Saudi Gazette report
Even though performing Umrah during Ramadan is not obligatory, it does accompany countless blessings which is why millions of Muslims are keen to perform the minor pilgrimage to Makkah during the holy month. Due to the spiritual rewards, people, particularly those who make the long journey from faraway countries, seek to perform multiple Umrahs, which increases crowding and makes it more difficult for officials to effectively manage crowds in the Ground Mosque.
According to a report in Al-Riyadh daily, over 26 million people visited the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah in Ramadan last year. This year, that number is expected to rise further and despite the recently-increased capacity of the Grand Mosque, officials struggle to accommodate the huge number of people seeking to perform Umrah.
If Retired Brig. Gen. Muhammad Al-Bunyan, former assistant Makkah Police Chief, had his way, a law would be passed that would limit every person to one Umrah during the holy month. The move, Al-Bunyan argued, would allow security officers to do their job more effectively by significantly reducing crowding.
“People who repeat Umrah should realize that the Grand Mosque security officers are human beings who have a certain limit and capability. Officers exert great efforts to maintain security and order and ensure that the crowds of people move in an organized manner,” he explained.
In his opinion, the best solution to reduce the negative impact of this problem is to pass a law that prohibits people from performing Umrah more than once in Ramadan in order to give other Muslims an opportunity to perform the pilgrimage peacefully and with ease.
Citizen Manal Al-Otaibi agrees with the suggestion to regulate Umrah performance in Ramadan. She suggested that authorities issue permits for Umrah every two years in order to reduce crowdedness, especially in the last 10 days of Ramadan.
But not everyone is in agreement with such a proposal. Muhammad Al-Sulami, a Saudi living in Makkah, said he is keen to repeat Umrah in Ramadan because of the spiritual reward.
“I know it takes a lot of effort for someone to perform Umrah more than once in this month when hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to Makkah with the same purpose. But I do not care about how difficult and exhausting the Umrah is. I care about the reward only,” he added, noting that there is nothing wrong in repeating Umrah and a Muslim is allowed to do so.
Hussain Al-Sabbagh, an investor in the Haj and Umrah sector, disagreed with Al-Sulami and said scholars should urge pilgrims to be considerate of others, especially those who come from abroad.
“Even Umrah performers who come from abroad repeat Umrah, sometimes more than 10 times in Ramadan. Our scholars should educate people and raise awareness about the importance of not repeating Umrah and contributing to crowding inside the Grand Mosque,” he said.
Osama Al-Sayed, an Egyptian pilgrim, strongly disagreed with the cap proposal. He said many Umrah performers who come from abroad perform multiple Umrahs because they are doing them on behalf of their dead parents and relatives or those who cannot afford to make the pilgrimage to Makkah.
The cap, he argued, would hit the poorest pilgrims the hardest.
“Most Egyptian people are poor and struggle to raise enough money so they can come to Makkah and perform Umrah. So when they arrive here, they want to seize the opportunity and perform as many Umrahs as they can,” he said.
