NAHCON, Ithraa Al Khair Tawafa unite on better services for pilgrims
THE Chairman of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria ( NAHCON), Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, signed Hajj 2024 agreement with Ithraa Al Khair Company on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the Hilton Convention Hotel, Jabal Umar, Makkah.
This agreement contains details of service delivery expected from the group and the cost of each service along with penalties in case of violation by any party.
Signing of this agreement followed careful survey of packages offered by other Mutawwif companies that met with the NAHCON team and others during the justconcluded Hajj and Umrah exhibition.
During the signing of the agreement alongside the Chairman of the Ithraa Mutawwif Company, Dr Ahmad Sindhi, NAHCON head cautioned officials of the company to discharge their responsibilities to the pilgrims with all sincerity as contained in the pact. He emphasized that NAHCON will be involved fully in monitoring service provision from implementation of agreement to the end of execution. The NAHCON helmsman expressed that this is time to start the relationship afresh between NAHCON and
the Mutawwif Company, on fresh terms built on trust. He called on Dr Sindhi to make sure the errors that happened in the past do not happen again.
In response, Dr Sindhi promised to continue with an open line of communication to fix any problem immediately before it escalated. He assured of the company’s readiness for teamwork with the singular objective of serving pilgrims well. In addition, Dr Sindhi explained that working with NAHCON along the years has made them to always aspire to improve upon their service delivery.
Tawafa establishments are a key part of the modern Hajj
operations. Beginning from time immemorial, Mutawwif job used to be a hereditary responsibility to pilgrims at a time when pilgrims used to stay in Makkah for months before commencement of Hajj proper. Particular Makkan families were known for this role generation after generation. Back then, the Mutawwif hosts would manage their pilgrims’ affairs from time of arrival until departure. The families would quartered the pilgrims in their homes, cooked for them, washed their clothes, celebrated them among family and friends and made them part of their special occasions. Each
Mutawwif was assigned certain number of pilgrims based on ability from a 100 to thousands where there is capability.
When it was time for Hajj rituals, the Mutawwifs would take their pilgrims to the holy sites to perform their rites. Their job was purely service to pilgrims free of charge.
King Abdullaziz standardized the system into Mutawwif Establishments that provide good quality services to pilgrims. These establishments were later appointed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to guide and serve pilgrims.