By Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam in Islam and according to Prophet Muhammad’s teaching, he recommends that whoever has the ability must fulfill it as it purifies a person and helps to whip off ones sins like how one was born.
The first batch of 410 Muslims in Uganda was set off on Thursday last week, and now the second batch to fly on Sunday, is of 400.
“May Allah bless your Hajj,” Dr Abdallah Bin Fahad the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Uganda said on Thursday, on the send off of the first batch, at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, has assured Muslims pilgrims of safety and asked them to perform Hajj with purity and in peace.
“Go to Mecca and perform Hajj in good spirit. Focus on why you have gone to Mecca and show a good and pleasing image of Uganda. Pray for those you have left at home including the sick and the needy and the country at large, to have peace,” Dr Rashid urged them.
According to Dr Abdallah Bin Fahad, 300,000 personnel had been deployed to keep peace during the worshiping process and avoid any incidence like that which happened last year.
However, Dr Ssemuddu has shown a concern on how the number of pilgrims has greatly decreased from how it was, due to the very high prices arranged by the government yet not many people can afford though they would also desire and afford to board, if the prices were lesser.
“We at one point had 1,500 people boarding for Hajj, but now the numbers have really decreased,” he said.
Dr Abdallah, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Uganda also informed that King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, invited all Qatari residents willing, to make Hajj this year for free, explaining and that all expenses would be catered for by him.
Abdallah also stated that the Saudi king nevertheless also invited 30 Ugandans amongst those gone for Hajj, as his personal guests.
Reporter: Shamilah Namuddu