What about the rumors that a Saudi prince was performing Hajj and his procession caused the all deaths?
Answer
That is not true. It is normal to have princes performing hajj every year. It could delay people from going or moving from one place to another, but it was not the reason for the stampede. The problem of Hajj stampede is that people push and shove without knowing they are supposed to do.
There is another reason that could be true. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gave extra visas this year without planning enough to receive such influx of pilgrims. Traffic jams was something very unusual this season.
Name
Silmi
- Korea (North)
Profession
Question
How to avoid such disasters in the future?
Answer
1. The Saudi government should discuss the issue among scholars and try to bring harmony among scholars about the differences of views about this issue. I don't mean to cancel the difference, but to bring harmony among the conflicting fatwas.
2. All the fiqh academies such as European Council for Fatwa and Research, Al-Azhar, Fiqh Academy of India, and Fiqh Council of North America, etc., should put this issue on their agendas and prepare researches on this topic.
3. Then the Fiqh Academy at Makkah should invite representatives from different academies all over the world to discuss the issue and facilitate news avenues where the crisis could be overcome.
4. Each Muslim country bears the responsibility of raising awareness and educating its own pilgrims.
Name
Kamall
- Nepal
Profession
Question
If a Muslim organization invites you to a training on Hajj, will you accept this invitation? How do you see the course of action of this training?
Answer
I am doing training already as a president of the American Center for Research. I tour the Muslim community in US and do a lot of training in different issues, as part of the work offered by the Center. I will be more than happy to do training free of charge in this regard in order to help save the lives of Muslims who die every year in Hajj.
Furthermore, I would give the right to any Muslim to translate my book about "Expanding the Time of Throwing Pebbles" into any language. The book is available online at www.salahsoltan.com
Name
Amjad
- India
Profession
Question
Can not Muslim countries train their pilgrims before going to Hajj?
Answer
I hope that all Muslim countries do that and follow the example of Malaysia in this regard. It is very rare to see pilgrims from Malaysia lost in Hajj or killed in stampede because the government of Malaysia does a lot of training with the help of some models to show people before they go to Hajj what they are supposed to do in practice.
It is not enough to play a video about Hajj during meals on the airplane. The training should go further and deeper than this.
I myself sought permission this year from the captain of the airplane to educate the people about Hajj and they were all happy as I spoke about the issue of throwing pebbles and I showed my book where I collected the views of many scholars from different madhahabs allowing throwing to be at different times and not only after zawal.
I believe Muslim countries should launch an educational campaign to raise awareness and orient the people earlier than the Hajj season.
There should be also a room for scholars over Arab and Muslim satellites to discuss these issues in detail.
It is very sad that we get furious once the crisis takes place, but after it boils down we come back to the normal situation to be again saddened by another crisis.
I wonder that with only 79 people all over the world killed by avian flu there is an international conference about it, while there is no similar conference to save the Hajj victims that are estimated, according to official statistics, by 7 thousands so far.
Name
Amina
- Kenya
Profession
Question
As a witness to the incident, would you please tell us what happened exactly?
Answer
In fact, I am deeply saddened that with these tedious efforts exerted by the Saudi government in organizing Hajj, the problem continues to escalate and hundreds of people die every year. There are two issues that cause such problem to aggravate:
1. There is a group of scholars who still give fatwas that throwing the pebbles is not allowed before the zawal. There are some official scholars who say it is allowed to throw before zawal but the great number of local scholars and sheikhs give fatwas it is not allowed. I myself used to give fatwa to people on Hajj that it is allowed to throw the pebbles for 24 hours and they were greatly surprised.
2. The second problems is the ignorance of people going for hajj about the rules and objectives of Hajj. It is unfortunate that the people who pay thousands of dollars to perform Hajj do not take time to read a booklet about Hajj, so is the case with countries that come with huge number of pilgrims without receiving orientation about what is going on. So you see, for example, a lot of pilgrims go from one direction and come back from the same direction, which causes traffic jams. This year there was abnormal traffic jam and there should have been ban on all pilgrims to come back from the same direction.
Another problem is that many set up tents on the way to throw pebbles which caused traffic jams.
I think if we unify the fatwas and educate the people we can do much better.
Name
Questioner
-
Profession
Question
Some people claim that to avoid such stampede tragedies we should expand the time of Hajj, not the time of throwing the pebbles only. They argue that the verse of surat Al-Baqrah says that the period of Hajj consists of "specified months", not 'specified days' (Al-Baqarah 197). So, why to confine Hajj to few days while we have three months for Hajj? What is your comment?
Answer
Though I advocate the right of Ijtihad based on general objectives of Islam in so many areas, I have never promoted twisting the verses and texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah, like the example you gave in your question. The season of Hajj starts from Shawwal but the actual days of Hajj starts on Dhul Hijjah. It is true we can perform `Umrah from Shawwal until the sunset of the Day of `Arafah. The same applies to Tawaf al-Ifada which can be delayed till the end of Dhul Hijjah or the end of one's life according to some scholars. However, among all the other rituals of Hajj, I do not advocate any delay except in the time of throwing pebbles which is based on so many interpretations of texts and fatwas of reliable jurists. Throwing pebbles, as I explained in my book, can be carried out from 12 o'clock on the Day of `Eid till the sunset of the third day, coming up to four days and half in total. I think this is enough time for everybody. Thus, we can, with other needed facilities, overcome the problem.
The other issue I would like to draw the readers' attention to is the fact that if the pilgrims see large crow at throwing pebbles they should back off and leave right away. Some scholars say they can leave and then make fidya of approx. 100 dollars and some even say without fidya as the pilgrim is saving himself from death.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) educated the people on throwing pebbles, as the hadith reported by Imam Ahmad goes, "There should be no shoving, fighting or one saying to another, 'make room for me'."
The hadith reported on forbidding throwing the pebbles before zawal has been declared weak by Imam Ahmad and other scholars and it should not be taken as a proof in such serious issue.
Name
Hilmi
- Hungary
Profession
Question
As a Muslim scholar, what do you think about the conflicting fatwas regarding the timing of rami?
Answer
I would like to take this opportunity to say to my brother and sisters among the `ulama that difference of opinions should not lead to loss of love and brotherhood among Muslims. We have to work together in order to protect the sanctity of the lives of Muslims. We need to open our hearts and listen to the other. As they often say, "difference of opinion is an intellectual richness, but difference of hearts is an epidemic." Our difference should lead to serving Islam and bringing people to the way of Allah, not the vice versa. I would like to share the advice given by Caliph `Umar to Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari where he said, "You should never mind if you pass a judgment today and found out the truth tomorrow, to go back and retract, for truth is more worthy to be sought rather than remaining stubborn to your wrong judgment."
Name
Mujahid
- Afghanistan
Profession
Question
What do you think of the idea of `Amr Khaled's reality Hajj? Did you like the idea?
Answer
I am very proud that `Amr Khaled was one of my students and that he has become so famous and beloved by people as he deserves this. I would like to share a nice story that happened this year. While I was addressing the pilgrims on Ar-Rumah pilgrims my voice was loud that I bothered another brother who was speaking to other people besides me, and I was not aware that it was `Amr Khaled, and I found him coming to me in order to hug me and tell everybody that I was his teacher and mentor one day.
The idea of `Amr Khaled is to make Hajj relevant to one's life to the point that the performance of Hajj and rituals impacts one's faith and leads him or her to the best of life.
This has been my concern and interest for so long time. I have written a book on the educational and spiritual aims of rituals in Islam, and I have talked about Hajj and its inner dimensions.
I would like to pray for Amr Khaled to be protected from envy of so many people who do not offer objective or constructive criticism. I bear witness that whenever I give advice to `Amr Khaled, he has always listened to my advice and acted accordingly. May Allah guide and help him to serve Islam and Muslims.
Name
Abu Saida
- United Kingdom
Profession
Student
Question
As-Salamu `alaykum. My question is: won't reducing the numbers of people attending Hajj solve this problem and is this allowed in the Shari`ah?
Answer
Many scholars have allowed the permissible to be modified and restricted due to interests and objectives of major concerns. Of course, this applies to Hajj where the place can never accommodate for everyone, especially for the people that got chance to perform their obligatory Hajj. Therefore I see no harm in restricting or reducing the numbers of people participating in Hajj.
I would like to tell my brothers and sisters who have got the chance to perform Hajj that if it was not the fact that I lead a delegation of pilgrims to educate and admonish, I would have not gone for more than once and I would have spent this money in charity, feeding the poor and the needy, helping the youth to get married and granting scholarships to distinguished and talented Muslim students to serve the Ummah in a better way.
However, I would exclude a number of rich Muslims who, due to being busy with life and business, do not have time to fast and read Qur'an as should be, to go for more than once in order to soften their heart and stay committed to their faith, for Hajj has a great impact on the person's behavior. But this is only an exception.
Name
Abu Asiya
-
Profession
Question
Asslamu alaykum brother, I went to Hajj in 2004 when almost 245 pilgrims passed away(may Allah the Almighty grant them Al-Firdous). I came to the conclusion that people are ignorant of others and not seeking or having right knowledge. I remember when I was at the Jamaraat I was hit by a stone so hard at the back of my head until I started bleeding, not only that I did my stoning on the ground floor and I could witness stone the size of bricks being thrown. I think some believe there is Shaytan at the stoning place. Well this is dangerous. I came to the conclusion that a lot of us lacked knowledge and it would be a better idea that countries or local imams educate the pilgrims before Hajj like the case of Malaysia. I believe if not wrong whereby they do virtual Hajj, i.e., training for Hajj. Please brother can you elaborate how important to have knowledge to perform Hajj and the importance to respect or adore your fellow pilgrims?
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salam
I know what you are coming from and the problem you faced and so did so many. I was very saddened to see some pilgrims smoking, shouting and even calling one another names during Hajj. I saw someone boxing another on Hajj. I even saw an Arab Muslim fighting with his brother who came from US to perform Hajj because he thought he was one of those who fought against our brothers and sisters in Iraq.
The problem is huge and we need to cooperate to confront it with so many ways. We need to raise awareness and educate the people on how to respect one another and be caring of one another. Let's remember the advice of Caliph `Umar when he saw the people kissing the black stone and making a large crowd, so he said to one of them, "do not forget to make sincere du`a' for us. You are strong so be careful other weak people be harmed through you."
