Welcomes pilgrims regardless of nationalities

Source: arabnews.com

Welcomes pilgrims regardless of nationalities

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Haj and Umrah launched a number of scheduled meetings with heads of delegations at Haj Affairs offices of more than 80 countries, including Iran, to discuss regulations and procedures related to pilgrims.

Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh bin Taher Bentin underlined that an invitation has been sent to the Iranian Haj delegation to attend those meetings.

He said that the meetings are held in line with King Salman’s directives to discuss the procedures for the arrival of pilgrims for the year, 2017, from Islamic and non-Muslims countries.

The meetings will also provide details of the implementation of regulations at Haj Affairs offices in order to enable pilgrims to perform their rituals easily and safely, building on the successes of previous years.

The minister said the Saudi government welcomes all pilgrims and umrah performers, and visitors, irrespective of their nationalities or sectarian affiliations, including Iranian pilgrims.

The Kingdom is keen on applying measures and regulations to ensure a successful pilgrimage season for all, he said.

The meetings, according to the minister, will discuss arrangements and services for pilgrims, in coordination with tawaf institutions, the General Syndicate of Cars, and the Adillah organization in Madinah.

He added that the strategy of the ministry is based on a plan and in coordination with all concerned parties and representatives of Haj Affairs.

He said the ministry is working hard to secure a safe environment that allows pilgrims to perform their rituals easily and in security

The minister prayed to God Almighty to accept the efforts of pilgrims and umrah visitors and facilitate their safe return to their homelands.

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Source: arabnews.com

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

Source: flickr

Umrah fee does not affect inflow of pilgrims

It seems the government’s recent decision to impose SR2,000 fee on pilgrims who perform Haj or Umrah more than once has not affected the inflow of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques at the start of this year’s Umrah season.

However, many pilgrims and Umrah operators requested the authorities to review the decision.

“It’s a big blow to Umrah operators,” said an agent of an Umrah service company from Kerala, which has sent thousands of pilgrims this season.

“We find it difficult to get pilgrims due to the new fee, which has increased the cost of an Umrah trip by Rs36,000,” said the agent.

He hoped that the Kingdom would withdraw the fee for the benefit of Umrah operators as well as Saudi businesses.

An elderly South African pilgrim, who introduced himself as Mohammed, said Saudi Arabia has every right to impose fee on pilgrims. However, he said the fee should be brought down to SR500.

“I have decided to come for Umrah every year irrespective of the cost it would incur. This is my 32nd Umrah,” Mohammed said while watching pilgrims circumambulate the Holy Kaaba.

“I manage to get the money required for visiting Makkah every year by the Grace of Allah.”

Zainul Abideen, a young Malaysian pilgrim who came for Umrah with his wife, was not happy with the fee, saying it would make Umrah unaffordable. “Many foreign pilgrims having low income like me wish to visit this holy place to pray to Allah and get His blessings,” he told Saudi Gazette.

He also agreed that Saudi Arabia has the right to impose fees for the services it offers.

“Even if it charges SR300 from every pilgrim it can make a good amount of money as more than seven million foreign pilgrims come for Umrah every year,” he pointed out.

Abideen has spent 14,000 ringgit (about SR11,700) for the Umrah trip of himself and his wife. “We came on a Saudia flight, which was full of pilgrims. This is our first Umrah and we are extremely delighted for getting an opportunity to make this wonderful spiritual journey,” he told Saudi Gazette sitting in the Grand Mosque.

Bangladeshi businessman Mohammed Shahidul Islam also expressed his hope that the Saudi government would lift the fee in order to encourage more faithful to visit Makkah and Madinah.

Asked about the response of Bangladeshi Muslims toward the Umrah fee, he said: “They are hopeful that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman would revoke it for the benefit of all Muslims who dream to visit the holy places in Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi Gazette also met a group of young Indonesian pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, some of them have paid SR2,000 Umrah fee. They believe the fee would decrease the number of Indonesians going for Umrah.

“We hope King Salman would revoke the Umrah fee in response to the prayers and pleas of Muslims all over the world,” said Akbar, a member of the group.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Haramain train only 10 km of tracks away from completion

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Haramain train only 10 km of tracks away from completion

MAKKAH — Haramain train Work on only 10 km of track has to be completed before the Haramain high-speed train will be ready for operation, according to the project’s supervisor Bassam Ghulam.

He said during a presentation at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday that work has to be completed on seven kilometers of track from the side of Al-Iskan neighborhood in Makkah and three in Jeddah’s Al-Harazat district.

During the first phase of its operation, which will continue for 12 years, the train is expected to transport about 1.2 billion passengers at the rate of 100 million every year, said Ghulam.

“At the outset of its operation, the train is expected to transport between 11,400-12,400 passengers an hour,” he said.

When it becomes fully operational, the train will transport 19,100 passengers an hour between Jeddah and Makkah, 3,800 between Makkah and Madinah and 8,000 between Rabigh and Madinah.

“The train will serve more than two million pilgrims every year,” he added.
“As many as 127 out of 138 bridges have been built and 845 crossings completed to drain rainwater,” said Ghulam.

The supervisor said the train will cover the distance between Jeddah and Makkah in less than 21 minutes, between Makkah and Rabigh in an hour and between Makkah and Madinah in two hours.

Due to safety measures, the maximum speed of the train per hour will not exceed 300 km.

Ghulam said the Jeddah part of the project was the most difficult because of the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway which is the most crowded.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Why we follow the Sunnah

saudigazette.com.sa

Why we follow the Sunnah

Have you ever sat back and asked yourself, “Why should we follow the Sunnah?”

Perhaps you have gave it some though, and perhaps you have not.

Many people follow the way of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or Islam for that matter without knowing why. To truly appreciate the religion and the Sunnah one should understand the reason behind such strict adherence.

Firstly, we follow the Sunnah because Allah has commanded us to do so. We comply with the orders of Allah without questioning it, since we have accepted Him to be our Lord. Thus He is Most Knowledgeable about our affairs and what would benefit us, and would only instruct us with what is best for us. Thus to follow the Sunnah is to observe Allah’s command and respect His authority.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, {He who obeys the messenger has indeed obeyed Allah…} (Chapter 4, verse 80)

Allah also says, {O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger…} (Chapter 4, verse 59)

Secondly, as Muslims we are obligated to love Allah. Thus, out of love for Allah, we love His Messenger and follow him.

“Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Chapter 3, verse 31)

Thirdly, Allah sent the messenger as a guide, to lead us to what is good and beneficial for us in this world and in the afterlife. Therefore, to gain the guidance one must follow the Sunnah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a mercy for mankind. He reminded the people of Allah’s commands, gave them glad tidings of Paradise, and warned against the prohibitions of Allah and Allah’s wrath. Hence, it is only natural that we adhere to his Sunnah.

The Messenger was also a role model. Not only did he guide us to what was right and good in his Sunnah, but his actions and life is a role model for us, he set the standards which we must strive to attain.

{There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} (Chapter 33, verse 21)

To follow the Sunnah is to uphold the deen. It is a form of preservation of our religion. To protect the Sunnah today, by adhering to it, is almost equivalent to protecting the person and body of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Lastly, Allah issues a stern warning against those who oppose the Sunnah.
{So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet’s order, lest fitnah [trials, afflictions, dissension] strike them or a painful punishment.} (Chapter 24, verse 63)

To conclude, following the Messenger and his Sunnah is an obligation upon us, and brings benefits to us in this life and the hereafter. The reasons behind following the Sunnah make it more beautiful and help us to appreciate the importance of the Sunnah. We need to give greater preference to the Sunnah in our daily lives, in everything we do and say.

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Source:  saudigazette.com.sa

The female legacy

saudigazette.com.sa

The female legacy

The female legacy around the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) have left a profound impact upon us as well as an ever lasting impression.

Times have passed, the era has changed, people have gone and come, but what leaves an impression on our hearts is the imprints of the footsteps of our pious predecessors.

They stand out as outstanding models in the history of humanity in a way that made them unrivalled in the history of humanity from the time of Adam (peace be upon him) until the end of time.

Reflecting on their stories, we see their faith, their constancy, their heroism and loyalty to Allah and his Messenger (peace be upon him). We see the effort they exerted, the calamities they endured, and the victory they achieved. We also see the eminent role they played in liberating all of humanity from the paganism of conscience and the loss of destiny.

They embraced Islam not in blind compliance with their husband’s will or out of tribal solidarity or in obedience to their father’s command. Rather, they embraced Islam independently, out of conviction and in demonstration of their right of choice.

Playing major roles in the annals of history, Khadijah was the first woman to accept Islam. Sumayyah was the first martyr in Islam. Aisha, the hub of knowledge and wisdom, has reported considerable amount of pure and blessed knowledge. She memorized and transmitted over 2,000 sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) Fatimah, the Prophet’s youngest daughter and one of the four great women of paradise, is an epitome of patience, devotion, and generosity.

These are but a few of the many great women, who played a crucial role in the history of Islam. They are women of the best human examples, the most graceful and the most virtuous, the real diamonds of this ummah. But what do we know of the legacy they left behind?

Let us learn in awe and delight about those righteous women. They were great and wise women, true leaders.  

We do not need so-called feminists, and liberators to rally our stance. We, as Muslim women, have had our standard-bearers in the Mothers of the Believers and the women living in the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We just need to look back, and follow their footsteps.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

370,000 Umrah visas issued in 18 days

saudigazette.com.sa

370,000 Umrah visas issued in 18 days

MAKKAH – The Ministry of Haj and Umrah has issued 370,000 Umrah visas until Friday since the start of the current season on Nov. 1 (Safar 1), according to a senior ministry official.

Isa Rowas, undersecretary for Umrah affairs at the ministry, said this figure posts an increase of 30,000 compared with the same period last year.

A total of 115,000 Umrah pilgrims have so far arrived in Makkah and Madinah. This is more than double of the number of pilgrims who arrived in the same period in 2015 when it stood at 57,000.

Rowas attributed the increase in the number of pilgrims mainly to the excellent facilities and services being extended in the two holy cities.

“There has been a qualitative leap in the operational efficiency in the fields of the pilgrims’ accommodation, transportation and food supply. The ministry has streamlined its monitoring mechanism so as to ensure that the best quality services are being offered to the pilgrims by the concerned agencies and service providers,” he added.

It is anticipated that there would be an increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims in the wake of the completion of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) expansion project. The capacity of mataf was increased from 52,000 pilgrims to 130,000 pilgrims per hour after the expansion work, which took three years to complete before the 2016 Haj season. The ministry had started preparations for the Umrah season immediately after this year’s Haj, with the departure of the last Haj flight on Oct. 15.

The ministry unveiled an ambitious plan to receive about 8 million Umrah pilgrims in the new Umrah season.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa