Tabung Haji (TH) provides various services, including counselling and advice, to Malaysian Haj pilgrims to ensure comfort for them while performing the Fifth Tenet of Islam in the Holy Land.

Its 1438H Madinah Zone 2 Service Centre manager, Abdul Rahman Yusof said two Haj counsellors, comprising a male and female religious teacher, were available to assist the pilgrims with any problem or query pertaining to the pilgrimage.

"We also provide a money withdrawal counter, clinic, i-Talk service managed by Telekom Malaysia and goods delivery service back to the country which is handled by Pos Malaysia and three other vendors," he told Malaysian reporters, here, Sunday.

He said these services would be made available in each zone in Madinah.

TH allocates 11 hotels for Malaysian pilgrims in Madinah, namely two hotels in Zone 1, four in Zone 2 and Five in Zone 3.

The first batch of Malaysian pilgrims for this year will arrive in Madinah on Monday. The total number from Malaysia this time is 30,200.

Abdul Rahman said with the location of their hotels being close to Nabawi Mosque here, the Malaysian pilgrims should take every opportunity to perform their obligatory and supplementary prayers at this mosque.

"It's a waste if they don't perform their daily five obligatory prayers at Nabawi Mosque ..and there is no excuse not to due to its proximity to their hotels, only 50 to 100 metres away in Zone 2 while the furthest is 300 metres away.

"The divine reward for praying in this mosque is also big, 1,000 times more than praying at any other mosque in the world," he said.

Nabawi Mosque, established and originally built by Prophet Muhammad in 622, is the second holiest site in Islam after the Masjidil Haram in Makkah.

TH will organise tours for Malaysian pilgrims in Madinah, including a visit to the tomb of Prophet Muhammad and other important Islamic historical sites like Quba Mosque, Qiblatain Mosque and Mount Uhud.

-- BERNAMA