Muslims, who continue to fulfill the Hajj pilgrimage, where there is a high density of pilgrims, spend their time praying, performing Umrah, reading the Holy Quran, performing Tawaf and visiting holy places, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on May 31, 2025. The pilgrimage of the pilgrims to the blessed lands, which started with the departure of the first group on 9 May, has been completed. (AA Photo)

Hajj is one of the most important acts of worship in the Islamic faith, prompting millions from different countries and languages ​​to seek to perform the fifth pillar of Islam. The growing number of pilgrims each year and the ongoing expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca reflect the increasing desire of Muslims to perform Hajj.

However, the announcement by the Saudi Director of Public Security and Chairman of the Hajj Security Committee that public security teams removed more than 205,000 people from Mecca for attempting to perform Hajj without a permit shows the worsening problem of unauthorized Hajj.

This is especially true given that the number of pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom has reached 1.25 million, a number that is expected to increase with each passing day. This means that the percentage of pilgrims apprehended constitutes approximately 16.4% of the total pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia, indicating the extent of the phenomenon.

Muslim prospective pilgrims climb the Jabal al-Nour (al-Noor mountain) to visit Hira Cave during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on June 01, 2025. (AA Photo)

What is Hajj without a permit?

Hajj without a permit, in brief, is performing Hajj rituals without first obtaining an official Hajj permit issued by the relevant Saudi authorities. This deprives pilgrims of necessary services such as transportation, shelter, and adequate food. However, it has become increasingly widespread in recent times, with videos of unauthorized pilgrims circulating widely on social media.

This has transformed this problem from being an isolated incident in some places into a widespread phenomenon that has attracted significant attention on social media.

Muslim prospective pilgrims climb the Jabal al-Nour (al-Noor mountain) to visit Hira Cave during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on June 01, 2025. (AA Photo)

Reasons for unauthorized Hajj

1- High cost of Hajj: For example, according to a testimonial from Egypt published by the BBC, the cost of an official Hajj in Egypt can exceed 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($6,300), while the cost of Hajj without a permit is a quarter of that amount.

2- Exposure to fraud and deception: Some brokers and weak-willed individuals convince those wishing to perform the Hajj that they can perform it using unofficial means at a very low price.

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat unofficial Hajj

To ensure compliance with the laws and prevent Hajj without a permit, Saudi authorities rely on a range of security and technical measures, including:

1. Checkpoints

Checkpoints are set up on roads leading to Mecca during the Hajj season. These checkpoints inspect vehicles and ensure that passengers have the necessary permits. These are reinforced by security forces to ensure strict enforcement of the laws.

2. Modern technology

Authorities rely on modern technology such as cameras, aerial surveillance, and drones to monitor the roads and areas surrounding Mecca. These technologies help detect any infiltration attempts or violations. Saudi government agencies also periodically emphasize the importance of performing Hajj with a permit, including for residents of Saudi Arabia, citizens, and others.

3- Digital Nusuk card

This card is distributed to all official pilgrims, containing all their personal information, including their residential areas and other details. This ensures a robust database for the relevant authorities, helping them reach the individual and secure their needs.

Muslims, who continue to fulfill the Hajj pilgrimage, where there is a high density of pilgrims, spend their time praying, performing Umrah, reading the Holy Quran, performing Tawaf and visiting holy places, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on May 31, 2025. (AA Photo)

Importance of unauthorized Hajj

Saudi Arabia has launched the “No Hajj Without a Permit” campaign, aiming to regulate the Hajj process, ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims, and prevent irregular Hajj, which lacks adequate amenities and facilities, leading to organizational, security, and health problems that negatively impact the safety and security of pilgrims.

The permit is a regulatory tool for securing housing, determining the location of pilgrims, facilitating crowd management to avoid overcrowding that can lead to congestion and accidents, and ensuring the availability of housing to prevent the extreme heat from causing deaths.

This is particularly true since irregular Hajj leads to the phenomenon of sleeping on roads and sidewalks, which threatens the safety and security of the Hajj. This phenomenon leads to sleepers being trampled underfoot, leading to acts of theft, robbery, and concealment from security personnel. It increases the burden on security personnel, instead of focusing these efforts on serving regular pilgrims. Regular Hajj also prevents fake companies from depriving pilgrims of their rights. Not only that, but irregular pilgrims take a dangerous risk that could result in personal or other pilgrims’ loss due to their failure to receive the required vaccinations required by pilgrims with Hajj permits. The state relies on vaccines to prevent disease outbreaks during each Hajj season.

Muslim prospective pilgrims climb the Jabal al-Nour (al-Noor mountain) to visit Hira Cave during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on June 01, 2025. (AA Photo)

At the same time, we must not forget that the area of ​​the holy sites is limited. Mina, in particular, covers an area of ​​only 7.82 square kilometers, with only 4.8 square kilometers actually utilized, accommodating more than 2 million pilgrims. Meanwhile, Arafat covers an area of ​​33 square kilometers. Mina was designed to include more than 100 bridges and tunnels to serve Hajj pilgrims, with specifications that surpass those of cities built to serve only one annual season.

For example, in 2024, the death toll during Hajj exceeded 1,000 pilgrims, which represents an increase in the number of deaths. According to an Egyptian diplomatic official, most of the 658 Egyptian pilgrims died due to the intense heat. Most of these pilgrims lacked the services designated for regular pilgrims, preventing them from receiving the necessary support. In other words, if some of these pilgrims had obtained a Hajj permit, their lives could have been saved. This indicates a direct link between Hajj without a permit and the inability to provide adequate medical services to pilgrims.

From a religious perspective, the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia emphasized that the obligation to obtain a Hajj permit and the commitment of those intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage is consistent with the interests required by Islamic law. Sharia aims to enhance and increase interests and prevent and reduce harm. It clarified that “It is not permissible to go for Hajj without obtaining a permit, and the one who does so bears a sin. Whoever is unable to obtain the permit is considered religiously as someone who is not capable of performing Hajj.”

Other opinion regarding Hajj without permit

Despite repeated religious and official warnings about the importance of obtaining a Hajj permit, some still defend performing Hajj without one, arguing it is a dream, especially for the elderly and the sick. The exorbitantly high prices make it nearly impossible for some people to perform Hajj.

However, this opinion is wrong because it puts others at risk, especially with the increasing number of accidents and deaths during Hajj. These incidents have made performing Hajj without a permit a security issue that must be addressed.

Over 1.4 million Muslims are participating in this year’s Hajj in Mecca, with enhanced safety measures to prevent heat-related incidents.

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This year’s Hajj pilgrimage has commenced in Mecca, attracting over 1.4 million Muslims. Following last year’s tragic event where 1,300 pilgrims lost their lives, Saudi authorities are implementing enhanced safety measures.

6 Key Takeaways Over 1.4 million Muslims began Hajj pilgrimage.

Safety precautions increased after last year’s deaths.

Cooling units and shaded areas installed.

Children under 12 banned from Hajj.

Unregistered pilgrims face fines and bans.

Hajj is a key Islamic obligation.

As of June 4, 2025, officials have already prevented more than 269,000 individuals from entering Mecca without proper permits. These precautions include the installation of cooling units and the planting of thousands of trees to combat extreme temperatures, expected to reach 44°C (111°F).

The Hajj is a vital spiritual journey for Muslims, yet many cannot afford the official packages, leading them to enter on tourist visas. How can authorities ensure the safety of all pilgrims while maintaining accessibility?

Fast Answer: Over 1.4 million Muslims are participating in Hajj this year, with Saudi Arabia enhancing safety measures following last year’s fatalities due to extreme heat.

While the Saudi government has ramped up safety protocols, the challenge remains to balance accessibility with safety. Key points include:

80% of last year’s fatalities involved unregistered pilgrims.

New cooling systems and shaded areas aim to mitigate heat risks.

Strict penalties for unregistered pilgrims to ensure safety compliance.

The high temperatures and strict regulations highlight the ongoing challenges of ensuring safety during Hajj, a pilgrimage of great significance for Muslims worldwide.

As the Hajj continues, it is crucial for pilgrims to adhere to safety guidelines and for authorities to innovate in ensuring a safe experience for all. Will this year’s measures set a new standard for future pilgrimages?

Gaza now worse than hell on earth, humanitarian chief tells BBC

4 hours ago Share Save Jeremy Bowen International Editor Reporting from Geneva Share Save

World leaders ‘obligated’ to save lives in Gaza, says head of ICRC

Gaza has become worse than hell on earth, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has told the BBC. In an interview at the ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva, the organisation’s president Mirjana Spoljaric said “humanity is failing” as it watched the horrors of the Gaza war. Speaking in a room close to a case displaying the ICRC’s three Nobel Peace Prizes, I asked Ms Spoljaric about remarks she made in April, that Gaza was “hell on earth”, and if anything had happened since to change her mind. “It has become worse… We cannot continue to watch what is happening. It’s surpassing any acceptable, legal, moral, and humane standard. The level of destruction, the level of suffering.

“More importantly, the fact that we are watching a people entirely stripped of its human dignity. It should really shock our collective conscience.” She added that states must do more to end the war, end the suffering of Palestinians and release Israeli hostages. The words, clearly carefully chosen, of the president of the ICRC carry moral weight. The International Red Cross is a global humanitarian organisation that has been working to alleviate suffering in wars for more than a century and a half. It is also the custodian of the Geneva Conventions, the body of international humanitarian law that is intended to regulate the conduct of war and protect civilians and other non-combatants. The most recent version, the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, was adopted after the Second World War and was intended to stop the mass killing of civilians from happening again.

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Israel, I reminded her, justifies its actions in Gaza as self-defence. “Every state has a right to defend itself,” she said. “And every mother has a right to see her children return. There’s no excuse for hostage-taking. There is no excuse to depriving children from their access to food, health, and security. There are rules in the conduct of hostilities that every party to every conflict has to respect.” Did that mean that the actions of Hamas and other armed Palestinians on 7 October 2023 – killing around 1200 and taking more than 250 hostage – did not justify Israel’s destruction of the Gaza Strip and the killing of more than 50,000 Palestinians? “It’s no justification for the disrespect or hollowing out of the Geneva Conventions. Neither party is allowed to break the rules, no matter what, and this is important because, look, the same rules apply to every human being under the Geneva Convention. A child in Gaza has exactly the same protections under the Geneva Conventions as a child in Israel.” You never know, Ms Spoljaric added, when your own child might be on the weaker side and will need these protections. The ICRC is a reliable source of information about what is happening in Gaza. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, to send journalists into the territory. The reporting of the more than 300 ICRC staff in Gaza, 90% of whom are Palestinians, forms a vital part of the record of the war. Ms Spoljaric, the ICRC president, has been talking every day to their team leader in Gaza. The ICRC surgical hospital in Rafah is the closest medical facility to the area where many Palestinians have been killed during chaotic aid distribution by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Like the UN, the ICRC is not taking part in the new operation. A fundamental flaw of the new system is that it funnels tens of thousands of desperate, starving civilians through an active war zone. Ms Spoljaric said there was “no justification for changing and breaking something that works, with something that doesn’t seem to be working”. In the last few days, the ICRC surgical teams at their field hospital in Rafah near the GHF zone have been overwhelmed at least twice by the volume of casualties in the turmoil of the food operation. “Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Nowhere. Not for the civilians, not for the hostages,” said Ms Spoljaric. “That’s a fact. And our hospital is not safe. I don’t recall another situation that I have seen where we operate in the midst of hostilities.” A few days ago, a young boy was hit by a bullet coming through the fabric of the tent while he was treated. “We have no security even for our own staff… they are working 20 hours a day. They are exhausting themselves. But it’s too much, it’s surpassing human capabilities.” The ICRC said that in just a few hours on Tuesday morning its Rafah surgical teams received 184 patients, including 19 people dead on arrival and eight others who died of their wounds shortly afterwards. It was the highest number of casualties from a single incident at the field hospital since it was established just over a year ago. It happened around dawn on Tuesday. Palestinian witnesses and ICRC medics reported terrible scenes of killing as Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians who were converging on the new aid distribution site in southern Gaza. It was “total carnage” according to a foreign witness. An official statement from the Israeli military described a very different picture. It said “several suspects” moved towards Israeli forces “deviating from the designated access routes”. Troops “carried out warning fire… additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced towards the troops”. A military spokesperson said they were investigating what happened. It has denied shooting Palestinians in a similar incident on Sunday.

Getty Images Palestinians wait in line to receive hot meals distributed by charities

Killings near Gaza aid centre will deepen criticism of Israel’s new distribution system

1 day ago Share Save Jeremy Bowen International editor Share Save

Getty Images

Witnesses and international medical teams report terrible scenes of killing as Israeli troops opened fire in the hours of Tuesday before dawn on Palestinians who were converging on the new aid distribution site in southern Gaza. It was “total carnage” according to a foreign witness. An official statement from the Israeli military describes a very different picture. It said “several suspects” moved towards Israeli forces “deviating from the designated access routes”. Troops “carried out warning fire… additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced towards the troops”. The killing of civilians who came looking for food aid will redouble criticism of the controversial new system of distributing aid in Gaza. The new aid hubs in Gaza are a scheme conceived by Israel with the support of the United States to replace the operation run by United Nations agencies and other experienced international aid groups. A new private body, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) employs armed security teams provided by an American company at its hubs, which are so far in areas of southern Gaza under full Israeli military control.

The GHF started after a total Israeli ban on shipments of food and other aid into Gaza left the entire population at the risk of famine, according to the agency that collates data on food emergencies on behalf of countries and the UN. Israel claims that UN staff stood by while Hamas stole most of the aid coming into Gaza. The UN denies the allegations, insisting it can account for all the aid it distributes. It refuses to cooperate with the GHF. It is clear that the GHF system has fundamental flaws, bearing out the worst fears of aid professionals. Jake Wood, the head of the GHF resigned just over a week ago, saying it would not be able to fulfil the principles of “humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence”. The UN had a wide network of aid distribution points and supplied ingredients to communal kitchens and bakeries that fed hundreds of thousands. The GHF system means that the people must travel through a war zone in the ruins of southern Gaza to collect a box of rations. Distribution seems to be chaotic, and so far has repeatedly broken down into a free for all. Stronger young men can grab boxes of aid for their families. The weakest get nothing. There is not enough to go around. To get closer to the front of the queue Palestinians walk throughout the night. Large gatherings of Palestinians, desperate to get food rations are inherently hard to manage. It seems that this morning Israeli troops opened fire with deadly consequences.

Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent heat deaths as Hajj pilgrimage begins

1 hour ago Share Save David Gritten BBC News Share Save

Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to follow strict guidelines to mitigate the effects of the intense heat, including using umbrellas

More than 1.4 million Muslims have begun this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, a year after 1,300 people died, mostly due to the extreme heat. Saudi authorities say they have stepped up safety precautions for the annual event. They have planted thousands of trees and installed hundreds of cooling units to help alleviate temperatures forecast to reach 44C (111F). They have also banned children under 12 and warned pilgrims attempting to undertake the Hajj without an official permit that they face a $5,000 (£3,685) fine and a 10-year entry ban. As of Sunday, officials said they had stopped more than 269,000 people from entering Mecca.

Officials said 80% the pilgrims who died last year, including hundreds of Egyptians and Indonesians, were unregistered and therefore lacked access to proper air-conditioned accommodation, transport and other amenities when temperatures reached 51C. Many Muslims cannot afford an official Hajj package – which can cost from $4,000 to $20,000 depending on their country of origin, length of stay and level of comfort – and so enter the Gulf kingdom on tourist or visitor visas.

Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters The cooling system in Mecca’s Grand Mosque is reportedly the largest in the world