One Million Worshippers perform
First Ritual of Hajj
Dr Mozammel Haque
One million worshippers
began the spiritual journey of a lifetime on Wednesday, 6th 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.
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.
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