Ghulam Khan, a Pakistani pilgrim who came here to perform Haj, has a list of the names of his relatives and friends who paid him money to perform Umrah on their behalf. Khan says that he's only following in the footsteps of the Pakistani pilgrims who have done the same thing in the past. He pointed out that taking money to perform Umrah by proxy helps him cover half of his Haj expenses. Khan, who is unaware of the Shariah ruling forbidding such acts, is not the only pilgrim who does this during the Haj and Umrah seasons. Many Haj and Umrah pilgrims take money to perform Umrah for others every year. Some of them perform Umrah on a daily basis, sometimes three times a day. This has resulted in overcrowding inside the Grand Mosque, particularly during Haj and Ramadan. The Tawaf area can only accommodate around 50,000 persons during peak times while the Masa'a struggles to accommodate the increasing numbers of Umrah performers. Dr. Azzam Al-Shuwayer, a member of the Islamic awareness campaign during Haj and chairman of the committee assessing imams and khateebs at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, said: “Many pilgrims who perform Umrah on behalf of their relatives or friends do not know the Shariah ruling about this. We explain to them how they are causing overcrowding by repeatedly performing Umrah. We advise them to postpone Umrah for relatives until after Haj when the Grand Mosque becomes less crowded.” Al-Shuwayer said he blames the heads of Haj missions, mutawwifs and some scholars from Islamic countries for the spread of this phenomenon. He said that scholars should clarify the Shariah position regarding such acts before Haj and Umrah pilgrims arrive in the Kingdom. Sheikh Talal Aqeel, an adviser to the Minister of Islamic Affairs for Haj Affairs and supervisor of Haj awareness programs, said: “Taking money to perform Haj or Umrah is a type of fraud because Islam does not make it obligatory for individuals, who are not financially or physically able, to perform Haj. The same thing applies to Umrah. Repeating Umrah is not acceptable at all under the Shariah.” Aqeel added that heads of Haj missions and religious advisers are responsible for such behavior. Col. Yahya Al-Zahrani, Commander of the Grand Mosque Security Forces, also blamed Tawafa establishments and heads of Haj missions. Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a member of the Board of Senior Ulema and Adviser at the Royal Court, said: “Repeating Umrah every day is not permissible unless there is a need to do this. There should be an interval of four days between each Umrah.” Al-Mutlaq said there is no harm in performing Umrah on behalf of dead parents or relatives, provided there is a suitable time between each Umrah and it does not cause overcrowding and hardships for other Muslims. “It's not permissible to take money to perform Umrah on someone else's behalf. This turns Umrah into a business and causes overcrowding around the Ka'ba.” Dr. Ali Bin Abbas Al-Hakami, a member of the Board of Senior Ulema and Supreme Judicial Council, agreed with Al-Mutlaq and added that such actions are haram. __
