Doing Haj on Umrah visas is unacceptable: Al-Obaikan

By ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Overstaying one’s Umrah visa to perform Haj is not acceptable, said Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, a renowned Saudi scholar and adviser to the Royal Court.

“It is Haram for anyone who arrives in the Kingdom on an Umrah visa to stay until the Haj season to perform the fifth pillar of Islam,” Al-Obaikan told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

He added that the Umrah of a person who comes to the Kingdom on an Umrah visa would be okay, but it would be Haram for the person to overstay until Haj.

“Disrespecting rules and regulations of a country is not permissible according to Shariah. These rules have been formulated for the welfare of Muslims from both the Kingdom and abroad. Breaking them is not permissible according to the Shariah,” he said.

He added that people who visit the Kingdom should use their visas for the purposes for which they were issued. “If someone is granted a visa to perform Umrah he should do that and return home. It will be Haram for him to prolong his stay to perform Haj,” he said.

Comments

YUSUFALI

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Ulama have responsibilities, to come out with a 'HARAM' statement is totally wrong. what Quranic or Prophethic evidence is there for such a Fatwa? why do the Ulama not call for ease in the matter, that after having spent so much already if One wants to perform Hajj, pay the neccesary taxes and permission will be granted.

KARIM

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Would the respectable Sheikh advise what a person should do if he intends to perform umrah in Ramadhan and then Haj also. As per rules the person has to go back to his country after performing Umrah and come on new visa for Haj. Agreed that as per Shariah people should follow rules, but then Umrah visa expiry time (or rules) is decided by government and not by Shariah. Hence I humbly request the respectable Sheikh to advice to allow atleast old people to extend extend their stay to perform Haj and Umrah together.

SHAH MOHAMMED ANSARI

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all visa issued are time bound and if some one has a umrah visa which facilitate a person to stay untill haj period then to me the person may not be violating the kingdom's law by performing haj too after his umrah.

RIZWAN

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I strongly believe that people do Hajj on a Umra visa only because their countries government services either have a lottery system or a long waiting period for pilgrims. I have known people who have been waiting for years together to come for Hajj, and sometimes by the time their turn comes they are out of money. Yes those who do it willingly and who have the money and resources to come on Hajj through a private service shouldn't misuse the Um-rah visa. I wonder if Allah (swt) on the day of judgement will care about what Visa his servant took to perform one of the five pillars of Islam. After all borders and visa's are man made things, as far as Allah is concerned this universe belongs to him, and he created this world and put man in there for nothing but his worship!!

A.MALIK

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I do not agree with the Sheikh at all.
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