Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. All 2,100 Sierra Leonean pilgrims, including 100 beneficiaries of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guest Program for Hajj, have safely returned to Makkah after completing their Hajj rituals at Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina.
On Thursday, June 5, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Mohammed S. Barrie, and Deputy Ambassador Alhaji Abdul Aziz Turay joined the pilgrims at Mount Arafat to offer special prayers for the government and people of Sierra Leone.
During their time in Makkah, the Sierra Leonean pilgrims will participate in the “Tawaf al-Ifadha,” which involves circumambulating the Kaaba seven times and performing two rakats of prayer behind Maqam Ibrahim.
This will be followed by Sa’i, a ritual that commemorates the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, Hajer, who searched for water for her infant son, Prophet Ismail (AS). These acts embody the values of patience, hope, and faith in Allah.
Once they complete Sa’i, the pilgrims will have fulfilled the four main pillars of Hajj. The 100 beneficiaries of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guest Program will travel to Madinah on Monday, June 9, 2025, for “Ziyarah,” following the Farewell Tawaf (Tawaf al-Wada), a mandatory farewell to the holy city and the House of Allah (SWT).
According to sources from the Presidential Hajj Taskforce, a total of 2,000 rams will be sacrificed on Monday as “Tamattu” for all pilgrims participating in this year’s Hajj.
Dr. Alhaji Chernor Ibrahim Bah (Dokal), a member of the Presidential Hajj Task Force responsible for rituals, stated that the sacrificial lamb is obligatory for every pilgrim who performed Umrah before Hajj, known as “Tamattu.” The scholarship covers this sacrificial requirement for the 100 beneficiaries of the Royal scholarship.
The 100 beneficiaries are expected to depart for Freetown on June 12, 2025, via Saudi Airlines. Meanwhile, the 600 home-based Sierra Leonean Hajj pilgrims will fly from Jeddah to Freetown in two batches: the first batch of 300 on June 24 and the second batch of 300 on June 25. Pilgrims from the diaspora will return to their destinations on various dates starting June 11, 2025.
A total of 1,673,230 pilgrims from around the world are participating in the 1446/2025 Hajj in Makkah, with 877,841 male pilgrims and 795,389 female pilgrims, according to official figures. Saudi authorities reported that the movement of pilgrims to Arafat proceeded smoothly, with efficient traffic flow and operational plans fully implemented.
Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is a religious obligation for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey. This year’s pilgrimage runs from June 4 to June 9.
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