Azerbaijan, Baku, 15 April / corr. Trend S. Agayeva/ Saudi Arabia may increase the quota for Azerbaijan for the next hajj (pilgrimage) season. Sheik-ul Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslims Clerical Board and Fuad bin Abdussalam Al -Farisi, the minister of pilgrimage issues of Saudi Arabia and other officials of the ministry are discussing this issue, said a source in Azerbaijani Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
In the last pilgrimage season, Azerbaijan was allocated a quota of 6,500 people. The Caucasus Muslims Clerical Board is considering the possibilities of increasing the quota this year. The response of Saudi Arabia will be known only after the talks.
The spiritual leader of Caucasus Muslims is discussing the living conditions of pilgrims as well.
The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah). It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Islam , an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of solidarity of the Muslim people and their submission to Allah. Non-Muslims are banned from physically visiting any of the sites involved in the Hajj.
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