[ad_1]
Makkah, Saudi Arabia: In defiance of the scorching Saudi heat, Makkah resident Amir Abdullah Distributing free tea and bread to worshipers who perform the annual Hajj, honoring a time-honored tradition in Islam’s holiest city.
said the 45-year-old Saudi man, who is joined by his five sons, and who spends his evenings serving hot drinks to the desperate Muslim pilgrims. Hajj hospitality running in his blood.
“For the people of Mecca, there is no higher honor than serving the pilgrims,” Abdullah told AFP, ahead of the start of the hajj.
“My father did it as his grandfathers did before him and now I am trying to pass it on to my children,” he added, and pearls of sweat formed on his face.
Before the advent of hotels and high-rise buildings in Mecca, local residents used to host pilgrims in their homes.
Now, while luxurious accommodations and air-conditioned shopping malls dot the holy city, these places have not replaced the deeply ingrained culture of hospitality.
Every day at noon, Abdullah and his sons start filling empty flasks with tea and hot milk.
They pack hundreds of loaves of bread into airtight plastic bags before going out for the night.
They lived near The Great Mosquewhich is overflowing with worshipers, some of whom survive solely on alms for the duration of the four-day pilgrimage.
“This is an honor that has been passed down from generation to generation here,” Abdullah said, pouring tea into a paper cup.
Hospitality, already rooted in Saudi culture, gains more attention during the Hajj – one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with means must perform at least once in their lives.
It is expected that the number of pilgrims will exceed two million pilgrims from more than 160 countries this year.
According to Islamic tradition, they are “guests of God,” meaning that they must be provided with housing, food and drink even if they cannot afford it.
All over Mecca, young men distribute free meals consisting of rice, chicken or meat to pilgrims who line up in long lines.
Faisal Al-Hussaini, a Pakistani businessman living in Mecca, has been handing out hot meals every day for weeks.
“It is a great honor to serve God’s guests,” he said, handing food in a blue plastic bag to the pilgrims.
For Egyptian visitor Mahmoud Talaat, 47, aid is his only source of livelihood.
“I rely on these meals because I can’t afford them,” he said.
This year’s Hajj summer time, which follows the lunar calendar, will test the endurance of devotees during rituals that are mostly held outdoors.
As temperatures exceed 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit), youths distribute frozen bottles of water to help the pilgrims bear the heat.
“We buy water, cool it well, and then start distributing it once or twice a day after the prayer,” said Hamza Taher, 25, a resident of Mecca.
They weren’t the only ones helping, his brother Anas, 22, said as he stood near a truck loaded with water bottles.
“All the people of Mecca are racing to help,” he said.
The tradition of hosting pilgrims in Mecca’s homes has faded in recent years, as Saudi authorities embarked on an infrastructure expansion project that increased accommodation options.
But many townspeople still remember this centuries-old custom.
“When I was growing up, we used to host pilgrims in our homes,” said a resident of Mecca who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns.
“It was a beautiful tradition.”
And while some practices have faded, youngsters have come into play, including a state-led initiative by the Ministry of Education that sent hundreds of Mecca’s school children to help with the pilgrimage.
Their duties include assisting pilgrims in a wheelchair and guiding non-Arabic speakers to the holy sites.
“I am completing what my ancestors started hundreds of years ago,” said Sultan Al-Ghamdi, a 17-year-old student.
said the 45-year-old Saudi man, who is joined by his five sons, and who spends his evenings serving hot drinks to the desperate Muslim pilgrims. Hajj hospitality running in his blood.
“For the people of Mecca, there is no higher honor than serving the pilgrims,” Abdullah told AFP, ahead of the start of the hajj.
“My father did it as his grandfathers did before him and now I am trying to pass it on to my children,” he added, and pearls of sweat formed on his face.
Before the advent of hotels and high-rise buildings in Mecca, local residents used to host pilgrims in their homes.
Now, while luxurious accommodations and air-conditioned shopping malls dot the holy city, these places have not replaced the deeply ingrained culture of hospitality.
Every day at noon, Abdullah and his sons start filling empty flasks with tea and hot milk.
They pack hundreds of loaves of bread into airtight plastic bags before going out for the night.
They lived near The Great Mosquewhich is overflowing with worshipers, some of whom survive solely on alms for the duration of the four-day pilgrimage.
“This is an honor that has been passed down from generation to generation here,” Abdullah said, pouring tea into a paper cup.
Hospitality, already rooted in Saudi culture, gains more attention during the Hajj – one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with means must perform at least once in their lives.
It is expected that the number of pilgrims will exceed two million pilgrims from more than 160 countries this year.
According to Islamic tradition, they are “guests of God,” meaning that they must be provided with housing, food and drink even if they cannot afford it.
All over Mecca, young men distribute free meals consisting of rice, chicken or meat to pilgrims who line up in long lines.
Faisal Al-Hussaini, a Pakistani businessman living in Mecca, has been handing out hot meals every day for weeks.
“It is a great honor to serve God’s guests,” he said, handing food in a blue plastic bag to the pilgrims.
For Egyptian visitor Mahmoud Talaat, 47, aid is his only source of livelihood.
“I rely on these meals because I can’t afford them,” he said.
This year’s Hajj summer time, which follows the lunar calendar, will test the endurance of devotees during rituals that are mostly held outdoors.
As temperatures exceed 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit), youths distribute frozen bottles of water to help the pilgrims bear the heat.
“We buy water, cool it well, and then start distributing it once or twice a day after the prayer,” said Hamza Taher, 25, a resident of Mecca.
They weren’t the only ones helping, his brother Anas, 22, said as he stood near a truck loaded with water bottles.
“All the people of Mecca are racing to help,” he said.
The tradition of hosting pilgrims in Mecca’s homes has faded in recent years, as Saudi authorities embarked on an infrastructure expansion project that increased accommodation options.
But many townspeople still remember this centuries-old custom.
“When I was growing up, we used to host pilgrims in our homes,” said a resident of Mecca who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns.
“It was a beautiful tradition.”
And while some practices have faded, youngsters have come into play, including a state-led initiative by the Ministry of Education that sent hundreds of Mecca’s school children to help with the pilgrimage.
Their duties include assisting pilgrims in a wheelchair and guiding non-Arabic speakers to the holy sites.
“I am completing what my ancestors started hundreds of years ago,” said Sultan Al-Ghamdi, a 17-year-old student.
[ad_2]
