There’s a parable here somewhere.
There are other factors that exacerbate risk: Unregistered pilgrims, who attend unofficially to avoid paying for expensive permits, cannot enter air-conditioned areas set up for registered visitors, as AFP noted; 630 of the 658 Egyptians reported dead were unregistered, as were more than half of the overall death toll.
Survival behind a paywall.
Yes, but that is also basically built into the requirement to attend. The pilgrimage is an event that all Muslims are required to do in their life, however that doesn’t mean they must put themselves in danger. In fact safety is part of the requirements in the first place.
After a quick Google and pulling from several references that point to seven mandatory Hajj requirements. Namely Islam, puberty, intelligence, independence, vehicles and provisions, security on the road, and conditions allowing Hajj travel. Many specifically mention if your family is not with you that they must be taken care of while you are gone, this would fall under the last set of conditions I would imagine.
So you must be an adult with the means to safely travel and provide for yourself to be required to do the pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage is an event that all Muslims are required to do in their life, however that doesn’t mean they must put themselves in danger.
These are conflicting priorities, and nobody who dies of heatstroke while engaged in optional activities expects to die from heat stroke. If the Hajj is a requirement for all Muslims, then it is the responsibility of the Mosque to provide for the safety of all who make the pilgrimage. If the trip is inherently unsafe, then they must either turn people away at the border or at a minimum discourage Muslims from coming during the heatwave.
Just spitballing here. How about taking slivers of the prophets tomb and spreading them around the planet. Get those shrines blessed and certified, so now pilgrims can travel shorter distances.
I’d say that’s the point of the registration process, that’s what they can accommodate. Beyond that, people are going to do things on their own regardless you can’t just stop free will. The only alternative to stop that entirely that I can see would be to shut down the borders entirely for anything other than the pilgrimage. Effectively shutting down all unrelated tourism and business for that entire period.
You’d think a righteous god would protect its worshipers on a holy pilgrimage.
Strange.
Clearly their faith wasn’t strong enough.
That seems to be the usual excuse in these scenarios.
It was part of God’s plan.
She works in mysterious ways
Oh it does. The rich get pampered along the way and relax in the shadow while the poor, unworthy die of heat.
Their god is money btw.
At least they died doing someting they loved?