As-salamu'alaikum.
Alhamdulillah, last month I was most fortunate to be invited alongside 39 other participants by the Saudi Arabia Islamic Counsellor in Malaysia to participate in the Custodian Of Two Holy Mosques' Guests for Umrah Program by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia government under the supervision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and assisted by various ministries and governmental sectors. We were the ninth batch that participated in this Umrah program that started 2 years ago (This program actually started 20 years ago, but the previous programs were organised during and for the annual Hajj season and not for Umrah which is open all year round. Also it is noteworthy that on previous programs only prominent religious figures were invited. The initiative to invite participants other than religious figures only started a couple of years back).
Participants from Malaysia include [1] Religious figures [2] Senior government officials [3] Academicians [4] Journalists [5] Representatives from various Islamic NGOs <-- this is where I come in. We were joined by participants from another 10 countries namely: Japan, Bangladesh, China, Turkey, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Brunei.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (Taken from the program's official website)
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Hosting Program was launched in 1417H during the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, May Allah forgive him. Being supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance, the program has been providing services for a wide range of Muslims from different parts of the world since its launch and till now. Up to the 1431H’s Hajj season, the program has served some 16,866 Muslims of different nationalities and continents. It is expected that the Hosting Program -Allah willing- would be operative for many coming years so that it could benefit the largest number of people in the Muslim-minority countries. This gracious gesture reflects the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ continued interest in the Muslim minorities and his outstanding keenness to give them a chance to perform the Hajj rituals easily and conveniently, especially for those who did not perform this pillar of Islam before. It is noteworthy that the program provides an opportunity for the Muslim minorities from all over the world to meet and exchange views over all matters related to Islam and Muslims, thus they could benefit from each other and reinforce the spirit of mutual cooperation so as to achieve what our Almighty Allah called for in the Holy Quran when He said, “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another.” It is worth mentioning that the Hosting Program offers a number of activities and hosts senior scholars and preachers to deliver lectures and symposiums. These activities focus on calling unto the way of our Lord with wisdom, fair exhortation and discussion as part of the Holy verses saying: “Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious,” “Speak fair to the people,” and “And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation).”
DAY 1: THE JOURNEY TO MADINAH
At KLIA: Receiving my flight ticket and passport from Fawwaz Tanaf Al-Otaibi, the vice ambassador of KSA Embassy in Malaysia
Group photo upon our arrival at Madinah Airport
Our program starts with our departure from KLIA on the 3rd of May until our departure from Jeddah, KSA on the 14th of May. We would spend 5 days in Madinah before heading to Makkah for another 5 days to perform our Umrah. We landed at the Madinah airport at approximately 8:50pm (KSA time) and arrived at our hotel at almost 11:00pm. In Madinah we were given accommodation at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, while in Makkah we were placed at the Makkah Marriott Hotel in Jabal Umar. All expenses and accommodations are paid for. Throughout the whole program we were given commendable treatment by the program organisers. May Allah reward them abundantly for their hospitality and care.
At Crowne Plaza: We were treated with Arabic coffee, fruits and Sukkari dates as a welcoming gesture by our hosts. Unknown to most Malaysians, our entourage have since developed a penchant towards Sukkari dates. I bought almost 7 kgs of Sukkari dates in Madinah.
Group photo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
DAY 2: GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
As guests of the king we are required to partake in the program that has been lined up for us by our hosts. Apart from the program we are free to engage in our own activities as we are encouraged to take the opportunity to increase our acts of worship while in the holy lands. This is also the time where we got together for a get-to-know-each-other session.
The program agenda
Post-breakfast coffee session with the program coordinator.
After lunch program: Ta'aruf session at the hotel between the Malaysian entourage
After Asr program: The Malaysian & Bangladeshi entourage heading towards the the most beautiful names of Allah exhibition next to Masjid Nabawi. In the middle of photo is Dr Ahmad Najib Abdullah, our appointed chef de mission who was a student at the Islamic University of Madinah and had resided in the city of the Prophet for more than 13 years back in the 1980s & 1990s.
The beautiful names of Allah exhibition
Group photo at the exhibition
DAY 3: AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE IMAM, SHEIKH DR ABDULLAH AL BU'AYJAAN
Meet and greet session with Imam of Masjid Nabawi, Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bu'ayjaan
The Sheikh reciting verses of the Quran followed by a brief speech and advise to all the participants
DAY 4: UHUD, MASJID QUBA' & KING FAHD QURAN COMPLEX
Visiting the graveyard of the martyrs of Uhud
Briefing by our guide on the history of the battle of Uhud
Group photo at Masjid Uhud
Arriving at the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex
While waiting for the tour of the complex
Participants receiving a copy of the translation of the Quran before leaving
Our busses outside of Masjid Quba'
Inside Masjid Quba'
Another one for the memories
DAY 5: MEETING WITH SH. ABDUL KAREEM, PRESENTATION ON MASJID NABAWI & VISIT TO RAUDAH
After breakfast program: Ta'aruf session between the Malaysia entourage and the representative of the KSA Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Abdul Kareem Ar-Rayyis
After Asr program: Presentation on the history and features of the Prophet's mosque (Masjid Nabawi) by historian Mohamad Bakhsh
Since the presentation was in Arabic, allocated intervals were given for translation. Dr Anhar Opir (vice mufti of Selangor) was the designated translator for our group.
After Isha' program: A visit to Raudah. We were granted a special access where the masjid security management blocked off the Raudah for half an hour just for the program participants
Raudah area
The quarter where the graves of Prophet Muhammad, his closest companions Abu Bakr & Umar are located
DAY 6: PREPARATION FOR UMRAH & THE JOURNEY TO MAKKAH
Waiting for the bus to begin the 6-hour journey
As we're leaving the hotel
Group photo at Masjid Dzulhulaifah
Performing our combined Zuhur & Asr prayer at Masjid Dzulhulaifah before resuming our journey to Makkah
At the courtyard of Masjid Dzulhulaifah
So, this is the end of the first part, next up is Makkah.
The program as reported in Utusan Online newspaper (Malay)
Our program was documented by a film production crew. Most of our activities were recorded and made into video synopsis'. Here are some of the highlights of the program.
Part 1/4: Arrival in Madinah
Part 2/4: Programs in Madinah
Part 3/4: Preparing for Umrah
Part 4/4: Programs in Makkah