Very certain they would be upset by the lack of an ice machine in hell.
[KavkazUzel] Islam does not prescribe a preferential right to hajj for combatants and their relatives, but it can be explained by the concept of "exceptional interests," Islamic scholars emphasized. The process of distributing free hajj vouchers should be more open, Dagestan residents pointed out.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, priority in distributing 2,500 charitable vouchers for the Hajj in Dagestan will be given to participants in the military operation, their relatives and family members of the fallen soldiers, said the head of the republic, Sergei Melikov. According to him, they will be allocated more than a thousand vouchers. The charitable vouchers will be paid for by Senator Suleiman Kerimov. In 2024, Kerimov also paid for a thousand vouchers for the Hajj for residents of Dagestan, of which 200 places were intended for  widows and mothers of soldiers killed in a special military operation in Ukraine.
Hajj, or pilgrimage to the Muslim holy sites in Mecca, is one of the five main pillars of Islam. Every Muslim who has reached adulthood and has the opportunity to do so is required to perform the hajj at least once in their life. The pilgrimage to Mecca usually takes place at the beginning of the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar and ends with the Feast of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. There is also the so-called "small hajj" - Umrah.
Doctor of Law, Professor of the Higher School of Economics Leonid Syukiyainen and orientalist Ruslan Suleimanov commented to the "Caucasian Knot" on the Dagestan authorities' message about the priority of military operation participants and their relatives in receiving free vouchers for the Hajj.
Leonid Syukiyainen noted that he had not encountered such novelties while studying Sharia. "There are no such decrees in Islam itself or in Sharia," he said.
At the same time, he noted that, in principle, such a privilege can be justified by the concept of "exceptional interests". "This concept is used to make certain decisions or, conversely, prohibitions in the interests of satisfying the needs of Muslims, if they are not reflected in the Koran or Sunnah. And here, in fact, we can say that the participants of the SVO and their family members in the situation in which they find themselves, when they are particularly suffering and worried, are especially in need of satisfying their spiritual needs in this way - with the help of the Hajj. Therefore, their needs are a priority and should be satisfied first and foremost," L. Syukiyainen emphasized.
 Ruslan Suleimanov noted that this is "a rather narrow issue, which, as a rule, should be considered by the most authoritative Islamic scholars within each individual ummah."
"In official Russian Islam, the top officials take a pro-government position and encourage such actions. The same Russian Muslim preachers who left the country and oppose the participation of Russian Muslims in the SVO, accordingly, adhere to the directly opposite point of view. But both of them again refer to Islam, which is
open to interpretation on many issues," he pointed out.
State Duma deputy from Dagestan Khizri Abakarov clarified in his Telegram channel that charity vouchers will also be provided to low-income citizens who have never made the pilgrimage before.
RESIDENTS OF DAGESTAN ASSESS THE PRINCIPLE OF DISTRIBUTION OF FREE HAJJ TICKETS
Makhachkala resident Magomedrasul told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he agrees that the vouchers will be distributed first and foremost to the SVO participants and their family members. "They deserve it, especially the widows and children of the fallen servicemen, since they have lost the most precious thing they have - their husbands and fathers. I myself am planning to go on the Hajj, but I do not have the opportunity yet," says Magomedrasul.
"I am not against the vouchers being given to the participants of the military operation, their relatives and family members. But will there be 2,500such people? How will the remaining vouchers be distributed?" asks public sector employee Aminat.
"I agree that some of the vouchers should go to this category of citizens. This issue has most likely been resolved at the highest level. No one will dare to reproach that "the wrong people" are given free vouchers. At the same time, there are many residents of Dagestan, including the poor, whose families have been saving money for years to perform the Hajj. Why can't they be helped too? I myself performed the pilgrimage many years ago, we have been saving money for many years," Abdullah said.
"I have nothing against the participants of the SVO, but I think that they are given a lot of support, including financial support, priority employment, housing, land plots. There were cases earlier when free vouchers provided by Kerimov were received by those who had repeatedly gone to the Hajj, and not by low-income citizens. Therefore, some kind of balance is needed, to allocate free vouchers by decision of village meetings or in some other way, so that they are received by those who really need them," says Rasul.
The survey is not representative and reflects only the personal opinions of its participants.
Let us recall that the only accredited hajj company "Marva Tour" is engaged in organizing the hajj in Dagestan. The company's website lists the cost of hajj packages in 2025.
The Economy option Makhachkala – Dubai – Medina without meals costs 4,990 US dollars. Standard on the Makhachkala – Medina route costs 5,690 dollars, Comfort Makhachkala – Medina – 7,990 dollars. !