Joint Meeting Members of Assembly of Experts and Supreme Leader's Representative in Hajj Held in Holy City of Qom

According to the Hajj Information Base, Hojjat al-Islam Navvab delivered a speech at the beginning of this meeting, which was attended by 30 members of Assembly of Experts,  on aim of explaining the status of this year's Hajj and also using the opinions and views of those present. 

The head of the Iranian pilgrims explained the situation of this year's Hajj, which was named by the supreme leader of the revolution as "Hajj Bara'at", and said, "This year's Hajj had special conditions in terms of various security and executive restrictions due to oppressive sanctions and was unique as compared to previous years. 

The head of the Iranian Hajj pilgrims pointed out the application of some security and psychological restrictions towards the high Iranian Hajj officials in Saudi Arabia, and said, "The presence of numerous security forces alongside the Iranian officials and the filming of all the traffic, while it is far from the etiquette of hosting, has created a special psychological atmosphere. 

Grand Celebration of Disavowal of Pagans Held in Inclusive Manner

He pointed to the magnificent holding of the Hajj ceremony, including the ceremony of disavowal of pagans, and said, "Despite some restrictions for Iranian tents, such as installing a camera in the tent of the Supreme Leader's delegation, the ceremony of disavowal of pagans, which was the demand of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and many pilgrims, was held magnificently. "This year, for the first time, this ceremony was officially held at the same time as the main tent of the Supreme Leader's mission in other Iranian Shia and Sunni pilgrim tents, which was welcomed and appreciated by the pilgrims.

Hojjat al-Islam Navvab further pointed to the successes of this year's Hajj, and said, "Despite the heat of more than fifty degrees, which caused the death of more than a thousand pilgrims from other countries, with pre-travel measures and plans and full preparation and the use of appropriate equipment, this problem for Iranian pilgrims were reduced to a minimum and only 6 Iranian pilgrims died on the day of Eid al-Adha.

Regular Holding of Presidential Elections for Iranian Pilgrims

The representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs added: "In this year's Hajj, we witnessed one of the most important events of the Hajj after the revolution, and it coincided with the holding of the presidential elections. Despite the fact that the host country had explicitly stated its opposition to holding these elections for Iranian pilgrims, but with the necessary interactions and discussions and consultations that were comprehensively carried out by the mission of the Supreme Leader and the diplomatic apparatus, fortunately, the political task of holding the presidential election was carried out. The Republic was organized in this country in a very regular manner."

"In this year's Hajj, we saw a 50% increase in Ans and Ma'raft meetings, various programs of the Qur'an reciters group, the activities of the Internet Radio of Manasak, the holding of meetings of elites, as well as various meetings and conferences of Sunni pilgrims," he added.

The representative of the Supreme Leader in matters of Hajj and Pilgrimage pointed to the beginning of Umrah trips from 28 Shahrivar, and said: "Umrah trips were closed for almost ten years, which prevented a large number of our compatriots from visiting the House of God. With the follow-up of our martyred president and foreign minister, these trips were concluded again, and we hope that with the creation of suitable conditions by the host country, a large number of people will be able to visit the land of revelation. Also, student and university caravans will be honored."

He considered the reduction of service providers to the pilgrims as one of the concerns of the recent years, and said: "With the measures taken, including the use of "volunteer pilgrims", we were able to increase the number of pilgrims to nine hundred people, which despite some difficulties for the service providers, the success of Tasharaf for a larger number was materialized." 

Hojjat al-Islam Navvab pointed out the magnificent Arbaeen ceremony, and said: "As the officials of Hajj and Pilgrimage, along with the huge flood of pilgrims, we had various meetings with the custodians of holy honors and the officials of pilgrimage affairs in Iraq, and good proposals and business interactions between the two countries of Iran and Iraq were achieved."

At the end, he announced his readiness to hold joint meetings of the delegation of the Supreme Leader and the members of the Assembly of Experts to improve the level of Hajj and pilgrimage affairs.

Ayatollah Hosseini Bushehri: We Must Have New Look at Spiritual, Philosophical and International Dimensions

In this meeting, Ayatollah Hosseini Bushehri, the vice-chairman of the Assembly of Experts, expressed the importance and dimensions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, and said: "This importance exists in various ways. First of all, these trips have very high spiritual effects for the pilgrims, and it is equally a great opportunity for the clergy of the caravans to turn this trip into an educational, pilgrimage and knowledge camp, so that after returning to their homeland, the light and effect of this spiritual trip will be on others."

He considered the second dimension of pilgrimage trips to be familiar with the rituals and philosophy of Hajj, and said, "In the past, pilgrims were worshipful, but now many pilgrims seek to understand the philosophy of rituals, secrets and worship, and they have also referred to the delegation of the Supreme Leader and requested that the level of discussions Hajj should be promoted and the issues and requirements of the day and the society should be addressed."

Ayatollah Hosseini Bushehri added: "The third important aspect of Hajj and Arbaeen pilgrimage is its international capacity. Because the representatives of different countries of the world participate in this world congress and despite the restrictions created by Saudi Arabia, we can use this opportunity for empathy and solidarity of the Muslims of the world to unite the Muslims of the world and strengthen Islamic foundations."

The Deputy Head of the Iranian Pilgrims House of God further pointed to the imposition of some restrictions and the issuing of notices by the host country of the pilgrims, and said: "We should not take a passive stance towards such actions and it is necessary for the diplomatic system to explain our expectations well in its negotiations and be able to Defend the rights of pilgrims."

In the continuation of this meeting, several representatives of the Assembly of Experts present in the meeting explained their views on holding the Hajj and Arbaeen ceremonies.

The main points of views and suggestions are as follows:

Hajj is a religious and political event and it is necessary for the diplomatic apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be actively present along with the delegation of the Supreme Leader to hold this event magnificently.

The administrative affairs of Hajj have been greatly improved in the years after the revolution, but it should also have a spiritual and content improvement. This issue can be done using today's tools, including social networks and mobile phone software.

It is necessary to pay attention to the elite sector in order to attract clerics and caravan managers, and executive and cultural servants should be selected from among the elite society.

It is appropriate to send some specialized and elite caravans, such as academicians, for Arbaeen. This pattern has already been experienced in Umrah trips, which has been very useful and effective.
It is suggested to use the Hajj capacity of other countries of the Islamic world. The delegation of the Supreme Leader should interact and communicate with the Hajj delegations of different countries, and by holding an international conference, a general charter on the rights of pilgrims should be prepared.

Establishing a continuous communication network between the mission of the Supreme Leader and the pilgrims can create a great circle of knowledge in the country and creates a great opportunity to transfer religious concepts.

Before going to Hajj and Umrah, it is necessary for the pilgrims to be aware of the doubts raised and receive the answers to these doubts in order to minimize the possibility of any influence on some issues raised in matters of belief and knowledge.

It seems that in order for the Arbaeen trip not to turn into a marching program, the pilgrimage on the Arbaeen day should be taken into consideration. It has also been observed that due to the fatigue of some pilgrims, they neglect the duty of prayer in the processions. It is necessary for the mission of the Supreme Leader to take more measures to increase knowledge during the Arbaeen trip.

Personal observations and different people show that cultural activities during the Arbaeen pilgrimage are very weak and the budget required for these programs is also very small.

Unfortunately, the human dignity of pilgrims has been violated by the host country. Under the pretext of maintaining order, the Saudi government has made it very difficult to visit Masjid al-Nabi and Masjid al-Haram. It is necessary to raise these problems in negotiations with the host party.

We must look at the affairs of Hajj and pilgrimage with a civilizational and global perspective. To achieve this goal, we can use the support of seminary and university elites. Also, seminary and university researches should be used in managerial, spiritual, economic, media, etc., and scientific interactions should take place with various research institutes.