MAKKAH: For the benefit of elderly pilgrims, a program called Ijlal has been implemented to provide guidance on rituals, facilitate services and direct them toward designated prayer halls.
The program is an initiative of the Field Awareness Affairs Agency, represented by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
Director of the Grand Mosque Authority Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Shehithi explained that the Shariah urges Muslims to be kind and gentle, especially toward the elderly.
Shehithi told Arab News that the initiative came at the directive of the head of the general presidency, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais.
Regular follow-ups are conducted by the agency’s Undersecretary Majid Al-Saeedi to ensure all services are being efficiently implemented.
Rania Shoudry, a volunteer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, said: “Volunteer work reinforces many moral and humanitarian concepts that Islam urges us to follow…(such as) serving pilgrims by honoring and respecting the elderly who have traveled to perform their rituals.
“It is our duty, as volunteers, to provide all the necessary services to ensure that visitors spend a wonderful time in the Kingdom.”
She stressed that serving pilgrims, particularly the elderly, is an honor volunteers are eager to fulfill throughout the year, especially during the month of Ramadan.
Providing such services has a positive impact that leaves a lasting memory in the hearts of pilgrims, said Shoudry.
