JEDDAH, 20 September — A Saudi-Egyptian company, based in Jeddah, has succeeded in developing an electronic pilgrim guide. Its designers said the 40-gram, 6.5 centimeter device can be used by all pilgrims regardless of their linguistic and educational backgrounds. It is expected to be a big help for pilgrims intending to perform Haj and Umrah.
Maher Raja, project manager, said the device would be a good alternative to traditional pilgrim guides. "We have been working so long to produce a handy and easy guide for pilgrims, which can speak to them in their mother tongue," Raja said. The guide for Haj is now available in both Arabic and Malay while the guide for Umrah is in Arabic, priced at SR125 each. Raja disclosed the company’s plan to produce the Umrah guide in English and Malay by next month. "The Haj guides in Urdu, Bengali, Turkish and English languages will be ready before the upcoming Haj," he said, adding that the guides in other major languages would be produced within the next two years. The electronic device was on display at exhibitions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
The device, produced by Majd Company, not only answers religious questions but also provides guidelines to pilgrims in matters related to health, religious duties and Saudi regulations. "The device is designed in such a way the pilgrims would not find any difficulty to use it," he added.
Pilgrims will be able to attach the device to their clothes using a clip. It will also have an earpiece for hand-free use. Its surface will consist of a keypad with up to 24 buttons. Instead of letters or numbers, the buttons will have easy-to-read icons or symbols designed to relay specific commands.
"Pilgrims will not have to be literate to be able to use the device," Raja said. The electronic guides will advice pilgrims on how to prepare for pilgrimage, their religious duties and obligations during the Haj and Umrah.
Such information will be easily accessible by simply pressing a specific button or icon. For instance, pressing a button with the symbol of a hand holding a glass will generate a pre-recorded message about what pilgrims are allowed to drink during the Haj.
The device is mass-produced with help from American, Chinese and Taiwanese companies. The material for making the device was selected considering the extreme heat and humidity in the Kingdom.
Dr. Ali Omar Badahdah, associate professor of Islamic studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, told Arab News that the device was prepared to help pilgrims perform their religious duties easily without making mistakes. Badahdah prepared the scientific material required for the project.
The device contains special prayers for Haj and Umrah and a number of guidelines, he said, adding that the prayers were selected from the Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It contains the prayers to be said by a pilgrim when he first sees the Holy Kaaba, during the tawaf or circumambulating the Kaaba, and in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa. Badahdah said the scientific material used for the guides have been approved by scholars in the Kingdom and other Islamic countries.
