Hajj 2022: These are the latest requirements for UAE residents to perform Hajj
- 19 May 2022
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The UAE National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management and the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments announced the requirements of Hajj for the 1443 AH season corresponding to 2022 AD.
The two bodies expressed their great appreciation for the efforts of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the leadership, the government and the people, in harnessing all possibilities to serve the pilgrims.
These requirements come in response to the Kingdom’s announced regulations for the Hajj season this year, and the requirements include:
— Only those who have never performed the Hajj will be allowed this year
— The Hajj is limited to the age group of less than 65 years
— Pilgrims with who have the approved vaccinations and booster doses will be allowed.
— The requirements also include submitting a negative PCR result within 72 hours before arriving in the Kingdom.
— Priority would be given to those who are registered in the Hajj electronic system and whose data have been previously updated.
The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments confirmed that the announced requirements come in support of the rational leadership's strategy, which aims to preserve the gains of recovery that the UAE has achieved today.
The two bodies called on pilgrims to the importance of adhering to the precautionary and preventive measures.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia said it would permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year’s Hajj, a sharp increase after pandemic restrictions forced two years of drastically pared-down pilgrimages.The move, while falling short of reinstating normal Hajj conditions, offered hopeful news for many Muslims outside the kingdom who have been barred from making the trip since 2019.
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj must be undertaken by all Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives. Usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people took part in 2019.
But after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to take part.
The following year, they increased the total to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents chosen through a lottery.
This year the Saudi Hajj ministry “has authorised one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the hajj”, it said in a statement .