The first batch of Haj pilgrims left the Haj House on Wednesday in buses towards the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) amid chants of the talbiya, a religious affirmation made on the way to the pilgrimage.
More than 40 flights will take around 8,000 pilgrims from Hyderabad embarkation point to the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims will then travel to Mecca to perform Haj rituals.
Ahead of the departure, men were draped in the ehraam (two pieces of white cloth covering the torso and the lower body), and women wore black or white burqas, even as they waited patiently to board the buses to the airport. The first flight carrying around 150 pilgrims left at 10.15 a.m.
With the Haj Camp 2023 commencing on June 5, the Haj House has been witnessing a heavy influx of pilgrims and their families from across Telangana. Pilgrims from districts arrived 48 hours before the departure of the flight, while those from the city arrived at least eight hours prior.
The pilgrims first checked in at the reception, handed over their passports and produced other documents such as health cards, COVID related papers, and payment details, among others. Those from the districts then moved to the fourth floor of the Haj House where accommodation was arranged for them.
On Wednesday, a stream of politicians, officers, and members of the Muslim clergy saw the pilgrims off. Flanked by Telangana State Haj Committee (TSHC) special officer B. Shafiullah and advisor to the Telangana government for Minorities Welfare A.K. Khan, TSHC chairman Mohammed Saleem urged pilgrims to focus on worship.
Mr. Saleem said that they should recite the talbiya, and underscored the importance of keeping passports on their person all the time, and take health precautions. He also said that the Telangana government departments have made arrangements to facilitate the smooth arrival and departure of pilgrims at Haj Camp and requested them to pray for the State and country. Mufti Khaleel Ahmed from Jamia Nizamia led the dua (supplication).
