(MENAFN- Jordan Times) The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs on Wednesday said it would begin issuing some 7,000 permits to Jordanians to perform Hajj (the greater pilgrimage to Mecca) on Friday.
"We have asked Saudi Arabia to increase the number of permits given to Jordan and we are doing our best so more Jordanians can perform Hajj this year," Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Salam Abbadi said in a press conference.
"According to Saudi rules, for each million of the population, one thousand can perform Hajj. So in Jordan, we have permits for 7,000 as the population is around seven million, but the Saudi authorities promised to look into our request to increase the number of permits," he said.
Meanwhile, the minister called on Jordanians who have applied for Hajj and who are eligible to perform the pilgrimage to report to ministry-affiliated offices where they registered to receive their Hajj permits.
The centres across the Kingdom will be open from Friday until Tuesday from 8:30am until 7:00pm, the minister said.
Citizens born in 1945 or earlier are eligible for this year's Hajj, provided that they applied during the preliminary registration period and have not gone on the pilgrimage before.
The total number of Jordanians who applied to perform Hajj this year stands at about 27,253.
Those who receive Hajj permits will be given a guide to the companies the ministry has licensed to provide Hajj services this year, Abbadi said.
In addition, pilgrims will be given a booklet of numbers they can call in case of emergencies or to file complaints about service while performing Hajj, as well as other materials about healthy habits during Hajj and how to perform the ritual.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and the religious high point of a Muslim's life. Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year; Hajj, however, is performed during a five-day period from the ninth through the 13th day of Dhu Al Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
This year, the pilgrimage will take place in October.
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