Significance of Haj explained to women

Nagpur: The spiritual and serene journey to Haj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, will commence on August 9 and culminate on August 14 this year. Wrapped in white cloth, worshippers will embark on the five-day pilgrimage, considered one of the five pillars of Islam, to the holiest city for Muslims.
As per Islam, this pilgrimage is a mandatory religious duty that must be carried out once in a lifetime by every Muslim. Over three million Muslims from across the world will undertake this journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Considering a large number of women would also embark on this pilgrimage, the women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Nagpur West organized Haj guidance camp at Markaz-e-Islami hall on Wednesday. The programme threw light on the significance and necessity of this spiritual pilgrimage and how a Muslim must visit Haj to praise the Almighty and stand true to Islamic ethics.
Zeba Khan, Sajeda Parveen, Fauzia Tarannum and Azra Parveen spoke about the importance of Quran and offering Namaz during Haj. “This is a journey towards peace and happiness, one must take the journey to greet the god with pure heart and must follow all the rules and adhere to the tradition,’’ said Zeba Khan.
“Women pilgrims must do ‘Niyat’ which is a verbal spell before entering the boundaries of Saudi Arabia and make up their minds that they would not return without completing the Haj. There are a few things women must comply to such as not applying perfume, not combing hair, not plucking any flowers or hurting anybody,” said Fauzia Syed.
She further said that Muslims must not engage into any quarrel or fight, physically or verbally and must maintain peaceful environment during the Haj. “We are trying to explain this to all the women in the camp. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to visit Mecca Madina this year from the city,” she said.