MINA: A number of pilgrims who came from Iran, as well as from outside Iran, to perform Haj praised the efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia, led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, to provide all the needed services to the pilgrims to ensure that their Haj journey is a complete success.
In remarks made to the Saudi Press Agency, several of them refuted the Iranian regime’s accusation that Saudi Arabia is unable to run Haj, citing its long history of managing the sometimes more than four million pilgrims in a very limited area.
Abdul Salam Mohammed Ali, who said he was performing Haj for the 10th time, said that every time he realizes a big difference in services, which become better and cater to the complete comfort of pilgrims.
Ali Naderi, an Iranian who came from the United States, said such giant projects that are used for only five days a year are evidence of the Saudi authorities’ hard work to please the guests of Allah.
Ziauddin Sadr Al-Ashrafi, from the Iranian province of Azerbaijan and member of the Iranian Federal Council from the Ahwaz Solidarity Party, is performing Haj for the first time. He said the efforts to serve pilgrims from all over the world are the best response to those who claim otherwise.
Nasser Al-Balochi, member of the Balochi People’s Party, is also performing the pilgrimage for the first time. He expressed admiration for the great projects in place to serve pilgrims.
He said that pleasing more than a billion Muslims from all over the world is the fitting response to the false accusations by the Iranian regime, and that no country in the world is able to administer nearly four million pilgrims in a small area within a limited time like Saudi Arabia. He said that the Iranian regime’s accusations that Saudi Arabia is unable to run Haj is intended to divert the Iranians’ attention from the economic and social problems they are facing, adding that the system of spiritual leader followed in Iran is contrary to Islam.
Jamal Pour Karim, a Kurdish journalist and political activist, said from the first time he set foot in Saudi Arabia he felt that it had spared no effort to provide world-class services to pilgrims.
He said that the regime in Iran only wishes to distract people’s attention from their dire economic situation, adding that the regime is about to fall due to the people’s outrage.
Iranian pilgrims grateful for excellent Haj services
Iranian pilgrims grateful for excellent Haj services
Families in Taif embrace Ramadan customs early
TAIF: Residents of Taif are engaging in early preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, upholding deeply rooted customs that blend religious devotion with social tradition.
Families are meticulously organizing their homes and stocking up on supplies in anticipation of the communal meals and gatherings that define the month’s spirit of kinship, the Saudi Press Agency reports.
The city’s neighborhoods have taken on a festive character, adorned with traditional lanterns, crescent-shaped lights and star-shaped illuminations.
Historian Dhaifallah Al-Radwani said that these preparations — primarily led by women and children — include the use of traditional fabrics, incense burners and henna.
These rituals serve as a vital link to Saudi cultural heritage, ensuring that authentic community values and aesthetic traditions are passed down to new generations.
On Sunday, the last quarter moon of Shaban was visible across the Kingdom. Half of the moon was illuminated, while the other half remained in shadow, completing roughly three-quarters of its orbit around the Earth.
The last quarter moon draws the attention of amateur astronomers and astrophotographers, offering an ideal angle to observe surface features such as craters, volcanic plains and mountains, with shadows along the terminator enhancing their detail.
Jeddah Astronomy Society Director Majed Abu Zahra said that the last quarter moon marks a key transitional phase. Its visible light gradually decreases, becoming a waning crescent before sunrise, until the new moon on Feb. 17 signals the upcoming sighting of Ramadan’s crescent.
