Dear brother

As-salam-o-alaikum. I am planning to perform Hajj insha Allah this year. However, I find that the Hajj companies in UAE have increased the charges tremendously during last 3-4 years. It is quite apparent that these people are profiteering and black marketing the Hajj quota. The cost last year was as high as 7,000 to 8,000 dirhams for Hajj by road, whereas cost for same journey for Umra was around 700 dirhams only.

In view of Hajj quota it is acceptable to put some restrictions, eg. not allowing people to perform repeat Hajj, or giving preference to senior citizens, etc. However, to increase the cost by ten times is totally unjustified. In fact, the costs should be lower as there is full utilization of all facilities, i.e. transport, accommodation, etc. Now many innocent Muslims who can otherwise afford genuine costs are being deprived, while, some filthy rich are repeating Hajj several times, alongwith children who are unable to realise the importance.

It is a plain fact that these people are fleecing innocent Muslims who wish to fulfill an obligation ordained by Allah (swt). Quran has forbidden Muslims to profit from religion, but these people are shamelessly doing it right under the nose of the Muslim Governments, which are blessed by Allah with immense wealth. Nobody in position of authority is raising any voice against it, probably because they also stand to gain. Even forums like yours are silent on this important issue.

I feel that Allah (swt) is quite displeased by the way these so-called Muslims in positions of authority are trying to cheat innocent believers. This displeasure is apparent from the series of serious accidents taking place each year during the performance of Hajj, which besides costing several innocent lives are also bringing a bad name to the religion.

In view of the above, I appeal to you to please take notice of this issue and raise the matter with Governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to put an end to this profiteering from this year.

These Governments should analyse the charges and bring them down to the real levels. If any money is required for construction of the Harmain and cannot be provided by the Guardian of the Holy places, Muslims should be asked to donate. It will be an honour for each and every Muslim to do so and they would be more than willing to contribute any amount for genuine reasons.

I look forward to your reply and wish to thank you for this great service.

Allah Hafiz.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Cost of hajj and umra

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verses 96-97:

Undoubtedly the first House of Worship ever to be built for mankind is the one which is at Makkah. It was blessed, and made the center of guidance for all the peoples. In it are clear Signs; there is a spot where Ibraheem used to worship; and it is the Santuary, and whoever enters it becomes safe and secure. Allah has, therefore, a right on the people that the one, who can afford to reach the House, should perform Hajj there. And the one who disobeys (this commandment should know that) Allah is Self-Sufficient, and does not stand in need of anyone.

Allah Subhanah has made the pilgrimage of Hajj obligatory on every sane, adult believer who has the financial and physical means to reach His Sacred House at least once in his lifetime. This pilgrimage of the Hajj is so sanctified that it is listed as one of the five pillars upon which the deen of Islam is built.

Beloved Brother in Islam, it is indeed true that there has been a substantial increase in Hajj costs in the past few years not only in the UAE but all over the world! Although we obviously do not possess the exact reasons for this substantial increase by the respective Hajj committees, the reasons often quoted for the increase are higher license fees charged to the organizers by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, massive rent increases for accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, increase in the rent of new and improved fire-proof tents for the accommodation of pilgrims at Muna, reductions of quota by the Hajj ministry of Saudi Arabia, etc. Allah Subhanah Alone is aware of the exact reasons for the substantial increases in Hajj costs, and in the absence of any real legal reproach for the pilgrims, He Alone will determine whether or not the costs are justified on the Day of Judgment.

To the best of our knowledge the charges for Hajj range from US$2,500-US$5,000.00 per person in most developed countries depending on the number of days, the quality of the accommodation and food provided, etc. Beloved Brother, to put things in perspective, if one compares the cost of full travel+full accommodation+full food for 10-15 days to any other major city in the world, it would be safe to assume that the disparity in costs between the two journeys would not be too substantial for the service which is being provided.

Beloved brother, although I am no particular admirer of the Saudi way of governance, it would not be fair to accuse the Saudi government of profiteering from the Hajj pilgrims…the truth is that almost all the accommodation and services provided to the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are through privately held companies, and it is common knowledge that the accommodation and transport prices during the busy Hajj and Ramadan periods are substantially increased as compared to the other times of the year.

But we do absolutely agree with you that the percentage of increase over the past few years is indeed a concern and needs to be addressed.

Your Statement: In fact, the costs should be lower as there is full utilization of all facilities, i.e. transport, accommodation, etc.

In all fairness brother, one should realize that although there is full utilization of all facilities like accommodation and transport during the busy periods when at least 2.5 million to 3 million pilgrims travel to Makkah….during other times, the utilization of these facilities is not substantial. For example, other than the 10 days of Hajj, the plains of Muna, where thousands and thousands of fire-proof tents are erected is deserted! The transport companies which purchase thousands and thousands of busses and employ thousands of drivers, obviously cannot utilize the same during the off-season.

Your Statement: Now many innocent Muslims who can otherwise afford genuine costs are being deprived, while, some filthy rich are repeating Hajj several times, alongwith children who are unable to realise the importance.

Beloved brother, if one is blessed by the Lord with limited sustenance and he genuinely cannot afford the journey to His Sacred House; then such a person will be blameless in the Court of Allah Subhanah for not performing the obligatory Hajj.

Islam has commanded and guided the believers to perform a minimum of one Hajj in their lifetimes, but if one who has been blessed by the Lord with abundance wishes to do so more than once, it is entirely upto them. In this day and age, when the host country has put quotas on each nation to the number of pilgrims they can send to Makkah during Hajj, it would indeed be prudent and closer to piety that the ones who have already performed their obligatory Hajj abstain from performing Hajj again and again or every year so that another brother or sister in Islam can have the opportunity to fulfill their obligation to their Lord. It is only natural that one who loves Allah and His Messenger (saws) never tires of visiting the Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, but it would be prudent of muslims who are blessed with abundance to perform more Umrah pilgrimages rather than performing the Hajj over and over again, only so that a muslim brother or sister of theirs can have the opportunity to fulfill their obligatory Hajj pilgrimage.

Your Question: If any money is required for construction of the Harmain and cannot be provided by the Guardian of the Holy places, Muslims should be asked to donate. It will be an honour for each and every Muslim to do so and they would be more than willing to contribute any amount for genuine reasons.

Beloved brother, whatever the state of the government of Saudi Arabia may be, but one thing must be admitted by any believer who has witnessed the immense improvements in the construction and the facilities of the two Holy Mosques, which has been borne entirely by the concerned authorities.

It may only be here-say, but the word on the streets is that the bid which the company who took the contract for the total maintenance and cleaning of the two holy mosques, was only a token amount to the value of US$1.00 per year!!! And Allah Knows Best.

Thus brother, it would be safe to assume that it is not the host government who is engaged in profiteering from the pilgrims, nor would it behove them to do such a thing. It may be that private individuals and companies who own the land around the haram, or the hotels and accommodations, or the transport companies, etc. who might be engaged in making substantial profits during the busy seasons….and in the demand-supply market economy that Islam propagates, their profits would be justified and lawful.

Beloved brother, your concern, your anger and your dis-satisfaction at the status-quo of increasing costs for pilgrims is justified….but in a region which has witnessed an unprecedented amount of economic boom, with property prices and cost of services going through the roof, there is very little a common man like you and us can do, except beseech and implore the Lord Most Gracious to make our trial easy for us and forgive us our short-comings in His Cause.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan