"I have communicated with Mr. President, expecting him to allocate time to send off the first batch of our Hajj pilgrims on May 2, 2025," he told reporters after attending a national dissemination on Hajj rituals at the East Jakarta Hajj Dormitory on Saturday.
Umar noted that President Prabowo has underscored the importance of providing top-quality and equitable services for all Indonesian pilgrims this year.
"The President has warned Hajj organizers not to leave any pilgrims unattended, and we have been doing our best to meet this expectation, including by partnering with the media to provide the public with the most comprehensive information possible," he said.
Expounding on the government's preparations, the minister outlined the planned implementation of the murur and tanazul schemes for the upcoming Hajj season.
He explained that murur is a Hajj flow system that allows pilgrims to travel from Arafah to Mina via Muzdalifah without stopping or staying at any sites in between.
First implemented for elderly pilgrims and those with disabilities during last year’s Hajj, the scheme has proven effective in supporting quicker pilgrim movement, he noted.
“Meanwhile, tanazul refers to a scheme that eliminates the requirement for pilgrims to stay in tents in Mina, allowing them to instead spend the night in hotels,” he added.
Umar emphasized that this scheme is just as important, given that the distance from ritual sites to hotels is shorter than that from designated tents.
He also encouraged prospective pilgrims to focus solely on performing the pilgrimage and keep track of information released by the Indonesian Hajj Organizing Agency (BPH).
He then reminded Indonesian Muslims that the Prophet Muhammad performed the Hajj pilgrimage only once in his lifetime.
“Prophet Muhammad performed Hajj only once, although he participated in multiple Umrah rituals. Therefore, there is no need to be overly ambitious about performing Hajj multiple times,” he said.
“Let us instead open avenues for fellow citizens to experience the pilgrimage,” he added.
Related news: Indonesia to implement two special schemes for 2025 Hajj pilgrimage
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Translator: Lintang B, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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