Iranian Student Umrah Pilgrims Attend Spiritual Gathering in Mecca

IQNA – A spiritual gathering for the first group of Iranian students taking part in Umrah pilgrimage was held at the Sanoud Al-Rayyan Hotel in Mecca on Saturday.

Hojat-ol-Islam Hadi Mohammadpour spoke at the event about the value and dignity of the Umrah journey.

He quoted Imam Sadiq (AS) as saying that the pilgrim to the House of Allah is the guest of God and remains as the guest of God until he returns to his home.

From the moment a person steps out of the house to go on Umrah pilgrimage until he returns home, thousands of blessings and favors are considered for each of his steps, he stated.

Emphasizing that youth is a valuable opportunity to participate in this spiritual journey, Hojat-ol-Islam Mohammadpour said it is a great blessing that God has granted you such success in your youth.

“You have the ability to take more steps on the path of service and benefit from these luminous moments; therefore, appreciate this success and make the most of it.”

He continued, “I hope that this knowledge will remain in our souls and that the souvenir of this journey will not be just memories and photos, but rather a change in our outlook and behavior.”

Next speaking was Alamul-Huda, the head of the mission, who mentioned some points about the status of pilgrims and the importance of gratitude for the success of being in the Land of Revelation.

“When we go to the party of a respected person, we prepare the best reception for him and treat him with respect. Now, if a servant testifies to the oneness and uniqueness of God for a lifetime, how will God treat him? Without a doubt, God’s grace and dignity towards such servants are beyond our imagination.”

He added, referring to the presence of students in Mecca, “Thank God that He has brought us to this holy land. We pray that this journey will be repeated for all those who are eager; for those who wish to come but have not been able to do so. On the other hand, we see that some people are in complete prosperity and have great wealth, but they are not able to visit even the shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in our own country, let alone Mecca and Medina. This means that pilgrimage is not achieved only with means; rather, it is God who issues the invitation.”

The gathering also included mourning rituals on the martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Zahra (SA).

It is worth noting that 122,000 Iranian university students and professors have registered for the 21st round of Umrah pilgrimage for academics.

Umrah is a Mustahab (recommended but not obligatory) pilgrimage to Mecca which Muslims can take at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj pilgrimage that is obligatory for every able-bodied and financially able Muslim once in their lifetime and can be performed only in the first days of the lunar Hijri month of Dhul Hajja.

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