First Batch of Pilgrims Leave for Medina

FAJAR RAMADHAN UNTUK KOMPAS

Officers put a label on the suitcases of pilgrims at Pondok Gede Dormitory, Monday (16/7/2018).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Some 2,776 pilgrims in seven flight groups will leave for Saudi Arabia from five embarkation points in Indonesia on Saturday (4/6/2022). The first batch will perform a part of the haj ritual in Medina before going to Mecca, where they will carry out the final part of the pilgrimage.

The first batch of pilgrims will depart from five embarkation points: the Surakarta embarkation point, the Jakarta-Pondok Gede embarkation point, the Jakarta-Bekasi embarkation point, the Surabaya embarkation point and the Padang embarkation point. The seven flight groups will mostly depart on Saturday morning. Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is scheduled to see off the first batch of pilgrims from the Jakarta-Pondok Gede embarkation point in Jakarta.

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In Surabaya, East Java, the first batch of pilgrims entered the Surabaya Haj Dormitory on Friday (3/6). They will depart from Juanda Airport at 08:30 a.m. on Saturday. "All preparations related to the departure of the pilgrims were made a long time ago, involving all relevant agencies," said Juanda International Airport public relations manager Yuristo Adhi Hanggoro.

The pilgrims were also checked to ensure they had brought a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.

Part of the first batch of the pilgrims will also depart from the Surakarta embarkation point in Central Java. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo is scheduled to see off the pilgrims on Saturday morning. The Public Relations Coordinator of the Haj Organizing Committee (PPIH) for the Surakarta embarkation point, Sarif Sahrul Samsudin, said at the Donohudan Hajj Dormitory on Friday morning that the health of the pilgrims had been rechecked by Semarang Port Health Office personnel at Adi Soemarmo Airport before departure. The pilgrims were also checked to ensure they had brought a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.

The first batch of pilgrims at the Padang embarkation point in West Sumatra have also entered the haj dormitory. They will also depart on Saturday morning. The head of the Religious Affairs Ministry’s West Sumatra regional office, Helmi, said the first batch consisted of 389 pilgrims from the city of Padang and that they would be accompanied by four officers.

"So the total pilgrims in the first flight group, including officers, is 393 people," he said.

Staying healthy

On a number of occasions in the preparation for the haj, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas reminded haj officers and pilgrims to maintain good health practices, as the COVID-19 pandemic was not over yet. As the weather in Mecca and Medina is currently very hot, the pilgrims are advised to adhere to health protocols – eat regularly and drink lots of water – so they will not get dehydrated.

KOMPAS/JUMARTO YULIANUS

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. gives directions during a gathering with religious leaders, leaders of Islamic boarding schools, caregivers of the taklim assembly, and intellectual actors of religious harmony at the Banjarmasin Hajj Embarkation Dormitory in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, Thursday (31/3/2022).

The pilgrims are also urged to focus more on fulfilling the mandatory haj rituals. They do not need to perform the optional sunnah rituals if their physical conditions do not permit.

In Surabaya, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa advised pilgrims to look after their health while on the pilgrimage. Shealso asked the pilgrims to drink a lot of water while in Saudi Arabia as the weather in the country would be very hot. In addition, they were also asked to bring medicine for personal use.

Two years of waiting

The pilgrims are preparing with joy. This is a moment of worship that has been postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was initially scheduled to perform the haj two years ago.

Afneti Ramiyus Atib, 49, a member of the first flight group from Koto Tangah district, Padang, said she was very happy to be able to go on the haj with her husband this year. She was initially scheduled to perform the haj two years ago.

"I should have performed the haj in 2020. I have waited for two years, so now I feel nervous. It was delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, I thought I would not be included on the list of the pilgrims for this year. Thank God I was included,” she said.

AP PHOTO/KHALIL HAMRA

Muslim pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Afneti, who registered for the haj in 2011, said that the services provided by the haj committee in preparation for the departure had been good.

"There was nothing disappointing," she said. (NIK/NCA/JOL)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.