By Abdul-Kadir Abdullah
Edo State pilgrims participating in the 2026 Hajj exercise on Thursday visited historic Islamic sites in Madinah ahead of their Umrah pilgrimage, with the Amirul Hajj, HRH Mallam Ali D. Suleyman, the Oghieaga of Ivbies, urging them to approach the spiritual exercise with sincerity, pure intentions and prayers for Edo State and Nigeria.
The 95 pilgrims embarked on a ziyaarah to notable Islamic landmarks including Masjid Quba, Masjid al-Qiblatain, Mount Uhud, Sab'a Masajid, and an Ajwa date farm, where they were educated on the historical and spiritual significance of the places in Islamic history.
Addressing the pilgrims during the tour, Mallam Ali Suleyman said their intentions before Allah would determine the value and impact of their worship.
According to him, “Somebody said something that triggered my sensibility. I’m tasking you and I’m telling you that once you face the Ka’aba for the first time and make your intentions before you get there, In Shaa Allah your requests will be granted.
“Tell Allah to give you the opportunity to always come and worship here. There is no prayer that you will ask that Allah will not answer. So, I’m tasking you now that once you go and you want to start your Tawaf, your intentions matter.
“Think about it before you go to Makkah because by tomorrow, In Shaa Allah, we will be doing our Umrah. What comes from inside of you matters, not the amount of Quranic knowledge that you have. Where you put Allah in your life is where you will find Allah. May Allah make it easy for you to make the right intention so that this time next year you will be thanking Allah for what He has done for you.”
Also speaking during the ziyaarah, the Chairman of the Edo State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mallam Musa Muhammad Uduimoh, appealed to the pilgrims for understanding over his strict approach toward ensuring compliance with schedules throughout the Hajj exercise.
He said, “I appeal to you for forgiveness in case in the course of my conversations I spoke in a way that was not too calm. It is not out of rudeness, but because I want the best for us and to enable us meet up with timing as scheduled,”
Every pilgrim participated in the ziyaarah, while the Amirul Hajj and the leadership of the board explained the significance of each site visited and their relevance to Islamic history.
