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What Is the Fiqh Ruling on VIP Hajj Packages?

10 July, 2019
Q As-salamu `alaykum. One of the trends noticed in recent years is the over-commercialization of Hajj in the last 20 or so years with luxury 5 star packages where VIP Hajjis are treated like kings. I remember going to Hajj in 1991 in a basic package - which included riding on the top of a bus for lack of space, but a very spiritual journey - and in 2005 going to Hajj in a VIP package where in Arafat the air was filled with the smell of barbeques which spoiled the spirituality of Hajj. Also the "Open Buffet" offered in these VIP Hajj packages have a negative impact on many people as over-eating can lead to laziness in performing the Hajj rituals. What is the fiqhi ruling on such VIP packages? And if permissible, what advice should we give our audience?

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

Hajj is basically a spiritual journey in which a Hajji should give his utmost care to rituals, giving the least care to food, luxuries and the like.

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On VIP hajj packages, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

I would agree with you in expressing indignation at commercializing Hajj; it has been turned into a sort of extended picnic or vacation, accompanied by sumptuous feasts and all other comforts.

Ironically, the holy cities are no more the historic cities reminding us of the great Islamic past; they look more like modern European cities.

All with a modicum of Islamic conscience should deplore this situation. However, unfortunately, our scholars are mostly cozying up to the rich and famous in order to curry favor. I can only repeat the poet’s words:

Religion is corrupted by the kings, scholars and monks.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.

About Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty is a Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada