Hajj sermon: Muslims urged to make decisions with justice

MECCA: As the Hajj 2024 reached its climax, thousands of pilgrims gathered at a sacred hill in Saudi Arabi ‘Mount Arafa’ on Saturday for Rukn-e-Azam of Hajj “Waqoof-e-Arafat”, which includes intense, daylong worship and reflection.

Sheikh Maher bin Hamad Al-Muaiqly, an imam at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, delivered the Arafat sermon at the Namira Mosque, the second largest in the Makkah region after the Grand Mosque.

During the Hajj sermon, Sheikh Dr. Maher urged the Ummah to forge unity and cohesion among their ranks, saying it would “surely lead to the salvation of the Ummah in addition to averting any discords or divisions”.

“The combination of the testimony that only Allah is to be worshipped, along with the testimony that Muhammad (PBUH ) is Allah’s messenger.”

 

“Muslims should exhibit best of the manners as only those who will have good manners will be close to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) on the day of judgment,” Imam Sheikh Dr. Maher said.

He said Allah has ordered Muslims to keep praying and paying zakat to the needy people, urging Muslims to especially remember Palestinians in their prayers.

Pray for our brothers in Palestine who are suffering from harm and oppression by their enemy, shedding blood, causing destruction, and preventing them from accessing their needs.

Sheikh Maher Al Muaiqly testified that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is Allah’s Messenger, sent as a mercy to all worlds. Allah commanded us to follow the Prophet (PBUH), and those who follow Allah and His Messenger’s commands will succeed in this world and the hereafter.

The Shariah aims to achieve and maximize benefits while preventing or minimizing harm. It prioritizes preventing harm over achieving benefits, Sheikh Maher said.

He concluded by urging the public to respect each other’s rights, not to kill unjustly, and to make decisions with justice.

The translation of the Hajj sermon was broadcast in 50 languages ​​including Urdu. After the Hajj Sermon, the pilgrims performed the Zuhr and Asr prayers.

Later, the pilgrims will leave for Muzdalifah at sunset, where they will perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers and collect pebbles for Rumi.

Earlier, the Hajj pilgrims arrived at the Maidan-e-Arafat in the next stage of Hajj rituals, where the desert summer heat hit 43 degrees Celsius, fountains were used to keep the atmosphere cool in Arafat.

It should be noted that 160 thousand Pakistanis are also included in the 2 million pilgrims who came from all over the world for the happiness of Hajj.

Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when pilgrims moved from Makkah’s Grand Mosque to Mina, a desert plain just outside the city.

Saudi authorities expect the number of pilgrims this year to exceed 2 million, approaching pre-coronavirus pandemic levels. The pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to make the demanding pilgrimage.