The National Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi has bared his thoughts on the 2022 pilgrimage, which has been described as ’emergency’ Hajj due to Saudi Arabia’s short notice to participating countries.
Imam Adeyemi, who is the immediate past Commissioner, (Southwest) National Hajj Commission of Nigeria in an exclusive chat with Muslim News in Makkah grouped his thoughts on the Hajj exercise into three aspects.
“I will group my thoughts on this year’s Hajj into three thematic areas. One, the pilgrims. Two, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, and three, Saudi Arabia itself,” he began.
Pilgrims need more education on social behaviour
According to Imam Adeyemi, there was largely a sense of urgency on the part of pilgrims considering the break in Hajj in the past two years.
He said this led to impatience and violation of social etiquettes because pilgrims just wanted to do things the way they feel it should be done.
“People became impatient. They don’t actually know what they are coming to do precisely. In the area of management, we need to increase the awareness of, and education about Hajj. Education about Hajj should not only be in the spiritual aspect. It also should involve the social aspect: relationship with others, how do you buy things, how do you use the toilet, how do you change your money, how do you join a bus. All these are important. Thank God, NAHCON is trying to establish a Hajj Institute which I believe, if it comes to fruition, will make a lot of difference.
“We should create a system in which 20 to 25 people should be attached to a guide right from home. And they would be trained in every aspect of Hajj. What I mean by every aspect of Hajj are spiritual aspect, social, interactive and personal aspects, even personal hygiene. They should be groomed extremely well. If we don’t do that, we will continue to have problems. We have not had enough training. Only some private tour operators are doing excellently well in this regard.
“NAHCON should enforce it. All states should come together and have proper training. Although this is an emergency Hajj, the training and education were grossly inadequate. You see first timers with nobody to guide them. They don’t even know who to call. I think in each tent or group, there should be a table where questions could be asked.”
Paradise is the reward for Hajj
The Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Society said the reward for performing Hajj is Jannah (Paradise), noting it is the peak of ibaadah in the life of a Muslim.
He said pilgrims must realise that what makes the difference is their noble character and sound approach to every aspect of live, and not their caps, long robes, jilbaab or niqab, saying they must pass through reformation after performing Hajj.
“He who performs Hajj without arguments and disputations or fight, there is no other reward for such person than paradise. The Prophet (SAW) said he who performs Hajj without quarrel, and without fight, will return home like a day-old baby. It means such a person will be a born-again!
“When you return home, you should reflect on what you did in Hajj. Hajj is not meant for showing off. Hajj is the peak of ibaadah in the life of a Muslim. So on return, people around you should see in you that you have passed through a kind of reformation. If nobody says anything positive about your behaviour or relationship subsequently, then you should know you have achieved nothing.
“People should be able to see reformation wrought by Hajj in you. Your cap is not what makes you an Alhaji. What makes you an Alhaji is the difference of your character and approach. If those things do not reflect in you, then, you have not done anything.”
Overburdening staff with tasks affecting operations
The ex-NAHCON Commissioner says not less than two staff should be assigned to a responsibility to avoid overburdening, which affects Hajj operations.
While appealing to the staff of NAHCON to remain dedicated, he emphasised the need to deploy more personnel for ease and efficiency.
Imam adeyemi commended NAHCON for its efforts at the emergency Hajj which was planned within few months, noting that accommodation and feeding were excellent.
He said the Commission only needs to up its game regarding organisation to improve the process, expressing hope that they would certainly get it right.
“NAHCON has really done great because it is an emergency Hajj. What they are supposed to have done in the past six months, they did it within few days to the commencement of Hajj, which we can understand. Notwithstanding, this same set of people are the ones that have been doing it before. The top level management might be new, but the middle level managers are not.
“They have tried, no doubt about that. We appreciate them. I, however, feel they could have put in more efforts to envisage the challenges because they are professionals. It would have been something much better than we have. The accommodation was excellent. The feeding was very good too. All what we needed was just a little organisation that will firm up the process. I believe we’ll get it right.
“Overburdening of the staff is also affecting the operations. Three or four staff should be assigned to a responsibility, so in case one is weak or breaks down, there won’t be a vacuum. We need to bring more people to do the same thing so everything would be easy. I will appeal to the staff to be more dedicated. The success or otherwise of this is for everybody. They should see it as a project of serving Allah. When you serve Allah, rest assured that He will serve you. And when you cut corners, Allah will wait for you.”
Commendations for Saudi Arabia govt
The Imam was impressed with the Saudi Arabian government for the improvement introduced to the 2022 Hajj.
“Right from the reception, pilgrims were being welcomed with smiles, which was a rare thing in years past. The security officials interacted professionally. This year, I want to commend the Saudi authorities. I do not know why or how, probably because of the Vision 2030 they are pursuing. For whatever reason, this is an excellent effort which I pray they keep up,” he said.
“We should know we are Muslims. With the way the world is going, if we don’t come together as an Ummah, perhaps, all of us will lose. So, the Arabs should see Muslims from any part of the world as one of them. I believe when they look into this, things would get better. But overall, Saudi Arabia has really improved, and I am impressed about it.”
Imam Adeyemi hinted Muslim News that he was already writing a report on the efforts of the Saudi Arabia government in the 2022 Hajj saying they have really improved in the aspect of hospitality.
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