in smartphone age the hajj is for sharing
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

to Islam's holiest sites

In smartphone age, the hajj is for sharing

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today In smartphone age, the hajj is for sharing

A Muslim pilgrim takes a selfie at the Grand Mosque
Mecca - Al Maghrib Today

Arm outstretched, Abdul Rahman sweeps his mobile phone across the vista of Mecca, the Great Mosque dazzling in the sun, so his son in Tanzania can experience the pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites.

He may be thousands of kilometres (miles) away and on another continent, but thanks to his father's smartphone and video sharing app, 18-year-old Nabil might as well be standing right next to him.

"Some day I hope I can make the pilgrimage," he says on the screen, his father wearing a broad smile.

Abdul Rahman is one of the more than 1.7 million foreign pilgrims travelling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for this year's hajj, which began on Wednesday.

For the faithful it is a deeply spiritual journey, which for centuries every capable Muslim has been required to make at least once in their lifetime.

In the age of smartphones, social media and live video streaming, it's now also an experience to be shared in real time.

"I'm showing him live... how happy we are, how lucky we are," Abdul Rahman tells AFP, showing off imo, the application he uses for video calls.

Across the holy city, pilgrims from around the world can be seen with their arms extended, showing off their surroundings to friends and family back home.

Travel agencies in charge of organising trips to the hajj are now offering packages that include mobile internet so they can avoid roaming fees.

In a shopping centre where the faithful flock to buy souvenirs, one pilgrim is scanning the images on his phone.

- Which effect to choose? -

He stops at a selfie and hesitates -- what effect to choose, black-and-white or retro? He puts it away when the call to prayer sounds and the pilgrims roll out their carpets between escalators and boutiques to pray.

Later, on an upper floor of the shopping centre, Mohammed Ismaelzad, a 26-year-old pilgrim from Mali, is looking over the images on his phone, deciding which ones to post on his Instagram or Facebook accounts.

He has photographs of Mecca's Masjid al-Haram -- the Grand Mosque that is the largest in the world -- and of the Kaaba, the black masonry cube at its centre. He has video of the Tawaf, when pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times counter-clockwise, and more pictures of the mass prayers.

They will not only provide memories of his trip, Ismaelzad says, but give others the chance to see it.

"My friends in my country... can't come here, so they can see the pictures," he says, a black-and-white keffiyeh scarf wrapped around his neck.

"They just see on TV, but with my pictures they will see another angle, like from my angle when I do the prayers."

As night falls, pilgrims gather on the esplanade of the Grand Mosque to mingle, like cousins Mohammed and Abdelaziz Zahran, aged 19 and 20.

"You can see all sorts of nationalities, you mix with people, sometimes we try to talk to them," Abdelaziz says. And of course they snap pictures of their meetings on their mobile phones.

Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

in smartphone age the hajj is for sharing in smartphone age the hajj is for sharing

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

in smartphone age the hajj is for sharing in smartphone age the hajj is for sharing

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 15:17 2017 Thursday ,17 August

Three airlines jostling for Air Berlin assets: CEO

GMT 05:38 2017 Thursday ,06 April

ExxonMobil, Qatar Petroleum sign Cyprus gas deal

GMT 02:41 2016 Saturday ,24 December

Oil dips before holiday week; Libyan output boost weighs

GMT 11:31 2014 Thursday ,14 August

Kanye West's new single 'All Day' leaks online

GMT 10:43 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Volkswagen clinches record sales

GMT 08:27 2018 Friday ,05 January

US warns Iran to be held to account

GMT 09:17 2017 Saturday ,23 December

Ugandan army says it attacked rebel camps

GMT 01:57 2017 Saturday ,21 January

In Libya, Daesh down but not out

GMT 05:51 2012 Wednesday ,18 January

Shireen’s latest out soon

GMT 08:56 2017 Thursday ,26 October

Workplace harassment blights industries across board

GMT 17:51 2017 Wednesday ,25 October

Maxwell says refused service over kneeling for anthem

GMT 17:53 2016 Wednesday ,20 April

OIC slams Netanyahu 's statements on Golan Heights

GMT 14:41 2016 Tuesday ,19 January

2 Daesh members killed in Libya's Derna

GMT 21:51 2016 Monday ,29 February

Airstrike targets suspected Daesh convoy in Libya

GMT 21:18 2016 Tuesday ,15 November

Rare suicide attack south of Baghdad kills 8

GMT 17:56 2015 Thursday ,27 August

US journalist killings revive gun control debate
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday