Mecca - 2nd January 2007

Alhamdulillah, everyone has completed their Hajj safely and they are all now on their way to Jeddah for a nice rest at the Al Bilad Resort. They will relax in the beautiful green surroundings of the hotel which is also by the sea. We will be finalsing their departure arrangements to make it easier for their departure.

Mina – 28th December 2006-12-29

All our pilgrims have arrived in Mina safely. Alhamdulillah.

Since the last few days, our Imam, Brother Magied, has been giving lectures to the group to remind them of the importance of the rituals they will be going through over the next few days. Having rested in Aziziah, the group is now ready to perform all the important rituals of the Hajj beginning with their stay in Mina, the journey and stay in Arafah tomorrow (Friday in Saudi Arabia – Saturday here in Australia and New Zealand) and the rest of the trip.

Alhamdulillah, up to now, except for the occasional delays, everything has gone well and we pray that it will continue to go as smoothly for the rest of their journey. Ameen.

Mecca - 27th December 2006-12-27

As of yesterday evening, all our passengers have arrived safely at our building in Aziziah, which is just outside of Mecca. Alhamdulillah, everything has been proceeding fairly well and everyone is excited about the move to Mina tomorrow.

This year, the 9^th of Dzul Hijjah will be on Friday thus making this a Hajj Akbar. The Saudi authorities have 5 checkpoints on the Jeddah-Mecca road to ensure only registered pilgrims are allowed into Mecca.

All our passengers are fine and will move to Mina tomorrow morning at approximately 7 am.

As communications is not so easy and everyone will be busy, updates are not very easy to receive. But we will try to keep you posted with any important news.

Hajj Update Dec 9, 2006

We are pleased to inform you that after an overnight stay in Singapore, all our pilgrims prayed Fajr prayers together in the hotel and this was followed by a buffet breakfast. A full length briefing followed with the passengers being advised on matters relating to their safety, health, group movements and safety.

Arriving in Jeddah, clearance and travel time to Mecca took approximately 7 hours, which is fairly good. After checking in, the group was divided into smaller groups and went on to perform their umrah. Alhamdulillah, everyone is well and very happy to have arrived safely and completed their Umrah. Over the next few days, they will have plenty of time to perform their Ibadah at the Masjid al Haram. They will also be taken for a tour (Ziarah) to some of the more important places in Islamic history.

More updates and hopefully pictures will follow in the next few days.

Hajj Update Nov 28, 2006

IMPORTANT NOTICE – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Dear Pilgrim,
In these few days, you should be receiving your Passports with the Hajj visa stamped. Along with your passport, you will also find your air ticket and for some of you, your Bank drafts. Please do not tamper with the various stickers and bar code stickers that you will find on your passports. You will also find a little booklet for your medical records. For those of you who have a medical condition, please have this filled by your doctor.

Please remember to note the following points before your journey:

1. Please ensure you are early at the airport to check in for your flight (minimum of 3 hours). Your main luggage should be checked in straight through to Jeddah (Hajj Terminal). Please mark your luggage “Hajj Group”. Do not have your luggage sent to Singapore . Please also ask for your Singapore – Jeddah boarding card. Please ensure you have only a plastic/paper carrier bag with minimal items with you for your one night stopover in Singapore . In Singapore , you will be given an overnight/cabin bag with your Hajj kit. Don’t forget to keep your essential medication with you.
   
   
2. Due to increased security, all luggages will be checked in individually and any excess weight will have to be borne by the individual passenger. Don’t forget not to pack any sharp items such as knife, scissors etc in your hand luggage.
   
   
3. All men will put on your Ihram clothes we are providing to you, prior to departure from your hotel in Singapore (ladies will put on the Prayer top/ mukennah). There is no provision for checking in luggage in Singapore for the group . Only 1pc hand luggage i.e. the bag we are providing in Singapore , will be allowed to be carried on board. Please note this important point. Do not bring your own cabin bag.
   
   
4. As the weather in Medina is quite cool in the evenings, please remember to pack a light cardigan/jumper. We would also recommend you pack a light blanket/sleeping bag for use in Mina and Muzdalifah.
   
   
5. For your convenience, we list the telephone and fax numbers of the hotels where we will be staying. You may want to leave this numbers with members of your family.

At this point, we would also recommend that if you have not started on any walking exercises, you should start immediately. Do some walking exercises as performing Hajj requires quite a lot of walking. Make a checklist of things you want to bring and things you have to do. Most important, make sure you have enough supply of any prescription medicines you need and spare prescription spectacles.

If you have any particular medical condition, please try to have all relevant information with you in case you need any treatment whilst you are travelling. Please have the little Medical Record booklet we sent you filled bu your GP/Specialist.

We are pleased to inform you that details of your program are on our web-site. For the convenience of your family members, the contact numbers of the hotels you will be staying are also on our web-site. The address is www.duniana.com – Haj Pilgrims Contacts. We will try to post regular updates for the benefit of your families.

We look forward to seeing you in Singapore soon, Insha’Allah.

Yours in Islam,
Hjh Nadimah Abdat

Passport
Health / Vaccination Certificate
Bank Drafts
Airline Tickets
Cash/Travellers Cheques/Credit Cards/ATM Cards
Insurance Certificate (If you have taken Insurance)
Photocopy of your Passport (preferably colour copy – keep separately from your passport)
Prescription Medication
Spare prescription spectacles
Sunglasses
Cardigan/jumper
Light Blanket/Sleeping Bag
Koran / Hajj guide books etc.
Your house keys, mail arranged to be collected, grass cut and any other security precautions. On day
        of departure, don’t forget to check all gas, electricity and power are shut off, alarm (if any) is on, etc.etc.
A lot of ‘sabar’ – patience.