NCMF: Around 7,500 Filipinos on a Hajj journey of a lifetime for Pilgrimage 2023
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By EDD K. USMAN | Twitter: @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 | Facebook: SDN — SciTech and Digital News
(SDN) June 19, 2023 — It’s the good fortune of Muslims in the Philippines that some Arab embassies are sponsoring pilgrims annually for the Hajj in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Known to be doing this expensive noble deed one way or the other are some embassies in the Philippines which are member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
One of the diplomatic missions is the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which this year sent 11 lucky Filipinos to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage, one of Islam’s five pillars.
The five pillars of Islam are Shahaddah (Profession of Faith); Salat (five obligatory prayers daily); Sawm (Ramadan fasting); Zakat (obligatory charity); and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah/Mecca).
Here, below, are the names of the 11 lucky Filipinos the UAE Embassy in coordination with the Sheikh Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation sponsored for an all expenses paid pilgrimage to Makkah.
- 1. A.B.N. Mambuay
- 2. Johanna G. Ignacio
- 3. Alimoden M. Ambor
- 4. Fahad D. Pimping
- 5. Jacqueline B. Marabong
- 6. Rowena Barandia
- 7. Mylah Maranda
- 8. Saida Usman
- 9. Sandra Kadalim
- 10. Muamar “Mark” Dee
- 11. Kiram A. Kuda
The Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime to every Muslim who is physically, financially, and emotionally capable.
NCMF Commissioner Yusoph Mando said the other day the Commission has already sent to Saudi Arabia some 7,500 Filipinos to perform the pilgrimage.
He said that according to the schedule of the five-day religious activities “Uqof” or “Standing in Arafat” will occur on June 27, with Eid’l Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) coming a day after.
Mando said the pilgrimage starts off from Makkah with a sea of pilgrims departing for Arafat. But other pilgrims are expected to lay over in Mina before proceeding to Arafat.
After Arafat, all the pilgrims will then come down to Muzdalifah for another overnight of stay to perform prayers, and then collect pebbles for the Stoning of the Devil rituals in Mina.
Part of the pilgrimage rituals is the performance of the Obligatory Tawaf (Circumambulation of the Ka’aba).
Around dawn the pilgrims will then proceed to the Tent City of Mina where they will stay for the duration of the pilgrimage to complete the stoning rituals.
All pilgrims after the Mina phase of the pilgrimage are expected to perform the Farewell Tawaf also at the Masjidil Haram (Makkah Grand Mosque).
The UAE-sponsored Filipino pilgrims flew via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) I on board a Kuwait Airways flight with stopover in Kuwait City, change aircraft, then continue to either Jeddah (Gateway to Makkah) or Madinah (home of the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjidil Nabawi). — (✓)