Concerned organisations and individuals in Madinah, Saudi Arabia have continued to extend gestures to thousands of pilgrims, including Nigerians for the 2019 Hajj as they showed them with date palm.
The date palm, popularly known as debino in Nigeria, are regarded as favourite fruits in the Middle East.
One of such individuals was seen sharing the fruits to the pilgrims near the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah, free of charge.
One of the pilgrims, who benefited from the gesture, Lukman Sani described it as a noble development and in consonance with the injunction of Prophet Muhammad.
The prophet enjoined Muslims to show kindness and love to others in such a manner.
“The Prophet, while alive, was generous to the people and took delight in the comfort of others by giving them food, to make them happy and feel a sense of belonging in the distribution of wealth.
“I see the generosity being extended to us as pilgrims by concerned organisations and individuals in Madinah as heeding to the advice of our prophet and their love for the pilgrims.
“May Almighty Allah continue to bless them,’’ Sani said.
Health experts say date palm has some health benefits which include lowering cholesterol, contain very fat, rich in vitamins such as B1, B2, B3 and B5, as well as A1 and C and keep muscle strong.
Date palm is also said to be rich in selenium, manganese, copper and magnesium required by the human being to keep the bones healthy among other benefits.
In another development, officers of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), in Madinah have been receiving pilgrims on arrival from Nigeria and dispatching others to Makkah among others functions.
Nigerians from Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kogi, Ogun, Oyo, Adamawa, Niger, Bauchi, FCT and Zamfara among others have so far arrived Saudi Arabia for the hajj.
The Command and Control Centre of the commission said the number of pilgrims from Nigeria for the 2019 Hajj reached 24,993 as of Sunday.
