One Million Worshippers Perform First Ritual of Hajj

One Million Worshippers perform 

First Ritual of Hajj

      Dr Mozammel Haque

One million worshippers began the spiritual journey of a lifetime on Wednesday, 6^th of July 2022, circling Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

One million fully vaccinated Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year's Hajj, after two years of curtailed numbers because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, reported in the Jeddah-based English daily Arab News. It also added, In 2019 about some 2.5 million Muslims from around the world took part in Hajj, but after that the pandemic forced a downsizing. Only 60,000 fully vaccinated residents of the Kingdom took part in 2021, up from a few thousand in 2020.

Haram @Arab News -Copyright

On Thursday, the pilgrims will move to a vast tented city at Mina, about 5 kilometers from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the main rite at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon.

Arab News also reported, “Saudi authorities have mounted a massive operation to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims. The Saudi Health Ministry has prepared 23 hospitals and 147 health centres in Makkah and Madinah, the second-holiest city in Islam, to accommodate pilgrims. Four hospitals and 26 health centers are also ready to treat pilgrims in Mina. There are more than 1,000 beds for patients requiring intensive care and more than 200 specifically for heatstroke patients, and more than 25,000 health workers are ready to respond to cases as they arise.”

In this connection it may be mentioned that Three hundred people with disabilities have arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to perform Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. It is reported in Arab News This is part of a national initiative launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, for the second year in a row, that includes orphans from across Saudi Arabia.

The program provides these pilgrims with facilities and services that allows them to perform their Hajj comfortably, and forms part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform plan. For those who need it, special housing and 24-hour escort services are provided, the report added.

Arafat Sermon broadcast

The President of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Dr Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais said, that the live broadcast of the Arafat Day sermon, one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar, has been expanded to include 14 languages as Saudi Arabia’s leadership seeks to convey a message of moderation and tolerance to the widest possible audience, reported Arab News and added, The sermon will be available in English, French, Malay, Urdu, Persian, Russian, Chinese, Bengali, Turkish, Hausa, Spanish, Hindi, Swahili and Tamil.

The Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has appointed Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa as Khateeb of Hajj 1443 (2022), and he will deliver the Hajj Khutbah from Masjid Al-Namirah, Arafat on Friday, 9 Dhul-Hijjah 1443.