RNA – Speaking to a massive gathering of passionate seminarians and scholars gathered at Qom’s Faydhiyah seminary for a protest against the Saudi "incompetence and mishandling of the Hajj pilgrimage" on Saturday morning, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Mohammad Sa’idi referring to the Quranic verse: “And whoever leaves his home migrating toward God and His Apostle, and is then overtaken by death, his reward shall certainly fall on God” [4:100].
“Those who leave their homes for the sake of God to perform their religious obligations and give up all their material possessions and leave their homeland with great hardships and have no other beloved except God and if death comes to them in this way, certainly there would be a great reward for them of which only God is aware of its quantity and quality," he added.
The trustee of the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah stated that the pilgrims who travelled to Mina successfully performed the obligatory acts of Hajj and death overwhelmed them.
“In that scorching environment and with dry lips and still in their ihram, they met their Lord,” he said.
Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi said that this tragedy was the result of Saudi incompetence, mismanagement and inappropriate actions.
The Friday prayers’ leader of Qom stressed that if this incompetence of the House of Saud is not stopped now, it is likely that such adverse events will occur next year.
The Hajj pilgrims visiting the Two Holy Shrines in Makkah and Madinah are considered as the guests of God. “In the last 80 years, the House of Saud has proved its imprudence and inability to perform this important duty and to ability to manage and cater for these guests of God,” he said.
His Eminence stressed the importance of unity among Muslim nations in the wake of this incident and said that the time has come for the Islamic world to express their disgust at the incompetence of the House Saud so that they understand that neither are the Two Holy Shrines are not their personal property nor are they the custodians of the ceremonies and rituals of Hajj.
Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi said the Holy Quran explicitly says that these holy places are for all people and are not the special property of a single family. “For this reason, all people should have a role in the management of the Two Holy Shrines as the Quran states that the pious are the custodians of these holy shrines,” he explained.
He stated that the House of Saud has no merit or sense of piety and said that Islamic countries and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should establish a management strategy for the Two Holy Shrines before such a bloody incident is repeated again.
The Iranian scholar added a competent court and the OIC should clarify their duties in regard to this horrible and bloody incident and also their duties in regard to the execution of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. “Security services, the protection of Hajj pilgrims and other administrative matters should be the responsibility of every Islamic country,” he said.
Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi said that the House of Saud must accept responsibility for this bloody incident and be committed to the implications of their actions, adding: “The House of Saud should announce the negligence and imprudence of its incompetent managers. The Saudi government must identify those officials who are responsible for this bloody crime and punish them.”
He added that these criminals have not accepted responsibility and have not issued even a simple apology and put all the blame on the pilgrims instead. “We ask our President [Hassan Rouhani] to take a firm decision along with the leaders of Islamic countries in the United Nations against the House of Saud in order to stop the bloodshed and atrocities in the ‘Land of Revelation.’”
The protest was organized by the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, the Supreme Council of the Seminaries and the Centre for the Management of the Islamic Seminaries in the Faydhiyah seminary, the place where the Islamic Revolution began.
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