Kaaba key keeper dies
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Taha Al-Sheibi, who held the traditional key to the Kaaba, died in Makkah on Thursday. He was 74. The Al-Sheibi family has been holding the position of […]
Children below 10 may face Haj ban
JEDDAH: SIRAJ WAHAB Published — Sunday 19 October 2014 Children below the age of 10 may be barred from performing Haj from next year. According to a report in a […]
Arafat cemetery opens to relatives of deceased Hajis
Some pilgrims returned to Arafat on Wednesday to visit their loved ones who died during the Haj over the past few years. The undated cemetery is only open one day […]
Signs of an accepted Haj
Allah the Almighty legislated acts of worship and obedience for great wisdom and sublime objectives. No wonder, as they strengthen the faith, purify the soul, correct the attitude and refine the morals. If acts of worship did not achieve these objectives, then the Muslim would not benefit from them properly. […]
Saudis retrace route of Abraha’s army that came to destroy Kaaba
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR Published — Thursday 9 October 2014 A group of young Saudi history enthusiasts has retraced the path of the People of the Elephant who tried to […]
100 towers in SR50bn Madinah pilgrim city to house 200,000
Work on the first phase of the SR50 billion King Abdullah Pilgrim City in Madinah has begun as part of the government’s efforts to further improve services being extended to […]
Haj 1435: Yet another success story
MINA: SIRAJ WAHAB Published — Monday 6 October 2014 Haj has never been so organized — from the trains that run on elevated tracks to the extremely helpful security forces […]
8 brothers vie to serve mother perform Haj
This year’s Haj witnessed eight sons of a woman competing with one another in assisting their mother to perform her Haj rituals comfortably. They all wanted to gain special reward […]
Metro transports nearly 1m pilgrims
MAKKAH: HANI HAZAIMEH Published — Sunday 5 October 2014 Makkah’s state-of-the-art metro will have transported nearly one million pilgrims by the end of this Haj season, said a top official. […]
Arafat: Merits of the day
Allah the Almighty preferred some months to others, some days to others and some nights to others and selected specific times in the year to be seasons of worship and […]
Pilgrims stone ‘devil’ at Haj; Eid Al-Adha begins
MINA: Pilgrims stoned the devil on Saturday in the last major ritual of this year’s Haj in Makkah, and Muslims around the world began celebrating Eid Al-Adha, the feast of […]
Tears, prayers as 2m Muslims mark peak of Haj
On Saturday, pilgrims set off for Muzdalifah, where they gather pebbles for the stoning of the devil AFPPublished: 16:41 October 3, 2014 Gulf News “I am now a newborn baby and I don’t have any sin,” Nigerian pilgrim Taofik Odunewu said, standing at the foot of Mount Mercy on the […]
Saudi Arabia on Ebola watch as millions gather for Hajj
Daily Times: MAKKAH: Anxious to safeguard Hajj pilgrimage from the threat of Ebola, Saudi authorities are screening pilgrims arriving from West Africa and have deployed mobile laboratories to test any suspected cases quickly.The kingdom expects nearly 3 million pilgrims in Makkah this year, including 1.4 million from abroad. The health […]
In order to defeat ISIS, the world must discredit its ideology
Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum| The Daily Star The global financial crisis taught the world how profoundly interdependent our economies have become. In today’s crisis of extremism, we must recognize that […]
French convert who drove 7,000 km for Umrah now king’s guest for Haj
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR A French pilgrim who recently converted to Islam and drove 7,000 km in his car with his wife to perform Umrah is now in Makkah as […]
Barcode to help locate Mina tents
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR Published — Friday 3 October 2014 Saudi authorities are planning to introduce a barcode system for Mina tents to help stranded pilgrims identify their tents with the assistance of Google maps. “A technology has been already developed for this purpose,” said Mohammed Al-Ruwaished, head of the […]
Over 2 million prepare for Haj climax
MINA: HANI HAZAIMEH & SIRAJ WAHAB Published — Friday 3 October 2014 In scenes of devotion seen nowhere else on the planet, over two million pilgrims, wrapped in seamless white […]
The Destruction of Mecca
By ZIAUDDIN SARDARSEPT. 30, 2014 WHEN Malcolm X visited Mecca in 1964, he was enchanted. He found the city “as ancient as time itself,” and wrote that the partly constructed extension to the Sacred Mosque “will surpass the architectural beauty of India’s Taj Mahal.” Fifty years on, no […]
How Saudi Arabia is distancing itself from the Islamic State
Thirteen years after US President George W. Bush declared war on terrorism, the Middle East is no closer to victory. Instead, terrorism appears to have morphed into an even more […]
Say no to Haj selfie!
Say no to Haj selfie! JEDDAH: AFIFA JABEEN QURAISHI ARAB NEWS Published — Tuesday 30 September 2014 They can be seen video recording themselves walking around the Kaaba, kissing […]