Charity That Replaced Hajj: The Story of Sacrifice

Islamic history is filled with inspiring examples of sincerity, sacrifice, and the promise of eternal reward. Among the most striking is the story of Rabiʿ ibn Sulayman, and another variation of the story featuring ʿAbdallah ibn al-Mubarak. In both narratives, they were on their way to perform Hajj, yet they gave up this great act of worship to help a struggling family. What followed were miracles of immense reward.

These accounts, preserved in Rashfat as-Sadi by Sayyid Abu Bakr bin Shihab al-Din al-ʿAlawi with reference to Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, reveal that sincere charity can outweigh even the most virtuous acts of ritual worship when done for Allah’s sake.

⭐ Rabiʿ ibn Sulayman: The Man Whose Charity Was Rewarded with Hajj

Rabiʿ ibn Sulayman set out for Hajj with his brother and companions. During a stop in Kufa, he entered the market to purchase supplies. While walking, he noticed a woman cutting meat from a dead mule in a ruined alleyway. Curious and concerned, he followed her discreetly to a dilapidated home. There, he witnessed a heart-breaking scene—she was greeted by four young daughters, all pale and frail from hunger.

She placed the meat before them and said:

"Light the fire, cook the meat, and thank Allah. His decree is always wise."

Rabi‘ called out: "O servant of Allah! Do not eat this; it is carrion!" She replied:

"We are from the noble lineage of the Prophet ﷺ. My husband died, and we have had no food for four days. We know it is forbidden, but hunger has made it lawful."

A man sacrificed his Hajj, giving charity to a woman and her orphaned daughters.

Deeply moved, Rabiʿ returned to his brother and declared he was no longer going for Hajj. Despite their insistence against his decision, he gave away all his Hajj provisions and 600 dirhams to buy food, clothing, and necessities for the woman and her daughters. He left the remaining money hidden inside a bag of flour and secretly delivered it to them.

The family wept and prayed:

"May Allah forgive your past and future sins, reward you with Hajj and ʿUmrah, and replace what you gave us a thousandfold."

🌙 How Rabiʿ Was Seen at Hajj—Though He Never Went

Rabiʿ stayed behind in Kufa while the Hajj caravan continued. When the pilgrims returned, multiple companions greeted him, saying:

"Weren't you with us at ʿArafat? Didn't you stone the Jamarat with us? Didn't we see you performing tawaf?"

Confused, Rabiʿ insisted he had not left Kufa. One of them said:

"O my brother, what has caused you to deny your pilgrimage? Were you not with us in Makka and Madina? Did you not visit the Prophet ﷺ with us? And when we exited from the Gate of Jibrīl (ʿalayhi al-salām) and the people crowded, did you not hand me the red pouch with the seal on it marked ‘from Rabī’? Here it is, take it."

Then he handed him a pouch, one he had never seen before. Later that night, after praying ʿIsha and completing his litanies, Rabiʿ went to sleep and saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream. He greeted him and kissed his feet. The Prophet returned his greeting, smiled, and said:

"O Rabīʿ, Ibn Nuqaym and others bore witness for you, and yet you deny it? Know that when your heart was present, and you gave your charity to that woman, who is from My Household, and when you gave her your travel provisions and stayed back from Ḥajj, I asked Allah to compensate you with better than what you had spent. So Allah created an angel in your likeness who performs Ḥajj on your behalf every year. And as compensation in this world, Allah gave you 600 gold dinars in place of the 600 silver dirhams. So be content and let your eyes find peace, for whoever deals with Us has profited.”

Upon waking, Rabiʿ found the red pouch filled with 600 gold dinars.

⭐ ʿAbdallah ibn al-Mubarak: The Charity That Replaced His Hajj

Sayyid al-Samhūdī narrated a similar story. He said: Abdallah ibn al-Mubarak was known for his regular performance of Hajj. One year, to prepare for his Hajj, he went out with 500 dinars to the camel market in Kūfa to purchase a camel. There, he saw a woman at a rubbish heap plucking feathers from a dead duck. When he asked why, she replied:

"My husband has died, I am from the family of the Prophet, and I have four orphaned daughters. We’ve not eaten for days. Carrion is now lawful for us."

Moved by her dignity despite her desperation, ʿAbdallah ibn al-Mubarak was struck with the thought: "How can I go to Hajj while the family of the Prophet ﷺ suffers in hunger?" Without hesitation, he gave her all his money, returned home, and spent that Hajj season in contemplation and prayer.

🌙 The Dream That Confirmed His Hajj Was Accepted

When the pilgrims returned, he went out to welcome his neighbours and companions. Every time he said to one of them, “May Allah accept your Ḥajj and bless your efforts,” they would reply:

"May Allah accept your Hajj! and bless your efforts! Did we not meet you at such-and-such place?"

He was astonished by what people were saying, and that night, when he went to sleep, reflecting on the matter, he saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream:

"O ʿAbdallah, do not be amazed. You aided a distressed woman from among my family. So I asked Allah to create an angel in your likeness who will perform the Ḥajj on your behalf every year until the Day of Judgment."

📚 Reference

• Rashfat as-Sādī by Sayyid Abū Bakr bin Shihāb al-Dīn al-ʿAlawī