By Abu Iram Mehreen
JEDDAH — Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi Academy plans to distribute about 125,000 souvenirs to Haj pilgrims this year in Makkah, Madinah and the other holy sites.
The Jeddah-based academy will distribute the souvenirs including stickers containing verses from the Holy Qur’an, decoration pieces and copies of the Holy Qur’an and other religious literature, said Bahjat Ayub Najmi, renowned social activist and founding president of the academy.
Najmi said the academy volunteers will commence this year’s operation from Madina next week. The operation in the Prophet’s City will continue for two weeks.
Soon after the volunteers will move to Aziziya District on the outskirts of Makkah, where most of the pilgrims will be housed, to distribute the souvenirs.
The academy volunteers will also disseminate information about the basic rules and etiquette of correctly performing their pilgrimage following all the rituals.
Besides distributing souvenirs, Najmi, his wife Umm Fakeha Zinjani and son Fahad, and volunteers have been offering all sorts of assistance to the pilgrims. They have been rendering this selfless service for over a decade and a half every year.
Najmi said their services are not restricted to pilgrims of any particular nationality. “All pilgrims are our brothers and the basic Haj theme is the universal brotherhood of Muslims,” he said.
The academy has been helping both Umrah and Haj pilgrims all through the year. During the last days of Ramadan, the academy distributed Eid packets containing flour, rice, oil, sugar, vermicelli, nuts and other items to needy families in Jeddah, according to Najmi.
Maulana Hifzur Rehman was a famous Islamic writer and noted Muslim personality of India. He has to his credit several books including Qasas Al-Quran, his magnum opus.
He spent about eight years in jail during India’s freedom struggle. Maulana Hifzur Rahman, a champion of the downtrodden and an unequivocal proponent of the causes of Indian Muslims, was a member of the first Constituent Assembly of India and served the nation as a member of parliament from Amroha in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh from 1952 to 1962.
Posted by: Syed Mussarat Khalil
