Safety Tips During Hajj
To make sure that you don’t face any inconvenience during Hajj 2017, take into consideration the following safety tips.
Keep Connected with Friends and family
The very first safety tip for Hajj is to stay connected with your near ones. To ensure connectivity with your friends and family members back home, it is advised to bring along an unlocked cellular phone with you. It should be a very basic phone so you don’t worry about losing it. You can easily buy a SIM card from Makkah or Madinah which is going to cost you around 100 Riyals. This can be very useful in emergency situations or if someone from your home town wants to contact you.
Make sure that you take your description medicines along with you
Albeit, pharmacies in Makkah and Madinah are easily available but at times, you might not be able to find the exact medicine you have been prescribed by the physician. Hence, to avoid any sort of inconvenience, make sure that you keep all the prescribed medicines along with you. This is also one of the most important safety tips for Hajj.
Make an Identity card for yourself
During the Hajj you will not have access to your passport. In case of emergency, for the purpose of identification you should have an Identity card or something of similar sort with you, at all times.
This Identity card will help you out in unforeseen events such as:
- In case you faint, get a heart stroke or fall unconscious.
- In case you are unable to locate your hotel or got lost.
- In case you get dragged away from the assigned group.
The very common reason why people get lost is when they get off the bus in Makkah, they are lead to Haram straight away to perform Umrah. Once they are done, they forget where they forget the way back to their hotel.
Don’t worry! Easy ways to overcome such situations (during Hajj) are stated under:
- Get the business card of the hotel as soon as you get there. Make sure that you take more than one card.
- On a paper, write down your complete name, passport number, your contact information in Makkah, Madinah, and United States, plus your cluster head’s contact information. Keep this with you all the time. You can either wear it around your neck, or tape it on your chest. Keeping in pocket is not always the safest option.
Keep your eyes and ears open
The most important safety tip for Hajj is to Stay Alert! Watch out for the pickpockets. Numerous cases have been reported for pick-pocketing in Makkah, especially in the Tawaf area. Ensure that keep your money in places where not everyone can reach easily.
Even the hotels are not completely secure. At times, the cleaning staff members steal your belongings. You can buy a portable safe which will cost your around 35USD. You need to stay watchful in Mina tent as well to ensure that you remain safe during Hajj.
Better to Tawaf of the second floor
Another of the safety tips for Hajj is to perform Tawaf on the second floor. It takes longer to complete Tawaf on the second floor, but if you are with your family and are severely concerned about security, it is suggested to you to opt for the second floor. The second floor is less crowded and the facility of wheelchair is also available there.
Head to King Fahad Gate, if you feel exhausted
Another important safety tip for Hajj is that whenever you feel that you body is overheated and exhausted, you should move towards King Fahad Gate. The entire area surrounding that gate is air-conditioned so you will feel better there. You should try to stay in this area as much as possible, especially during the middle of the day or Jummah prayers.
Wishing you a safe and secure trip to Saudi Arabia and we hope that these safety tips how to perform Hajj come handy to you all.
