Question
As salamu walikum, I have a question regarding to perform a umrah Haj. Me and my wife both did a intention to perform Umrah in October. we have arranged the tour through a tour company. We have paid all the dues for the tour.Now my wife's work place did not approve her leave. Only time she can have time off during December break.But that time trip will be much more expensive.My advice to her Quit the job and fulfill the commitment towards Allah (swt).Allah(swt) will give you better Rizik if He wants to. My wife is saying , Allah(swt) never says that donot put yourself in such position which creat trouble in future such as money issue. Now if we donot go in our designated date ,we will loose the money what we have allready paid.please give me some advise. More of all , both of us are are in good health by grace of Allah(swt).But I am a heart surgery survivor and she is cancer survivor. Fi Zazakallah. Rizwan
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salamu alaykum wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh.
Brother in Islam,
May Allah reward you and your wife for your intention and grant you both continued health and a long life in His obedience.
At the outset, it is important to note that this answer does not address the permissibility of a woman working outside the home. That is a separate discussion with its own conditions, and you have not asked about it. We take your wife's employment as a given and answer the question you have asked, which is whether she should leave it for the sake of the Umrah you had planned.
In principle, Umrah is a highly virtuous act, but it is not an obligation. An intention to perform a voluntary act of worship does not create a binding duty, and a person who sincerely intended it and was prevented by a genuine obstacle receives the reward of the intention. A person is also not required to place himself or his family under hardship in order to perform a voluntary worship.
Accordingly, your wife is not obliged to choose between her job and the Umrah, and she is not obliged to resign. Her position is the sounder one from the point of view of the Shariah, and it should not be presented to her as choosing her job over Allah. She made her intention, she paid for the journey, and the obstacle came from outside her control. That is the situation of a person who is excused, not the situation of a person who turned away.
As for the money that has been paid, do not view it as wasted. It was spent with the intention of visiting the House of Allah, and what is spent in His path is recorded and rewarded whether or not the journey takes place. Speak to the tour company and ask whether the booking can be moved to December or later, whether the amount can be held as a credit, or whether the seats can be transferred to another person. Speak to her employer about unpaid leave or a shorter absence. If none of this works and the money cannot be recovered, then accept it as something decreed by Allah, and know that the intention and the spending are both with Him.
If it is within your means and your health allows, you may also consider going in October yourself and travelling together at a later date when her leave is approved. Do not let this difference become a source of conflict between you. Allah is the One who invites His guests to His House, and He will bring you both there at the time that He has chosen.
Allah knows best
Mufti Mirza-Zain Baig
And Allah Ta'ālā knows best.
Answered by
Mufti Mirza-Zain Baig
B.Ed, CSAA
Montréal, Canada · Canadian Centre for Islamic Research and Ifta
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