Madinah Munawarrah

     It is a widely common belief among Indian pilgrims that offering forty prayers in succession in the Masjid-e-Nabvi at Madinah has great rewards. Pilgrims spend eight days in Madinah before or after the Haj depending on when they arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   

        For Haj 2005, more than 22000 Indian pilgrims arrived for Haj via Madinah for the first time in the history of Haj. This year the number is bound to increase. These pilgrims reaching Madinah directly would come to Makkah after ziarat and exit after the Haj from Jeddah. All other Indian pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia before 18th of Zul Qada  will move to Madinah after 48 hours of their arrival  in Makkah. Otherwise, they will go to Madinah after the Haj. For pilgrims arriving close to the Haj, their Madinah movement is not done immediately after their arrival at Makkah. Rather they are sent to Madinah only after the Haj is over and, from Madinah, after spending 8 days, they are sent straight to the Jeddah Haj Terminal for departure to India and as many as 21000 pilgrims will fly back to India directly from Madinah. In case of pilgrims who have done the Madinah Ziarat before Haj, they will be in Makkah and after Haj they will be sent to Jeddah Haj Terminal from Makkah for the return journey to India.

       The Maktab will announce the time of arrival of buses at the building, but pilgrims need to be prepared for delays in the arrival of buses. Buses are some times delayed by several hours due to traffic movement restrictions. Staff who looks after Madinah Movement of pilgrims will try their best to ensure with the cooperation of pilgrims a smooth Madinah movement.  

         When the buses arrive pilgrims must supervise to ensure that their luggage is loaded on the same bus that they are travelling in and if they have to go to the toilet they  must do so before boarding the bus. In many cases, the buses stop midway between Makkah and Madinah after a 2-3 hour run.  

      When the bus approaches Madinah it halts at the Pilgrim Reception Centre (PRC) outside Madinah where pilgrims are checked by the PRC staff. The Consulate staff is also present to help pilgrims. The bus then goes to the house in Madinah where they will be accommodated. Normally, more than half a dozen contractors in Madinah are given contract for housing Indian pilgrims by the Haj Committee of India, and pilgrims will go to one of these contractors'  buildings. 

        In Madinah, there is only one category of accommodation, and all pilgrims have to be accommodated within 850 meters of the Haram Sharief. It is the pilgrim’s own luck if he is housed in buildings closer to Haram and/or in better buildings.  It is entirely possible that those in Category III in Makkah are located nearer the Haram in Madinah than those in Category I & II.  During January, weather in Madinah is likely to be quite cold and it is advisable for pilgrims to have some warm clothing.  

         In Madinah, pilgrims must be careful to note down and know the exact name, address and telephone number of their buildings. They should not leave  their luggage or some female members behind to take care of the luggage while they rush off to the Masjid-e-Nabvi for prayers. They must first ensure that they are accommodated in a room and  that their  luggage is in the room. Only then after getting the name and address of the building and  room number should they go for prayers to the Haram Sharief.  

         It is advisable to visually mark out the landmarks and routes of the Masjid-e-Nabvi and focus a little on the topography of Madinah. The Masjid-e-Nabvi has gates with names and numbers. Remembering the gate name or number for entry and exit might help against losing one’s way.  

        Since the accommodation in Madinah is hired on a cycle basis, the departure movement from the city at the designated time is necessary in order to make way for the next lot of incoming pilgrims. Delays will mean the next groups of pilgrims are being stranded for want of accommodation. Also, in cases of pilgrims departing from Madinah to the airport, delays will lead to the possibility of missing flights either at Jeddah or Madinah airport.  

       The Indian consultale office in Madinah sets up are four branch dispensaries along with branch offices and four branch offices in addition to the main hospital and the main office geared for 24hr service to Indian pilgrims. All the services provided by the Makkah offices are also provided here.