Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Salih Bentin

:: Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Salih Bentin will open the Hajj grand symposium on Dhul Hijjah 4 (Aug. 26) in Makkah, which has been organized the ministry, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

In a press statement on the occasion, the minister said the symposium embodies the great Islamic role played by the Kingdom in spreading Islamic values and the universality and humanitarian nature of Islam through the Hajj season.

The two-day symposium will discuss five major themes, the first of which deals with Islam as a religion of peace; the definition of peace; its ruling from the Islamic perspective; the Islamic nation as a moderate nation; and fairness is the basis of peace.

The second theme deals with Hajj as a platform of peace; the richness of jurisprudence in the rulings of Hajj and its impact on achieving peace; ethics of peace in Hajj rituals; and peace during Hajj for human beings, animals, plants, environment and health.

The third theme will focus on the learned lessons from the farewell message (Hajjat Al-Wada) made by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he performed his last pilgrimage before he died.

The fourth topic will explore the efforts in the establishment and spread of the principles of peace. This will also shed light on the Kingdom’s efforts in the projects at the holy sites, such as the expansion of the two holy mosques, Masaa and Jamarat.

The fifth and final theme will discuss digital media applications and their impact on serving Hajj, the spread of the culture of peace, reflection of efforts made by the institutions related to Hajj and their enlightenment role among the pilgrims and, hence, the realization of the objectives of Hajj.