Srinagar: Pilgrims from the Kashmir valley have started embarking on Umrah in good numbers after the subsiding of the Omicron threat.
These days the private Haj and Umrah companies are organizing ‘tarbiyat’ programmes where Valley-based religious heads guide pilgrims regarding the dos and don’ts of the pilgrimage.
Though several videos of wearing Ihram that comprises two pieces of white unsewn cloth are available on the internet, Maulana Abdul Majid Dar Al Madni explains the same in this video in the Kashmiri language.
Usually, pilgrims from Kashmir face no problems while wrapping the Ihram over their upper bodies. However, many find it difficult to wrap it around their lower bodies as Kashmiris are not used to wearing ‘lungis’.
Maulana Madni explained in detail how to wear an Ihram around the lower body during a recent ‘tarbiyat’ programmes that were organized by the ‘Makkah Madina Tour Travels’ at a city-based hotel earlier this week.
Jammu Kashmir Association of Hajj Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) general secretary Mohammad Younis said around 2500 pilgrims had left for Umrah after the resumption of the pilgrimage last month.
“We have suffered a lot due to the successive lockdowns as Umrah had remained suspended for two years. We are glad that the pilgrimage has resumed even though the Omicron threat had yet again caused cancellations. Now that the threat has subsided, people are again booking packages. To date, around 2500 pilgrims have left for Umrah since last month,” he told The Kashmir Monitor.
Umrah from the Valley had been suspended in March 2020 after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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