Qatari Hajj Mission's Sharia Unit meets religious guides in preparation for rituals

Qatar Tribune

2 days ago

MAKKAH AL MUKKARAMAH: The Sharia Unit of the Qatari Hajj Mission held an expanded coordination meeting with the religious guides accompanying the Qatari Hajj campaigns.
The meeting was part of the efforts to review the religious, awareness, and faith-based preparations before the Hajj season begins, starting on the Day of Al-Tarwiyah, the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, and continuing until the end of the rituals.
During the meeting, HE Sheikh Dr Mohammed Mahmoud Al Mahmoud, Head of the Sharia and Religious Guidance Unit of the Qatari Hajj Mission, emphasized the pivotal role of religious guides during the Hajj season and their responsibility to educate and guide pilgrims toward a correct understanding of the rituals and to perform them with a spirit of piety and tranquility, while adhering to Islamic ethics and etiquette, especially during the crowded conditions that accompany this great ritual.
Dr Al Mahmoud emphasized the need for guides to utilize these blessed days to strengthen pilgrims' faith by encouraging them to recite dhikr (remembrance of God), supplicate, and recite the Quran.
They also accompany them to various locations to ensure their proper performance of the rituals, thus achieving the ultimate goal of the Hajj pilgrimage: returning home after completing the rituals.
The meeting also discussed a number of contemporary jurisprudential issues that had been submitted to the unit over the past few days.
Approved and unified fatwas were agreed upon, ensuring unified fatwas for all pilgrims and providing accurate legal guidance consistent with the objectives of Sharia and the teachings of the Prophetic Sunnah.
The head of the Sharia Unit explained that the accompanying guides will be present on the ground as part of the national campaigns, starting in Mina on the Day of Al-Tarwiyah, passing through the plains of Arafat and Muzdalifah, and then returning to Mina during the Days of Tashreeq.
This will help monitor the da'wah activity, issue fatwas, and answer pilgrims' inquiries at each location in the holy sites.
He pointed out that the Sharia guides selected to accompany the campaigns are Qatari preachers with academic and legal qualifications.
They are tasked with providing preaching, guidance, fatwas, and religious lessons as part of a comprehensive program within the camps.
Al Mahmoud emphasized that the Sharia Unit is in constant contact with pilgrims through the Communications and Support Unit, which operates 24 hours a day, providing jurisprudential responses and prompt answers to any urgent Sharia issues.
He noted that the role of issuing fatwas during the Hajj season is the direct responsibility of the field guides within the campaigns, in cooperation with members of the mission's Sharia Unit.
He also called on campaign owners to fully cooperate with the Sharia guides to ensure a suitable preaching environment for pilgrims.
He said that the camps in the holy sites are fully prepared to receive pilgrims and are equipped with all the services and facilities needed to facilitate the performance of the rituals with ease and peace of mind.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Sheikh Dr Mohammed Mahmoud Al Mahmoud expressed his satisfaction with the efforts and field coordination that had been arranged, noting that planning for the rituals was proceeding smoothly and seamlessly, reflecting the spirit of cooperation among the mission's units and reflecting the State of Qatar's commitment to providing the highest levels of care for religious and advisory matters for its pilgrims.