Religious leaders of Northern Caucasus declare no alternatives to Hajj

For the second year in a row, the authorities of Saudi Arabia restrict pilgrimages from other countries to Muslim shrines in Mecca and Medina in connection with the pandemic. According to religious leaders of Northern Caucasus, there are holy places in the republics of Northern Caucasus, for example, graves of prominent Islamic figures, and visiting those places are a good deed, but that will not replace a pilgrimage to Mecca, Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in 2020, the authorities of Saudi Arabia cancelled pilgrimages from other countries to Muslim shrines because of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of participants in the Hajj was reduced from 2.5 million to 10,000.

Only vaccinated citizens of Saudi Arabia and persons with a residence permit in the country will be allowed to participate in the Hajj in 2021.

Asfar Myss, the imam of the mosque in the Takhtamukai District of Adygea, notes that even visits to the mosques of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem does not replace the Hajj, but are a good deed. According to the imam, other “holy places” are a tribute to the traditions of some ethnic groups and regions, which, nevertheless, no one proclaims a substitute for the Hajj.

Islamic expert Alexei Malashenko has also stated that, according to Muslim scholars, the Hajj itself –neither greater nor lesser – cannot be replaced by anything. The expert pointed out that the issue of shrines in Islam caused discussions, but equating some places with the shrines of Islam was a marginal opinion.