Cairo: For more than 25 years, veteran scout Abdul Wahed Khyat has been relentlessly engaged in public service camps aimed to serve pilgrims.
Now in his early 70s, Abdul Wahed is as enthusiastic as ever for pursuing the voluntary efforts through the Aziziyah camp in the Saudi city of Mecca, home to Islam’s holiest mosque.
He firmly believes that a scout can continue to serve others as long as he/she is alive.
What sets the veteran scout apart from his fellows is that he can speak in six languages, reported the Saudi news agency SPA.
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They are English, Hausa, Urdu, Indonesian, and Persian, in addition to his mother tongue, Arabic.
In his opinion, serving pilgrims fosters the spirit of community and cooperation, and consolidates the sense of responsibility. He argued that when the youth see older people undertaking this “honourable duty” of serving the pilgrims, they are inspired to deliver the service perfectly, seeking reward from God.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia is traditionally a season for volunteers to give a helping hand in offering services to the Muslims converging on the kingdom from across the globe to perform the obligatory Islamic duty.
As many as 4,930 male and female volunteers are set to get the chance to pool their efforts in assisting pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season.
Services include the distribution of water bottles, umbrellas protecting from the sun, guiding booklets, and meals to the pilgrims. Such initiatives aim to promote the culture of volunteerism as part of enhanced community partnership in the kingdom.
Saudi government and private sector agencies are joining hands for implementing plans to ensure that the faithful will perform the Hajj rites with ease and comfort in and around Mecca.
Over 1.5 million foreign Muslims have arrived in Saudi Arabia until Monday to perform the Hajj rites starting Friday, the Saudi General Directorate of Passports said. They included 1.4 million who arrived by air.
