3700 Bahrainis to perform hajj this year

Manama

A total of three thousand seven hundred Muslims from Bahrain have registered to perform Hajj this year, confirmed Head of Bahrain Hajj Mission Shaikh Adnan bin Abdullah Al Qattan while speaking to the DT News yesterday.

He said that the process of registration has been completed and the pilgrims are expected to start their journeys to Mecca from September 9. “All the pilgrims must go for vaccination before going for Hajj,” he said, “they should not take it as something imposed on them - it is only for their protection.”

Exact date of Hajj cannot be fixed in advance as it depends on the Islamic lunar calendar based on the sighting of the moon. Anyhow it is expected to fall between 21 to 26 September.

He added that he himself would perform Hajj this year. Shaikh Adnan advised the pilgrims to perform the obligation of Hajj with full devotion spending their time in the remembrance of Allah Almighty. He asked them to do good deeds and stay away from all sorts of political conversations during Hajj. “Follow the rules of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia,” he said. 

It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia had reduced hajj quotas because of the construction work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the holiest site in Islam. The number of visas for foreign Muslims has been halved and the local quota cut by 20 percent during construction work in order to avoid any inconvenience.

According to a report published in Saudi Gazette, 95 per cent of the expansion work is complete and the rest is expected to be completed by the end of the year. So by next year, more Bahrain are expected to be able to perform Hajj.

Saudi Arabia is spending almost $20 billion on the expansion of the Grand Mosque. Once the construction work is over it will be able to accommodate 2.2 million pilgrims at a time while doubling the capacity at the Mataf from 48,000 to 105,000 per hour.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a mandatory religious duty once in a lifetime for every adult and sane Muslim who is physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey to Mecca and can afford the sustenance of his family in his absence. Hajj gathering is considered the largest annual gathering of people worldwide.