savings into paying off my mortgage as soon as possible, or is it better to pay off my mortgage first with this money and then perform Hajj.
Paying off my mortgage will take about another 4 years and less inshallah.
Answer
Bismihi Ta’ala

Being free of debt is a condition for Hajj being obligatory on an individual. However, this condition doesn’t apply in the case of mortgage. The reason for this is, that mortgage isn’t due immediately, but rather paid off in instalments. If a person has enough wealth besides his annual mortgage repayments then Hajj will become obligatory upon him.

Please note that this ruling in no way means that mortgage is permissible. Mortgage is always going to be Haraam, and Allah has challenged people who are involved in usury to war. This is the most stern punishment I can think of in the Qur’an. No where for any other action has Allah challenged a person to take arms up against him other than this action. After all, how brave on ones behalf if they are prepared to challenge Allah?

And Allah knows best.

Jazakallah.

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Mufti Yaseen Shaikh

Original Source Link

This answer was collected from MuftiSays.com, based in London (UK). It is one of the fruits of Darul Uloom London. Many ‘ulama are involved in answering the Q&A on the site, including: Shaikul Hadeeth Mufti Umar Farooq Sahib, Mufti Saifur Rahman Sahib, Mufti Abdullah Patel Sahib, Maulana Qamruz Zaman Sahib, Mufti Abu Bakr Karolia Sahib.

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