Faculty member of Research Institute of Hawzah and University
Abstract
In situations where a child’s performance of Hajj harms the parents, the parents are not permitted to prevent the child from fulfilling the obligatory Hajj. However, this situation necessitates a careful examination of the rulings related to the performance of recommended (non-obligatory) Hajj, Umrah, and the implications of delaying the obligatory Hajj under such circumstances. While there is a consensus among jurists that an adult child does not require parental permission to perform the obligatory Hajj, and harming parents does not nullify the obligation of performing Hajj but may affect its immediacy, scholarly opinions differ regarding the necessity of parental consent—permission of the father or both parents—for undertaking the recommended Hajj by an adult child. According to the predominant view among jurists, parental permission—whether from the father, the mother, or both—is not a prerequisite for an adult child to undertake the recommended Hajj. However, in cases where the performance of the recommended Hajj results in harm to the parents, it is commonly held that causing harm to parents precludes the actualization of the recommended Hajj and thereby renders it invalid. Nevertheless, it appears that the validity of an adult child’s recommended Hajj is not contingent upon the absence of parental harm. Rather, the recommended Hajj remains valid, and if its performance or its preparatory stages result in harm to the parents, the adult child is deemed to have committed a sin. This perspective allows for combining the permissibility of the recommended Hajj and the prohibition of causing harm to one’s parents, as the prohibition of the recommended Hajj in the case of harming the parents pertains to an external factor not intrinsic to the essential elements, conditions, or characteristics of the act of worship. Furthermore, contrary to the widely accepted opinion of jurists that the permission of a legal guardian is a necessary condition for children to perform Hajj, and given that Hajj performance is not inherently a financial act, it may be argued that the performance of recommended Hajj and Umrah by a child, like their other acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, does not require their guardian’s authorization.
Hooshmand Firoozabadi,H. (2025). The Role of Parental Permission and Consent in Children’s Hajj and Umrah. Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal, 9(2), 7-31.
MLA
Hooshmand Firoozabadi,H. . "The Role of Parental Permission and Consent in Children’s Hajj and Umrah", Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal, 9, 2, 2025, 7-31.
HARVARD
Hooshmand Firoozabadi H. (2025). 'The Role of Parental Permission and Consent in Children’s Hajj and Umrah', Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal, 9(2), pp. 7-31.
CHICAGO
H. Hooshmand Firoozabadi, "The Role of Parental Permission and Consent in Children’s Hajj and Umrah," Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal, 9 2 (2025): 7-31,
VANCOUVER
Hooshmand Firoozabadi H. The Role of Parental Permission and Consent in Children’s Hajj and Umrah. Hajj and Ziarah Research Journal, 2025; 9(2): 7-31.
