By Dr Salim Parker I looked at the photo. It was a black and white one, looking faded as you would expect a fifty-year-old, frequently exposed to the elements polaroid to be. Yet, its texture was pristine, a tribute to the loving nature with which it had been handled and looked after. It was being shown to me by a fifty-three-year-old gentleman who had come to consult me for a […]
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 in a relatively empty Makkah cherishing every moment gifted to us to be near the Kaabah. Initially, we could complete […]
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 evident that she was quite ill. I saw her in this state before, more than a decade ago. Shivering from […]
With temperatures rising to some 45 degrees, hujjaj this year are said to have experienced a challenging haj. Dr Salim Parker, well known as South Africa’s hajj doctor, says that given the fact that hujjaj maintain a mind-set that allows them to tolerate the heat, most South African hujjaj remained unperturbed by the soaring desert temperatures, which ranged between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius. “The passion and the spiritual upliftment […]
By Yaseen Kippie In his hajj sermon from Masjid-e-Nimra on Thursday, Shaykh Dr Saad Bin Nasir Al-Shatari has urged the Muslim Ummah to forge unity in its ranks for addressing common challenges. The annual Arafah Khutbah was rendered today in the Makkan Province of Saudi Arabia. Approximately 2 million hujjaj were gathered for this leg of the Hajj, the pinnacle of the revered pilgrimage. Shaykh Shathri, a Saudi royal advisory […]
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.
