Hojjat al-Islam Navvab:
Hajj programs were held well and there was’t any special problem

Stating that fortunately, this year, pilgrimage of Kaaba and Two Holy Mosque became possible for the pilgrims and enthusiasts who had been waiting for years considering the decrease in the spread of Corona, Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs added: In order to implement the recommendations of Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution at the meeting with the Hajj agents in Iran, planning has been done and some of them have been done in a way that was unprecedented in the history of Hajj, and some of them should be done in the coming years.

As reported by Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Information Base, Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Abdolfattah Navvab who answered the questions of reporters at a press conference in Medina on Sunday (Mordad 2), Stating that Supreme Leader’s Quranic recommendations were put into practice, he said: joint Quranic meetings were held with pilgrims from some countries, Quranic programs were carried out in Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabi in large numbers, and reciters attended Quranic circles and finished Quran in hotels.

Some cases such as participation in congregational prayers in mosques around the hotels, which have been done since previous years, due to the capacity of the mosques located near the hotels, were done with the coordination of the caravans’ clergy and interested pilgrims, he said.

Head of the Iranian pilgrims considered the realization of another guideline of Supreme Leader regarding avoiding shopping around the market possible due to the coordination of general policies of the system and said: by setting up large and digital stores in the country, pilgrims can make their purchases. In this case, currency will not be taken out of the country and the pilgrim will devote his time to pilgrimage and worship in the land of revelation.

Answering to a question about the behavior of Saudi agents in different places with Iranian pilgrims, he said: Saudi Arabia is seeking to attract a large number of tourists in a new movement, and it also mentions the Hajj and Umrah programs as religious tourism, so their agents' interactions should be more appropriate. Of course, there is a long way to preserve the dignity of pilgrims and even now, pilgrims are sometimes not treated well and politely, but overall it has improved compared to the past.

Pointing to the implementation of cultural programs and religious circles in hotels and caravans, Hojjat al-Islam Navvab said: these programs had increased by a good percentage compared to previous years, but we should not be satisfied with our work because whenever a person is satisfied with his work, his movement and progress will be blocked.

Pointing out that the number of circles and meetings which were held was better and more than the previous years, he said: this year, three meetings were held with intellectuals but more meetings for the intellectuals and pilgrims in general should be held in the coming years.

In response to a question about the presence of pilgrims in Masjid al-Nabi, Masjid al-Haram and Arafat and Mena, Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs stated: status of Masjid al-Haram were such that pilgrims were not free to use the space of this mosque as in the past, although people could be present in the courtyard of Masjid al-Haram at night, but this It was possible for pilgrims to be present in Masjid al-Haram after some obstacles and benefit from its blessings.

Further, responding to a question, he expressed hope that Umrah trips will be started and added: the movement of two countries people is a desire that the managers of both sides must take action for fulfilling it. A large number of Shiites in Saudi Arabia are inclined to visit Imam Reza (a.s.) and Iranian pilgrims also request to visit the Two Holy Mosque .

In evaluating this year's Hajj, head of Iranian Hajj said: every year hajj has its own issues. One year, Mena disaster and the incident of Masjid al-Haram occur. One year, the case of the bloody Hajj takes place. This year, despite the fact that foreign pilgrims did not visit the Land of Revelation for two years due to Corona, the programs were well organized and there weren’t any special problems.

Stating that this year's Hajj had few problems, he added: Pilgrims are upset about the increase in the price of Hajj, even though the Islamic Republic of Iran managed it and the pilgrim paid only a part of the additional costs. Of course, Hajj will definitely become more expensive in the coming years, and the increase caused by the Hajj authorities in Saudi Arabia, is unacceptable for pilgrims.

About 40% was added to the Hajj expenses at once, in the event that it was possible to cover these expenses through other methods and Saudi Arabia would serve the pilgrims, he said.

Stating that during these days, the pilgrims' concerns about the corona situation were slowly resolved and the situation became normal, Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs said: during the visit to the hotels, pilgrims were concerned that people would not be able to attend the Hajj ceremony in the future because the Hajj is getting more expensive year by year and the people who were able going to hajj, were denied this trip.

Pointing out that before his visit to the land of revelation and after his trip to Mecca and Medina, he was in the process of providing services to pilgrims in person and by receiving reports, stated: surveys conducted show that Pilgrims satisfaction have increased compared to before. There were also cases that the pilgrim objected to the services that has received because the service was imposed on him without the knowledge of the pilgrim and his needs.

He further considered the talks and interactions with the delegations of other countries to be effective in transferring experiences.

Referring to the investment in the educational and research departments of Hajj, head of the Iranian pilgrims said: considering that the experience of Islamic Iran is more, there is something to be said in these meetings and they use it more.

Describing interactions of Iranian pilgrims with other countries pilgrims in line with the spirit of Iranians to establish communication with others and referring to examples of communication during the Arbaeen ceremony between Iranian and Iraqi families, he said: in the programs, the pilgrims who are familiar with a foreign language communicate and the rest, convey a part of their intellectual content with sign language, and in general, Iranians are good in establishing communication. Of course, the host government does not so care that the pilgrims of the countries talk to each other.

In response to a question about the possibility of providing services to Shia pilgrims from other countries, including Afghanistan, Hojjat al-Islam Navvab said: we do not make decisions for any country, but welcome any country that help to the Hajj plans for its pilgrims and we will provide services for them.

In another part of this conversation, referring to Saudi Arabia’s new view on religious tourism, he said restoration of some historical works is possible and that measures have been started in relation to the restoration of Ghazwa and Khandaq mosques and also some wells and parks.

Regarding the measures taken to change the situation and atmosphere of the Arafat desert, he said: we do not interfere in such decisions of the host country. Of course, we welcome the relative comfort for pilgrims in Arafat, but to the extent that the pilgrim does not feel he has gone to a park, but is in a space and a place where he wants to communicate with his God.

About the shortening of Hajj trip, he also said: several parameters including the number of pilgrims in each province, existence of flight stations in different provinces, decisions of the host country for the flight of planes, the number and type of airplanes available in the country are effective in planning the departure and return of pilgrims and these issues cause some changes planning.

Stating that the average duration of this year's Hajj was 28 days and for some pilgrims this period was 26 days and for some it was 32 days, he added: it was emphasized to plan for the next year in such a way that the maximum changes in travel time would be two days.

Hotels in Mecca are rented seasonally and increase in the length of trip does not make a difference in the cost of accommodation, but the period of food consumption for pilgrims has varied from 26 to 32 days, which should be included in the final summary, Hojjat al-Islam Navvab said.

Pointing out that the planning for this year's Hajj was done before the Supreme Leader's recommendation, he said: I have asked the executive and cultural authorities to provide a solution for realization of His Majesty's recommendation on reducing travel duration.

Enumerating some problems due to the late announcement of Hajj, Supreme Leader’s representative in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs stated: by using the experienced forces of Hajj and Pilgrimage and proper planning , efforts were made the plans of pilgrims were not harm.

At the end, pointing out that all Islamic countries should consult for better Hajj planning, he said: we expect the host country consult with other countries on some decisions making.

Although Iran currently does not has an embassy or consulate in Saudi Arabia and we were not present in Umrah, but with the efforts of the Hajj servants and the interaction of pilgrims, we have been one of the successful countries on this year’s Hajj.