The Saudi government has for the past 37 years enabled Muslims performing the Hajj to truly embrace the spirit of sacrifice. Packaging MEA Contributing Editor Doaa Bin Thabit finds out more
The hajj is the most important journey any Muslim will make, and the pilgrimage offers a chance to perform the most important task of all – charity. Packaging MEA Contributing Editor Doaa Thabit learns how Saudi Arabia’s most important ministries and government bodies facilitate the noble service through the Adahi programme, and how packaging plays a key role.
The prophets and forefathers of Muslims everywhere decreed that the affluent provide sustenance for the needy, and to facilitate the pilgrims’ performance of rituals when visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. This benevolent tradition is eased in the current day by the Saudi government’s Adahi project, set up 37 years ago with the goal to feed the Islamic world by packaging the sacrifice so that it remains safe and healthy until it reaches the beneficiaries.
The Adahi (sacrifice) project targets every needy person with meat distributed in packages taking the shape of gifts to honour those who deserve it. This includes both pilgrims attending Mecca and Medina who are worthy beneficiaries, and needy Muslims elsewhere in Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Adahi launched as a nonprofit, with management entrusted to the Islamic Development Bank, and now distributes meat to more than 24 countries. Nowadays it is supervised by the Ifada and Hady Committee (management committee) which consists of 10 governmental authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, namely: Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance; Ministry of Hajj and Umrah; Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Affairs; Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites; and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research.
Covering a total area of 1million sq m and employing 30,000 seasonal workers, Adahi comprises eight large slaughterhouses – seven for sheep and one for cattle and camels – and is committed to delivering 10,000 tonnes of meat to worthy beneficiaries.
Adahi was set up in 1983 with four main objectives, specifically: facilitating the performance of rituals for hajj pilgrims; ensuring Sharia is adhered to and all health conditions for the rituals are met; preserving the environment in the holy ritual areas; and distributing meat among the poor and eligible recipients.
The project operates throughout the year, not only during the hajj season, to execute Sadaqa, Fidya and Aqiqa requests. While Adahi is concerned with an ancient practice and has been in operation since 1983, it joined the digital revolution more than a decade ago by launching its online poral, adahi.org, allowing Muslims around the world to submit their ritual requests online.
As of the month of Shawwal every year, the site starts accepting requests for the rest of the services, namely Udhia and Hady. As such, the project offers its beneficiaries five services: Hady, Udhiya, Fidya, Sadaqa and Aqiqa. Requests for rituals can be made by pilgrims or by other Muslims not performing the Hajj in a given year.
The project meets with officials of hajj affair bureaus, either in the Adahi offices or during hajj-related exhibitions and conferences. Memoranda of understanding are signed to execute hajj rituals through the project. Hajj missions that engage Adahi are assigned a special channel on the Adahi portal so they can request and issue coupons directly and return unused coupons within the allowed period before execution. Furthermore, a team from the mission will receive entry permits to witness the execution of their rituals during the hajj season, and they will be supplied with portions of the meat to cook for their pilgrims.
This meat must be safely and hygienically packaged to a standard suitable for long international journeys as it makes its way to beneficiaries. This is a huge undertaking; in some years a million heads of sheep have been distributed to the needy and poor. Before this can happen, the animals must be slaughtered in accordance with Sharia and veterinary requirements, and then cleaned and processed. The meat is then stored in Adahi refrigerators, which are the largest in the world in terms of area and storage capacity. Following that, the cutting and packaging phase begins.
The meat is placed in bags weighing 2.5kg each which are passed through the air suction stage using electronic equipment under the supervision of technicians and veterinarians. The bags are then placed in packages that maintain temperatures for longer periods. The packages have an attractive gift-type design, with a picture of the Holy Kaaba on one side and a world map on the other, indicating that it has been sent from Mecca to eligible persons around the globe.
Distribution is carried out in coordination with the beneficiary organisations to prepare for receiving the meat at specific timings. Meanwhile, refrigeration trucks are prepared to begin the shipping operations under the supervision of veterinarians.
For charity organisations inside Saudi Arabia, the meat is transported in trucks. For other countries, it is shipped either by sea or by land, according to the arrangements required by each country. The recipient countries are: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Ghana, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Syria.