Hajj one of Islam’s five pillars and the largest travel a Muslim can do outside of a legitimate jihad. When you have the ability and resources to fulfill this commitment, failing to do so is regarded as a serious sin. This year, there are numerous Hajj operations problems worldwide.

Only one million pilgrims will be permitted to perform the Hajj rituals this year, according to a March 2022 announcement from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. This number includes both domestic and foreign pilgrims. Due to the corona pandemic, the Hajj pilgrimage for foreign pilgrims has been suspended for the past two years by the Saudi Arabian government.

Saudi Arabia is also keenly interested in ensuring that the Hajj continues uninterruptedly, as well as enabling the greatest number of Muslims worldwide to do their Hajj and Umrah rituals and enter The Prophet’s Mosque in a state of spiritual tranquility. As it battled the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia also sought to preserve the achievements it made in the healthcare sector.

The number of worshipers attending this year’s Hajj has nearly reached pre-pandemic levels after a two-year decline in pilgrims visiting Islam’s holiest sites.

In contrast to the over 2.5 million pilgrims who attended the Hajj in 2019, only 1000 pilgrims did it in 2020. The Hajj was done by approximately 900,000 pilgrims this year, signaling a gradual return to normalcy.

With 100,051 pilgrims permitted, Indonesia is at the top of the list, followed by Pakistan (81,132), India (79,237), Bangladesh (57,585), and Nigeria (43,008). With 23 pilgrims, the African nation of Angola comes in last on the list of countries’ Hajj Quotas for 2022. This year, the Hajj will be open to anybody under the age of 65, according to Saudi officials. All applicants must provide a negative PCR test for Corona 72 hours prior to leaving the country, according to the report.

The age-old problem of housing pilgrims from all over the world is more urgent than ever before, though, as more than 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide hope to make the journey at least once in their lives.

Even if they can afford the more pricey journey, many people will likely have trouble finding a slot. There must be 1,000 pilgrims per million of the entire (Muslim) population, or 0.01 percent, according to an Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, Hajj quota judgment from 1988.

A strategy plan known as Saudi Vision 2030 was introduced in April 2016 with the goals of reducing reliance on oil, enhancing infrastructure, and diversifying the economy.

A bold milestone for Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia’s promise to welcome up to 6 million pilgrims by the end of the decade. At least 2.5 million pilgrims were welcomed by the Kingdom in 2019 without incident.

A change in how the Hajj process is conducted for individuals from Western Countries (United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Canada, and Australia) has also unintentionally disrupted the plans of tens of thousands of Muslims for Hajj 2022. The execution and procedures for the lottery are just one of the difficulties Muslims from Western countries will confront during the Hajj in 2022. Many people’s hopes have been further dashed as the situation has gotten worse. In reaction to the flood of social media comments and major news agencies that have started covering more extensively on the catastrophic scenario that prevails, even the Haramain Sharifain has at last published a blog post through their official channels headlined “the failed launch of Motawif.”

Motawif, this new online portal that would allow you to book directly with a single company of the Saudi government’s choice was now open to everyone. The previous system of booking the Hajj through tour guides and operators gave no consideration or preference to those hujjaj who had booked and paid in full months earlier.

In general, the Covid-19 epidemic has a greater impact on this year’s Hajj operation than in previous years. In contrast to prior Hajj, which required Saudi Arabia to offer limited notice for preparations, this year’s Hajj was an emergency. The slots allocated to nations for intending pilgrims globally have also been significantly decreased by the Saudi authorities. The press and some self-styled social media pundits have not presented this case with facts and reality; instead, they have made unnecessary cries and displayed emotionally unbalanced behavior without presenting reports, data, or information that reflects the reality of current aviation activities in Nigeria and around the world.

With the quota reduced, the number of Nigerians applying for the Hajj 1443 is overwhelming. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which normally pays for necessary services in advance to reduce the higher expenses associated with rush hour, was hampered by the global health crisis’s associated financial shortage. The Naira has been steadily falling for a while, which has left little time for preparation and problems with delays in airlifting intending pilgrims, further aggravating the financial snarl. Sadly, the alternative of chartered flights—which had given NAHCON and the leadership of the private tour operators great hope—also failed, as their IBAN accounts were not approved by the appropriate Saudi authorities.

For state boards responsible for the welfare of pilgrims, it’s important to keep in mind that the Covid-19 epidemic prevented any airlifting of pilgrims beyond 2020, which led to an increase in the backlog of prospective pilgrims ever since. Because of the short notice, most states did not have adequate preparation, which caused the flights to fluctuate. The Saudi Arabian government’s decision to reduce the number of Hajj slots in order to comply with COVID-19 guidelines has similarly caused complications for the state’s pilgrims attending this year’s Hajj.

The pilgrims’ Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) payments were undoubtedly delayed this year, and some pilgrims were unable to perform the hajj; nonetheless, neither the state pilgrims’ welfare board nor the Hajj Commission were to blame for these shortcomings. Dollar scarcity on the foreign currency market is the cause of the delay in getting the requisite BTA. It needs to be noted that the foreign currency market’s dollar shortage, which caused a delay in obtaining the necessary BTA, played a significant role in this situation. On the other hand, there is a guarantee that prospective pilgrims who missed this year’s pilgrimage and ask for their money, preferring not to leave their money for the 2023 hajj, will receive a refund.

As previously said, 43 000 Nigerian pilgrims registered through 36 states to take part in this year’s holy pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Three Saudi Arabia-designated airlines, Max Air, Azman Air, and Flynas, were hired for the exercise by the Nigerian Hajj Body. The following pilgrims will regrettably have to miss this year’s Hajj, per NAHCON, because they will not be able to get to Saudi Arabia before the airport in Jeddah closes. They are: 9 pilgrims from Bauchi state, 91 from Plateau state, 700 from Kano state, and an estimated 750 from the Private Tour Operators sector.

Once the new system has been tried and tested, there are benefits to it. Resources are available to deal with and support pilgrims, and the ideal time to do that is when the Hajj quotas rise in line with the 2030 Vision. For the time being, Western nations must continue to work with Hajj operators in the same way they always have while also taking advantage of digitization to improve efficiency, transparency, and offer more competitive prices and options.

Since the current infrastructure is the result of decades of successive development, accommodating more than twice as many pilgrims would necessitate enormous investments in hospitality, mosque expansion, facilities, organization, healthcare, and even airports.

Everyone who has lost hope or been saddened about not being able to perform Hajj this year should be aware that as Muslims, we must constantly remind ourselves that everything works out for the good of the believer and that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ is the Best Planner. In case you do miss out or have missed out, I implore Allah سُبْحَانَهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ to extend an invitation to us to perform Hajj next year. You will still receive the reward for your intention. Since Jannah is the only reward for performing the Hajj, each of us must maintain our patience and faith through the trials we face. This reward also corresponds to the difficulties we have faced. Despite this, we must continue to work to make the Hajj a once-in-a-lifetime event even better for future pilgrims by taking lessons from the difficulties and mistakes that may have been encountered.

Oyebamiji A. Usman writes from Osogbo, Nigeria. Contact: Usmanoyebamiji75@gmail.com 

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