Riyadh: The Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced that if a woman wishes to register for Haj in this season, it is essential that the mahram (male guardian) accompanying her has not performed the pilgrimage in the last five years.
According to a report from Saudi Gazette, the ministry’s statement came after several inquiries inquired whether a woman wishing to perform the Haj can add a mahram who had previously performed the rituals.
On Friday, June 3, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the start of the registration period for the Haj pilgrimage for citizens and residents in the Kingdom.
The ministry said that the registration of Haj for domestic pilgrims will last for nine days until Saturday, June 11, adding that early registration would not be considered as a privilege for the selection.
It is noteworthy that the first pioneers of Haj pilgrims this year arrived on Saturday, June 4, through Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, coming from Jakarta, as part of a delegation of 450 pilgrims.
Haj officially begins on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah and ends on the 13th day of the same Islamic month. This year it falls between July 7 to 12. One million international and domestic pilgrims will perform the pilgrimage this year.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. 2020 witnessed an exceptional season for Haj, and in consideration of the “COVID-19” pandemic.
The number of pilgrims at that time was limited to about 10,000 from inside Saudi Arabia only, compared to about 2.5 million pilgrims in 2019 from all parts of the world.
