King Salman Orders Maximum Support for Haj Pilgrims

 King Salman, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has asked authorities to redouble their efforts to accord maximum facilities to the pilgrims enabling them to perform their rituals in ease, comfort and tranquility of mind.

Presiding over the weekly Cabinet meeting here on Monday, the King welcomed the thousands of pilgrims who have already arrived in the Kingdom to perform the Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam. The King also asked the pilgrims to devote themselves to worship and Haj rituals and stay away from actions that are contrary to Islamic teachings and the noble essence of the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage.

The King directed all government and private agencies involved in Haj services to start their consummate services to the pilgrims right from the time they are granted visa until their departure from the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

“The Kingdom is spending billions of riyals on the expansion projects in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites for the welfare of the pilgrims,” the King was quoted as saying by Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi.

The King also briefed the Cabinet on the message he received from President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said quoting Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi

The Cabinet appreciated King Salman’s order to pay one month salary as bonus for the military and security personnel actively involved in military operations in Yemen in recognition of their sacrifices for the religion and the homeland.

On international issues, the Cabinet renewed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the bombing in Quetta city in southwestern Pakistan and Thailand that resulted in killing and wounding dozens of people.

The Cabinet appealed to the international community and the United Nations Security Council to provide immediate and urgent protection to civilians and children in Aleppo and other Syrian cities, stop blood shedding, and play an active role in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid immediately instead of the forced displacement of children and their families. It also stressed the Kingdom’s condemnation in the strongest terms of the continuation of the Syrian regime’s violations and its allies on a daily basis against civilians and exposing women and children to killing, destroying cities by indiscriminate aerial bombardment, deliberate targeting of schools, hospitals and medical personnel and using the blockade as a tactic of war.

The Cabinet commended the success being achieved by Souk Okaz year after year which transfers the festival from the local to global framework. The Cabinet said the festival preserves the Saudi culture and heritage and shows the Kingdom’s wonderful image to the world.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has directed both government and private bodies to provide the best possible services to the guests of God.

Chairing the weekly session of the Council of Ministers at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday, the king welcomed the pilgrims who have begun arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual pilgrimage next month.

He asked both government and private agencies to double their efforts and offer all necessary services to pilgrims at the holy sites.

He noted that the Kingdom had spent billions of riyals on projects and expansion at the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah, Madinah and at the holy sites.

The king also instructed those responsible to ease visa procedures for pilgrims at the Kingdom’s embassies as well at land, air and seaports. 

He also directed that the pilgrims’ stay be made as comfortable as possible. 

The king advised pilgrims to dedicate themselves to worshipping and performing the Haj rituals in the true spirit according to the teachings of Islam.

In a statement to SPA following the Cabinet session, Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi expressed the ministers’ great appreciation and gratitude to the king for having granted a bonus of one month’s salary to soldiers and security forces on the frontlines. 

The Cabinet reviewed a number of local and regional developments. 

It restated the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of the bombing of a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan, and the bombings in Thailand, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of people.

Al-Toraifi said that the Cabinet had appealed to the international community and to the UN Security Council to provide immediate and urgent protection to civilians and children in Aleppo and other Syrian cities, to stop the bloodshed, and play an active role in facilitating the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid which will assist those suffering from the forced displacement of families and children.

The Cabinet also stressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of the continued violations by the Syrian regime and its allies which result in indiscriminate deaths and the destruction of cities, schools and hospitals.

The Cabinet condemned the use of siege as a war tactic whereby Syrians are starved to death or die from lack of medicines and medical care. Siege is a practice carried out by the forces of Assad and the terrorist Hezbollah militias.

The Cabinet reviewed the activities of the 10th Souq Okaz which enjoyed the patronage of King Salman. The Cabinet commended the steady success of the events, programs and visions that aim to preserve the country’s heritage.

The Cabinet made the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage a member of the board of directors of the Authority for Job Generation and Combating Unemployment.

It authorized the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority to issue, renew and terminate licenses given to economic and technical liaison offices. 

The Islamic University in Madinah was authorized to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Maldives Islamic University. 

The minister of energy and mineral resources shall discuss with the Egyptian government a memorandum of understanding for the exploitation of mineral resources in the sea bed and lands along the two countries’ joint sea borders.

The Cabinet approved the final accounts of the King Fahd Causeway for the fiscal year 1435-1436.

Hajj Ultimate Journey on Life

Haj in the Arabic language means aim, destination or purpose (qasd). The reason is clear: Haj is the ultimate journey of loving submission (ubudiyah) and conscious surrender (riq) to Allah. Its ultimate destination is your encounter with the House of Allah (Bayt Al-Allah) — the Kaaba — with both your physical body and, more importantly, your heart (qalb).

Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah bless him) relates a story of an old, blind woman who was journeying to Haj years ago with a caravan. Throughout the journey, she keeps asking: “Are we at the house of my Lord?” Time and again, she is told, “No, mother, we are not there yet.” As the caravan nears Makkah, she is informed that they are almost there. Finally, they enter Masjid Al-Haram. She is led to the Kaaba. Touching the Kaaba, she cries, “Baytu rabbi? The House of my Lord?” Weeping, she clings to the cloth of the Kaaba — and dies.

The woman realized with her heart the true significance of visiting the House of her Lord.

Allah has invited you to His House, which He has called the Al-Bayt Al-Atiq — the ancient, liberated and liberating house. Your journey is one of freedom and liberation. For as your body leaves its material house to journey to Allah’s House, your heart is meant to disengage from the lower self (nafs), the shaytan, and the world and journey to Allah.

The ultimate reward for a Haj mabrur is to return home with the purity of a newborn child. What could be a greater incentive! But beware, for Haj is a selective process. Only a few will attain a Haj mabrur, which is a Haj performed correctly, without any disobedience to Allah and without indulging in any argumentation. Be prepared. Be vigilant. Be focused. This will be one of the greatest — and sweetest — struggles of your life. And though you will long and dream for the rest of your life to come back, you may never return again.

May Allah allow our bodies to journey to His House; may He permit our hearts to find Him, the Lord of the House. Ameen.

The most sacred space

You will be journeying from your earthly house to Makkah, your spiritual home, the most beloved place to Allah in all of space and time. Allah himself has decreed it to be so since the beginning of creation. There is no place more blessed, more beautiful, more virtuous, more exalted than Makkah. Every inch and every corner of Makkah is a haram, a sanctuary made sacred by Allah. 

The more you revere Makkah, the more you will be ennobled by Allah. We must take the greatest of care to never think casually of our sojourn in Makkah or live within its precincts in disobedience or negligence.

Some reports teach that it was in Makkah that our father Adam (peace be upon him) longed to go back to paradise and be in the presence of Allah. To console his loneliness, Allah Almighty commanded him to do tawaf around the space of the current Kaaba. And Adam did, and felt whole again.

Other texts teach that Nuh, Ibrahim and many Prophets before them (peace be upon them) did tawaf around Allah’s sacred House. Their spiritual energy and legacy fills the air. You will be walking in the footsteps and the heart-steps of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his noble companions.

Shelter, solace and sight

Haj and its rites are described in various and powerful ways by Allah Almighty and his Prophet (peace be upon him). Through these descriptions, we gain insight into the deeper meanings of Haj. The rites of Haj are described, for example, as manasik, mashair and mashahid.

Mansak (plural manasik), usually translated as ritual, connotes shelter (maskan) and tranquility. The rites of Haj are residences of shelter and tranquility for the heart.

Mashair connotes feeling and experience. The rites of Haj cause the heart to feel and experience the sweetness of nearness to Allah.

Mashahid is to witness with the heart the blessings of Allah at every station — to see, with one’s inner sight, Allah’s will as the Decreer of decrees and the Causer of causes.

Each word connotes a different inner dimension of Haj, as the movement, not only of your body or limbs, but of your heart. For as your body journeys from one place to another, so too must your heart travel through various stations), each of which will provide it with shelter, solace and inner sight.

Bayt Al-Mamur

Angels are the heavenly creatures created of pure light and enveloped in the worship of Allah. Texts teach that the Kaaba is connected in an imperceptible way to the Bayt Al-Mamur, the heavenly Kaaba of the angels, around which they are constantly in tawaf. At least 70,000 angels perform tawaf around this house and are replaced with others, never to return.

Around the Kaaba, we are in a heavenly dimension. Near the Kaaba are the Hajr Aswad, or black stone, and the Maqam Ibrahim, both gems from the Paradise. 

We are taught that the stoner was darkened by the sins and transgressions of man. Its heavenly light is now folded from us. The stone will be rendered into a person in the afterlife by Allah and will witness on behalf of those who approached it with truth and sincerity. 

The stone can be said to take a picture recording of your heart as you stand before it. Kissing the stone is the most profound renewal of your covenant with Allah and a pledge of love, dedicated obedience and soulful allegiance to Him.

Source : Arab News