And the evidence that the capability, as our Mutalibi scholars—may Allah have mercy on him—said, is of two types: one is with his body along with ownership of wealth, so he is able to perform Hajj for himself with his body and his wealth; and the second is with ownership of wealth, so someone else performs Hajj on his behalf. As the Arabs say:“I am able to build my house and sew my garment,”meaning by hiring someone or by someone who obeys me, even if he is not able to build the house or sew the garment himself.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that Sayyiduna Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on a camel. During this, a woman from the tribe of Khath’am came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to ask a question. Sayyiduna Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) began to look at the woman, and the woman also started looking at Sayyiduna Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned the face of Sayyiduna Fadl bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to the other side with his blessed hand. The woman said,“O Messenger of Allah, Allah Almighty has made Hajj obligatory upon His servants, but at this time my father has become very old and he does not have the ability to sit on a mount. So can I perform Hajj on his behalf?”He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“Yes.”This incident took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjatul Wada’). Some narrators report a few more words than others.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that on the morning of the Day of Sacrifice, a woman from the tribe of Khath’am asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while Sayyiduna Fadl (may Allah be pleased with him) himself was riding behind him on the mount. She said,“O Messenger of Allah, Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon His servants. My elderly father is not able to sit firmly on a mount. What do you command? Should I perform Hajj on his behalf?”The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:“Yes.”In the narration of Makhzumi, it is mentioned: on the morning of Muzdalifah. And it is said: Should I perform Hajj on his behalf? And it is not narrated that Sayyiduna Fadl (may Allah be pleased with him) was riding behind you. The wording of the narration of Ali bin Khushram is the same as that of Abdul Jabbar’s narration, except for this difference: Should I perform Hajj on his behalf? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:“Yes.”