First group of Malaysian haj pilgrims set to enter Makkah starting May 4
MADINAH — The movement of the first group of 284 Malaysian pilgrims for the 1446H/2025 haj season into Makkah will begin in stages, starting May 4.
Tabung Haji (TH) Zone Two manager in Madinah, Shahidan Ishak said that to ensure a smooth and orderly movement, pilgrims will attend a briefing session conducted by TH staff a day before they depart for Makkah.
'We will provide a preparatory briefing to ensure pilgrims fully understand and comply with all necessary requirements before setting off, including donning the ihram and making other essential preparations,' he told the Malaysian media here.
He said that the briefing will include important information such as the time and location for making the ihram intention (niat).
'For instance, pilgrims will only make their ihram intention upon reaching the Miqat at Bir Ali before continuing their journey to Makkah for the umrah (minor haj) rituals,' Shahidan explained.
To further assist pilgrims, he said TH has also set up guidance and visitation counters at its Madinah Operations Office, offering information and support related to haj and umrah rituals.
Meanwhile, Shahidan said that in addition to logistical preparations, a total of 13 staff members, comprising eight general haj officers and five religious guides from the Pembimbing Ibadat Haji Tanah Suci (PIHTAS) team, have been stationed in Zone Two in Madinah to ensure smooth operations and effective management of pilgrims this year.
Nevertheless, he said all pilgrims are reminded to wear their identification tags and wristbands at all times to facilitate tracking and ensure their safety throughout their stay in the Holy Land.
'To keep pilgrims well-informed, updates and important announcements will be shared continuously through official WhatsApp groups and bulletin boards placed around the hotel premises,' he said.
Shahidan said various facilities have also been made available to pilgrims in Zone Two, including customer service counters, Bank Islam service points, baggage handling assistance, and prepaid SIM card registration counters.
For this year's haj season, TH has arranged accommodation across three buildings in Madinah. Pilgrims in Zone One are housed at the Anwar Al Madinah Movenpick and Saja Al Madinah hotels, while those in Zone Two are accommodated at the Emaar Royal Hotel Madinah.
Out of the 632 Tabung Haji personnel deployed this season, 122 are stationed in Madinah to ensure that all services and rituals for the Duyufurrahman (guests of the Most Merciful) run smoothly and efficiently. — BERNAMA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- New Straits Times
TH Travel denies link with fake haj package programme
KUALA LUMPUR: TH Travel & Services Sdn Bhd (TH Travel) has denied it's connection with a fake programme known as "Program Haji Infaq Masyarakat" which allegedly offers TH Travel-managed haj packages priced at RM123,990 with an initial payment of as little as RM10,000. TH Travel, in a statement, said the company has never appointed any individual, external company or business entity to promote, manage or receive payment on behalf of TH Travel for any haj or umrah packages. The statement said that as a haj and umrah travel agency registered and fully regulated by the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), all payments related to registration and deposits for haj packages operated by TH Travel can only be made through TH's official account. "TH Travel does not offer subsidised or externally sponsored packages that require pilgrims to pay into unofficial or individual accounts. "TH Travel is not involved in any form of fundraising through cleaning companies, cake businesses or third party intermediaries," the statement said. TH Travel takes seriously the misuse of the company's name and reputation to deceive Muslims intending to perform the Haj pilgrimage. "We understand that a police report has been lodged and an investigation is underway by the authorities and TH Travel is prepared to provide full cooperation to the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in handling this case," the statement said. – BERNAMA
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
TH Travel denies any link with fake haj package programme
KUALA LUMPUR: TH Travel & Services Sdn Bhd (TH Travel) denies any connection with a fake programme known as "Program Haji Infaq Masyarakat" which allegedly offers TH Travel-managed haj packages priced at RM123,990 with an initial payment of as little as RM10,000. TH Travel, in a statement Saturday (June 7), said the company has never appointed any individual, external company or business entity to promote, manage or receive payment on behalf of TH Travel for any haj or umrah packages. The statement said that as a haj and umrah travel agency registered and fully regulated by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), all payments related to registration and deposits for hajj packages operated by TH Travel can only be made through TH's official account. "TH Travel does not offer subsidised or externally sponsored packages that require pilgrims to pay into unofficial or individual accounts. "TH Travel is not involved in any form of fundraising through cleaning companies, cake businesses or third party intermediaries," the statement said. TH Travel takes seriously the misuse of the company's name and reputation to deceive Muslims intending to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. "We understand that a police report has been lodged and an investigation is underway by the authorities and TH Travel is prepared to provide full cooperation to the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in handling this case," the statement said. - Bernama
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
A West Kalimantan road trip that gives off Malaysian vibes
Like many Sarawakians, I took advantage of the long Gawai Dayak holidays from June 1 to 4 to make a trip across the border to West Kalimantan. Instead of heading for the provincial capital of Pontianak, as many usually do, my group of friends packed into a four-wheel drive and travelled the other way. We took the Pan-Borneo Highway west towards Lundu. We crossed the border in Biawak-Aruk, a far less travelled route with shorter queues than the main Tebedu-Entikong crossing. Our destination was Singka-wang, the second-largest city in West Kalimantan. The journey took the whole morning along a smooth, well-paved if narrow two-lane highway past kampung houses and jungles interspersed with oil-palm estates and coconut groves. We made a lunch stop in Sambas, home to an ancient sultanate, and passed through smaller townships, such as Pemangkat and Selakau, before reaching Singkawang. Kuching-registered cars seem-ed to be clogging the city streets. Major hotels were packed with Sarawak holidaymakers. Singkawang seems transformed compared with my last visit more than a decade ago. It is likely the only Indonesian city of any size where nearly half of the residents are of Chinese ancestry. This is evident in the proliferation of Chinese temples in town and on its outskirts. Mosques and churches are also prominent in Singkawang, reflecting its multiracial population and lending the place a feel reminiscent of Malaysian cities. This heady racial mix was not without its problems. At the turn of the century, in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, ugly tensions erupted between local Dayaks and migrants from Madura, resulting in many deaths. Earlier, communist-inspired uprisings spread across the border into Sarawak. Gold-mining Hakka kongsi gave rise to the declaration of the Lanfang Republic in 1777, which was ended by Dutch colonists more than a century later, in 1884. Today, with democratisation following the overthrow of Suharto, Singkawang has a Chinese mayor, Tjhai Chui Mie, who was recently re-elected. The mayor has grand plans for her city, most evident in the recent opening of a new airport. With a new deep-sea port nearby, economic prospects for this coastal city shine brightly. This is especially true as Indonesia's shift of its national capital to Nusantara in nearby East Kalimantan gathers momentum. At the very least, more two-way travel between Sarawak and West Kalimantan can be expected. Indonesian visitors to Kuching are a common sight, and Malaysian travel to West Kalimantan is on the rise. The most recent good news has it that the main airport in Pontianak has officially regained its international status. Flights between Kuching and Pontianak, which were cut during the Covid-19 pandemic, are expected to resume soon. Given that medical tourists have been packing the daily flight between Kuching and Jakarta, private hospitals in Kuching can expect more patients when Pontianak flights resume. The charms of West Kalimantan ought to be better promoted to Sarawakians to encourage a healthier, more balanced flow of visitors across the shared border. My recent visit to Pontianak shows that the dusty old city, like Singkawang, has been largely transformed into one with well-maintained streets, high-rise international hotels and big malls.
