KARACHI: More than 83,000 Pakistanis prayed at Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia as the annual Hajj reached apex on Friday. Among them were some celebrities such as former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, popular singer Abrar-ul-Haq, TV anchor Waseem Badami, politician Sharmila Faruqui, and actors Saud Qasmi and Javeria Saud.
Saudi Arabia this year allowed up to one million pilgrims to perform Hajj, lifting coronavirus restrictions after two years. The pilgrims had to be under the age of 65 and vaccinated against coronavirus.
Following the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Muslims from all over the world gathered at the mountain of Arafat before dawn to worship there until nightfall.
Akhtar, a fiery bowler whose express pace earned him the 'Rawalpindi Express' nickname, has been regularly uploading videos on his Instagram page, while Saud, Badami, Haq and Faruqui have also been keeping their fans abreast with their spiritual journey via their social media handles.
SHOAIB AKHTAR
Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar announced a week ago that he was going for Honourary Hajj as a state guest of Saudi Arabia. “I will also be addressing the Hajj Conference attended by leaders of the Muslim world in Makkah,” he informed.
Akhtar represented Pakistan at the Grand Hajj Symposium 2022. The former cricketer has been sharing his journey with fans on Instagram.
ABRAR-UL-HAQ
Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq took to Twitter on July 6 and shared that he was set to perform Hajj this year as a state guest too.
“Pray for my safe journey and that my prayers are answered,” he said, in a video clip shared on Twitter.
“Forgive me if I ever hurt you and assure you that I forgive anyone who has ever hurt me. I pray that our country prospers; I will pray for Muslims, for Pakistanis and above all, for humanity. Do remember me in your prayers.”
However, the singer has since not shared any more details from his journey.
SHARMILA FARUQUI
Currently in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, Sharmila Faruqui, a lawmaker from Pakistan's Sindh province, has been updating fans on her spiritual journey through Instagram.
“Hajj Mubarak from Masjid e Nimr. May Allah accept our prayers and forgive our sins. Ameen,” Faruqui wrote, sharing a picture of herself on Instagram.
WASEEM BADAMI
Pictured in an ihram, Pakistani TV host Waseem Badami announced his journey to perform Hajj three days ago.
“It holds a special significance this time as the number is the highest as opposed to the last two years, though it is 40 percent less than the usual number,” he said, in a video clip on his Instagram handle.
SAUD QASMI AND JAVERIA SAUD
Grateful to be chosen for Hajj, Pakistani celebrity couple Saud Qasmi and his wife, Javeria Saud, have been sharing pictures as well as videos of their journey on their social media handles.
On Friday, Saud posted a picture of herself along with her husband, wishing, “Hajj e Akbar Mubarak” to her Instagram family.
