Question Summary:
Can a breastfeeding mother postpone her Hajj?

Question Detail:

 
A woman upon which hujj is farz, but she has a 6/7 months old baby who is breastfed by her, should she go for hujj by leaving the baby behind or does the baby's right for her milk let her delay the hujj till next year? 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The rituals and practices of Islām, whether physical or financial, hold great spiritual roots. Apparently, an act of worship may seem to be a mere combination of movements, however, one can gain a great deal of spiritual nourishment from it. Whilst the actual act of worship is very important, the spirituality contained in it is the key element. Consider the verse:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ[1]
“I have not created human beings and Jinn except for My worship.”
‘Ulamā have explained the meaning of this verse to mean ‘I have created mankind and Jinn so that they may recognise Me.’[2] Thus, ‘Ibādah should lead one towards the recognition of Allāh. It is evident from this that the various ‘Ibādāt are a combination of the body and soul. If one merely carries out the ‘Ibādah, then most certainly he/she has fulfilled his/her obligation. However, he/she will be deprived of the true spirit and essence of ‘Ibādah.
Hajj too is an occasion of gaining a strong spiritual bond with Allāh. Whilst being in the Holy lands and being around the blessed house of Allāh, one needs to fully focus his attention towards Allāh and be occupied in ‘Ibādah and du’ā in order to gain the true spirit and satisfaction of this noble and great practice. It would be very inappropriate for one to be in such close proximity with the house of Allāh and be drenched in the mercy and blessings of Allāh, yet remain preoccupied with other worries. Hence, Shari’ah discourages one from any such action or activity that may preoccupy his/her mind from focusing towards Allāh.[3]
In principle, the child’s right of being breastfed does not absolve the mother of performing Hajj. However, with the magnitude of Hajj nowadays and the different challenges that it has created, it is not be feasible to take a baby for Hajj. The mother may leave the baby with somebody else. However, in both scenarios, the mind of the mother will be preoccupied with the concern of her child and she will be unable to focus on her objective of Hajj, hence defeating its purpose. Therefore, she may postpone her Hajj to such a time when she is certain that the child can either look after himself/herself if left behind or will not need much attention if he/she is taken for Hajj.
If she delays the Hajj, then she will have to make wasiyyah for Hajj to be performed on her behalf if she is unable to do so herself. If she does not make a wasiyyah, then she will be sinful.[4]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Nabeel Valli
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net