Question :

If there is a man who has saved a sum of money to perform the obligatory Hajj (i.e., Hajj for the first time), and after five years he becomes entitled to enter the randomized lottery for allocating Hajj visas. In the meantime, he has a son who is single and of marriageable age. If he gets his son married, that sum could go short and so he may not be able to perform Hajj. In this case, which takes precedence? Should he do the obligatory Hajj or get his son married?

The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

A man is obliged to spend on his children who don`t have any wealth of their own until they reach the age of puberty as well as his poor adult children. In this regard, Al-Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Haitami said, " Since a man is obliged to pay for the breastfeeding of his child, then he is obliged to provide for all his needs. Muslim scholars have unanimously agreed that this applies to the child who has no wealth of his own as well as the poor adult child, because the Prophet(PBUH) said to Hind (bint `Utba) " Take reasonably what is sufficient for you and your children ""{Tohfat Al-Mohtajj, 8/345}.

Therefore, the man isn`t obliged to spend on his child who has wealth of his own, whether that child young or old. Accordingly, the father isn`t obliged to cover the marriage expenses of his son who is capable of making a living, and nor is he considered sinful for not doing so. However, it is recommended for the father to provide financial support to his virtuous son for getting married, in compliance with the following verse: " Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, God will give them means out of His grace: for God encompasseth all, and he knoweth all things"{An-Nour, 32}.

In conclusion, giving precedence to getting one`s son married over performing Hajj is up to the father in question. Therefore, if the son needs to get married and cannot afford to do so by himself, then it should be given precedence; particularly since the Hajj of the man/father in the above question isn`t due immediately and may be delayed. And Allah knows best.