Why Saudi Arabia stopped me from performing hajj – Gumi

Saudi Arabian authorities have barred renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, from entering the country to perform this year’s Hajj.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Sheikh Gumi revealed that although the Saudi government issued him a visa for Hajj, he was denied entry into Medina to begin his religious rites.

“For some obvious reasons, my views about world politics, the Saudi authorities are uncomfortable about my presence in the Hajj after giving me the Hajj Visa.

“Thanks to the Nigerian authorities, who have pledged to take up the matter immediately with Saudi authorities. That is the value of our cherished freedom and democracy.

“I’m now free to attend to my health and farming activities. We should continue to pray for the safe return of all pilgrims, peace and prosperity for our dear nation,” he said in the Facebook post.

According to the BBC, Sheikh Gumi was part of the delegation of Islamic scholars sponsored by the Nigerian Hajj Commission (NAHCON) for the pilgrimage.

Gumi reportedly arrived in Medina last Saturday at around 10:30 p.m. aboard an Umza Air flight alongside other clerics.

However, upon arrival at the city’s airport, Saudi immigration officials barred him from entering the country.

Some of Gumi’s recent comments and posts on social media have been critical of Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations.

In March 2025, he shared a video on his verified Facebook page showing settlers abusing Palestinian women, and he wrote: “Israel: No respect for women, children, and human rights.”

On May 15, 2025, he also made a video in which he criticized the visit of President Donald Trump to Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.

He said: “We heard in the news that the US President invited South African whites to America over what he called genocide in South Africa against whites. But we saw him gather Arab leaders who donated millions of dollars for him to invest in his country—at a time when he was assisting Israel to kill innocent people. Even South Africa filed a complaint with the ICC, and the court was convinced by the evidence and ordered that Netanyahu be brought before it. But the Arab nations were welcoming Trump just to protect their monarchical systems of governance. They are only concerned about protecting their thrones to avoid opposition in their lands. They are all cowards.”

He added: “An Arab man can look down on any other person except the white man. They are scared of the Americans and the French. These are people who fought the Taliban for 20 years before they fled and left the country. But you, an Arab who is in control of Mecca and Medina, are afraid of them.

“Hamas a tiny group, Israel, despite its weapons and support from the US, couldn’t defeat them. Yet Hamas refused to bow to Israel’s pressure.”

On May 13, Gumi shared a video of Trump’s visit as reported by Al Jazeera English and wrote: “Trump in KSA while bombing Yemen and supporting Israel’s genocide by South African standards.”

He once told Daily Trust in an interview that “When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves. When you have two rams and you put them in opposite directions, they will definitely hurt each other. But if you make them face the same direction, they will continue their business peacefully. In America, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and people of all faiths live in one country. So why can’t that region be like a small America, where Muslims, Jews, and everyone can live in peace?”

In an interview published in Daily Trust of September 11, 2010, Gumi linked his arrest to security reports sent to Saudi authorities by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. When asked to give explanation on the statement issued after his release, stating that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was behind your detention, he said, “I didn’t say Obasanjo specifically. I said the regime was behind my ordeal. They used state security apparatus to do that. Over time they were sending security reports about me not only to the Saudi Arabian government but to other countries for God-knows-what reason. I had many encounters with security agencies during that regime.

“There was a time security agents came and accused me of holding meetings by 3 am. I don’t know how that constitutes a crime. I think the problem started during the third term bid of Obasanjo. Some of us were against it and we never hid our feelings over the matter. I think it was from then on that the security agencies started to compile reports about me, which they were sending to Saudi Arabia and other countries. It is unfortunate how state security apparatuses are used unjustly to hound innocent and law-abiding citizens.”

On whether the federal government was behind his release as it coincided with the visit of the then Vice- President Namadi Sambo to Saudi Arabia, he said, “I will say many individuals in the government played different roles to have me released. Many things combined together for my eventual release. But above all these, I think the prayers of the good people of Nigeria have gone a long way to see me out of detention. You know that Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and it takes an average of six months to complete an investigation because of so many processes. After the investigation, it may still take you some time before you are charged to court or released.

“But Alhamdulillah I was treated very well by the Saudi authorities while in custody. In fact, officials were nice to me. They encouraged me to be patient and strong. They always assured me that I will soon be released since nothing was found against me. At this juncture, I want to say that the facilities are some of the best in the world. They have made life easy for inmates in terms of infrastructure and social amenities. Human beings are treated like human beings, even while in prison. I have visited prisons in Nigeria. It is simply incomparable. Our prisons are not even fit for animal habitation. I urge our leaders to visit Nigerian prisons and see things for themselves. Let them have a firsthand experience of the state of rot in the Nigerian prisons.

Asked if it was it true that part of the conditions for his release included compulsory relocation to Nigeria, the Mufti and Mufassir at the Kaduna central Sultan Bello mosque replied, “No. That is not true. After their investigation, I was not found guilty. There was no case against me. I have not committed any crime. Why should I be asked to relocate? I have no connection to terrorism. I preach unity. Though I learnt that some people said I called for the killing of Shiites. I never called for the killing of Shiites. I was only against the blocking of roads while they are demonstrating, because it is wrong. Other people also have the right to use the road too. I said Islam even encourages us to remove harmful things from the road. So, why should you block the road in the name of demonstration? Some members of the public may need to use the road because of emergency.

“I am against radicalism but I know that a lot of people have prejudices against me. Much as we may despise the West, there is something good about them. Some of these Western countries are freer and safer compared to the dictatorial tendencies of some Muslim countries. We don’t need to carry swords against anybody, even Israel. If we correct and conduct ourselves according to the teachings of the Qur’an, nobody can harm us,” he said.

It would be recalled that his father, Shaikh Abubakar Gumi received the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam in 1987.

The award recognised his significant contributions to Islam through preaching, teaching, and education within Nigeria and internationally.

The King Faisal International Prize is awarded in several categories, including Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Science, and Medicine.