Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for raising this good question which reflects a good understanding and truthful desire to have a clearer view of the teachings of Islam. May Allah crown this truthful desire with His satisfaction and reward.
A Muslim who fears committing sins after Hajj should hurry to repent and perform Hajj as well as all other religious obligations, and should not be prevented by the fear of committing some present or future sins. The Prophet is reported have said: "All children of Adam are bound to err, and the best of those who recurrently err are those who recurrently repent."
Responding to your question, the prominent Muslim scholar Dr. `Abdullah Al-Faqih, supervisor of Fatwa Centre at www.islamweb.net, states:
Almighty Allah enjoined performing Hajj to His Sacred House upon every Muslim who is able to do it, and made it one of the fixed five pillars of Islam on which Islam is based.
Therefore, being a sinner does not justify one's postponing the performance of this great obligation, through which a Muslim is greatly rewarded by Almighty Allah and his previous sins are expiated. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs Hajj and does not approach his wife for sexual relations nor commits sins (while performing Hajj), he will come out as sinless as a newborn child." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) The Prophet also said: "The (performance of) `Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward of Hajj mabrur is nothing except Paradise.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Accordingly, we advise every Muslim sinner to repent as soon as possible and to perform this great obligation, whose performance will be a start of goodness for him/her. Thus, every Muslim sinner should know that Almighty Allah urges us to hurry to goodness and repentance, as He says: (... so vie with one another in good works...) (Al-Baqarah 2:148) Almighty Allah also says: (Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord...) (Al-Hadid 57:21). This is because Hajj is an obligation that must be immediately performed once one is able to perform it, according to the preponderant opinion of Muslim scholars. The reason is that the one who is able to perform it today might not be able to do it tomorrow, the one who is healthy today might not be healthy tomorrow, and the one who is strong today might be feeble tomorrow; no one can guarantee his own safety for as long as a heartbeat.
As for delaying repentance and postponing the performance of religious obligations, they are just satanic insinuations, heedlessness, and futile desires. May Allah safeguard us against them!
Furthermore, fearing to return to sinning does not contradict the performance of Hajj. Such fear is implanted by Satan in the hearts of those who want to turn to Almighty Allah in repentance and perform the duties He decreed. However, if a Muslim sinner repents to Almighty Allah and performs the obligations enjoined by Allah, He changes his previous sins into good deeds, as Almighty Allah says about the repentant: (… as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.) (Al-Furqan 25:70)
To conclude, a Muslim sinner should hurry to repentance and the performance of the obligation of Hajj as well as all other religious obligations, and should not be prevented by the fear of committing some present or future sins. The Prophet is reported to have said: "All the children of Adam are bound to err, and the best of those who recurrently err are those who recurrently repent."
You can also read:
Delaying Hajj to a More Convenient Time
Changing One's Thought after Intending to Perform Hajj or `Umrah
Do Hajj and `Umrah Expiate Major Sins?
Different Types of Hajj
Allah Almighty knows best.
