The House Of Representatives Agrees On The Idea Of Hajj Once In A Lifetime: Except For Servant Officers

Photo by Windi Setyawan on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Commission VIII supports the discourse of Hajj once in a lifetime. The effect is that the queue for Hajj departures can be reduced while giving opportunities for those who have not carried out the Hajj.

"Actually, according to Islamic teachings, the obligation of Hajj is only once in a lifetime. I agree to prohibit Hajj for those who have left for Hajj, except for officers who do serve Hajj pilgrims," said Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII DPR RI, Tubagus Ace Hasan Syadzily, Tuesday, August 29.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy proposed the prohibition of Hajj more than once for the people of Indonesia. The discourse emerged as one of the Government's efforts to cut the queue for the long departure of the Hajj.

Another reason is also seen in terms of syar'i where the scholars agree that Hajj is only required once in a lifetime so that the priority of leaving for Hajj will be given to people who have not left. Ace agrees with this opinion.

"In addition to reducing queues, of course, to provide opportunities for other Indonesian Muslims who have not had the opportunity to carry out Hajj," he said.

Not only that, Ace also believes that the discourse on limiting Hajj will also reduce pressure on the Government in regulating the implementation of Hajj. Moreover, in the 2023 Hajj, there are many problems faced by Indonesian pilgrims.

"From this year's implementation, there are indeed many things that need to be improved in the administration of Indonesian Hajj. With the discourse of hajj once in a lifetime, we hope that the next Hajj will be better," said Ace.

Even so, Commission VIII of the DPR RI, which has a scope of duties in the fields of religion, social and disaster, asked the Government to ensure that it conducts careful planning before implementing the hajj policy once in a lifetime. Ace reminded the importance of an in-depth study for the good of the community and in order to maintain the integrity of the implementation of the Hajj itself.

"Of course we will consider this discourse to be discussed in the revision of the Law on the Implementation of Hajj and Umrah which is currently in the National Legislation Program," he said.

Furthermore, Ace asked the Government to pay attention to a number of aspects before agreeing to implement the hajj policy once in a lifetime. Such as the matter of collecting data on prospective Hajj pilgrims.

"How the registration and selection system will be arranged to ensure that those who have never had the pilgrimage get priority while still considering justice for all parties," explained Ace.

In addition, Commission VIII of the DPR encourages the Government to conduct massive socialization and education, so that it wants to realize the hajj policy once in a lifetime. Ace asked the Government to open up other opportunities for Muslims who want to worship in the Holy Land more than once, for example with the ease of access to Umrah.

"This policy will affect social and cultural aspects for some people. So it takes appropriate education so that the policy can be well accepted by all Indonesian Muslims," he said.