MANILA: When Fatmah Tanggol Guiling learned that she had been selected for this year’s Hajj, she could not hold back her tears. The moment she had waited almost 40 years for had arrived.
Guiling is one of around 7,500 Filipinos who will perform the pilgrimage this year, but for her the journey is not only the fulfillment of one of the five obligations of Islam — it is also a return to a place that played a significant role in her childhood.
“My mom and dad lived in Jeddah for more than 10 years. My dad worked there. When I was 12 — around 1986 — I was able to visit them there,” Guiling, a government worker from Marawi, told Arab News.
Guiling actually visited during Hajj that year, but she was too young to perform the pilgrimage, and since then the journey has always been too expensive — at least until Guiling’s relatives stepped in.
“Although me and my husband have stable jobs, we have four kids and there are other expenses, so it’s not easy for us to raise funds for the Hajj,” she said. “I cried when some of my family offered to help, because they know it’s my dream to do the Hajj ... This is one of the things that will fulfill my life — it’s a realization of my dream. And I’m now one step closer to it.”
Guiling said she was eager to return to Makkah — a place she has been unable to forget since she saw it as a child.
“When you’re there, it feels like you’re talking to God, face-to-face — especially when you are at the Grand Mosque,” she said. “When you pray and ask for forgiveness, you feel like He’s right there listening to you. I can’t explain exactly how it feels, but it’s overwhelming and you’re overjoyed, and you just feel like you can talk to Allah and tell Him everything and He is listening.”
Like most of the Philippine pilgrims, Guiling comes from the southern Philippines.
Muslims constitute roughly 5 percent of the country’s 110 million population, which is predominantly Catholic. The majority of Muslims in the country live on the southern island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago or the central-western province of Palawan.
The last of the special Hajj flights carrying Philippine Muslims to Saudi Arabia departed on Friday. The annual pilgrimage is expected to begin on June 26.
For some of them, including Jabber Lasang from Sapu Masla, a remote village in Sarangani province, the pilgrimage is also the first time they have traveled abroad.
“This (will be) my first time on an airplane. It has been my dream ever since I was a child to ride in one,” he told Arab News ahead of his Hajj flight.
Lasang, 24, converted to Islam eight years ago, and said he has memorized the Qur’an. His trip was sponsored by community members who were moved by his recitation of Islam’s holy book. He said he never imagined that, coming from a poor family of farmers in a mountain village, he would be able to perform the pilgrimage at his age.
“During last Ramadan, I was invited by an imam from one of the mosques who told me they were impressed by the way I read the Qur’an and that I have a good voice,” Lasang said.
“I was moved to tears. I am a poor man, and I really couldn’t afford it on my own.
“I feel so blessed,” he continued. “I have always prayed to Allah that I could finish studying the Qur’an and (that I would) be able to go to Makkah.”
Nomaya Guiling, 42, a pilgrim from Marawi, said she was prepared for trials during the pilgrimage. “These will test your faith and your love for Allah ... your patience, your focus, and your determination to complete the Hajj,” she said.
While she is nervous, and afraid to disappoint all those who have helped her to afford the journey, her strongest feeling is gratitude.
“Not all Muslims are blessed to go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj,” she told Arab News. “If I can finish this, it will complete me, even though I know I am not perfect as a person. But I can say I have done one of the most important things (that God asks of) us.”
Tears of joy and hope as Filipino pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
https://arab.news/zbtv8
Tears of joy and hope as Filipino pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj

- Nearly 7,500 Filipino Muslims will perform the pilgrimage this year
- Last special Hajj flight from the Philippines reached Saudi Arabia on Friday
Saudi minister holds talks with Chinese, EU officials on climate, global issues

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Climate Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir received China's Special Envoy for Climate Change Liu Zhenmin in Riyadh on Sunday.
During the meeting, they discussed strengthening cooperation in climate action and environmental conservation, along with other topics of mutual interest.
Both officials also reviewed the Kingdom’s ongoing initiatives and achievements in this field, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In a separate meeting, Al-Jubeir received the deputy secretary-general for political affairs at the European External Action Service, Olof Skoog, and his accompanying delegation.
The meeting reviewed international developments and the efforts being made to address them, in addition to discussing topics of mutual interest.
Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid to deliver Arafah sermon during Hajj 2025

- The day of Arafah (the 9th of Dhul Hijjah) is widely considered the pinnacle of Hajj, marking the most important day for pilgrims
- The sermon is delivered from Masjid Al-Nimra on Mount Arafat before Dhuhr and Asr prayers are performed together on Dhul Hijjah 9
RIYADH: Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid will deliver the Arafah sermon during this year’s Hajj, the Presidency of Religious Affairs announced on Sunday.
The day of Arafah (the 9th of Dhul Hijjah) is widely considered the pinnacle of Hajj, marking the most important day for pilgrims. Muslims around the world who are not performing the pilgrimage mark the day by fasting and engaging in worship.
The sermon is delivered from Masjid Al-Nimra on Mount Arafat before Dhuhr and Asr prayers are performed together on Dhul Hijjah 9.
Head of Religious Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the appointment.
The appointment underscores the Kingdom’s global religious leadership, reflects its continued support for religious institutions, and exemplifies the leadership’s care for the two holy mosques, the presidency said.
Saudi deputy FM receives EU official in Riyadh

- A meeting was also held as part of the third round of political consultations between Saudi Arabia and the EEAS
RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji received Olof Skoog, deputy secretary-general for political affairs at the European External Action Service, and his accompanying delegation, in Riyadh on Sunday.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations between the Kingdom and the EU and other topics of common interest, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.
A meeting was also held as part of the third round of political consultations between the Kingdom and the EEAS. Senior officials from both sides participated in the session, chaired by Raed bin Khalid Qarmli, director-general of the general directorate of policy planning at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, with Skoog representing the European side.
Pakistani ambassador to Saudi Arabia meets with CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority

- The meeting focused on strengthening Saudi-Pakistani ties in the field of heritage and culture
RIYADH: Ahmad Farooq, Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, met with Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Riyadh.
The meeting focused on strengthening Saudi-Pakistani ties in the field of heritage and culture, the Pakistani Embassy wrote in a post on X on Sunday.
The ambassador presented Inzerillo with a painting from his own Diriyah-themed series, created to celebrate the Kingdom’s history and heritage.
He also presented him with a made-in-Pakistan FIFA-standard football “symbolizing Pakistan’s craftsmanship and the mutual spirit of friendship.”
Saudi reserve engages pilgrims on biodiversity

- Pilgrims were welcomed at Al-Shuqaiq in the Jouf region, where more than 4,000 gifts reflecting the reserve’s history and conservation efforts were distributed
RIYADH: Hajj pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom by land were introduced to projects and initiatives of the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority.
The initiative aims to enhance biodiversity, restore vegetation and breed endangered species to create a more sustainable natural environment.
The authority also distributed educational brochures to raise awareness about environmental preservation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Pilgrims were welcomed at Al-Shuqaiq in the Jouf region, where more than 4,000 gifts reflecting the reserve’s history and conservation efforts were distributed.
Visitors were informed about the reserve’s environmental heritage, biodiversity, and commitment to sustainable ecological stewardship, the SPA added.
The authority works to preserve biodiversity by protecting habitats and creating safe environments for wildlife and plants to thrive.
Its achievements include planting more than 2.4 million trees, scattering four tonnes of native seeds and rehabilitating 250,000 hectares of degraded land.
The reserve hosts more than 290 documented bird species — about 58 percent of those recorded in the Kingdom — and includes five internationally recognized important bird areas.
Covering 130,700 sq. kilometers, the King Salman Reserve is the largest natural terrestrial reserve in the Middle East, spanning four administrative regions: Jouf, Hail, Northern Borders, and Tabuk.