COVID-19: it’s impact in Hajj and Umrah and a future direction

Abstract

Purpose There is a misconception that Hajj and Umarah is just a worship matter and the consequences of suspending these religious gathering due to the pandemic is only limited to delay of going Saudi Arabia to perform it. However, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the impact of the pandemic in Hajj and Umrah by exploring its impact on different stakeholders affecting its disruption due to the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This is a library-based study that uses qualitative method to explore the impact of COVID-19 on Hajj and Umrah. Thus, provisions of Quran and hadith on Hajj and Umrah were examined as primary data for the research to establish the importance of the rituals in Islam. Guidelines set by Hajj regulators and instruments enabling them in that behalf were examined likewise. In addition, content analyses were made of relevant secondary data from published sources including articles, books, newspapers and web resources that embody scholarly, scientific and religious views on the issue being studied. Findings It is realised that in the first year of the pandemic, while Umrah is entirely suspended, Hajj was scaled back and performed by 10,000 people altogether, a tiny segment of the over two and half million that partook in the ritual previously. Hajj and Umrah have been greatly inhibited and jeopardised by the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in religious, social, economic, psychological effects on the eligible but affected Muslims and Muslims countries. Along these lines, recommendations were accordingly proffered on the way forward to better Hajj and Umrah management. Originality/value It is anticipated that the findings of the research would assist policy makers to comprehend the impact of the pandemic on Hajj and Umrah to ensure that the policies they make in this regard would adequately cover every aspect affecting the stakeholders which is deliberated in this research. It is also expected that the recommendations provided in this paper will assist stakeholders of Hajj and Umrah to grasp the importance of taking precautions for any crisis similar to COVID-19 when it happens.

Understanding Village Community Social Interaction in Religious and Community Activities During the Pandemic Crisis in Indonesia: What Evidences Say

“…Islam manages the strategy for managing dead bodies, as shown by the heading of the Sharia rule. On March 27, 2020, the ulama gave fatwa #18 of 2020 concerning Guidelines for Handling Muslim's Dead Bodies (Tajhiz Al-Jana'iz) contaminated by Coronavirus (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021). The fatwa imparts that the chances of the body should be seen; unequivocally, it should be washed, covered, requested of over, and covered, which ought to be by and large completed with the end goal that it guarantees the laborers' success by acclimating to the courses of action of the clinical shows (Nurhayati & Purnama, 2021).…”

The personas and motivation of religious tourists and their impact on intentions to visit religious sites in Saudi Arabia

“…However, in conjunction with the Saudi Government, countries have scaled down or suspended their citizens from performing Hajj and Umrah during the pandemic; approximately 10,000 pilgrims performed the ritual in 2020, much lower than previous years (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021). This situation has resulted in devastating consequences for individuals, governments and other stakeholders worldwide (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021). With respect to KSA, the pandemic has resulted in a substantial economic effect as oil prices and trade and business activities have taken a major hit, which has affected the religious tourism sector.…”

“…Table 1 illustrates that as of 2019, approximately 2,371,675 pilgrims had journeyed to perform Hajj and Umrah. However, in conjunction with the Saudi Government, countries have scaled down or suspended their citizens from performing Hajj and Umrah during the pandemic; approximately 10,000 pilgrims performed the ritual in 2020, much lower than previous years (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021). This situation has resulted in devastating consequences for individuals, governments and other stakeholders worldwide (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021).…”

“…Primarily, religious visitors came to the country to perform Hajj and Umrah. However, after the pandemic, the number of religious visitors significantly decreased as the Saudi Government and other countries applied restrictive measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus (Muneeza & Mustapha, 2021). This has affected KSA’s economy, resulting in a loss of US$6bn in income (Alam, 2021).…”

The Emergence of a New Religious Travel Segment: Umrah Do It Yourself Travellers (Diy)

“…The decision by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to suspend Umrah pilgrimage services comes at a high cost to the Saudi economy, including the airline, transportation, and hotel sectors, and has had a negative impact leading to employment issues and affecting the livelihood of native and immigrant workers in holy towns. According to Muneeza and Mustapha (2021), all commercial, social, and religious activities that involve actual meetings and gatherings of people have been halted, and all these activities are now being conducted online. Cancellations would have a significant impact on pilgrims from all 180+ nations, as well as the transportation and hotel industries that cater to pilgrims in the home countries.…”