What is the authenticity of the two hadiths: "Whoever is not prevented from performing Hajj by a clear need, or an oppressive ruler, or a confining illness, and dies without performing Hajj, then let him die, if he wishes, as a Jew, or if he wishes, as a Christian," and "Whoever possesses provisions and a mount that would enable him to reach the House of Allah, but does not perform Hajj, then it does not matter if he dies as a Jew or a Christian"?

Summary of the Answer:

The two hadiths mentioned in the question, which are:

1. "Whoever is not prevented from performing Hajj by an apparent need, or an oppressive ruler, or a debilitating illness, and dies without performing Hajj, let him die if he wishes as a Jew, or if he wishes as a Christian."

2. "Whoever possesses provisions and a mount that can take him to the House of Allah and does not perform Hajj; it makes no difference if he dies as a Jew or a Christian, for Allah says in His Book: (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 and provision for himself and his family for the whole period of Hajj) thereof)."

Both of them are weak (da'if) and not authentic. A number of scholars have deemed them weak due to the presence of weak, unknown, deceptive (mudallis), or lying narrators in their chains of transmission, as detailed in the isnad (chain of narration). However, this meaning has been authentically reported from the saying of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "Whoever is able to perform Hajj and does not perform it, it makes no difference whether he dies as a Jew or a Christian."