Pakistan’s religious scholars hail Saudi decision of limiting Hajj pilgrims

ISLAMABAD: Religious scholars from all over Pakistan welcomed on Tuesday the Saudi government’s decision to allow Hajj 2020 with limited pilgrims.
“Saudi Arabia has chosen the safest option for Hajj this year,” Senator Prof. Sajid Mir, president of Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith (MJAH), told Arab News. “Owing to coronavirus pandemic, this is a very wise decision which has been taken by the Saudi government after taking into consideration all aspects related to the safety of the people.”
The Saudi ministry of Hajj announced on Monday that only a limited number of people, irrespective of nationality, who currently reside in the Kingdom would be allowed to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year.
Pakistan currently has a 2.5 million strong expat community living in Saudi Arabia.
Mir said that despite Hajj being a religious obligation, Islam emphasized greatly on saving human lives. “It is an excellent step to limit it to nationalities living in the Kingdom rather than completely calling it off,” he added.
Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, general secretary of the Wifaqul Madaris al Arabia Pakistan (WMAP), the country’s largest board of Deobandi madrasas, termed the decision to allow Hajj with limited gathering just what the time demanded.
“Saudi government’s decision regarding Hajj 2020 is the need of the hour. The safety of the pilgrims from coronavirus pandemic is extremely important and it is very welcoming that they (Saudi authorities) have allowed Muslims from all over the world who are living in the Kingdom to perform Hajj,” Jalandhari told Arab News.
Veteran Pakistani cleric and chairperson of the country’s moon sighting committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman, said: “We respect their decision which they reached by keeping in mind the pilgrims’ safety.”
However, he added that “they (Saudi authorities) could have allowed limited number of people from other countries with negative Covid-19 test as a prerequisite. This would bring an opportunity for international pilgrims to perform Hajj.”
Earlier in March, Saudi Arabia had indefinitely suspended Umrah pilgrimage owing to the virus spread and asked the Muslim countries including Pakistan to put Hajj plans on hold.