Religious rites begin Saturday, Sallah holds Tuesday
By Abimbola Abdullahi
As the yearly hajj rites begin on Saturday, Nigeria Muslims have sought solace in Allah (God) over the cancellation of Hajj exercise for foreign pilgrims, even as Islamic scholars described the development as “an act of God”.
Some of the scholars, in a chart with SlyeNews said that the unfortunate situation depicts that cares that Islam offers about the welfare of the people.
The government of Saudi Arabia had restricted all foreign countries from bringing their pilgrims to perform hajj this year 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hajj 2021 rites are expected to commence on Saturday, July 17, 2021 and continue till Thursday, July 22, while the Eid -el- Kabir is slated for July, 20, 2021.
National Missioner, Nasirullahi-l-Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) Abdul Azeez Onike, in an exclusive chart with SlyNews said the hajj cancellation showed that Islam is a religion that cares about the welfare of people.
He said; “Al-Quran is very clear about hajj, ‘those who can afford it should perform hajj when the way is clear’ so, if the way is not clear in terms of safety situation or health situation or anything that can hinder Hajj proceedings, then you may not do it. The fact that COVID-19 is around shows that the road is not clear.
“The custodians of the mosque see that it would affect the safety of people before taking that decision, because the objective of Shariah is to resist any harm on anybody and Allah knows best.
“The most interesting thing about Islam is that once you have a good intention to do anything, Allah would have given you reward. Islam is not a do or die religion. Just as you are allowed to reduce your Solat when you are traveling; no fasting when you are traveling or sick. No leave will fall from a tree without the knowledge of Allah,” he said.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President General Supreme Council for Ismaic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar , has urged Muslims to engage in prayer for peace and security in Nigeria, and to carry out various acts of devotion in the month.
“Indeed Allah listens to the calls of His servants and this is an opportunity, to intensify such call to Him! Muslims must understand that Allah (SWT) answers the supplications of those who keep their covenant with Him and are very much conscious of Him in actions and words. During these sacred days, the annual ‘Eid-el-Adha’ is celebrated along with the accompanying momentous sacrifices and the spiritual attainment of Hajj.
“It is recommended for Muslims, who can afford, to fast the first nine days of the month, because of the great reward inherent in them. If one is unable to fast the days, he should make sure that fasting of the Arafat Day on 19th July, 2021, is observed; its reward is the reparation of two years sins. We should seek Allah’s forgiveness, adore and worship Him, as well as supplicate fervently for an end to the litany of security cum economic challenges bedeviling the nation,” Sultan said.
Professor of Middle Eastern, North African and Cultural Studies and Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Afis Oladosu said: “I consider the decision very smart and a very proactive one for that matter. This is because one of the fundamental conditions guiding the performance of hajj is safety and security of life and properties of pilgrims.
“Besides, for those who are aware of the fundamental principles guiding rituals and other acts of worship in Islam, barring non-Saudis from performing the Hajj should have no negative effects on the spiritual or communal welfare of Muslims all around the world at least in the long term.
“On the contrary it should, in my opinion, serve as an inspiration and a fountain of hope in the believers that since Allah was fully aware of the necessity and conditions that led to the current situation, He would most certainly grant them relief and reward them for their inability to perform the Hajj” he said.
For those who intended to perform the Hajj but could not do so due to the blockade, Oladosu said, it is expected that they shall look forward to the rituals that Muslims who could not go on Hajj usually embark upon beginning from the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah.
“These include fasting, alms giving and glorification of the Almighty. These rites or rituals usually reach its peak when Muslims observe the Eid on the tenth day of month by offering sacrifice to the Most Beneficent,” he said.
Professor of English (Communication and Language Arts) Department of English, and Chief Imam, University of Abuja Central Mosque, Taofiq AbdulAzeez, said the cancellation of Hajj for two years running will have a lot of consequences and the most important of it is ‘spiritual’.
He said the issue spiritually frustrates the intending pilgrims, saying some of the pilgrims might abandon the religious project because it also related to economic consequence as most people usually struggle to get the money.
“Some of them might divert the money to other projects. The economy is not smiling and people have competing challenges they need to spend money on,” he said.
Expressing his disappointment, AbdulAzeez said: “We are not going to be comfortable that safety is the reason behind the cancellation of hajj. We are going to argue it that whether there is COVID-19 or not, people die ordinarily at hajj.
“A Muslim is not afraid of dying while worshipping Allah. Hajj is a spiritual jihad. When you go out for jihad, you are going with two possibilities; either you die in the process and achieve martyrdom and enter Aljanat or you survive it, both are victories. But, stopping people from worshipping Allah is a smack of spiritual conspiracy against the Muslims.
“There are a lot of conspiracy theories against the COVID-19 and its vaccine. You have allowed people to take the vaccine and you are saying that despite the vaccine, they will not come for pilgrimage. That means the vaccine does not guarantee protection.
“If the vaccine guarantees their safety from COVID-19, then it should be enough to allow people go for Hajj. They may even compel pilgrims to come early, take the vaccine, isolate them and then allow them to perform pilgrimage. If these things are not happening, then it is a very big statement against the vaccine. It means people were just tricked into getting the vaccine,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria NAHCON has assured intending pilgrims that their deposits would be refunded without delay.
