Haj is No Longer the Same Experience as in Earlier Times

Abstract

It may be said at the outset that in discussing haj related issues, one runs the risk of touching on public sensitivities as haj is part of the devotional aspects (‘ibadat) of Islam and not as open to rational enquiry as are matters of concern to civil transactions (mu‘amalat). That said, raising questions over haj management matters tangential to the substance of worship should not be a problem. Islam does not preclude religious matters from rational investigation in the spirit of healthy renewal and reform (tajdid). Earlier precedent confirms this when, for instance, the caliph ‘Umar al-Khattab introduced the second call to prayer (adhan) on Fridays when the crowds attending congregational prayers in Madinah grew larger.