Is a father permitted to prevent his son from performing the obligatory Hajj?

Chapter on Ransom (Fidyah) and Penalty for Hunting

Al-Mughni

Book of Hajj

Book 11 · Issue 1 · Bab 6

Open in Qurani

Primary text

A father is not permitted to prevent his son from performing obligatory Hajj, nor is he permitted to release him from the state of Ihram once he has commenced it. The son is not obligated to obey the father in neglecting the Hajj because the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: "There is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to Allah the Almighty." The father may prevent his son from performing voluntary (non-obligatory) departures, such as voluntary military expeditions, since preventing him from obligatory endeavors like defensive Jihad (which are duties of sufficiency) permits preventing voluntary ones first.