Historians Tell People Have Been Stopped From Performing Hajj 40 Times In History

Authorities in Saudi Arabia are asking Muslims to postpone their Hajj (annual pilgrimage) plans until the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control. There is a chance that the pilgrimage may be canceled this year.

According to historians, Hajj has been called off at least 40 times in the past. The reasons include attacks, plague, political clashes, cholera outbreaks, floods, high costs, and freezing weather.

When and Why the Hajj was suspended in the past ?

• Hajj was suspended for ten years from 930-940 AD. A sect called Qarmatians considered the Hajj to be a pagan ritual. They attacked and slaughtered up to 30,000 helpless pilgrims. They filled the holy Zamzam well with dead bodies. They also damaged the Kaaba and looted the sacred black stone – believed to be a stone from the paradise.
• From the years 1,956-1,260 AD, there was no Hajj for five years due to political disputes. Only those in Saudi Arabia were allowed to perform the pilgrimage during those years.
• In the year 967 AD, the Hajj was suspended because a plague killed thousands of people and animals.
• Pilgrims in Egypt could not perform Hajj in the year 1,000 AD due to the high costs associated with travel. It also happened again in the year 1,028 AD.
• In the years 885 and 1,001 AD, Hajj was suspended in Iraq and the Levant due to internal wars and political disputes.
• In the year 1,001 AD, Hajj was postponed for pilgrims in Iraq and Khurasan because of unsafe roads and political disputes.
• Due to the freezing weather and floods in the year 1026 AD, Hajj was called off for pilgrims in Iraq.
• In the year 1925 AD, No pilgrim from Egypt managed to perform the Hajj due to an attack on a convoy that was bringing Kiswah (cover of the Kaaba) from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.

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