Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Affairs Ministry provides over 1.4m religious services to pilgrims during Hajj

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the Secretary-General for Islamic Awareness in Hajj, Umrah and Visit, provided 1,485,000 religious services during this year’s Hajj season.

Over 2,000,000 pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors benefited from these services from the beginning of the month of Dhu al-Qi’dah in 1445 AH until the end of the current Hajj season.

The General Secretariat indicated in a report that around 632 preachers and translators participated in educating the pilgrims.

They responded to their questions through the Islamic awareness booths at Taneem Mosque, Juranah Mosque and prayer areas in the central area, as well as in the camps of internal pilgrims in Mina. The number of provided religious activities amounted to 160,000, the SPA reported.

The General Secretariat also sent more than 80,000,000 educational and guidance text messages (SMS) through all telecommunications providers in the Kingdom to the mobile phones of pilgrims and service providers in various international languages. The messages included a step-by-step explanation of the Hajj rituals, adherence to the regulations and laws set by the Kingdom for the security and safety of pilgrims, and an outline of the stages of Hajj and the necessary religious information for the pilgrims in the daily rituals.

To leverage modern technology and utilize it in educating pilgrims, the secretariat activated interactive screens for the electronic library in the central area’s prayer zones and mosques, containing thousands of religious books. Additionally, it broadcast 15,000,000 educational messages through electronic screens in various international languages.

The toll-free automated and respondent hotline (800-245-1000) benefited 1,325,000 recipients by the end of this year’s Hajj season, the report said. Moreover, a select group of ministry preachers participated in answering callers’ questions, chosen meticulously for their thorough understanding of Hajj and Umrah rituals according to the Quran and Sunnah, with translators available in various international languages.