Departing Haj pilgrims face cap on Zam Zam water

October 14, 2014

Jeddah, Oct 14: Pilgrims returning home after completing the Haj pilgrimage are becoming increasingly resentful of the five-liter cap on Zam Zam water imposed by the authorities.

With the demand for the precious water surging as pilgrims return home, the authorities have moved to increase the supplies of Zam Zam in Jeddah and Madinah.While in Makkah, pilgrims have access to plentiful supplies of Zam Zam.

However, the long tradition of carrying Zam Zam water home following the Haj may well be on its way to becoming a memory as now almost all pilgrims are only allowed to carry a five-liter container with them which they are given at the check in counters at the airports. Moreover, this facility is limited to those pilgrims who have performed the Haj under government schemes.

However, individual pilgrims who came through private Haj operators are also allowed to take the same quantity of Zam Zam upon their return home.

Saeed Musfer Al-Wadi, director of the King Abdullah Project for Zam Zam of the National Water Company told Arab News: “Zam Zam water is being packed according to norms set by the civil aviation authorities in view of the carriage space in aircrafts.” He added that, “We are exclusively packing five-liter cans for returning pilgrims as advised by the civil aviation authorities.”

He said that the King Abdullah Project for Zam Zam produced over 78 million water bottles during the current Haj season.

Al-Wadi also said that, “We have prepared well in advance to serve pilgrims by raising our production and both production and packing is being done according to world standards of excellence.” He added that they had established ten selling points at the airports for the sale of five-liter cans of Zam Zam water.

While pilgrims welcomed the change, they were disappointed at the five-liter cap imposed on the volume of Zam Zam water.

“Every pilgrim wishes to take as much as Zam Zam as he can, but since authorities have ruled that they can only take a five-liter can, we have to abide by the ruling,” Indonesian Religious Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin told Arab News earlier.

Egyptian pilgrim Rashad Fahmi said: “We thank the authorities for gifting the Zam Zam water upon our return home, but a mere five-liter can is insufficient for my family let alone the numerous visitors and relatives who will come to welcome me after the Haj pilgrimage.” He added that this was the only unique gift he could present back home.

“Zam Zam is a significant part of our journey of a life time,” said Indian pilgrim Abdul Hameed, referring to the pilgrimage, “but a five-liter can is really disappointing,” he concluded.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

Comments