Mohammed Al-Malki Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — A 80-year-old Saudi mosque imam, who has performed Haj 60 times, has strongly praised the current Haj services describing them as consummate and convenient compared to pilgrimages in olden time. "The Haj now is a picnic thanks to the sublime services being provided to the guests of God by the Saudi government under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and his Crown Prince," he said. Sheikh Jabran Yahya Solaiman Al-Malki, imam of Hiraz mosque in Al-Dair, in Jazan province to the Southwest of the Kingdom, said complete services being extended to the pilgrims have enabled them do their Haj rites in ease and comfort. "There is no comparison between the Haj services today and those of the past when resources were scant," he said. Al-Malki recalled that he performed the Haj for the first time with his father in 1954 during the reign of King Saud. "It was an exhausting experience which I will never forget. The resources were very little and transport was poor," he said. He said the journey from Jazan to Makkah took him and his father two weeks to complete. "There were no paved roads and the cars were old and smoky," he added. Al-Malki said there was not enough water, food or toilets in the Holy Sites. "The number of pilgrims was about 250,000. We used to live in tents near the Jamarat in Mina. We had to cross on foot the long distances between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah," he said. Al-Malki said he had performed Haj for himself, his parents, relatives and a number of his sons who died young. But the fact, at 80 with 60 Hajs, the imam could well be on his way to setting a Guinness world record.
