A foremost private tour operator for Hajj and Umrah, Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited (HMVL) has sensitised pilgrims on the dos and don’ts of hajj exercise.
The seminar, held on Sunday, at the University of Lagos Islamic Centre, was attended by various stakeholders including Muslim scholars, representatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
HMVL Managing Director, Alhaji AbdulHameed Solate, said the operator is going with 310 pilgrims.
Solate appealed to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to increase their allocation.
“Officially, we have 200 slots, but we will eventually be going with 310 people because we entered into some partnerships. I believe Hajj Mabrur can do better if we were given more slots for the allocation. Before COVID-19, we had not taken anything less than 350. We hope that with time, there will be differences. Last year, it was cut down to 50. Hopefully next year, we will get a slot like we used to have from the NAHCON.”
In his presentation, Sheikh Sa’eed Salman enjoined the pilgrims to exercise patience when going about hajj rites.
“For hajj and travelling in general, there’s no travelling without its hiccups or hitches. Therefore, when you want to embark on any journey, you have to be patient. For hajj, you can’t even determine what goes on there. Hajj would be done at the same time by millions of people. So you need patience. You will step on people; people will step on you. While waiting for a flight at the airport, you may spend more than you planned for. We should be patient over all these.
“More so, if you look at Madinah and Makkah; the sun in those two cities is so scorching. You have to bear it. Some rites will require that you trek. In Islam, if you want to achieve anything, you do it through patience.”
The scholar also encouraged the intending pilgrims to write their will before embarking on the hajj, noting no one knows what Allah has destined.
A representative of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Sulaiman Hassan Muhammed, called for earlier applications of passports to avoid issuance delay.
He said anyone going to hajj with a passport not valid for six months should apply for a new one.
He explained that the service has a way of sorting passports for emergency pilgrims.
“Some people do not know they would be going for hajj until the last minute. We have a way of issuing passports to people in this category. They just need to go to our nearby offices, present their documents and indicate that they are on emergency hajj. Everything will be sorted out,” he said.
An Assistant Commander, Narcotics with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mallam Musa, cautioned the pilgrims to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations of both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, especially about illicit drugs.
“In Nigeria, if you are caught with illicit drugs, you will face the wrath of the law and forfeit your assets. In Saudi Arabia, they won’t come to Nigeria, the victim would rather be executed. Some Nigerians have been executed in Saudi Arabia because of trafficking illicit drugs. So, it’s important to obey the rules and be safe,” he said.
The NDLEA officer hailed Hajj Mabrur for organising the seminar, noting it would guide the pilgrims appropriately.
“My advice is that all those that are going to perform this year’s hajj should fear Allah. They are going there for spiritual purposes, so they should have the fear of Allah in them. The ultimate objective is for the hajj to be accepted. So, they should be spiritually and legally upright,” Musa said.