Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
Translated by Shaykh Hamza Karamali, SunniPath Academy Teacher
If an elderly man is sick and unable to perform the once-in-a-lifetime umrah that is obligatory for him, can his daughter perform it on his behalf without his permission and without him commissioning her to do it?
It is not permissible to perform an umrah or hajj on behalf of someone incapable of performing it himself without his permission. This applies when one actually intends to enter into the pilgrim rites on behalf of the one who is unable to perform hajj or umrah.
However, if one intends to perform the hajj or umra as one’s own pilgrimage and then one asks Allah to grant its reward to the elderly person, this is permissible and one does not need his permission to do so. [Note, however, that this latter approach will not relieve the elderly man in question of his once-in-a-lifetime obligation of hajj or umrah.]
الجواب: لا يجوز أداءُ الحج أو العمرة عن المعضوب (وهو غير القادر على أدائهما) من غير إذنه، هذا إن أراد الحاجُّ أو المعتمرُ أن ينويَ النسكَ عن العاجز، أما إذا نوى الحاجُّ أو المعتمر النسكَ عن نفسه ثم وهب ثوابه لغيره فيجوز ذلك من غير حاجة إلى استئذان.