MAKKAH – As Hajj 2023 is just a few days away, pilgrims from all over the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia.
Around 1 million Muslims have gathered in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the Hajj pilgrimage as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Hajj Guests Programme, which is supervised and implemented annually by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.
The Covid-19 outbreak significantly decreased the number of pilgrims in 2020 and 2021, making this the largest pilgrimage in three years.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, General Supervisor of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Hajj Guests Programme Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh thanked the Custodian of the Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince for his generosity and keenness to see Muslims perform the rituals of Islam and for assisting those who wish to perform Hajj and can only do that at the expense of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
The minister stressed that the gesture of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques stems from the Kingdom’s desire to serve Islam and Muslims, adding that this gesture that enables thousands of Muslims from various continents to perform Hajj with distinguished services is an annual initiative that the Saudi leadership has been keen on implementing.
He added that the ministry has taken all measures needed to carry out the royal order, in coordination with the Kingdom’s embassies and religious attachés abroad, who are affiliated with the ministry, selecting the pilgrims and providing them with all the necessary help, including facilitating visa issuance and providing services from the moment they depart and during their stay in the Kingdom.
The programme, the minister pointed out, helps many Muslims from countries that were not included in the programme in previous years to fulfil their dream, adding that the ministry has an annual plan to select as many people of different nationalities as possible who have not performed Hajj and help them do it.
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