Is earning money by taking people on Hajj and charging them on package basis, providing all neccessary service, haram?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is nothing wrong in dealing with the pilgrims and taking a charge from them in return for providing them with their needs and permissible services as this is among the permissible hiring. Besides, it is permissible to deal with the pilgrims in buying and selling.

Mujaahid interpreted the verse in which Allaah says (what means): {There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj].} [Quran 2:198], to mean trading during the season of Hajj.

Also, the Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran) of Ibn Abu Haatim, from Muqaatil ibn Hayyan, reads, “{There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]}; seeking bounty means trade and earning livelihood in ‘Arafaat and Mina, and during the entire season of Hajj, even in the House (i.e. in the Haram mosque in Makkah), as Allaah permitted trade in Hajj and ‘Umrah.”

But the trader and hirer should be merciful in his dealing; so he should not exploit the need of the pilgrim or others by raising the price for him, as the Prophet said, “May Allaah have mercy upon a man who is lenient in his buying, selling, and in demanding back his money.” [Al-Bukhari]

But what we see, such as exploiting the need of the pilgrim and raising the price for him in selling or buying or in hiring, violates the meaning of this hadeeth and other ahaadeeth which urge us to be merciful and kind to the people.

Allaah knows best.