Sierra Leone Pilgrims Depart Mecca for Medina

A total of 800 Sierra Leone pilgrims arrived in the holy city of Medina in the evening of Thursday, 29th September, 2016, head of the 2016 Hajj Committee to Saudi Arabia says.

Alhaji Sheka Sahid Kamara who is also a Special Assistant to President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma says the movement of the pilgrims in batches from Islam’s holiest city of Mecca commenced on Wednesday, 28th September to 29th September, 2016.

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alhaji M.S. Kargbo says the two-day movement of the pilgrims was smooth and well organized. He attributed the success of the movement to the cooperation of the pilgrims, officials of the Hajj Committee as well as officials of the Establishment of Mutawiffs for Pilgrims of African – non Arab countries.

The Envoy expressed satisfaction with the consummate services provided by the Mecca – based Establishment Office and commended them for handling of logistics, accommodation, transportion and the warm reception and hospitality pilgrims from his country received since they arrived in Mecca on September, 6th 2016.

The pilgrims have successfully completed their Hajj rituals but still have to visit Medina in accordance with the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet of Islam.

The significance of visiting Medina

Dr. Ahmad Ramadan Jalloh is a senior member of the Sierra Leone Hajj Committee who spent 18 years at the renowned Islamic University in Madina Al-Munawarah before he returned home in 2011. He holds a PHD distinction with Honours in the studies of ‘AQIDAT’ (Islamic Faith). He says visiting Medina has no relation or connection with Hajj rituals as some people may believe. It is a separate thing that a person can do at any time during the year, he maintained.

Visiting the Prophet’s Masjid, Dr. Ramdan says, is highly recommended. He quoted that: “There are only three mosques that travelling specifically to them is recommended: The Holy Mosque in Mecca, the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the famous Jerusalem Mosque.”

The prayer in the Prophet’s Mosque, he says, is better than one thousand prayers somewhere else except in the Holy Mosque of Mecca.

The soft-spoken Doctor also said that Visiting the “Qubaa’ Mosque in Medina, which is the first Mosque in Islam is recommended as well. He also quoted that: “Whoever cleans himself in his house and goes to Qubaa Mosque and prays in it, he/she will be given the reward of a minor Hajj (Umrah)”. He made mention of the significance of visiting other Holy places in Medina such as ‘Al-Baqee’ and ‘Uhud’, to name but a few.

Meanwhile, the pilgrims are scheduled to depart the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Sierra Leone in the second week of October (the dates will be announced later).

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