President Koroma Congratulates Sierra Leone Pilgrims Sierra Leone pilgrims and nearly two million Muslims from various foreign countries and others from within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia converged on Mount Arafat, the peak of the annual Hajj rites last Monday, 14th October, 2013. They were attired in white robes symbolizing purity and equality before God. They climbed the rocky desert hill of Arafat, 12 miles outside Mecca to ask for forgiveness. Arafat is the holy place where Islams Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his farewell sermon. Sierra Leone pilgrims were heard chanting Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik , meaning, “Here I am answering Your call, O God. Helicopters hovered overhead and thousands of troops stood guard to organize roads flooded by men, women and children streaming towards Mount Arafat. In his sermon, Dr. Ahmed Ramadan Jalloh of the Hajj Mission explained about the importance of Arafat and called for unity and brotherhood among Sierra Leoneans. He also called on Sierra Leonean Muslims to adopt piety, inculcate the fear of God in their hearts, and comply with the commands of Allah and the teachings of the holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW). He said it is the duty of the religious scholars to command for good and stop the evil. He also reminded his audience about the fact that Allah has endowed man with reason and consciousness in order to differentiate between good and bad. He called on other countries in the Muslim world to put an end to sectarianism. He appealed to Muslims to remain united. He said success of Muslim Ummah lies in unity. In his 5 minutes sermon, Sheik Ahmed Tejan Sillah, Chief Imam of the Freetown Central Mosque also made the usual call for unity and piety among Muslims, reminding them about the significance of being God-conscious, adhering to monotheism and living a life cognizant of the Day of Judgment. The key note address was delivered by Hon. Alhaji Moijueh Kai Kai, head of the 2013 Hajj Mission to Saudi Arabia and Minister of Social Welfare, Children and Gender Affairs. M.S Kargbo, an Assistant to the President on Political Affairs in his brief speech, delivered a congratulatory message to over 900 pilgrims from Sierra Leone for successfully performing this year’s Hajj. Speakers were also drawn from the four regions of the country. The speakers prayed for the country and its leader, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. Speaker after speaker hailed the president for his relentless efforts in improving the Hajj since his Government took over the organization of the pilgrimage affairs in the country in 2010. Earlier, Sierra Leone’s Press Attaché to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji M.B. Jalloh gave a welcome address on behalf of Ambassador Wusu Munu, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador extra-ordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone Hajj officials say all the pilgrims completed the stoning exercise early Tuesday has so far gone off without incident. Pilgrims converge on Jamaraat to symbolically stone the wall representing the devil - the final stage of the annual hajj pilgrimage. The ritual, according to Islamic schorlars is an emulation of Prophet Ibrahims stoning of the devil when he appeared at three spots trying to dissuade the biblical patriarch from obeying Gods order to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. According to Sierra Leone Hajj officials, the exercise has so far gone off without incident.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:42:28 +0000
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