MADINAH, December 20, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - As up to two million Muslims from the four corners of the globe are heading to Saudi Arabia for hajj, the Saudi government will launch a multi-pronged program to enhance awareness on how to perform proper hajj, a Saudi daily reported on Monday, December 19.

The program includes distributing books to Muslims on how to perform hajj rites, taking advantage of the gradual inflow of Muslims to Makkah to perform the coming hajj next month, The Saudi Gazette said.

Over three million books and one million cassettes are to be distributed to more than two million pilgrims who have started coming to the holy lands, according to Sheikh Talal Bin Ahmed Al-Aqeel, chairman of the information committee on the Hajj Awareness Program.

Talal, who is also advisor to the Minister of Islamic Affairs, said the Saudi government would also distribute 15 million copies of the Noble Qur’an to the pilgrims as part of the awareness programme.

Hajj consists of several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, once in their lifetime.

Talal said the program would be done through the use of audio-visual, print media, the Internet and mobile telephone service,

The primary stations that would be used for the campaign are the Holy Qur’an Awareness Broadcasting Service, Saudi Radio Programme Two, General Programme and Saudi TV channel (Arabic language) and channel two (English language).

Last hajj, Saudi Arabia harnessed the Information Technology age for the comfort of some two million pilgrims.

The sacred places in Makkah Al-Mukarama have been decked with electronic signs to streamline the movement of the faithful.

The Sacred Mosque's (Haram) 129 gates were also decorated with traffic-style lights, which turn red when the mosque is full and green when there is enough space.

Up to 700 TV sets and five huge electronic screens have been set up in camps in and around Mina to guide the pilgrims and provide them with minute-by-minute footage of the Jamrat bridge to head off deadly stampedes.