The author makes some valid points on consumerism and capitalist mindsets that have ruined the spirit of hajj.
However in doing so, he disturbingly went to extremes & thus violated these commandments of Allah:
"O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them;
nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames.
Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith.
And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.
And do not spy or backbite each other.
Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it!
And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful."
(Quran surah Al-Hujarat 49:verse 11-12)
The author's obvious grudge and condemnation against the custodians of the Masjid Haramain (i.e. Saudi government) have transgressed Allah's commandments of having good thoughts of others, not ridiculing others, not calling others names, not backbiting, and fundamentally, forgetting that: these are still our brothers and sisters.
The Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasalam said, "whomsoever believes in Allah and the last day, let him speak what is good or be silent!" (narrated in Al-Bukhari, book 73, hadith 47)
While we can spend hours brainstorming the negative points of the saudi government, there are many great improvements being done for the betterment of the pilgrims, walhamdulillah. And if we can't offer a practical solution, we shouldn't be part of the problem with criticism.
It's easy to sit on the sidelines and shoot them, but to host millions of people every year (including that of umrah) is no easy task. Just to put into perspective, London Olympics had no more than 400,000 people at any given time & place: and the event cost about 11 billion pounds in total. Makkah deals with 10 times that amount of people, one spot at the same time, every year. May Allah reward all of those who made facilitated it for all the hujjaj.
There is a payment to be made individually, we need to take it positively that in the big picture, our money is 'contributing' towards the betterment of the ummah as a whole, and we can take collective ownership of being part of this family.
What 'they' do with their oil money is their business and their accountability with Allah: we will not be questioned for their wealth, rather we individually on our own wealth. I would think that a believer would be happy and proud if his/her book of deeds on the Day of Judgment show that his/her money went into contributing for improving hajj facilities.
But at the end of the day, hajj is, and will always be, individual obligations for those yg 'mampu' & can afford it.
And for those, the promise of Jannah and sins forgiven is there. Let's work towards that, and improve the situation where we are capable to do so.
Regarding the issue of business, Allah has given explicit approval of the permissibility of business during Hajj,
"There is no sin on you if you seek the Bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading)” (Al-Baqarah : 198)
Makkah has always been a centre of trade since before the coming of Islam; and the Prophet didn't change this. Luxurious and expensive items existed back then, too - but there is nothing of the Qur'an or Sunnah that prohibited this.
It's our individual reponsibility to control our worldly desires and shopping habbits - in the big picture = no supply, no demand.
If 5-star hotels are affordable to us & make us comfortable enough to perform better acts of worship, then 5-star hotels is more than just Mubah (permissible) - it might even be recommended.
But if you can settle for something less, and would rather save up the money in donation and charity, there is definitely reward in that too!
I recall during the time of the Caliphate of Uthman, that people used to accuse him of spending a lot of wealth for his family (out of his love for them), whereas Umar, the previous Caliph was very strict towards his family and didn't allow them to live in luxury: so they wouldn't become spoilt with the "family of the caliph" status.
Uthman's reaction to that criticism was - and wAllahi this should be written in gold - was:
"Umar did that, seeking the pleasure of Allah
And I do this, seeking the pleasure of Allah"
SubhanAllah what great wisdom - Alhamdulillah, Allah has made it easy to worship Him by our individual capabilities and strengths.
We should be very careful in judging others and not allow our cynicism to cloud our judgment against others, and more importantly, make us forget about our own individual obligations, especially good character and akhlaq.
The Prophet said "Verily i have only been sent to perfect good character/manners" (narrated in Muawata imam Malik)
Of course, at the end of the day, I for one would be very cautious about taking from a 22-year old who
considers our fifth pillar in Islam "as anything more than a ritual
which is merely physical", "without any connection to the realm of
spirituality or to a deeper understanding of self and existence." - for a
deed which the Prophet said has a reward "none other than Paradise"
..And Allah knows best.
May Allah grant us the understanding & steadfastness to continuously become better individuals for dunya and akhirah..
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