This year's Hajj has presented an great opportunity for many Muslims to atone for the sins they committed over the past three years, owing to the pilgrimage being restricted amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The son of a Kenyan millionaire spent more than half a million dollars from his father’s will to help 120 people to perform their first Hajj.
Ahmed Soliman, 43, had never performed Hajj himself but found himself leading a group of Kenyan Muslims to answer the call of God.
“I was busy with life and religion was never my strongest point. I would like to make an excuse that I was helping my father making millions, so I did not have time for prayers and other things that make a good Muslim,” he told The National.
His father, Suleiman Said, who died last February, made his fortune in the construction business and left in his will instructions that part of his estate should finance pilgrims in 2022.
But many of the people at this year’s Hajj have stories to tell — often littered with hardships.
Former taxi driver Juma Ismail, who is part of Mr Suleiman's group, was left in a wheelchair after a road accident.
“I am eternally grateful for their generosity because there is no way I could earn enough money to be here,” Mr Ismail, said.
Tasneem Qassim, a Pakistani who was working in Kuwait, was left in a similar situation after crushing his right leg in a fall.
“I was a bricklayer of a construction company in Kuwait and had a 10-foot fall from a wall that left my right leg needing an amputation. That was back in 2017. I did not believe when I got a call that my application for Hajj was approved from kind donors in Karachi,” Mr Qassim told The National.
In October last year, schoolteacher Bakari Hassan came out of a prison in Tanzania penniless after committing a petty crime.
“I went to prison for not honouring six cheques and was sentenced to three months. I did not have a cent when I came out. I wanted to repent my sins and my friends came with enough money to send me here for Hajj,” the 34-year-old chemistry teacher said.
But for Waleed Al Mahrizi, with his high-pressure job as a manager with Oman’s state-run company OQ, Hajj presented a welcome opportunity to help others and bring some peace and a higher purpose into his life.
“I have paid for myself this Hajj, but I am also here to help a group of Omani pilgrims to adhere to safety procedures as an HSE expert. It brings peace in my heart to do it,” Mr Al Mahrizi said.
Most pilgrims had a positive experience in his year's Hajj, reassured by the many precautions issued by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and other participating authorities.
“The Saudi Hajj police did a commendable job in easing our three kilometre walk from Mina to Jamarat, and the traffic flow to different places,” said Kuwaiti pilgrim Said Al Hammali.
International pilgrims are expected on Wednesday to perform the Farewell Tawaaf after concluding three sessions of the stoning of the devil ritual.
“We did everything except the Farewell Tawaf that we are planning to do on Wednesday," said Mohammed Al Hashmi, an Iranian pilgrim.
"All went surprisingly well and we expect no problems on Wednesday, and praise to Lord and the Saudi authorities for taking care of us."
The Farewell Tawaf is the last ritual and pilgrims need to leave Makkah as soon as it is completed. It is not obligatory to perform it but it is highly recommended.
Most of the foreign pilgrims are expected to fly back home at the weekend.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
The years Ramadan fell in May
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
The%20specs
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
