The First Group of Pilgrimages was Bid Farewell from Harem.
With honoring of the President of Presidency of Religious Affairs Prof.Dr.Ali Erbaş, and the participation of Governor of İstanbul Ali Yerlikaya, the first group of pilgrimages was bid farewell from İstanbul with the event “From Surre Procession to the Present, From Harem Üsküdar to Harem-i Şerif”
President of Presidency of Religious Affairs Prof.Dr.Ali Erbaş and his wife, Ms. Seher Erbaş, Governor of İstanbul Ali Yerlikaya, Üsküdar District Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek, Üsküdar Mayor Hilmi Türkmen, Provincial Mufti Prof. Dr. Safi Arpaguş, General Manager of Hajj and Umrah Services Remzi Bircan, pilgrims candidates and their families attended the program where pilgrim candidates were bid farewell from Üsküdar Harem Square to Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
The organization started with the Quran recitation of Çamlıca Mosque Imam Kerim Öztürk, and President of Presidency of Religious Affairs Prof.Dr.Erbaş, and Governer Yerlikaya, Üsküdar Mayor Türkmen, and General Manager of Hajj and Umrah Services Birca each gave a speech addressing the attendees.
“Hajj is the Greatest Union and Excitement”
President of Presidency of Religious Affairs Prof.Dr.Erbaş started his words with expressing the Hajj as the greatest union and excitement, “Hajj is a sacred journey holding infinite mysteries and grace, it is a blessed worship, an excellent purification time, it is a time of repentance and prayer, a climate of mercy and forgiveness. Hajj is the most comprehensive worship of the Islam. Our ancestors showed great care and dignified the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medinah. And the clearest evidence of this is the Surre Procession.” continued his words.
President of Presidency of Religious Affairs Prof.Dr.Erbaş emphasis on that the Ottoman Empire sent gifts to Mecca and Medina every year on the pilgrimage season, he continued his words as “ Foods and goods were sent to people there to meet their needs, the amounts of the aid or where they were going to be sent were followed meticulously and all of these were kept under record. A special ceremony was held for the departure of the convoy from Istanbul to the Harem. Here, 1 century later, we reach the pride of reviving and commemorating the same tradition in the Harem.”
“Deliver Our Greetings from 15 Million 841 Thousand Citizens of Istanbul to Kaaba”
Governer Yerlikaya stated “ Surre Procession that continued non-stop for 4 centuries in Harem from our ancestor Yavuz Sultan Selim, who took over the caliphate in 1517, left today from Harem with praying. How proud and grateful we are that we are experiencing such a tradition after a century. May God bless the souls of our ancestors who handed down these meaningful traditions.”
Governor ended his words with “ We have a request from our 6 thousand 500 pilgrims and citizens of Istanbul. Please, deliver our greetings from 15 million 841 thousand citizens of Istanbul to Kaaba, Beytullah, and Ravza. May Allah bless your pilgrimage.”
“They Say Üsküdar is Called Harem (Untouchable) City”
Üsküdar Mayor Türkmen said “They say Üsküdar is called Harem (untouchable) city. When we turn our eyes to Ottoman History, we see that the pilgrim candidates from Anatolia, Thrace, and the Balkans passed from the Historical Peninsula to Üsküdar, had their morning prayer at the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, and came to the Harem on foot with takbirs.
The pilgrims continued on their way by saying goodbye to their relatives and asking for their blessings in Ayrılıkçeşmesi (Fountain of Separation). This tradition continued for centuries. Today we are performing this bidding farewell of pilgrims as out tradtion.”
After the speeches, Prof. Dr. Arpaguş, Provincial Mufti, prayed that prospective pilgrims have a good trip and return home with health after completing their worshipping. The program completed with the farewell of the pilgrim candidates.
Tarihi #SurreAlayı geleneğini yaşatmak için Diyanet İşleri Başkanımız Sayın @DIBAliErbas’ın katılımıyla #Üsküdar #Harem’den, Harem-i Şerif’e ilk #hac kafilemizi dualarla yolcu ettik🕋
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 6, 2022
Rabbim haclarını mebrur etsin, sıhhatle gidip afiyetle dönsünler inşallah. pic.twitter.com/huikMMapHb
