Hajj becomes farz once one has the means and has the physical/mental ability to carry it out.
And for those who have the resources to reach there – [the House of their Lord] – on them is an obligation to perform for Allah the Hajj of this House. (3:97)
The same Quran tells us not to build luxurious and large buildings on earth .......
In general, there are many direct and indirect references to different forms of buildings in the Quran. The verb
bana and its derivations recur in many verses and refer to God as the perfect builder of heaven and other constructions in Paradise, while in many other verses it applies to what is built by people or to metaphoric uses. Bunyan marsus in Q61:4 means a building that its walls are strongly constructed and cemented with well-cut, but it describes metaphorically the array and tenacity of Muslim fighters in holy war. Two kinds of buildings,
aya and
masani’, are mentioned in Q26:128-129 in context with the ancient people of ‘Ad “What, do you build on every prominence a sign –aya-, sporting, and do you take to you castles –masani’-, haply to dwell forever?”
Aya means a sign in the form of whatsoever high construction, probably a tower. While masaniÝ are explained as high palaces and fortresses built well.
Tabarsi considered both verses as indicating repugnance at every unnecessary building, and he supported this view with the Prophetic tradition “Every unnecessary building will harm his owner in the last day.”
Ibn Kathir expressed the same view by relying on the reprimand that Abu al-DardaÞ, a companion of the Prophet, directed to the people of Damascus for their plenty of buildings and gardens. For some, in these verses there is a disallowance of building for pleasure usually done by profligates.
The same sense is repeated in other passages addressing another old people, Thamud. Q26:149 “Hewing your dwellings in the mountains and leading a wanton life?” probably, they built large palaces. Q7:74 says “And remember when He … lodged you in the land, taking to yourselves castles of its plains, and hewing its mountains into houses.” The keyword in the last verses is tanhitun, literally means to hew or to cut in solid substances. The exegetes explained naht (hewing) as the act of building winter houses of stone in hilly regions, while summerhouses were built of mud and bricks and are of shorter age than those of stone. More interesting, Qurtubi related that those who legalized the magnificent building such as palaces based their attitude, among others on Q7:74”. They supported this view with a tradition from the Prophet saying “If God bestowed someone He likes to see the effect of his grace on him.” Therefore, nice building is one of the effects of God's grace. Others, QurÔubÐ continued, rejected this view relying on the traditions like
“If God wants to harm someone He will make him waste his money on clay and bricks” i.e. on building, “One who builds more than his need will have to carry it on his neck, “every disbursement of the believers will be rewarded by God except what he disburses on building and sin,” and “The Children of Adam has no right except in house to dwell, a dress to cover his pudina, bread and water.”.........
It is clear that the above verses present luxurious and large building on earth will not protect people from the Almighty God and will not be better than what God designated to His believers in Paradise. Q39:20 declare “but those who fear their Lord – for them await lofty chambers, underneath which rivers flow”. It is spoken with magnificent buildings and multi-story palaces and houses, built and decorated with gold, silver, pearls and corundum, all will be in the service of the believers in Paradise. In spite of the negative attitude in the verses cannot deduce from them any strict judgment, nor Ibn al-ÝArabÐ considered them as of legal implications (ayÁt al- aÎkÁm). In any rate, the importance of the verses is double: on one hand, they somehow present some general ideas and forms of architecture that existed in the far past: building of winter houses and summerhouses, the technique of cutting of stones and the need to do things perfectly and magnificently. The interpretations reflect also something of the forms and construction materials used in Islamic world in the time of the exegetes. On the other hand, some aristocratic
Muslims like the Umayyads, used the verses, especially Q7:74, to impart legitimacy to their magnificent palaces. Their claim was: If God permitted glorious houses to the ancient people, it should be also permitted to Muslims, a pretense that the majority of the theologians rejected. In contrast with them, most of the Muslim rulers accepted this claim in order to justify the splendid religious and secular architectural and artistic projects that they initiated in their lands.
Ibn e Kathir , 3: 330. Similar reprimand was directed to Muaviyyah as governor of Syria and later to Uthman, the third caliph, by the Prophet's companion Abu Dhar Ghaffari when he noticed the plethora of buildings in Madina and, consequently, decided to leave the city and moved to nearby Rabadha. See on this al-ÓabarÐ, TÁrÐkh, 4: 283-285. According to YaÝqÙbÐ, TÁrÐkh, 2: 232-233, the caliph Muaviyyah asked one day the MuÎaddith AbdullÁh bin Umar: "How do you see our buildings in Damascus? AbdullÁh bin Umar answered: “If you made this from the money of God then you are traitor and if it from your personal money you are from the profligates.”