Abdu Khal Okaz newspaper IF anybody wants to go for Haj, the exorbitant rates charged by domestic Haj service providers are seen as a serious obstacle too difficult to overcome. Owners of these firms give unsubstantial evidence for implementing such huge hikes in charges. Most important among them are the limited spaces available for them at the holy sites. This argument was raised as the chief point and prompted many service providers to increase their Haj charges. They also raised another reason – a shortage of hired buses from Syria and Turkey because of the new developments taking place there. These are the reasons domestic providers exploit pilgrims and increase their charges exorbitantly. They charge between SR5,000 and SR10,000 per pilgrim. Even if the cost per individual is SR8,000, it is not affordable for the pilgrim, especially if he has four or five members of his family with him. This means that he has to set aside at least SR40,000 for performing this obligatory ritual. For families with a limited income, such a huge amount of money would be a big financial burden. This is happening due to the absence of a mechanism to monitor Haj costs set by these domestic firms. In case they were being monitored, the firms would not raise the excuse of limited spaces and argue that they have to fulfill conditions to ensure pilgrims are well looked after and comfortable. These two reasons force the pilgrims to ignore the hike in Haj fees charged by these firms. As far as foreign pilgrims are concerned, it is essential for them to follow the quota system. As for domestic pilgrims, they need a permit to perform the rituals. Both the quota and permit systems did not solve the problem of a lack of space. Hence, the problem becomes an issue related to Islamic jurisprudence that requires discussions and dialogue among religious scholars. Haj, a pillar of Islam, is obligatory only on those who have the physical ability and financial capability to do so. Ever since Allah made Haj one of the pillars of Islam, this condition is also there. Hence, Muslims from within the Kingdom and abroad should be made aware of this important condition for performing the ritual. They should be re-educated about when Haj becomes an obligatory ritual for them and that only those who are physically and financially sound are required to perform this ritual. If we go down memory lane, we can see the emergence of various problems related to these firms every Haj season. These include the shortcomings and poor quality of services provided by their owners, contrary to what they offered pilgrims through advertisements before they started the Haj season. Muslims are obliged to fulfill the conditions of contracts they enter into with others. If they breach any one of these conditions, they should be accountable for it. Therefore, owners of domestic Haj firms who do not fulfill their promises must be prosecuted after the end of the Haj season. Licenses for those firms that fail to fulfill their promises could be canceled besides refunding the amount to the pilgrims.
