Tourism – Hajj and Umrah

Hajj biometric system back online

The South African Haj Umrah and Council has confirmed that the biometric recording system for hujjaaj is once again online. This after the retina and fingerprint verification process was halted when VFS TasHeel confirmed that it went offline this week. Hujjaaj are required to undergo the biometric verification prior to

Biometric verification comes into effect for Hajj 2018

Prospective hujjaj traveling to the holy lands for hajj this August will be required to conduct biometric verification in order to be issued a visa to Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Hajj in the Kingdom has commissioned VFS TasHeel to conduct the biometrics, with offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

Serving and being served

For more Hajj Stories visit www.hajjdoctor.co.za ‘HOW I wish I could be served as the lord of the manor!’ he smirked. The two of us were sitting at breakfast in our hotel in Makkah. Hajj was to commence in about two weeks. We had already spent more than a week

Visitors throng Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah

The General Directorate for the Affairs of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque, is carrying on with plans during the month of Ramadan to serve visitors, the Saudi Press Agency has said. The directorate has prepared the mosque to accommodate worshipers at the time of prayers, in addition to monitoring

Special forces ensure pilgrims’ safety

The emergency security plan launched by the special security forces at the Grand Mosque during a light rainfall on Tuesday was successful as it helped prevent stampedes and other accidents, said Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Osaimi, commander of special forces. “We controlled the flow of pilgrims toward the circumambulation area around

Mataf in Makkah to be reserved for Ramadan umrah pilgrims

With the blessed month of Ramdan just more than a week away, Saudi Arabian authorities have announced that the Mataf in the Haram in Makkah will be reserved for Umrah pilgrims. Saudi Gazette reports the directives was issued by the Emir of Makkah, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the

Cave of Hira closed to pilgrims

In a move that has disappointed pilgrims wanting to experience iconic sites in Islam’s history, Saudi Arabia has barred access to the Cave of Hira, the place where the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) received the first revelation of the Qur’an. Secretary of the South African Muslim Travel Association and a local

Living Life’s Lesson

Hajj Stories is a monthly series written by Dr Salim Parker. More stories at hajjdoctor.co.za THE doors of our medical practice in Cape Town were already closed when she arrived. In fact, we were exiting the premises when her father pulled up. ‘She is not well,’ he said. It was

SAHUC’s WP roadshow kicks-off on May 11

With Hajj 1439/2018 approaching, the South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) has invited accredited prospective hujjaaj to an awareness roadshow in preparation for the auspicious journey. The Cape Town leg of the roadshow is scheduled to kick-off at 18h30 at Belgravia Secondary School on May 11, 2018. The road

VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.

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