Tag: Hajj

  • PM Shehbaz, Imran Khan wish Hajj Mubarak to Muslims across the globe

    PM Shehbaz, Imran Khan wish Hajj Mubarak to Muslims across the globe

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the ones who have received the blessings of Hajj-e-Akbar.

    In a series of tweets, PM Shehbaz said this is a blessed occasion to pray for the prosperity of mankind and its deliverance from epidemics and diseases.

    He prayed for the freedom of occupied Palestine and Kashmir to save the oppressed people. He also urged the nation to offer special prayers for elevation in the ranks of martyrs.

    “May Allah Almighty bring Pakistan out of its debt situation with the blessings of Hajj-e-Akbar and grant us economic self-reliance,” he added.

    Similarly, former PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan shared a picture and wished Hajj to the Muslims on his Instagram handle.

    He wrote, “Hajj Mubarak to Muslims across the globe!”

    There are several politicians who are performing Hajj this year, including seven members of PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani is also performing Hajj this year.

    84,000 Pakistanis proceeded to the plains of Arafat today (Friday) to perform the Rukn-e-Azam of the Hajj known as “Waqoof-e-Arafat”.

  • PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    For the first time in its history, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would charge Hajj pilgrims flying on a private programme in US dollars.

    Airfares for pilgrims from the Southern and Northern regions are expected to stay in the $810 to $1,100 and $860 to $1,150 ranges, respectively.

    As tickets are also purchased abroad, the airline stated that fares in dollars would minimise the disparity. The PIA, on the other hand, would charge a fixed fee of Rs181,000 for return tickets for pilgrims travelling under the government scheme.

    During the Hajj season, the airline expects to transport roughly 14,000 government-sponsored pilgrims and around 16,000 private pilgrims. Pakistan has an 81,000 pilgrim quota, with the government typically taking 60 per cent of the quota and allocating the rest to private operators.

    According to sources, the government has received few applications this year and would only accept 37,000 pilgrims through the official plan, with the remainder of the quota going to private operators.

    Flights from Pakistan to Madinah and Jeddah for the Hajj were originally scheduled to run from May 31 to July 3. The Hajj has been postponed for a week because the government has yet to announce its Hajj strategy. From July 14 to August 13, the post-Hajj surgery would take place.

    The strength of people who go through government programmes or commercial operators is determined by the government’s Hajj strategy. It also establishes pilgrim quotas for airlines and private Hajj operators from each city.

  • PIA Hajj operations to start May 31

    PIA Hajj operations to start May 31

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will begin Hajj operations, with 297 flights to Jeddah and Madinah departing from eight cities from May 31.

    A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique, he was briefed by the national flag-carrier’s administration on important matters.

    According to the federal minister, the state airline will start Hajj operations on May 31 as planned, with flights to Jeddah and Madinah departing from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta.

    The national flag-carrier’s administration said that 297 flights will operate from May 31 to August 31.

    The leadership of the state airline announced the addition of four Airbus 320 aircraft to its fleet. One plane arrived in Pakistan last week and is currently being processed by Pakistan Customs and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), while a second plane is expected to arrive by the end of the month.

  • Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj pilgrimage limit in the country to one million compared to last year’s 60,000 domestic pilgrims.

    To combat the coronavirus pandemic, attendance at the Islamic event was drastically reduced in the past two years due to travel restrictions.

    As per the latest notice, Pilgrims must be under the age of 65 and have received COVID-19 vaccinations that have been approved by the Saudi health ministry.

    All pilgrims must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report within three days (72 hours of departure time).

    The move intends to accommodate the greatest number of pilgrims to perform Hajj while retaining the Kingdom’s health improvements in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.

    Furthermore, the directives noted that the expansion will be based on the quotas decided for nations that will follow the Kingdom’s mandatory health recommendations.

    As per the official figures, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in 2021. The number of Hajj pilgrims often surpassed the two million count before the Covid-19 outbreak.

  • Foreign pilgrims can now apply for Umrah and visit permits via an app

    The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a new service that would allow foreign pilgrims to apply for Umrah and prayer permits to the Grand Mosque in Makkah as well as the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque in Madina through mobile applications, reports Arab News.

    The statement of Saudi Press Agency reads, “In cooperation with Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the launch of a new service that allows overseas pilgrims to get permits for Umrah and prayer in the Grand Mosque, as well as for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque through ‘Eatmarna’ and ‘Tawakkalna’ Applications.”

    According to the ministry, pilgrims applying for the permits must first register on the Quddum platform. Travellers have been advised to download both Eatmarna and Tawakkalna applications on their mobile phones before arriving in Saudi Arabia.

    Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj announced that pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah would no longer be required to wait for 14 days to book for the ritual.

    Last month, the Grand Mosque in Makkah operated at full capacity, with worshippers praying shoulder-to-shoulder with masks being mandatory for the first time since the pandemic began.

  • Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots of one of the four approved vaccines, i.e. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in order to perform Umrah. Saudi Arabia is to begin accepting vaccinated foreign visitors for Umrah, reports Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The Saudi authorities will begin taking travel requests starting today and will increase the number of Umrah performers to two million per month. The Kingdom closed its borders some 18 months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the official guidelines for travellers to the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), “Guests who have completed two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines will be accepted if they have received an additional dose of one of the four vaccines approved in the Kingdom.”

    “All visitors arriving in the country with a valid tourism visa must provide evidence of a full course of one the four vaccines currently recognised: two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson,” reads the guidelines.

    The Kingdom announced on Sunday about reopening their borders for Umrah, a move that will boost an economy hit by the Covid pandemic. Domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to include authorised Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah application. “A certificate of immunisation certified by the official authorities in the country of the Umrah performer must be attached within the documents of requesting the performance of Umrah rituals, with the condition that the vaccines be approved in the Kingdom.” Moreover, foreign visitors from Saudi entry-ban list will have to undergo quarantine.

    Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 532,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,300 deaths.

  • Superstars share their precious Hajj experiences

    Superstars share their precious Hajj experiences

    Hajj 2021 is performed by 60,000 fortunate people only as the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not allowed Hajj Pilgrims from outside the country due to the Corona pandemic. Foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia were allowed to perform the annual pilgrimage.

    On this sacred Islamic event, many big names and Pakistani superstars have shared their throwback pictures in heartwarming posts on their social media handles.

  • Muslim women can now perform Hajj without a male guardian

    Muslim women can now perform Hajj without a male guardian

    In a landmark move, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj has allowed women to perform the annual holy pilgrimage, scheduled to be held in July this year, without a male guardian (mahram).

    “Those wishing to perform Hajj will have to register individually. Women can register without a mahram (male guardian) along with other women,” the ministry said in a tweet.

    “In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation,” the ministry said. This year’s Hajj will only be limited to Kingdom’s nationals and residents due to the ongoing pandemic. “Those wishing to perform the Hajj must be free of chronic diseases and be vaccinated.” The ministry added that pilgrims should be between the ages of 18 and 65, reports Aljazeera.

    This news comes a few days after Saudi Arabia allowed women to live independently without male consent after a legal amendment. Over the last few years, the Kingdom has seen numerous reforms on women’s social freedoms, in a campaign headed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

    In April this year, Saudi authorities hired women to work in frontline positions at the Grand Mosque.

    In 2020, new penalties were announced against abusing women.

    In 2019, a new amendment allowed women aged 21 and above to apply for passport and travel without a male guardian’s approval.

    In 2018, Saudi women officially earned the right to obtain drivers licenses.

  • Saudi Arabia says COVID-19 vaccination is ‘must’ for 2021 Hajj

    Saudi Arabia says COVID-19 vaccination is ‘must’ for 2021 Hajj

    Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health has said that only people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to attend Hajj this year.

    “The COVID-19 vaccine is mandatory for those willing to come to Hajj and will be one of the main conditions [for receiving a permit],” read a statement signed by the Minister of Health.

    In 2020, the Kingdom reduced the number of pilgrims to around 1,000 to avoid the spread of the coronavirus barring Muslims from around the world from the rite for the first time in modern times.

    In the same notification, Saudi Minister of Health Dr Tawfiq al-Rabiah said the government must be prepared to “secure the manpower required to operate the health facilities in Mecca and Medina”.

    These facilities will be stationed at entry points for pilgrims, he said, in addition to a formation of a vaccination committee for pilgrims within Saudi Arabia.

  • IN PICTURES: Hajj 2020

    IN PICTURES: Hajj 2020

    The five-day annual Hajj pilgrimage began in Makkah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with strict measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

    A downsized Hajj, this year the number of pilgrims have been drastically reduced to 10,000 from last year’s 2.5 million making it perhaps the safest Hajj ever. In past years, pilgrims have faced a host of viral illnesses, with some falling sick and developing respiratory diseases after mingling with large crowds and staying in cramped pilgrim camps where social distancing was unheard of.

    The kingdom has put strict safety protocols in place with a mandatory quarantine that began on Tuesday. According to details, pilgrims had to undergo COVID-19 tests before arriving in Mecca. They are required to wear masks and maintain social distance at all times. Attendees were also given elaborate amenity kits that included sterilised pebbles for the ritual Stoning of the Devil (rami), disinfectant, masks and a prayer rug, according to the Hajj ministry.

    Several health facilities, mobile clinics and ambulances are also available on hand while workers continuously clean and disinfect the holy site, in uniforms resembling those of hospital staff.

    Saudi authorities initially said only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the kingdom would be permitted for Hajj however, local media later reported that as many as 10,000 will be allowed to take part.

    Some 70% of the pilgrims are foreigners residing in the kingdom, while the rest will be Saudi citizens.

    Check out pictures from this year’s first-ever ‘socially distant’ Hajj below:

    The first group of female pilgrims praying in the Grand mosque in the holy city of Makkah at the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
    Saudi labourers put the new Kiswa, the protective cover that engulfs the Kaaba, made from black silk and gold thread and embroidered with Holy Quran verses
    The first group of pilgrims enter the Kaaba at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah at the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
    Pilgrims perform Zuhr and Asr Prayers at Arafat
    A Muslim pilgrim gets his temperature checked before boarding a bus heading towards Makkah on the first day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
    Workers disinfect the ground outside the Grand Mosque
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOUEukpK5R/