Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — "Haj is the 5th pillar of Islam. It reminds us of the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him. It paves the way for the unity of the mankind. Every year, we try to distribute some small gifts to the guests of Allah. This year, we will distribute Asma Ul Husna (the names of Allah), handy prayers rugs, religious literature and some sayings of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him," said Bahjat Ayyub Zinjani of Seoharvi Academy. Zinjani was addressing a gathering of Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab, Jeddah recently. "These gifts were arranged by some philanthropists. May Allah reward them for this noble deed. I am very happy to see children participating in today's program. The children are our future. I am all praise for Majlis-e-Ilm-o-Adab for its keen interest in promoting social amity and knowledge by organizing social and literary programs," he added. Giving a reference to Surah Al-Baqarah (Verse 196 to 203) Mujahid Syed in his speech shed light on the rituals of Haj in great detail. "During Haj hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge on Makkah for the weeklong rituals. The pilgrims walk counter-clockwise seven times around the Holy Kabaa, run back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drink from the Zamzam well, go to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spend a night in the plain of Muzdalifah, and perform symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day global festival of Eid Al-Adha. In fact this whole exercise is done to cleanse ones' soul. This is all for the people who fear Allah and obey His command," he said. The program began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an by Syed Muhammad, Syed Muazzam and Syed Mubashshir. Majidah Tashfeen and Sobiah Nadeem recited Naats. The program concluded with the supplication of Murid Husain who prayed for the welfare and safety of the pilgrims, Muslim Ummah and the whole humanity.
