Voluntary Hajj and the Crowding of Pilgrims

The questioner:
We ask your permission, Your Eminence Shaykh Salih, for His Highness Prince Khalid bin Talal to join us in this meeting. Please, go ahead.

Another questioner:
Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The presenter:
And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy.

The Shaykh:
May Allah welcome you.

Another questioner:
To our father.

The Shaykh:
Peace be upon you.

Another questioner:
The Shaykh.

The Shaykh:
To His Highness the Prince. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah greet you. Please, go ahead.

Another questioner:
May Allah keep you safe, our father, and Your Eminence the Shaykh.

The presenter:
Salih.

Another questioner:
I will keep the topic brief. May Allah keep you safe, Shaykh. The obligatory Hajj is the Hajj of Islam, which is obligatory upon whoever is able to undertake it.
And as you know, the establishment of the state, if Allah wills, is doing what Allah has guided it to do, providing comfort for the pilgrims to the best of their ability.
And regarding the non-regular pilgrims, whether they were those who had not yet performed Hajj, or they were Saudi citizens, or they were residents, or even the Saudis who obtain permits, it has become, Shaykh, a custom every year rather than an act of worship. May Allah reward them well, for they take the place of someone more deserving, namely the Saudi who has not yet performed Hajj. You know this, our Shaykh, it is true. Some of them come and have saved money throughout their lives, and they arrive with their wives on buses, traveling for three months from Asia until they reach Makkah. It is better, Shaykh, that the Saudi brothers who have already performed Hajj give the opportunity to others. Either they pay for someone who could not afford the means, or they give the opportunity to these people, because I think, and Allah knows best, if they perform Hajj once, twice, or three times, they are more deserving of it than the pilgrim who simply goes as a custom rather than an act of worship, and who crowds out the other pilgrims and those remaining in all parts of the world who come from thousands of kilometers away, Shaykh. This matter is difficult for the state, meaning that without the cooperation of the citizens and without the cooperation of the residents, it would be a great problem for the state to provide comfort for the masses of pilgrims.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, His Highness the Prince.

The Shaykh:
There is no doubt that what you mentioned is sound and correct. So, the one whom Allah has prevented from Hajj, or who has performed the obligatory Hajj, or who has performed a voluntary Hajj after that, he should not compete with the pilgrims and expose himself to danger through the crowding. So, his turning to another deed is better than his performing a voluntary Hajj many times, especially during times of crowding and annoyance. If people would observe this, it would be better, but we do not say to them that your deed is not valid or that this is an error, but we say that the better and more preferable is, yes.