Good News From The Ministry Of Religion, The Guide To Manasik Hajj In The Covid-19 Pandemic Will Be Published Soon

Acting Directorate General of Hajj Implementation Ministry of Religion Khoirizi (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion will publish a book of Hajj rituals during the pandemic as a guide for prospective pilgrims if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opens the door to the Hajj this year.

"So our pilgrims already have a guide for rituals with considerations of fiqh, sharia, and complete health to carry out this year's pilgrimage. Hajj during a pandemic," said Acting Directorate General of Haj Hajj at the Ministry of Religion Khoirizi in a written statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday.

Khoiziri said the guidebook was a conclusion after the Ministry of Religion held the Bahtsul Masail Perhajian which was attended by Islamic organizations, representatives of Haj and Umrah guidance groups (KBIHU), academics, special hajj associations, forums for the deans of the UIN/IAIN da'wah faculties throughout Java, and heads of hajj and umrah organizers throughout Indonesia.

This guidebook is also an effort to mitigate the Ministry of Religion in preparing for the pilgrimage, although until now there is no certainty whether Saudi Arabia will open the pilgrimage or not.

"We have made various mitigation efforts. One of them is through this masail bahtsul," he said.

According to him, the Indonesian government still waiting and lobbying various parties concerned so that decisions about the hajj can be obtained as soon as possible. Although there have been no recent developments but this has not dampened the government's enthusiasm to continue to make preparations and mitigate the implementation of the 2021 hajj.

"With this meeting, it is hoped that if Saudi Arabia gives Indonesian Muslims the opportunity to carry out Haj, we are ready with all the preparations. Including the Hajj rituals during the pandemic," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of Sub-Directorate for Guidance of Jamaah Arsyad Hidayat conveyed a number of materials discussed in this Bahtsul Masail, including the flow of the hajj pilgrimage during the pandemic, health protocols, and handling of pilgrims exposed to COVID-19, leniency in the law of performing Hajj and Umrah during the pandemic, until the hajj pilgrimage during the pandemic.