King Abdullah Expansion of the Grand
Mosque for the comfort of pilgrims
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Hajj
is a spiritual journey about which I wrote two weeks ago. The training for this
journey starts at the very early stage with the act of Salah (prayer), Saum
(fasting) and Zakah (alms-giving) and charities, the culmination of
which comes in the performing of Hajj, the highest spiritual attainment. A
pilgrim should be aware of the greatness of the rites of the pilgrimage in the
sight of God and should therefore make a solemn intention, in his heart or
verbally, to the effect that he is carrying out Divine injunctions for the
pleasure of God only. The ultimate goal, the summum bonum of life is to respond
to the call of Allah the Almighty.
That’s
why the pilgrims as soon as they enter into Ihram and landed in Makkah,
they begin talbiya, chanting in Arabic, Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik, Labbaik
la Sharika laka Labbaik;- Innal-hamda wan-nimata laka walmulk, La
Sharika Lak. (I am at Your Service, O God, I am at Your service; You have
no partner; All praise, favours and domination are Yours; You have no
partner.).
So
pilgrims are in Makkah, neither for material gain nor for assessing the material
development or construction of multi-storied building; they are not there for
picnic or holidaying; or to see how many tallest buildings have been built or
whether the city of Makkah has been turned into Las Vegas. The pilgrims go
there at the call of Allah the Almighty to fulfil their spiritual and religious
obligation; to respond to the call of
Allah and fulfil their spiritual journey.
Remember
what Allah Subhanahu wa Taala said in the Holy Qur’an: “The Hajj
(pilgrimage) is (in) the well-known (lunar year) months (i.e. the 10th
month, the 11th month and the first ten days of the 12th
month of the Islamic calendar, i.e. the two months and ten days). So whoever
intends to perform Hajj therein (by assuming Ihram), then he should not have
sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin, nor dispute unjustly during
the Hajj. And whatever good you do, (be sure) Allah knows it. And take a
provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At-Taqwa
(piety, righteousness). So fear Me, O men of understanding.” (Al-Qur’an
2:197)
So
once in Ihram and in the Holy sites, pilgrims must not hunt, kill any
animal or cut any plant. Pilgrims must also refrain from indecent speech,
misbehaviour and quarrelling. Devote your time in the remembrance of Allah as
long as you are in Ihram and as long as you are within the holy sites of
.Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.
Remember
your journey is a spiritual journey, a religious journey, a journey to reach
the highest spiritual attainment. Do not indulge in things prohibited by Allah.
This is with regards to pilgrims who will be seeking Allah’s pleasure.
Similarly,
the authorities in Saudi Arabia, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the
Government and the people of Saudi Arabia seek Allah’s pleasure by providing
all those services which will help pilgrims to perform their rituals with ease
and comfort. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, said that the
Kingdom does not seek any economic benefits from the development projects it
has implemented and will implement in the Two Holy Mosques. Saudi Government
provides these services because of its responsibilities toward the guests of
Allah.
Haramain
Development Projects
not
for profit
The
current expansion projects of the Grand Mosque under the leadership of King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the largest of its kind with an area covering
400,000 square metres. Once completed, it will accommodate two million Muslims.
The expansion projects consist of courtyards, bridges, health centres, a civil
defence centre, and a polyclinic.
The
expansion of Al-Masaa can now accommodate 188,000 Muslims per hour and the
Mataf area can accommodate 105,000 Muslims an hour. King Abdullah Construction
Project focuses on crowd management and the development of public transport
networks. Prince Khaled said this gigantic public transport project for Makkah
will cost SR69 billion and will be implemented in three phases.
Al-Jamarat
Bridges has now five floors and can admit 300,000 pilgrims per hour and another
seven floors will be built in the future to accommodate five million pilgrims.
Around SR300 billion has been allocated for Makkah’s road projects.
The
Kingdom under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah
and his Crown Prince Salman is making all these efforts to serve the guests of
Allah for the sake of Allah. It expects rewards from Allah only, Prince Khaled
said and added the Kingdom has mobilised all its potential to help pilgrims
perform their rituals in as much comfort as possible.
Haramain
Expansion Project:
Project
of the Century
The
Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah are currently
witnessing the largest-ever expansions in their history, and that will increase
their capacity to more than two million worshippers each. Tipped as the
“Project of the Century”, the King Abdullah Expansion of the Grand Mosque is
estimated to cost more than SR100 billion. The total area of the existing
mosque is 356,000 square metres with a capacity to accommodate 770,000
worshippers while the new expansion of Mataf will accommodate an additional 1.2
million. The project includes expansion of Mataf in order to increase its
capacity from 48,000 to 130,000 per hour.
Mataf
expansion: Mataf capacity now
70,000
per hour
The
Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs plans to open the newly constructed
levels of the “MATAF” (area for circumambulating the House of God) on the
ground and first floors to worshippers during the current Hajj season, bringing
the Mataf capacity to nearly 70,000 per hour.
The
first phase of the project to enhance the capacity of the Mataf will be fully
opened for worshippers during Hajj. The width of the area parallel to the
‘Masaa’ on this level has been increased to 51 metres.
Director
General of Projects and Studies at the Presidency, Abdul Mohsen bin Homaid said
in a statement, since the upper level of the temporary Mataf had been allocated
to disabled worshippers since Ramadan, the lower level will now be linked to
the ground floor of the Mosque to facilitate the movement of the worshippers on
the ground floor. It will ensure smooth movement between the first area of
expansion and the areas coveted in the first phase of the current project.
Homaid
also said the first phase of the Mataf ground floor was the most significant
since there were frequent bottlenecks hindering the movement of pilgrims. A new
bridge project would minimize bottlenecks occurring in the southern square
between the royal palace walls and the walls of the southern Al-Safa dome. It
will double the space available for movement with the addition of an upper
level to it linking with the first floor, giving flexibility needed for crowd
management and separation of crowd movement in opposite directions.
Completion
of the bridge on the southern square will enable smooth crowd movement from the
eastern square to the first floor through four entrances, including Al-Arqam
Escalator, Safa Round, upper part of the Bab Ismail and the Ajyad Bridge, said
Homaid.
Cut
in Hajj Quota due to vast Expansion
There
is a 20 percent cut in the quota of foreign pilgrims and 50 percent cut on
domestic pilgrims. The cut in quotas has been ordered due to the vast expansion
projects in the Two Holy Mosques and other ritual sites. The Saudi Minister of
Hajj Bandar Hajjar said all countries have been informed of the 20 percent cut
in their pilgrim quotas and have gracefully accepted the move. The quota
reductions were announced due to ongoing expansion projects at the Two Holy
Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, especially the Mataf (circumambulation) area in
the Grand Mosque.
Earlier
this year, Saudi Arabia had allocated a quota of 170,000 pilgrims from India
for Hajj this year, but as a result of 20 percent cut in quota later, now a
total of 120,303 pilgrims have finally been selected for performing Hajj under
the Central Hajj Committee plus 14,600 pilgrims through 265 private tour
operators (PTOs).
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host
1,400 Hajjis from Abroad
The
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed authorities to
host 1,400 pilgrims from different parts of the world to perform Hajj this year
at the government’s expense.
More
than 22,000 pilgrims from across the world have performed Hajj under this
programme during recent years. “We’ll do everything in our power to host the
pilgrims and arrange their pilgrimage,” the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs,
Saleh Al-Asheikh said, adding that Muslims all over the world have appreciated
the king’s gesture.
Two holy mosques ready for
pilgrims,
Says
Presidency of Holy Mosques
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the General
Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, said recently that the services include
education and counselling for pilgrims. He said the Prophet’s Mosque and
surrounding squares are currently furnished with 10,000 carpets, covering an
area of 265,000 square meters. They also include 10,000 spotlights spread over
three floors in all directions.
Sheikh Al-Sudais said 5,300 men and women seasonal workers were hired this year to provide support at the Prophet's Mosque. There would be shifts 24 hours a day. He said he has appointed a separate department to ensure completion of the work and attention to any issues that may arise, in coordination with various government departments.
Sheikh Al-Sudais said several sheikhs, scholars and
teachers would help pilgrims with their rituals. The authorities would
distribute Qur’ans, pamphlets and manuals, overseen by various government
agencies including the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of
Vice. He said girl scouts would also be deployed to help pilgrims.
Zamzam distributions points have been established inside
and outside the Grand Mosque, he said. Al-Sudais said vehicles would be
available to help persons with special needs. And officers would monitor the
entrances of the two mosques to ensure that food is kept out and hygiene
standards maintained.
Permanent
Fireproof Tents in Arafat
Studies
are under way to establish permanent fireproof tents in Arafat, said Director
of projects at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. He said Arafat
tents would be constructed on a par with the designs of the Hajj Terminal at
King Abdulaziz International Airport, adding that it would accommodate about
seven million pilgrims. “There have been proposals to construct tents to
increase Arafat’s capacity by 71 percent and thus to accommodate 8.5 million
pilgrims,” he said. The project will cover 8 million square metres.
In
another development, it is learnt that the undersecretary at the Ministry of
Hajj, Saudi Arabia, unveiled plans to set up fireproof tents in Arafat. Earlier
in April this year, Saudi Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj
Committee Prince Muhammad bin Naif ordered to carry out studies on setting up
60,000 permanent fireproof tents in Arafat.
Pilgrims’
city in Makkah and Madinah
The
Ministry of Hajj, Hajjar, said that King Abdullah has approved setting up of a
full-fledged pilgrims’ city in Madinah. The city will have all the facilities
to accommodate the pilgrims from their arrival up to their departure from
Madinah, in addition to facilities for the concerned government departments.
The Saudi Ministry of Finance is currently implementing the project, he said,
adding that the design work for a similar pilgrims’ city in Makkah has already
been prepared.
Special university for Hajj & Umrah to boost the
Government’s efforts to extend services to pilgrims
Prince
Khaled al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Hajj
Committee, called for the establishment of a university specialized in Hajj and
Umrah affairs in order to boost the government’s efforts to extend better
services to pilgrims. “Such a university can shoulder the responsibilities of
researches, studies, training and empowerment with regard to Hajj and Umrah in
view of the fact that the Hajj and Umrah seasons have stretched to the entire
year,” Emir of Makkah region told reporters.
Prince
Khaled suggested that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj
Researches and the Makkah Haram Institute can serve as the nucleus of the
university. He hoped that the Ministry of Higher Education would pay the needed
attention to study the proposal and translate it into action.
Mohammed
Badahdah, Assistant Secretary General of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth
(WAMY) said a team of experts should be formed under the new university to
develop an advanced curriculum for Hajj courses. “This curriculum, approved by
prominent scholars around the world, can be distributed through Saudi cultural
attaches,” he told Arab News and also added the new university should train
teachers to conduct such courses in different countries.
UK
Embassy helpline opens on 6 October
The British Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, announced that it will extend assistance to British nationals visiting
the Kingdom for Hajj. “The British Embassy’s consular Hajj team will be based
at the Movenpick hotel in Makkah between October 6 and October 19 to assist
British nationals in performing Hajj,” read an official statement reported in
the press.
The British Embassy has also provided
helpline numbers. British nationals seeking assistance during Hajj can call 00966 (0) 501 004 268 or 00966 (0) 1257 17171 for help from
the consular Hajj team.
An estimated 25,000 UK nationals travel annually for Hajj.
The UK is the first Western non-Muslim country to send a Hajj delegation to
help pilgrims.
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