Hajj Pilgrims Urged to Go to Friday Prayers Early

Hajj pilgrims need to adjust their departure times for Friday prayers to avoid crowded queues.

KOMPAS/EVY RACHMAWATI

A number of shalawat buses are ready to transport Indonesian hajj pilgrims at the Masjidil Haram complex terminal in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday (May 22, 2024) night. Shalawat buses serve Indonesian hajj pilgrims every day for 24 hours to facilitate mobility from the hotel to the Masjidil Haram.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who have arrived in Mecca are advised to adjust their departure time when performing Friday prayers to avoid crowded queues. To date, there are 85,782 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia and this will continue to increase.

Member of the Media Center Team of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Widi Dwinanda, stated that today Masjidil Haram in Mecca is more crowded due to the presence of hajj pilgrims performing Friday prayers. In order to avoid crowded queues at bus stops and terminals, hajj pilgrims are advised to adjust their departure times from the hotel or upon their return.

"The congregation is advised to depart for the mosque earlier, one to two hours before Friday prayer time or at 10.00 local time. By arriving earlier, the congregation can pray inside the mosque and avoid the potential closure of the terminal," he said while reading the official statement at the Haji Asrama Pondokgede, Jakarta, on Friday (24/5/2024).

In addition, arriving earlier can also prevent the hajj pilgrims from praying outside the mosque and risking overheating. This is because the temperature in Mecca during the day ranges from 40-50 degrees Celsius, putting pilgrims at risk of dehydration.

Then, after Friday prayers, congregants are also encouraged to return home later by waiting for 30 to 60 minutes or after 2:00 PM local time to avoid overcrowding at the shalawat bus terminals. Congregants need to ensure that they board the bus according to the destination route that will take them to the hotel.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Muslims prepare to perform Friday prayers at the Nabawi Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Friday (16/6/2023). Hajj pilgrims increase sunnah practices, one of which is arbain, namely praying 40 times a day at the Nabawi Mosque.

"To make it easier for pilgrims, each bus is equipped with different designs and colors of stickers. The stickers contain information, numbers, and colors of the routes. Pilgrims who cannot read the route sign can remember the number or color. Pilgrims are also equipped with the same card as the bus stickers," said Widi.

Indonesian hajj pilgrims who flew during the second wave of departure began arriving in Jeddah today. Two flight groups (kloter) arrived simultaneously at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah. A total of 388 members of the pilgrimage are included in Kloter 27 Jakarta-Pondokgede (JKG-27) and 388 members of the pilgrimage Kloter 10 embarkation from Padang (PDG-10).

Also read: Elderly Friendly Services Provided for Hajj Pilgrims

The departure phase for the second wave of hajj pilgrims will take place from May 24 to June 10, 2024. Pilgrims will fly from embarkation points in the homeland to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. They are urged to go directly to Mecca to perform the obligatory Umrah.

Abdillah, the head of the airport work district, stated that all pilgrims are urged to wear ihram clothes starting from the embarkation point. This is because of the time constraints given by the airport authorities, including the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia.

"The pilgrims come to the airport and directly board the bus. This means there is not much time for them to put on the ihram clothing at the airport," he said.

Departure delayed

Meanwhile, the departure of Indonesian hajj pilgrims who are members of Cluster 41 at Donohudan embarkation (SOC-41) on Thursday (23/5/2024) was delayed for four hours due to engine damage on Garuda Indonesia's aircraft.

According to the schedule, SOC-41 was supposed to depart at 07.40 WIB. At that time, the congregation was already at the fastrack Adi Soemarmo Airport location. However, the congregation was then returned to the Hajj dormitory because the plane had engine failure and was expected to take a long time to repair. The congregation finally departed on a plane that was supposed to be used by SOC-42 or flight crew 42 at 12.17 WIB.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, M Ali Ramdhani, has strongly reprimanded Garuda Indonesia. The decision to send the SOC-41 pilgrims on the SOC-42 plane is also an instant solution, but will leave new problems.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Prospective hajj pilgrims climbed the steps of the plane before departing for the holy city of Mecca from Adi Soemarmo Airport, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, on Sunday (12/5/2024).

"This Delay (flight delay) creates a domino effect. This is because SOC-41 flew with the plane that was supposed to depart SOC-42, so SOC-42's departure was also delayed, even up to seven hours. "Then we found reports of SOC-43 departure delays of up to 17 hours," he said.

Also read: Flights of Prospective Hajj Pilgrims Experience Delays in the First Week

The Director General of Hajj and Umrah Services at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Hilman Latief, stated that he will send a letter expressing disappointment and strong protest to Garuda Indonesia. The Ministry of Religious Affairs asks Garuda Indonesia to provide accommodation as the stay of SOC-43 pilgrims in the hajj dormitory has ended. The next group of pilgrims will also be entering the hajj dormitory.

”Flights are an integral part of the process of organizing the Hajj pilgrimage. Flight delays will impact other services. "We ask that Garuda Indonesia be professional, work according to the contracts and commitments that have been signed," he said.