By Abdulfatah Babatunde
An Islamic Scholar, Alhaji AbdulHamid Solate, has advised Muslims to embrace the savings culture towards fulfilling the Hajj obligation, one of the pillars of Islam.
Solate gave the advice in an exclusive interview with TheNewsZenith at the weekend in Lagos.
TheNewsZenith reports that the advice is coming against the backdrop of skyrocketing hajj fare.
The fare plummeted from about N4.5 million in 2023 to the minimum of N8.5 million this year.
Solate is also the Managing Director/CEO of Hajj Mabrur Ventures Limited (HMVL). He pointed out that Hajj was an obligation that had conditions attached to it.
“Hajj is an obligation that has conditions attached to it. It is for those who have the means of going.
“But it is something that everybody should desire to want to do.
“So, because of our circumstances, it’s always a challenge to cough out the money. Because money is not always something you just keep somewhere.
“So, what we do is to advise people; and which is also part of what Islam wants us to do, is that you plan for whatever you want to do.
“There’s always a means for you to plan ahead. And the best way is for people to always save gradually towards it.
“At the end of the day, by the time you now decide you want to go, you would have had enough funds in your savings, in your wallet. And then, you can just add a little more there.
“So, it’s the culture of saving towards hajj, because it’s a project on its own.
“Once you have the intention of what you want to do, start saving towards it. Even if there’s a challenge and you’re not been able to go, Allah says you’ll still get your reward.
“And Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alay Wasalam) tells us that when you have the intention to do something, even if you do not perform it at the end of the day, you’ll still get your reward.
“So, that culture is what we encourage people to do and people do it with us in Hajj Mabrur,” TheNewsZenith quotes Solate as saying.
He explained that Hajj Mabrur has devised a method to assist intending pilgrims in fulfilling this religious obligation by introducing “Wallet” savings.
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“All we do is encourage everybody to have something like a wallet.
“Once you register, you can save bit by bit. Whatever you have, you put it there; your funds are safe.
“And once it goes ahead when it’s up to the necessary amount, then you can easily go and perform your hajj.
“We have had an experience where we have a client that was saving even in cash, bringing cash – N2,000, N1,000 every day, because that’s the way he sells.
“That’s the way he sells. He will just come from the market, count the money, N5,000 and give us.
“And before you know it, in three, four, five years, he was able to pay for the hajj and fulfil that obligation. So, that is what we encourage people to do.
Solate commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for improving this year’s Hajj operations.
“This year, I will say there’s quite an improvement on what they (NAHCON) did, trying to resolve some of the problems that were there last year. They actually made a lot of effort.
“Because there were changes this year from the Saudia in terms of the way we applied for the visas and the rest.
“So, before we were the ones that were dealing directly with Saudi Authority. But this time around, they were into the picture, assisting at their end when we had challenges.
“Once we reach out to them, they were able to do that.
“And, we were able to feel their presence, even in Saudi Arabia, better than what was obtainable before. They come around to see us, to see what we do.
“Generally, I think that was an improvement, there is still a lot to be done, however.
“But there was a marked improvement in terms of the way things were processed and the way things were done by the Hajj Commission this year.
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