Hajj 2020: Coronavirus no be di first, see 10 oda calendar date dem wen Ministry of Hajj and Umra gatz stop pilgrimage to Mecca

    • Author, Olaronke Alo
    • Role, Broadcast Journalist, BBC Pidgin, Lagos

Saudi Arabia decision to reduce di number of pipo wey go perform Hajj 2020 sake of coronavirus, no be di first time wey some pandemic or political kasala or war don make some pipo no fit perform di annual hajj pilgrimage.

Hajj na one of di five pillars of Islam and dem consider am as duty wey everi, able-bodied Muslim must do at least once for dia lifetime.

Di Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, say dis year pilgrimage na for very limited number of pipo wey don already dey di kingdom, e mean say dem no go allow pipo come from abroad to perform hajj dis year.

See oda times wey pipo no fit go for hajj

Di stone wey make dem suspend Hajj

One of di first time wey dem don stop hajj happun for 930, A.D. na wen one Ismailis group, one minority Shiite community, wey dem dey call Qarmatians raid Mecca because dem believe say di hajj na pagan ritual.

Dem tok say di Qarmatians kill plenti pilgrims, come run away wit di black stone of di Kaaba - wey Muslims believe say dem send from heaven

Dem cari di stone go dia base for Bahrain.

Dem suspend Hajj until Abbadis, one dynasty pay ransom for di return of di stone 20 years later.

Political Kasala

For 983, A.D. di rulers of Baghdad and Egypt dey at war. Di Fatimid rulers of Egypt claim say na dem be di true leaders of Islam and dem no support di rule of di Abbasid dynasty for Iraq and Syria.

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Dia political gbas-gbos no make pigrims from Mecca and Medina attend Hajj for eight years until 991, A.D.

During di fall of di Fatimids for 1168,, A.D. Egyptians no fit enta di Hijaz. Dem also tok say nobodi from Baghdad perform hajj for years afta Mongol invasion for 1258.A.D.

Di Napolean military attack against di British colonial influence for di region no allow many pilgrims go hajj between A.D. 1798 and 1801.

Disease and oda natural causes wey cause some restrictions for Hajj

  • Reports dey say di first time wey epidemic make dem cancel Hajj na outbreak of plague for 967, A.D.
  • Drought and famine make di Fatimid ruler to cancel overland Hajj routes for 1048, A.D.
  • One cholera outbreak for di holy cities of Mecca and Medina for 1858 force many Egyptians to run to di Red Sea border, wia dem quarantine.
  • For most of di 19th century and di beginning of di 20th century, cholera don become one "ogbonge threat" wey dom make dem stop hajj.
  • One outbreak of cholera for India in 1831 claim thousands of pilgrims' lives on dia way to perform hajj.
  • Between 1837-1858, dem stop Hajj three times sake of endemic. For 1837, anoda plague happun for di holy city, wey make dem put tins on hold until 1840. Den for 1846 cholera hit Mecca, e kill more dan 15,000 pipo.
  • For 2012 and 2013 Saudi authorities encourage pipo wey no well and di elderly make dem no do di pilgrimage sake of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS.

Fast foward to 2020, di decision to restrict hajj dey come as Saudi Arabia don report more dan 161,000 cases of di coronavirus, and di number of deaths don pass 1,300.