Allah Almighty says:

“And Hajj of the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence; ” (al-Imran 3:97)

It is obligatory for a Muslim to perform Hajj at least once in his lifetime, and the same ruling applies to the Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). The yare both obligatory upon the Muslim who fulfills the following:

1) He is sane

2)He has reached the age of puberty

3)He is free as opposed to being a slave, in which case it is not obligatory

4)He is able – financially, physically, etc, - to perform the Hajj.

When a child performs one of the two, though his pilgrimage is correct, he must still perform the obligatory pilgrimages when he becomes an adult and is able to make the journey. The Hajj and Umrah are not obligatory upon a women who does not have a Mahram(a male relative to whom she can never marry and with whom she may be in seclusion with) to accompany her, for there are authentic Ahadith in which the Prophet SAW forbade a women from traveling without a Mahram.

Hajj is a kind of Islamic convention. Muslims come to it from all corners of the globe, representing all nationalities, colors, languages – yet they wear one clothing, they stand on one level, and they are all performing one worship; no distinction is made between old and young, between rich and poor, or between black and white or any complexion. Allah Almighty says:

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2). Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Al-Hujurat 49:13)

The reward for the Hajj that is accepted is Paradise . In the Sahihain it is recorded from Abu-Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him that the Prophet SAW said:

“From one Umrah to the next is the as expiation for what takes place (ie. Sins) between the two. And the accepted Hajj has no reward other than Paradise.

Also in the Sahih, the Prophet SAW said:

Whoever makes Hajj without having intercourse (or without speaking evil speech during the Hajj) and with out doing evil deeds, then he returns as the day his mother gave birth to him.

Indeed Allah has prescribed Hajj upon His worshippers and made it one of the pillars of Islam. Allah Almighty says:

“And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one's conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves [i.e. denies Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah), then he is a disbeliever of Allâh], then Allâh stands not in need of any of the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinn and all that exists)” (Al-Imran 3:97)

In the sahihain, Ibn Umar related that the Prophet SAW said: Islam is built on five: to bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, to give Zakat, to fast Ramadhan, and Hajj to Allah Sacred House( the Ka’bah).

In his Sunan, Sa’id (bin Mansur) related the following saying of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: “I intended to send men to these regions to see who had sufficient wealth yet had not made Hajj, so that I could levy the Jizya (A tax that is paid by non Muslims who live in Muslim lands in return to their protection and safety) on them: They are not Muslims, they are not Muslims.”

It has been related that ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “ Whoever was able to perform Hajj but did not perform it, then it is no difference whether he dies a Jew or a Christian.”

If one is able to perform Hajj but has not performed it, then he must hasten to it, for Ibn Abbas, may Allah pleased with them, related that the Prophet SAW said:

Hurry to perform Hajj – the Hajj that is compulsory (ie. The first one) – for one of you doesn’t know what will occur to him. (Recorded by Ahmad)

Based on the following saying of Allah, Hajj becomes compulsory immediately, meaning as soon as one is able to perform it:

“And Hajj of the House (Ka’bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence; and whoever disbelieves, then Allah stands not in need of any of the creatures. ” (Al-Imran 3:97)

In his Khutbah (sermon), the Prophet SAW said:

“O people, indeed Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so make Hajj.” – Recorded by Muslim

That Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) is also obligatory is proven by certain Ahadith, one of them being the following:

“Islam is to bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Alah, to establish the prayer, to pay the Zakat, to make Hajj to the House of Allah, to make Umrah, to take shower from Janabah (ie. After performing sexual intercourse or after having a wet dream_, to make a complete ablution, and to fast Ramadhan. (Ibn Khuzaimah and Ad-Daraqutni from a Hadith related by Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: Ad-Daraqutni said, “The chain is established and authentic.”

In a Hadith related by Aishah, she asked the Prophet SAW “O Messenger of Allah, is there Jihad upon women?” He SAW answered:

“Upon them is a jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and Umrah” (Recorded by Ahmad and Ibn Majah, with an authentic chain.)

Neither Hajj nor Umrah are obligatory upon a Muslim except once in his life, for the Prophet SAW said in an authentic Hadith:

Hajj is once; whoever does morel; then it is voluntary.

Nonetheless it is legislated in Islam to perform both Hajj and Umrah often, a ruling that is based on the following Hadith related by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him:

From one Umrah to the next is expiation for what occurs between them (i.e sins), and the reward for an accepted Hajj is none other than Paradise .