* Prayers for Nigeria to be intensified at Mashair: Prof. Alaro
As Nigerian pilgrims begin their movement to Mina for the Mashair rites, members of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)’s Ulama team have unveiled plans to intensify spiritual guidance, counselling and support services, with scholars assigned to states and pilgrim groups to provide round-the-clock assistance throughout the crucial phase of Hajj.
Director of the Quality Assurance Unit at the University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdulrazaq Abdulmajeed Alaro, said the Ulama team had already put in place a duty roster mechanism that assigns scholars to specific states, ensuring structured spiritual support as pilgrims proceed through Mina, Arafat and other Mashair sites.
Speaking on behalf of the Ulama at the 2026 Hajj Pre-Arafat Meeting with Stakeholders held on Saturday at Larooz Alsendi, Al-Kakiyyah, Makkah, Prof. Alaro said five to six scholars have been assigned to each state, depending on the number of pilgrims, to provide continuous spiritual guidance and support throughout the Hajj operations.
“We introduced a new invention through the effort of the coordinator, Hajia Fatima Bolori, where all Ulama are grouped and assigned to states. We have five to six, depending on the number of pilgrims in each state, and they are expected to be their spiritual guides and provide all the necessary support they need in Makkah and during Mashair,” he said.
Muslim News gathered that NAHCON inaugurated a 120-member Ulama team drawn from different parts of Nigeria, representing various tribes and languages, to provide spiritual guidance, education and orientation to pilgrims during the 2026 Hajj exercise.
Prof. Alaro, who is one of the Ulama serving in this year’s Hajj operation, said the scholars began their duties from Nigeria, including onboard support during the airlift of pilgrims.
“As Ulama for this year’s Hajj, we started our duties right from the point of departure from Nigeria. There were Ulama in virtually every flight conveying Nigerian pilgrims, and they are responsible for providing necessary guidance for pilgrims even while onboard,” he said.
According to him, the support continued in Madinah, where scholars regularly visited pilgrims in their accommodations and offered counselling on Hajj rites.
“I have it on record, and it is verified, that some of the accommodations of Nigerian pilgrims were visited four to five times while they were in Madinah. We were also with them at Miqat, where they entered into the state of ihram,” he said.
Prof. Alaro explained that some pilgrims initially struggled with understanding the type of Hajj they intended to perform and the correct intention required for ihram, but the Ulama were able to provide clarification and guidance.
“Some pilgrims did not know the type of Hajj they wanted to perform, but with the Ulama on ground, we were able to support and enlighten them on the appropriate rites and how to enter ihram with the right intention,” he said.
He added that the scholars also played key conflict resolution roles during the pilgrimage, helping to prevent minor disagreements from escalating. He cited an instance in Madinah where some pilgrims insisted that visiting Rawdah was compulsory for the completion of Hajj, but the Ulama clarified that it is recommended and not part of the obligatory rites, thereby easing tensions.
“Because of the trust and confidence the pilgrims had in the Ulama, we were able to douse the tension,” he said.
Prof. Alaro also recalled another situation where a pilgrim attempted to incite others against state officials over welfare concerns, but the intervention of the Ulama helped restore calm.
He further noted that NAHCON had strengthened its phone-in fatwa service, enabling pilgrims to seek guidance in their local languages through a 24-hour call centre managed by scholars.
Muslim News gathered that the Ulama system caters for over 40,000 Nigerian pilgrims under the government and state quota, while the remaining Nigerian pilgrims under private tour operators are also guided by their own deployed Ulama.
Our correspondents observed that leading private Hajj operators, including Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited, Hamdalillahi Travels and Tours, Inaayatul Lah Travels and Tours, and AbdulLateef Hajj and Umrah Integrated Services Limited, under the leadership of Hon. Iyepe, maintained steady spiritual guidance activities at their respective hotels in both Madinah and Makkah, a system expected to continue as pilgrims proceed to Mashair rites.
“It is also expected of us to pray for our dear nation, and I can assure you that we have been doing that and will intensify it even more by the time we get to Mina,” Prof. Alaro said.
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