Nine Hundred and Twenty Eight (928) pilgrims from Sierra Leone had departed for this year’s hajj 2013 in Mecca Saudi Arabia. The journey started on the 2nd October 2013; with the arrival of an advance team of four man delegation who arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah led by Alhaji Mohamed S. Kargbo who is the Deputy Chairman for this year's Hajj and Special Assistant to His Excellency the President on Political Affairs.
The second batch of five hundred and three (503) pilgrims arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah on Saturday 5th October 2013 led by Alhaji Salieu Mansaray whilst another batch of four hundred and thirteen (413) pilgrims led by the Chairman Alhaji Moijueh Kaikai assisted by Alhaji Sheka Kamara Special Assistant to His Excellency the President on Social Affairs arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah on Sunday 6th October, 2013.
The final batch of eight Sierra Leonean pilgrims led by Sheikh Dukuray with supervision from Sheikh Mohamed Ahmad Barrie arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah on Tuesday 8th October, 2013 as special guest of the custodian of the two holy mosques in Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
This year’s Hajj has been described as the most successful in terms of preparation for departure, as pilgrims were comfortably placed in the African Muslim Agency in Lungi with proper security and proper facilities.
Though successful some minor events were recorded one of the pilgrims who paid to perform this year’s hajj could not make it because he failed to surrender his passport to the social welfare ministry he only produced his passport without visa at the hajj camp, whilst over 21 pilgrims who showed up with their hajj dress (Ashobi) at the camp could not make it as their scholarships were not approved and no visa on their passport.
According to the Chairman Alhaji Moijueh Kaikai, this year’s hajj received an immense boost from His Excellency the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma as he paid for four hundred pilgrims.
Hajj is an annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world, and it is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to the Will of God (Allah in the Arabic language).
Pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge in Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals:
Each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building which acts as the Muslim direction of prayer, runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, and throw stones, a ritual representing the Stoning of the Devil. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day-global festival of Eid al-Adha.
