Sheikh Dr. Maher Al Muaiqly, Imam and Khatib of Masjid Al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, will deliver the Hajj sermon this year from Masjid Al Namirah at Arafah. This information was announced by the official page of Masjid Al Haram, Inside The Haramayn.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia recently approved Sheikh Maher Al Muaiqly to deliver the sermon on the Day of Arafah through a royal decree.
Last year, the Hajj sermon was delivered by Sheikh Dr. Yusuf bin Muhammad bin Saeed, a member of the Senior Council of Ulama in Saudi Arabia, with Sheikh Maher Al Muaiqly as his assistant.
The main Hajj rituals are performed on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah. The main sermon of Hajj is delivered in Arabic from Masjid Al Namirah. The translation of the sermon will be broadcast live on the official website of Saudi Arabia. As usual, the sermon will be translated into 14 languages including Bengali, English, French, Malay, Urdu, Persian, Russian, Chinese, Turkish, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, and Swahili.
This year, the responsibility of translating the sermon into Bengali will be undertaken by Dr. Khalilur Rahman, AFM Wahidur Rahman Makki, Mubinur Rahman Faruq, and Najmus Sakib, who are studying at Umm Al Qura University in Mecca. The whole process will be supervised by the General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques.
Sheikh Maher bin Hamad bin Muaqwal Al Muaiqly, born on January 7, 1969, in Medina, is a globally renowned Imam of the Holy Kaaba for his exceptional recitation of the Holy Quran. After completing Hifz, he enrolled in Medina Teachers College and earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics.
In 1425 Hijri, Maher bin Hamad earned a Master's degree from the Sharia Faculty of Umm Al Qura University in Mecca. He obtained his Doctorate degree in 1432 Hijri from the same institution on the Shafi'i jurisprudence book 'Tuhfatu Nabih Sharh Al Tanbih' by Imam Siraji.
Maher bin Hamad began his career as an assistant professor in the Judicial Studies Department at Umm Al Qura. In 1426-27 Hijri, during Ramadan, he was appointed as the assistant Imam of Masjid Al Nabawi. In 1428 Hijri, during Ramadan, he was appointed as the Imam for Taraweeh and Tahajjud at Masjid Al Haram. Later that year, he officially assumed the role of permanent Imam and Khatib of Masjid Al Haram.
Sheikh Maher Al Muaiqly has two sons and two daughters, all of whom are Hafiz of the Quran.
It is obligatory for pilgrims to stay at Arafah on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah and listen to the sermon. This tradition of delivering the Hajj sermon has been ongoing since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In the 10th Hijri year, he delivered the farewell Hajj sermon.
The sermon delivered by the Prophet (PBUH) at Masjid Al Namirah in Arafah is also known as the farewell Hajj sermon. In this historic sermon, he made proclamations on various topics including Islamic teachings, human rights, and women's rights. This sermon serves as a guide for the Muslim Ummah.
Recently, the Haramayn Council published a list of Imams who have delivered the Hajj sermon over the past century. The list shows that 14 Imams have delivered the sermon during this period. Among them, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Shaykh delivered the sermon for the longest duration of 35 years, from 1402 Hijri (1981 AD) to 1436 Hijri (2015 AD). He retired in 2016 due to old age. Since then, a new Khatib has been appointed every year.
The second position on the list is held by Sheikh Abdullah bin Hasan Al Shaykh, who delivered the sermon for 33 years (excluding one year) from 1344 Hijri to 1376 Hijri. The third position is held by Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Hasan Al Shaykh, who delivered the sermon for 23 years from 1377 Hijri to 1401 Hijri.
