Amnesty International has renewed its call for travel booking websites to ban listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), reported Travel Weekly.

Six months on from the launch of a campaign urging online travel booking giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor to delist Israeli settlements, Amnesty campaigner for Israel and oPt, Laith Abu Zeyad, says the four companies continue to list accommodation and attractions in the oPt.

“They are promoting these listings, and profiting from them, despite knowing that Israeli settlements in the OPT are illegal under international law and are at the root of a system of institutionalised discrimination and human rights violations suffered by Palestinian communities,” Abu Zeyad told Travel Weekly.

In a campaign update, “Amnesty International is urging TripAdvisor specifically – the second most visited website (after Google) reviewed by foreign tourists arriving in Israel – to ban listings” in the oPt, reported Travel Weekly.

Amnesty has also urged TripAdvisor’s employees to speak out, in an open letter sent 10 July.

TripAdvisor, however, has accused the international human rights group of “disappointing rhetoric”.

“TripAdvisor’s aim is to provide travellers with an apolitical, accurate and useful picture of all travel and hospitality businesses that are open for business, anywhere in the world,” a company spokesperson told Travel Weekly.

There are more than 200 Israeli settlements in the oPt, all established in defiance of international law. Human rights group describe them as part of an inherently discriminatory regime.

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Thousands of cleaners are busy separating plastic from other rubbish as more than two million Muslims wrap up a pilgrimage to Makkah that presents a huge environmental challenge for Saudi Arabia.

The Mamuniya camp in Mina near Makkah is dotted with colour-coded barrels — black for organic waste and blue for cans and plastics for recycling.

It’s all part of an initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of the Haj, one of the world’s largest annual gatherings.

More than 42,000 tonnes of waste are produced during the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites, according of Mohammad Al Saati, head of sanitation for the Makkah municipality.

“We’re facing some real challenges, primarily the sheer volume of waste produced … along with the number of pilgrims, the limited space around the holy sites, different nationalities and the weather,” Al Saati told AFP.

“Islam as a religion does not encourage excess,” he added.

“Pilgrims can be friends of the environment. It starts by raising awareness back home.”

The Haj, which started on Sunday and ends on Friday, drew nearly 2.4 million Muslims from around the world this year, according to official Saudi figures.

More than 13,000 sanitation workers and supervisors were hired during the pilgrimage season, which saw temperatures rise to 44 degrees Celsius this week.

A handful of camps in the town of Mina, the site of the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual during Haj, have begun to implement plans to turn “green”, cutting back on waste and encouraging pilgrims to do their part.

Banners hanging near the Kaaba also featured the recycle logo this year.

Authorities aim to cut waste volumes by two-thirds by 2030, Al Saati said, with a plan that speaks to both environmental ethics and religious belief.

Sorted waste collected from the pilgrimage sites will be sold to companies that handle recycling.

All proceeds will be given to charity in standing with the Muslim belief in “sadaqah”, or voluntary donations.

Workers in bright green vests made their way across the streets and alleys, picking up soda cans and plastic water bottles as pilgrims packed their things to return home.

Signs encouraging pilgrims to sort their waste could be seen across the Mamuniya camp — along with signs reading “sadaqah, not litter”.

“The idea of an environmentally friendly camp is really important to us, to preserve the sanctity of the site,” said Hatem Mumena, the camp’s general manager.

But he admits there is still far to go, as the numbers of pilgrims attending Haj is expected to rise. Saudi Arabia hopes to welcome some 30 million pilgrims per year by 2030.

“This is just the beginning,” Mumena said.

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Hujjaaj from across the world have begun leaving the holy sites of Mecca as the Hajj season drew to a close on Thursday.

Senior Saudi officials said the rituals had passed without incident this year. Mecca province Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal, said that the total security personnel deployed reached 250,000, adding that the number of Hujjaj without an entry permit reached 110,000.

Hujjaaj were given electronic bracelets this year to help manage the flow of people through the sites.

On Wednesday and in an interview with Al Arabiya News Channel that the “decline in the number of violations this year is a great success, compared to the numbers in previous years, which amounted to half of the number of pilgrims.”

Speaking from Mecca near the holy site of the Kaaba, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent Khamis al-Zahrani said at least 1.2 million pilgrims left after concluding their farewell tawaaf (circling of the Kaaba) by Thursday night.

“There are still a huge number of Hujjaaj who have remained in the holy sites as some of them want to take part during tomorrow’s Friday prayers,” Zahrani said.

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The holy sites will undergo a fundamental facelift in the near future, Saudi Arabia’s Hajj minister said in an exclusive interview with Arab News.

“There is a comprehensive, integrated plan to develop the Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat altogether,” said Mohammed bin Saleh Banten.

“We now know that there is a royal commission, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for Makkah and the holy sites. This massive project will see more services for pilgrims and increased capacity, safety and security to ease their Hajj performance,” he said.

The minister said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques “is always directing us to provide pilgrims with the finest and best services.”

Development is never-ending, but “when it comes to a major absorptive capacity change, it takes time. However, we all believe in our message and are working to achieve our goals,” he added.

He confirmed that this year’s Hajj was going as planned and was living up to pilgrims’ expectations.

“Performance indicators are usually analyzed in the end of every Hajj season, but I can tell you that the movement of pilgrims from Arafat to Mina saw record numbers,” he said.

“The big efforts made by the ministry’s committee assigned to transport pilgrims to Arafat — security men, Tawafa establishments and organizing bodies — have cooperatively made the process a success.”

Banten said that he had extensive knowledge and a wide experience in Hajj works, but had never witnessed such a successful collective work.

“We are so delighted with what has been achieved. The performance statistics for the movement of the pilgrims from Arafat to Mina, which we reported today, were very positive. As for transportation, the number of vehicles that had problems was negligible,” the minister said.

The arrival of pilgrims to their destinations was much more accurate, thanks to efforts by all related bodies.

“Modern technology has also contributed to this success. All buses are equipped with the latest technology to guide them to the correct locations. As for grouping the pilgrims, we have also set up precise plans to make sure that pilgrims can safely get to their endpoints,” the minister said.

He added their plans will hopefully ensure a secure a safe stoning of Jamarat and a secure exit of Mina. The minister said all that has been done was a result of cooperation of government sectors.

Banten said that public security officials have prepared plans to ensure pilgrims carry out the stoning peacefully and safely.

“Security men, as you see, are doing a great job in managing the crowds and organizing traffic. The train is working efficiently to transport the pilgrims. Having taken heat and sunstroke into consideration, we have covered most of the pathways in Mina to protect the pilgrims,” he said.

Medical centers, in addition to volunteering centers, have been organized to provide medical assistance for such cases.

In spite of the efforts of the ministry, there had been a few remarks about their plans in the coming season.

“Actually, no man’s work is perfect. There should always be some remarks, but these can either be corrected without delay or taken for comprehensive, thorough studies. However, we make sure that performance remarks, that we ourselves make, receive from pilgrims or that the Command and Control Center inform us about are all recorded and will be taken into account to see how to prevent their occurrence in the future,” the Hajj minister told Arab News.

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A baby boy was born at a holy site in Saudi Arabia while Muslim pilgrims were performing Hajj rituals on Monday.

A Saudi Press Agency report said a Jordanian woman gave birth to the baby at the Jabal Al-Rahma Hospital in Arafat .

Arafat, about 20 kilometers southeast of Makkah, is where Muslims performing Hajj go to pray on the ninth day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar for the most important part of the pilgrimage.

The father named the child “Wadah” after the director of the hospital for his kind care and attention, the report said.

It added that the hospital’s medical staff provided medical care for the child and his mother, who are both in good health.

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The Holy Kaaba was adorned with a new cover or “Kiswa” on Monday in an annual process carried a day before Muslims mark Eid Al Adha.

Every year, the gatekeepers of the Kaaba carry a delicate, precise task to change the silky black cloth embroidered with gold draped over the holy structure.

The Saudi Press Agency said 160 artisans and technicians have taken part in today’s re-adorning of the new cover, it said in a tweet.

Close-up pictures showed members of the team stand on a mobile escalator to place the fabric as they weave parts of it to fit on the structure.

The process occurs annually on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, which marks the second day of Hajj.

On this day, as Muslims head to Mount Arafat to witness the most important ritual during pilgrimage, the Kaaba gets its old cover replaced with a new one.

But what happens to the old covering?
Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri, the director-general of the King Abdul Aziz Complex for the Kaaba revealed in an interview with Al Arabiya English that the golden threads got removed on Sunday coinciding with the eighth day of Dhu Al Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, in accordance with the operational plan of the replacement of the old Kiswa with a new Kiswa on the dawn of Arafat day, Monday morning.

Immediately the old Kiswa undergoes a process where it is placed in a government warehouse providing the adequate technical conservation to prevent any chemical reactions or infiltration of bacteria in damaging the fabric.

Then if requested by the higher authorities, it is distributed in parts for museums or gifts.

Mansouri said that the Kiswa is made from about 670 kg of raw silk, which is dyed black, 120 kg of gold threads and 100 kg of silver threads. The Kiswa is covered with cotton-lined silk, while the Quran verses are sewed with the gold and silver threads.

The Kiswa is 14 meters in length and in its third quarter part there is a belt which is 95 cm wide and 47 m. long, consisting of 16 pieces surrounded by a square of Islamic designs. The Kiswa consists of 5 pieces, each piece cover a side of the square shaped Kaaba, while the fifth piece is the curtain which covers the entrance of the Kaaba.

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The Arafah Khutbah 1439 was delivered by Dr Husain Abdul Aziz Aal as Sheikh

Here are the points mentioned in the Khutbah: 

• Whoever fears Allah will be successful and whoever fears Allah will be rightly guided
• Allah says fear Allah; perhaps you will be successful Worship Allah and Fear him. That is better for you if only you know
• Allah says in the Quran; “We have only created man and jinn to worship Me”
• Every Ambiyaa came with the message of tauheed, Ebrahim, Moosa, Muhammad SAW etc. Every Nabi told their nations, Oh my nations only worship Allah, you will attain piety
• The exclusive Tauheed that that the prophets A.S called to is to only worship one Allah.Whatever bounties come to you, is from Allah
• Allah sent the Quran to take people out of darkness into light, and Rasul SAW was sent to all mankind as a warner and one who gives glad tidings
• Oh believers Allah Gives Glad tidings with a great bounty. Whoever performs Salaah and does good actions they will be in a place with rivers (Jannah)
• The deen has pillars, the kalimah, salaah, sawn, zakaat and hajj if are able to. The exclusive Tauheed that that the prophets A.S called to is to only worship one Allah whatever bounties come to you, is from Allah
• Establish salaah, give sadaqa, seaking Allah’s Pleasure, obey Allah & Rasul, you will be successful
• Nabi SAW said take from me the rights and actions of Hajj. He said if you love Allah, follow me. Allah will love you and forgive your sins
• Nabi SAW had beautiful Character. Ayesha (ra) said Nabi SAW’s character was the Quran. Shaykh speaks about the importance of having good Akhlaaq
• The best amongst you is he with the best of Akhlaaq
• The nation of Islam is one nation upon one book and one Sunnah, they follow one Allah and One Nabi, and they follow one book, and they pray in one direction. And they help each other with justice and brotherhood
• Say kind words to people. Be truthful in your actions and speak. Oh you who believe, speak the truth and be amongst the truthful. Fulfill your pledges
• Each pledge is a responsibility worship Allah and be kind to your parents and to your close and far neighbours
• Allah says don’t even say ‘ooff; to your parents. Do not argue with them. Say to them kind words
• Live in the best way with your women Nabi SAW advised us to be kind to our womenfolk. Indeed the Mercy of Allah is with those who do good
• Stay away from cheating and short weighing Allah orders you to fulfill the amanah
• Oh Muslims hasten towards the Forgiveness of Allah. Allah loves those who are good
• Allah opened the doors of Taubah. Indeed Allah is the one who forgives those who beg Him for it. We are in the season of Taubah
• It is narrated in Muslim, There is no other day that Allah Frees people’s necks from the fire than this day.
• Stay away from looking down at others. The Quran is a Guide for one who is firm
• Be true to your financial dealings, Allah has made cheating and gambling Haraam
• Return the property of others
• Oh you who believe, Obey Allah and His Rasul SAW and those who have authority over you
• Command good and prevent evil
• Nabi SAW has said in the final sermon all aspects of ignorance has been wiped out
• Dr Husain addresses the Ulamah and parents: It is upon us to establish good character amongst the people and hold onto the Quran and Sunnah and hope for the best of ending to your life
• Increase in making dua to Allah. Make dua for those who have a right over you, and the Ummah at large.
• Dr Husain Abdul Aziz Aal as Sheikh makes dua for the king
• Shaykh makes dua for the Hujjaj: Oh Allah Accept the hajj of the Hujaaj. Make it easy on them. Return them to their lands safely. Fulfill their needs. Instill love between the ummah.
• Protect the Ummah in their homelands. Guide us to the best of Character

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The total number of employees providing ICT services for this year’s Hajj was 7,411, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) data.

The 24/7 services are supervised by the Communications and Information Technology Commission in accordance with authorized service providers.

The number of branch offices of telecom services reached 69 offices in Makkah this year, and the total number of 2G, 3G and 4G cell towers was 15,972, to ensure and extend the coverage of the mobile network in Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat and Madinah.

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The Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs is readying for Hajj season, taking hygiene and public services very seriously, while attending to millions of hujjaaj from around the world.

The ministry is utilizing the latest new technologies in this field, providing smart eco-friendly compressed waste containers which work by solar energy in all places frequented by hujjaaj, especially in populated locations where electricity is not available.

The ministry distributed nine of these containers with a 54 tons capacity, six tons per container in different parts of Mecca and the holy sites, in view of the increasing number of pilgrims in the holy areas in a limited time and space, which requires the creation of the best scientific solutions and use Latest technology.

These containers can be mobilized easily with special equipment which the contractors working with the General Directorate of Hygiene provide, thus contributing to the development of cleaning works and avoid many obstacles in the storage of waste produced during the Hajj season.

The containers are equipped with the latest technology connected to satellite, where they send warning signals before being filled with waste via a sensor.

These containers contribute to reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions resulting from the frequent use of trucks to transport containers to and from sanitary landfills, as well as their ability to compress waste in a way that reduces transport time and reduces working hours, therefore reducing operational costs.

These containers are remote control operated and can easily be found through a GPS system.

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Nearly 470 mosques have been prepared for the Eid Al-Adha prayer, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daawah and Guidance in Madinah announced.

Sheikh Fahad bin Sulaiman al-Tuwaijri, Director-General of the ministry in Madinah, said that 469 mosques and places of prayer had been equipped, both in Madinah and elsewhere.

The Eid Al-Adha prayer will be at 6:13a.m., state news agency SPA reported.

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health organized a blood donation campaign for hospital staff to stock up supplies ahead of Hajj.

Entitled “The World in the Heart of the Kingdom,” the campaign collected blood from employees at Mina’s main emergency hospitals, including Mina Al-Jaser, Mina Al-Wadi, and Mina Shara Jadid.

The drive is part of the health ministry’s efforts to strengthen hospital services for pilgrims.

Health workers, including nurses, doctors and administrators, as well as scouts, and security personnel volunteered to donate blood.

The hospitals also organized several lectures and training courses for emergency workers and 11 outpatient clinics have been equipped with barcode scanners to scan electronic wristbands used to record patients’ information.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health confirmed there had been no cases of epidemics or quarantine disease among the pilgrims arriving for Hajj season.

More than 1.6 million pilgrims have been provided with preventive services through health outlets since Aug 12

The ministry’s hospitals in Makkah and Madinah continue to provide specialized services for pilgrims, during the Hajj season.

The hospitals carried out 187 cardiac catheterizations and 10 open heart operations, and 1,280 blood transfusions.

The ministry also provided emergency services in Makkah and Madinah hospitals to 280,773 pilgrims, with 17,820 pilgrims visiting clinics, and medical centers receiving 246,156 outpatients, the ministry stated.

For Hajj, the Ministry of Health follows developments and changes in the global health situation, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other internationally-recognized health bodies, such as the International Centers for Disease Control.

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“If this was just a ‎ritual, it wouldn’t have gone on for so long and wouldn’t attract such a large number of people every year,” says Makhdoom, technician with a hardware service provider in the Makkah region.

The 41-year-old Bangladeshi has seen it all for 12 years ever since he first arrived in Saudi Arabia. “When its Hajj season you don’t look at the time of the day or the wage you earn. You are just determined to make things easy for the hujjaj (pilgrims),” he says.

For hundreds of thousands of people like Makhdoom, who are working tirelessly to ensure supplies, logistics and management of services to around 2.5 million hujaaj, this is an essential part of living in and around Makkah.‎ It’s a privilege and they are proud to have it.

“You can’t imagine taking a vacation at this time and of course there are no off days till everything folds up and hujaaj go home,” says Makhdoom, who moves from one site to another and project to project fixing things and ensuring smooth flow of operations.

Public services

Across Saudi Arabia, during Hajj, as many as 19 government entities offer 136 different kinds of public services ‎with the help of 192,000 employees.

There are 3,000 scouts in and around Mecca guiding and helping hujaaj and 4,500 guards to protect pilgrims’ camps alone.

Besides, a large number of young and old step out on the streets to help hujaaj and carrying out acts of kindness.

‎Different proposition

Shankar Thapa and his brother Manoj have been working in the same cafe in Jeddah for four years now. Jeddah being a business destination, there is not a dull moment for the two. Yet Hajj is a different proposition.

“All the year round we get businessmen who come to attend conferences but there is no time like Hajj because we see so many different people from so many different parts of the world,” says Shankar.

“They usually have a very short stay in Jeddah but it still gives us a sense of the magnitude of this annual event,” says Shankar, the elder of the two brothers.

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Saudi security officer Jumaan al-Sebyani, whose act of kindness toward an old female pilgrim went viral on social media when he removed his shoes to put in her tiny feet after suffering from the hot soil, said in an interview with Al Arabiya English that what he did is a very simple gesture and this is part of what is Islam about.

He said that he was getting out from Mecca Grand Mosque on Friday, when he saw the Pakistani “Hajjia” wearing a cartoon as shoes and could hardly walk.

He said “I spontaneously rushed toward her taking off my shoes to place it in her feet.”

The security officer said a male companion insisted he walk with them to the hotel where they are staying to take back his shoes, but he refused, telling them: “This is the minimum we can do for our guests” in the kingdom for the Hajj performance season.

Al-Sebyani said when he went home, he got phone calls and knew about the video of his act of kindness which went viral on social media, getting praise from every one, adding: “We as security for the Grand Mosque receive guidance from our wise leadership, as we carry the spirit of the teachings of our religion, which taught us compassion and humanity, and this is how security personnel should be like.”

The Saudi security officer was honored by assistant director of public security for Hajj and Umrah and Commander of the Special Forces of the Grand Mosque.

While Prince Khalid Al Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince of Mecca Region, said during a press conference held at the shelter center in Muzdalifah: “I congratulate this man, his family and the community in which he grew up.”

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The number of people providing health and emergency services for Hajj pilgrims has crossed 32,579 personnel, of which 9,216 are women from Saudi Ministry of Health, Saudi Red Crescent, and employees from the General Authority for Food and Drug administration, in addition to the workforce from the security and military sectors, according to a statement from the General Organization for Statistics published by the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

There will be more than 959 medical teams providing their services for Hajj pilgrims.

Health services include open heart surgeries, cardiac catheterization, renal and peritoneal dialysis, and gastrointestinal endoscopy, as well as deliveries and others.

There will be 25 operational hospitals in Mecca and the Holy Sites, prepared with more than 4,814 medical beds, in addition to 153 medical centers prepared with all medical and emergency needs.

More than a 100 field teams will spread in all Holy Sites, with a 100 small ambulance cars and 80 big ones fully equipped.

Ministry of Health hospitals have performed 142 cardiac catheterization surgeries, 9 open heart surgeries, 761 hemodialysis, 39 binocular operations, and 568 surgeries from July 14 till August 12.

Saudi Red Crescent deployed 127 emergency centers, 361 ambulance cars, 20 motorbikes, and more than 2,867 people to work in the ranges of Mecca and Medina.

Health services will not only be through regular ambulance cars, it will also have Saudi air ambulance, motorcycles, specialized fast-response teams, and field teams in the Holy Mosque and the Prophet’s mosque and the surrounding areas.

All of these teams will be working 24/7 until the last day of the Hajj season, which will be August 26.

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A new double-decker bus tour, supervised by the Development Authority of Madinah Region, will introduce visitors to some of Madinah’s historic landmarks as well as its entertainment facilities, commercial sites, and public utilities.

The tour is part of the service extended to Hajj pilgrims and other visitors to the holy city.

The bus tour covers 12 stops, including the Prophet’s Mosque, Al-Manakha, the “Beautiful Names of Allah” exhibition, Al-Salam Door, Al-Uhud Mountain, Al-Noor Mall, Abu Bakr Road, Masjid Al-Qiblatain, Al-Khandaq Mosque, Quba Mosque, Hejaz railway and Quba Boulevard.

Trips start from the northern and southern entrances of the Prophet’s Mosque. The morning shift starts after the Fajr prayers and ends before noon, with departures every 30 minutes until noon, and the later shift starts after evening prayer with departures every 30 minutes until 11 p.m.

All double-decker buses, the authority announced, are equipped to transport people of all ages and people with special needs. Translation services covering 12 languages will apparently soon be available on the tours.

The authority said that these tours underline its continuous commitment to launch projects that enrich the experience of residents and visitors alike and provide high-quality services in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

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Saudi Arabian Airlines says a system failure has resulted in disruption of flights, as the kingdom prepares to host the annual hajj pilgrimage.

“Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) informs its valued guests about flight delays across the network due to an unforseen system issue,” the state-owned carrier said late Tuesday.

“As a result there are delays on some Saudia flights… the airline is taking all necessary measures to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”

The hajj, which is expected to draw more than two million pilgrims this year, represents a key rite of passage for Muslims and a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities.

So far more than one million pilgrims have arrived in the kingdom, according to state media.

Hajj this year is set to take place from August 19-24.

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Malaysia’s Hajj Pilgrimage Fund, Tabung Hajji, has decided to kick-start a massive cleanliness campaign among Malaysian hujaaj during Hajj, as a step to ensure the tents in Mina are “the cleanest among other nations.”

Tabung Hajji will head the massive “gotong-royong” exercise for the first time in the tent city of Mina during Masyair. “Gotong-royong” has a strong cultural root in Malaysian society.

Masyair involves a large-scale movement of some three million hujaaj from all over the world. During this time, the once-empty desert of tents will be brimming with hujaaj and thus cleanliness will be the utmost challenge for many worshippers.

Known for their well-behaved and disciplined image worldwide, 30,200 Malaysians will perform this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage. All will be managed and facilitated by Tabung Hajji, which has urged the Malaysian hujaaj to live up to this year’s tagline of “Cleanliness reflects one’s Hajj purity.”

“We aim for our Malaysian tents in Mina to be the cleanest among all the countries here,” the head of Malaysian Hajj delegation of Tabung Hajji, Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman, told the press on Sunday.

He added that in addition to the cleanliness campaign in Mina, the Malaysia Hajj body will also launch similar campaigns in Arafah and Muzdalifah. Pilgrims are advised to carry garbage bags and keep their respective areas clean.

Syed Salleh emphasized that maintaining a good reputation is important and can result in many benefits provided by the Saudi government.

The Tabung Hajji has built a solid reputation as an effective Hajj management body which is recognized and admired by the Saudi government and pilgrims from all over the world.

This year, Malaysian Hujaaj will enjoy a more comfortable living space in which the tents’ interiors are less dusty and paved with ceramic tile flooring. There will also be new double-story toilets in Arafah and Muzdalifah.

Earlier last month, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia kick-started the Fast Track immigration clearance which reduces the processing time of Malaysian hujaaj to Makkah. Starting this year, the Arafah sermons will also be delivered in Bahasa Malaysia to accommodate the large number of Malay-speaking hujaaj during Hajj, alongside Arabic, Urdu, Persian, French and English.

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has allocated a 24-hour hotline (8002451000) during the Hajj season, to answer religious inquiries of hujjaaj and others. As many as 128 Islamic scholars, 81 in Makkah and 47 in Madinah, will be available to answer queries around the clock.

The Ulema will be available to provide information on different Hajj procedures on the phone.

There are 59 phone lines: 24 in Makkah, 6 in Madinah and 29 in the sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat. These lines operate according to the telecommunications relay service that receives the call directly and transfers it to the next line if there is no answer, according to a schedule placed by the provider.

An administrative team is in charge of arranging and coordinating the schedules of the preachers to cover all working hours.

The administrative team consists of seven employees in addition to a coordinator.

The number of calls received from the 20th of Dhul Qadah until the beginning of Dul Hijjah reached 9,271.

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Sa’eed was sitting at the waiting area at the Jeddah airport after having just completed the rites of Hajj.The man next to him said: “I work as a contractor and Allah Ta’ala has blessed me with performing my tenth Hajj.”

Sa’eed told him: ” Hajj mabroor, may Allah accept and forgive your sins.”

The man smiled and said: “Ameen.”

Then he asked : ” Have you performed Hajj before this time?”

Sa’eed was hesitating to tell him, and then he said:

“By Allah, it’s a long story and I don’t want to hurt your head with my talk.”

The man laughed and said: “Please tell me, as you see we have nothing to do, we’re just waiting.”

Sa’eed smiled and said: “Yes, waiting is the start of my story. I’ve been waiting for so many years so that I could go for Hajj.

After working for thirty years as a physiotherapist in a private hospital, I was able to save enough money to go for Hajj.

The same day I went to get my savings, I came across one of the mother’s who’s paralyzed son I treat.

I could see her face was worried and anxious.”

She said: “I leave him to Allah’s keeping, Brother Sa’eed this is our last visit to this hospital”.

I was surprised with her words and I thought she wasn’t happy with my treatment and our service and that she therefore considered moving her son to another hospital.

She told me: “No brother Sa’eed, Allah bears witness that you were to my son like a father, and you helped him in his treatment when we had lost hope.” Then she left very saddened.

The man next to him interrupted and said: “That’s strange, if she was pleased with your treatment and her son was improving then why did she leave?

Sa’eed answered: “That’s what I thought so too, so I went to the administration to find out what happened. They told me the boy’s father had lost his job and was unable to continue paying for his son’s treatment.”

The man next to him said: “There is no Might nor Power except with Allah, poor them, how did you deal with it?

Sa’eed said: “I went to the manager and pleaded with him to continue treating the boy on the hospital’s expense, but he sharply rejected and said, ‘this is a private institution not a charity’. I left his office sad and broken for this family.

Then suddenly, I placed my hands in my pocked which had my money all prepared for Hajj.

I stood in my place for a while, and then I raised my head above and spoke to my Rabb Allah: O Allah, You know how I feel and You know there is nothing more beloved to me than to go to Your House and do Hajj, and to visit Your Messenger’s (peace be upon him) Masjid. You know I have been working all my life for this moment, but I prefer this poor lady and her son over myself, so don’t deprive me of Your favors.

I went to the accounts desk and paid all I had for his treatment which covered the next six months. I begged the accountant to tell the lady that it’s from the hospital expense for special cases. He was affected by this and there were tears in his eyes and said, ‘baarak Allah feek and people like you’”

The man next to him then said: “If you donated all of your money, then how did you come for Hajj?

Sa’eed said: ” I went back to my home sad that day for having lost the opportunity of a lifetime for Hajj. But my heart was filled with happiness that I removed a distress from the lady and her son. I slept that night with a tear on my cheek. I had a dream and I was making tawaaf (circumbulating) around the Ka’aba and people were saying salaam to me and they told me: ‘Hajj mabroor O Sa’eed, for you have performed Hajj in the heavens before you performed Hajj on earth’.

I immediately woke up and felt an indescribable happiness. I praised Allah Ta’ala for everything and was pleased with His decree. When I got up from my sleep, my phone rang and it was the hospital’s manager.

He told me the owner of the hospital wants to go to Hajj this year and he won’t go without his personal therapist. But his therapist’s wife is expecting and has reached her final days of pregnancy so he can’t leave her.

‘Would you do me favor, he asked politely. Would you accompany him for Hajj?’

I made sujood shukr (prostrated in gratitude to Allah Ta’ala). As you see, Allah Ta’ala granted me this gift to go to His House without having to pay anything. All praise to Allah, the owner of the hospital insisted on giving me something for his accompaniment.

I told him the story of the lady and her son, and he demanded the boy be treated at the hospital from his own personal expense and to place a donations box in the hospital for the treatment of needy patients. He also gave the boy’s father a job at one of his companies.

He even returned the money I had initially spent for the boy’s treatment.

Have you seen great favors than the favours of my Rabb Allah?.. Subhan Allah.

The man next to him hugged him and told him: “By Allah, I have never felt this kind of embarrassment as I’m feeling now. I would perform Hajj one year after another thinking I was doing something great, and that my place with Allah would be elevated as a result of it. But now I understood that your Hajj is equivalent to a thousand of mine. I went to the house of Allah, but Allah invited you to His house. May Allah accept your Hajj!”

The post A beautifully inspiring story about Hajj appeared first on CiiRadio.

The Kiswa consists of five pieces; four of them cover the four sides of Kaaba, while the fifth one is hung as a curtain above the door of Kaaba.

Preparing the Kiswa takes several months and needs large amounts of precious metals and pure silk. Around 170 craftsmen are involved in the process, which passes through various stages until the Kiswa is ready. The Kiswa is usually placed on the Kaaba on the day of Arafat.

On Sunday, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal handed over the new Kiswa to the senior caretaker of the Kaaba, Saleh bin Zain Al-Abidin Al-Shaibi.

Makkah Deputy Gov. Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz and Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, the chief of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, were also present on the occasion.

The post Makkah governor hands over new Kaaba cover to senior caretaker appeared first on CiiRadio.