Enough blood in banks for 5m pilgrims

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health has enough stock of blood in its banks to meet the needs of nearly five million pilgrims, Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of the Blood Bank and Laboratories at the ministry told newsmen here yesterday.
Al-Omar said the ministry does not import blood from abroad. The blood bank gets its supply from local donors who include both Saudis and expatriates. He pointed out that more than 400,000 people donate blood in the Kingdom annually. To encourage the practice, those continue.................

4,000 Filipino Muslims expected to join this year's Hajj

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - The Philippine Consulate General here is in the thick of preparations to assist Filipino pilgrims for this year’s Haj in Makkah.Consul General Ezzedin Tago said that about 4,000 Filipino Muslim pilgrims are expected to participate in this year’s Haj, which will be in December.The Haj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world and is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in an Islam devotee's lifetime if he or she can afford it and is able to do so.The first batch of Filipino pilgrim arrived at the Haj terminal of the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on November 11.Tago said that consulate personnel are all set to assist the pilgrims full stories.....................

Ka'aba to be adorned with new Kiswa

MAKKAH: The Kaaba is to receive a new Kiswa — the specially adorned black silk cloth covering the entire structure — on Dhul Hijjah 9. According to the Saudi Press Agency, Saleh ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hosayen, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, is to hand over the new Kiswa to the Kaaba’s senior keeper, Abdul Aziz Al-Shaibi, at the Kiswa factory in Makkah on Nov. 29. The handover ceremony will also be attended by Muhammad Al-Khozaim, vice president of the presidency, Ziyad Khoja, general supervisor of the Kiswa factory, and the Grand Mosque’s keepers. The Kaaba is draped in a new Kiswa every year during full stories..................

Half-a-million pilgrims visit Madinah

MADINAH: Around half-a-million pilgrims have arrived in Madinah to pay homage to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and pray at the Holy Mosque, according to official statistics released by the Haj Committee in the holy city.
A total of 424,014 pilgrims arrived in Madinah by Tuesday evening; 165,296 of these pilgrims have already left for Makkah while 258,660 of them are still in Madinah. A breakdown of pilgrims who are still in Madinah on the basis of nationality showed full stories.......................

Fireproof tents to be built in Arafat

JEDDAH: Habeeb Zainul Abideen, undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, has emphasized the government’s plan to establish permanent tents in Arafat. “We have a plan to change the face of Arafat with several new projects, which includes the construction of fireproof tents with walls around them,” he said, adding that the projects would cost SR1.4 billion. Zainul Abideen said the ministry would complete the rainwater drainage project in Arafat soon after this Haj. “We have already spent about SR170 million on the project full story...............

Phone health service for pilgrims from today

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health is launching from today a phone-in service to provide Haj pilgrims with instant health advice. The service — “Sihha Zuyuf Al-Rahman” (Health for the Guests of Allah) — will be formally launched in the presence of senior health officials at the ministry’s call center in Riyadh. The three-week program will be initially limited to journalists for a week to enable them to raise awareness about the services the Ministry of Health provides to local and foreign pilgrims. The service will, after that, be open to pilgrims. “The service will be available through toll free number 800 249 4444 which will greet the caller with ‘Allahumma Labaik’ and subsequently divert his or her call to a medical officer. The service will be in Arabic and will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Dec. 3,” said Amal Moawiya Abu Al-Jedaie, the official heading the project. “We have a team of experts to instantly reply to callers seeking medical advice during their pilgrimage,” she said. The team includes consultants, cardiologists, specialists, pharmacists and dentists. The program will be handled by a group of Saudi women who work at the ministry and its hospitals in Riyadh.

Over half a million from South Asia to perform Hajj this year

MAKKAH: More than half a million South Asian pilgrims will perform Haj this year, said the chairman of the Tawafa Organization for South Asian Pilgrims, Adnan Katib. “The organization is striving to offer better services to pilgrims this year than the previous ones,” said Katib. “The plan for this season is based largely on a desire to ensure maximum safety and comfort and provide the best facilities as ordered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal,” Katib said. He said the organization’s workers are well equipped to discharge their duties and have undergone various workshops and training sessions. read more..................

Haj awareness drive

MAKKAH: The government announced here yesterday that it would take tough action against pilgrims who try to enter Makkah and other holy places without Haj permits. “There is a legal system to perform Haj and people should know that being a pilgrim is not an excuse to violate regulations and cause problems to others,” said Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. He was speaking at the launch of a media campaign aimed at enlightening Saudis and expatriate workers on the need to follow Haj regulations. Entitled “Haj Is Worship and Civilized Behavior,” the campaign has been organized by the Makkah Governorate in association with the Ministry of Haj, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Information, Public Security Department and the Passport Department. read more.............

Pinoy pilgrims might ride C-130 to attend Hajj

Filipino Muslim pilgrims will have to take a ride on a Philippine Air Force Plane C-130 for the Hajj this year should there be a shortage of commercial airline flights to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Sulu 1st District Rep. Yusop Jikiri, who is the Amerull Hajj for this year's pilgrims, said he has received assurance from President Arroyo that the PAF's C-130 plane will be made available to Filipino Muslims who wish to perform Hajj this year. "Hopefully, all our pilgrims can make it to Saudi Arabia," Jikiri said. He said the first delegation of pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia on November 11. Read more......

at the peak of mount Arafa
Muslims have come from almost every country in the world
The pilgrims make a sea of white as they stream in their thousands onto the plain of Arafat

Seminar for Filipino Hajis Sought to Avoid Hassles

Kaaba door

Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) resting place

Mount Arafa

JEDDAH — Participants in the recently concluded Haj pilgrimage want the Philippines to require first-time pilgrims through a seminar on Haj “dos and don’ts” to avoid hassles when they are in Saudi Arabia.
They said such a briefing or orientation has become imperative in view of the persistent problems encountered by pilgrims, some of which are beyond the control of Philippine officials. read more....

The Prophet’s Haj step by step

All Muslims know that to follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in matters of religion is required as a duty. To follow him in other aspects is always good and fruitful, except where he expressly stated that what he did was specific to him. In as far as offering the pilgrimage is concerned, we have no option but to follow his guidance. As he started his pilgrimage, he said: “Learn from me your rituals.” This is an all-embracing Hadith that makes clear that the way the Prophet did his pilgrimage is the proper way we should all follow. We have a very detailed Hadith narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah telling us of everything the Prophet did on his pilgrimage. In this first of six articles we will be perusing this Hadith and, where necessary, adding comments to provide a full picture that helps us in offering this great act of worship. Jabir reports:
“God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) stayed (in Madinah) nine years without offering the pilgrimage. In his tenth year in Madinah it was announced to all people that God’s Messenger would be offering the pilgrimage. Many people flocked to Madinah seeking to follow the Prophet’s guidance and to do like him.”
Several reasons led to the delay of the Prophet’s offering of the pilgrimage. In the first few years of his stay in Madinah, he could not have traveled to Makkah, while the Quraysh, its inhabitants, were raising one army after another to fight him. When Makkah fell to Islam toward the end of Year 8, the Prophet chose not to offer the pilgrimage the following year because he did not wish to see the abominable practices of the unbelievers which they introduced into the pilgrimage, such as being naked when doing the tawaf. In Year 9, Abu Bakr was the leader of the pilgrimage and a ban was declared prohibiting idolaters from coming to Makkah for pilgrimage, and banning the practice of doing the tawaf naked. With that done, the pilgrimage could be offered in the proper Islamic way, and this is what the Prophet did. With him was no less than one hundred thousand people, all eager to offer this great act of worship with him.
“We went out with him until we arrived at Dhul-Hulayfah where Asma’ bint Umays gave birth to Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr. She sent a message to the Prophet asking what she should do (considering that she would be in her postnatal period). He told her to have a bath and to wrap herself properly (putting a wide piece of cloth at the place of discharge, tying both ends from the front and the back and sticking that wrapping tight to a belt she has around her waist.) She could then enter into ihraam, or consecration. The Prophet offered his prayers at the mosque there and mounted his she-camel, Al-Qaswa’. When his she-camel was well into the desert, I looked up and saw all around me people walking or riding animals, accompanying him. I could not see the end of them in any direction: Front or rear, right or left. The Prophet was with us receiving Qur’anic revelations, the interpretation of which we knew very well. Whatever he did, we did likewise. He raised his voice with phrases stressing God’s oneness: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayk Laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamda wal-ni’mata laka wal-mulk. Laa shareeka lak. People raised their voices with whatever praises they wished to repeat, and the Prophet did not take exception to any of that. He, however, maintained his own form of talbiyah.”
A woman’s discharge, whether menstrual or postnatal, does not stop her from offering the pilgrimage. She can indeed perform all the duties and rituals required, but she obviously cannot offer her prayers. She is exempt from these. Here we have the detailed guidance the Prophet gave to Asma’ making clear that she could conduct her pilgrimage easily, but she must not do any tawaf until she has been cleansed of all discharge. It should be noted that she gave birth to her son shortly after departure from Madinah, when she arrived at the point of meeqat, which is Dhul-Hulayfah or Abyar Ali as it is better known nowadays. The ruling given to her applies to all women who start such discharge at any time during their pilgrimage. We also learn that there could be different forms of declaring our response to God’s call to do the pilgrimage. However, the Prophet’s preferred form is the one that millions of pilgrims repeat all the time.

Haj pilgrims urged to buy IDB coupons for sacrificial animals

JEDDAH: The sacrificial meat from 700,000 sheep, and 10,000 camels and cows would be distributed to the poor in 24 Muslim countries across the world, Ahmed Mohammed Ali, president of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) announced yesterday.
Addressing a press conference, he said more than 30,000 workers, including butchers and administrators, 700 veterinary doctors and 400 religious experts would be deployed to carry out the meat utilization project, which has been supervised by the bank since its introduction 26 years ago.
Ali urged foreign Haj missions to encourage their pilgrims to purchase coupons for sacrificial animals that would be made available at outlets in Makkah, Mina and Madinah, and at the Kingdom’s entry points. The committee in charge of the project signed an agreement last June with Saudi Post to market the “hady,” “adahi,” “sadaqa” and “fidya” coupons among pilgrims who can either get coupons from SP offices or via its website.
Pilgrims can also visit the project’s website www.adahi.org, which was designed with the National Commercial Bank, to purchase coupons using their credit cards. Last year the bank utilized the meat of 763,422 sheep, and 6,008 camels and cows. The project began in 1982 with the meat of 63,000 animals used.
Mohammed Ali said the project was instrumental in properly utilizing the valuable meat of sacrificial animals during the annual Haj. Prior to the formation of the meat utilization project, sacrificial meat would often go to waste due to the intense Arabian heat, causing environmental problems in Makkah and its surrounding areas.
He added that the Saudi government had spent more than SR1 billion in establishing state-of-the-art abattoirs with advanced facilities in Moaisem, an area located close to Mina. This year the bank would charge SR395 for each sacrificial sheep — the amount includes service charges. Groups of pilgrims, each with no less than 30 people, can send their representatives to the slaughterhouse to witness the slaughtering of their sacrificial animals.

First batch of Thai pilgrims arrives

JEDDAH: The first batch of 436 Thai pilgrims arrived at the Haj Terminal of King Abdul Aziz Airport here early yesterday.

Thai Airways International, EgyptAir and Royal Jordanian Airline transported the pilgrims who are among a total of 13,000 Thais to perform Haj this year.

Local Haj officials, including Atef Al-Fasi, a supervisor at the Haj Terminal, and officers of the Thai Consulate General headed by Consul General Praphat Chantaharn welcomed the pilgrims.

“The Thai government considers Haj affairs an important matter and we at the consulate give utmost importance to the welfare of the pilgrims,” Chantaharn said. Most of the pilgrims are from the southern part of Thailand and every year charter flights are arranged by the government to facilitate and transport them from Hadyai and Phuket airports, which are closer to their places of residence, he said.

“On behalf of the Thai government, I would like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Saudi government and concerned authorities for their efforts to facilitate and welcome pilgrims from Thailand and all over the world,” Chantaharn added.

“I am very happy and pleased to know that the Kingdom has made excellent arrangements for Haj,” Maleepeng Jehnah, the group leader of the pilgrims, said.

“In fact, the manner in which we have been received by local authorities and the arrangements at the airport have all been impressive,” he said. “It is my pride and honor to lead the first group of Haj pilgrims from Thailand this year,” he added.