Just 18% of selected pilgrims deferred 2026 haj offers, with personal and health reasons cited. Tabung Haji uses an appeal list to fill Malaysia’s full quota
KUALA LUMPUR: Only 18% of prospective pilgrims selected for the 2026 haj have deferred their offers from Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH).
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said Malaysia continues to fully utilise its annual quota of 31,600 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.
He explained that any vacant slot from a deferral is immediately filled with applicants from the appeal list submitted via the THiJARI application.
“This year, TH has received more than 84,000 haj appeal applications,” Zulkifli told the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) on the number of depositors who declined offers and their reasons.
The deputy minister said postponements are not solely due to financial constraints.
Personal factors accounted for 31% of rejections, while health-related issues contributed 20%.
To prevent last-minute cancellations, TH issues early reminders via SMS, email, mass media and the THiJARI app.
The reminders advise prospective pilgrims to begin health preparations early.
TH also maintains strict *istita’ah* (capability) assessments to ensure only those who are truly ready receive an offer.
Zulkifli added that TH’s deposit performance remains strong, rising to RM93.35 billion as of November.
This compares to RM75.9 billion recorded on 31 December 2020. – Bernama
