Hajj in a Pandemic
- Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow
- Aug 12, 2020
- 3 min read
By Shanzeh Malik, Director of Design
A Muslim, one who is able to afford and is able to stand the vigorous journey of Hajj, must go at least once in their lifetime. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is very important. However, with the persisting coronavirus pandemic, Hajj can present a safety and health risk to those participating in it. So how was Hajj 2020 handled?
Hajj annually hosts more than 2 million people as reported by the CDC, and it is known to be crowded and tight. During this pandemic, it would be difficult and unsafe to plan since it is required for people to stay at a minimum of six feet away from each other. Additionally, those 2 million people, about 70% are not citizens of Saudi Arabia reported by CNN. With so many people normally traveling from all parts of the world, it poses a danger to many countries when the worshippers return. To be able to solve these issues and yet still continue Hajj, the Minister of Hajj, Mohammed Benten, said “around 1,000, maybe less, maybe a little more” may be permitted to perform Hajj this year as reported by Aljazeera. And surely, only about 1,000 worshippers were able to go and all were from different regions in Saudi Arabia. Foreigners from outside of Saudi Arabia would have to sit this Hajj out. They hold a potential threat to transmit the virus to others at Hajj or to the citizens of their country when they return from Hajj.
With the number of worshippers controlled to about 1,000, Hajj was certainly going to be different with so few people compared to the routine 2 million yearly. The pilgrims that were chosen were tested when they arrived at Mecca and were expected to quarantine themselves after the journey to ensure the safety of others as reported by Aljazeera. The pilgrims were required to wear a mask and keep a distance from other worshippers and were not permitted to touch the Ka'bah as described by the Washington Post. Furthermore, the mosques were constantly cleaned and even on the buses, designated seats were given in order to space pilgrims away from each other as said by Arab News.
Although this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in the history of Hajj due to previous epidemics, diseases, and conflicts. In fact, the last time that Hajj was actually canceled was back in 1932. In more recent years, certain people have been advised not to attend Hajj, for example, those that were ill and/or elderly were told not to take part in Hajj due to the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) back in 2012 and 2013 reported by the Smithsonian. But even though similar situations have happened in the past, it’s still a shock to Muslims all over the world with a stir of emotions and opinions for the situation.
We ask that Allah (SWT) grant the Muslims who participated in Hajj the full reward and to call others to His house as soon as possible. We ask that Allah (SWT) grant us all the chance to visit His house and perform Hajj for ourselves and gain as much reward. The sooner that this pandemic finishes, the sooner that we can visit Makkah and Madinah, so we ask Allah (SWT) to give shifa to those afflicted with the Coronavirus or its effects and to protect us from it always. May Allah (SWT) grant your Duas to visit the Ka'bah and His Messenger (ﷺ)’s Masjid soon!
References
Al Jazeera. (2020, July 25). Hajj 2020: What you need to know about this year's
pilgrimage. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from
Hajj 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2020, from
Karadsheh, J., & Qiblawi, T. (2020, July 28). 'Unprecedented' Hajj begins -- with 1,000
pilgrims, rather than the usual 2 million. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from
Saudi Arabia: Hajj/Umrah Pilgrimage - Chapter 10 - 2020 Yellow Book. (n.d.). Retrieved
August 10, 2020, from https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/popular
This Pandemic Isn't the First Time the Hajj Has Been Disrupted for Muslims. (2020, April
23). Retrieved August 10, 2020, from
A trickle of hajj pilgrims, where millions once worshiped. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10,
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