Madinah volunteers bolster Hajj visitor care

Madinah’s Prophet’s Mosque is expanding its volunteer network for the 1447 AH Hajj season, with roles covering religious guidance, crowd support, translation, awareness work and digital assistance for worshippers arriving from across the world.

The Presidency for Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque announced the volunteer opportunities on May 7 as part of a wider effort to strengthen community participation and improve the quality of services offered to visitors during one of the busiest periods of the Islamic calendar. The programme places volunteers at the centre of field operations inside and around the Prophet’s Mosque, where large flows of pilgrims pass through Madinah before or after performing Hajj rituals in Makkah and the holy sites.

The assignments include providing religious instruction, assisting with the organisation of prayer rows, monitoring screens and electronic devices, offering translation services, conducting awareness campaigns and supporting visitors as they move through the mosque’s courtyards and facilities. These tasks reflect the growing complexity of Hajj management, where spiritual guidance, crowd discipline, multilingual communication and technology-enabled services now operate together.

Hajj is expected to take place from May 25 to May 30, subject to the sighting of the moon. More than 1.5 million pilgrims are expected to perform the pilgrimage this year, placing heavy operational demands on transport, health, security, accommodation and mosque services. Madinah is not part of the core Hajj rites, but the Prophet’s Mosque remains a central destination for pilgrims because of its religious significance and the volume of visitors it receives before and after the pilgrimage.

Saudi authorities have widened service planning at the Two Holy Mosques as they seek to manage larger, more diverse groups of worshippers. At the Prophet’s Mosque, those efforts include accessibility support for elderly visitors and people with disabilities, dedicated routes, wheelchair services, field guidance and multilingual assistance. Volunteers are expected to complement these arrangements by helping visitors understand instructions, locate facilities and follow movement guidance during peak prayer times.

The inclusion of translation services is particularly significant because Hajj draws pilgrims from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Language barriers can complicate access to religious guidance, emergency instructions and basic navigation. Volunteers with language skills can help reduce confusion in crowded areas, support awareness campaigns and improve the experience of first-time pilgrims unfamiliar with the mosque’s layout.

Technology is also becoming a stronger part of the religious services ecosystem. Screens, electronic guidance systems, interactive tools and digital platforms are now used to relay instructions, display religious content and support crowd management. Assigning volunteers to monitor such devices suggests an effort to ensure that digital services remain functional and accessible during heavy use, particularly when visitor movement intensifies around prayers.

The programme also fits into Saudi Arabia’s broader push to formalise voluntary work as part of public service. Volunteer participation during Hajj has grown in importance because it offers trained community support without replacing the responsibilities of official agencies. The model allows authorities to draw on local knowledge, language skills and field presence while promoting social responsibility among citizens and residents.

Religious guidance remains a sensitive and central component of the plan. Pilgrims require clear advice on worship, etiquette and conduct in a setting where religious devotion intersects with dense crowd movement. Volunteers assigned to guidance and field awareness campaigns are expected to support official messaging built around moderation, order and respect for the sanctity of the mosque.

The timing of the announcement comes as Hajj operations enter their final preparation phase. Saudi Arabia began planning for this season soon after the previous pilgrimage, with agencies focusing on crowd control, heat risk, permit compliance, transport capacity and service integration. The 2025 Hajj drew about 1.67 million pilgrims, below the 2024 figure of 1.83 million, while authorities continued tightening controls on unauthorised participation after past overcrowding and heat-related safety concerns.