Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

23 September 2025

4-minute read

With the introduction of the Nusuk system, where prospective pilgrims can now book their packages through the official online portal, Nusuk, Al Bait Guests are introducing themselves to the hujjaj from South Africa.

For over four decades, Al Bait Guests, a Saudi company, has been the largest service operator serving hujjaj from the Indian subcontinent numbering approximately 600 000 up until 4 years ago when the system changed.

CEO Omar Akbar says that with the removal of geographical boundaries, hajj has been made more accessible for certain countries coming through the B2C umbrella that the Al Bait Guests company facilitates.

So how does the B2C system work? Brother Abdurrahman Al Harbawi, the Head of Customer Experience, unpacked and simplified it:

1. The Hajj Ministry created a portal, appointing 12-15 service providers in Saudi Arabia, based on very “strict and rigid criteria,” with Al Bait Guests as the main one.
2. The service providers create the packages and upload them online on Nusuk.
3. The pilgrim then registers and gets approved on the Nusuk app when registration opens around the beginning of October.
4. Once he has received his verification, the pilgrim will log in and browse through and scrutinise the different package options, which will be uploaded on 21^st Packages to suit a range of budgets and lengths of stay will be available, including the period to visit Makkah or Madinah. Pilgrims have one month to scrutinise the packages, choose them and pay.
5. Once it goes live on 20^th January 2026, the pilgrim will then upload money into his e-wallet. Based on the package he chooses, his full amount must be paid upfront. This works on a first-come first-served basis.
6. If a person doesn’t manage to secure a package, he can withdraw his funds from the e-wallet or leave it in and wait for the following year.
7. The Saudi service providers work closely with local guides and imams to create “an experience that will change your life and have a long-lasting impact” to bring you closer to Allah, because hajj is not just about the technicalities and details.

“We have to acknowledge that things are moving, and systems are changing,” said Ml Faheem Arbee from Botswana, a country where the Nusuk system came into play a couple of years ago. He stated that although people in South Africa are worried about the pricing of hajj, there are reasonable packages that can accommodate hujjaj along the lines of the “south African style.” From his own experience with Nusuk, all their expectations his met when he used Al Bait Guests to facilitate his hajj.

Brother Omar mentioned that while there are constraints given by the Ministry of Hajj based on different circumstances for criteria when approving potential pilgrims, any Muslim from South Africa can apply for hajj via the Nusuk platform. While certain countries were restricted previously, “Nusuk has changed a lot of trends,” and there are now many packages accessible to suit the different needs of hujjaj.

Historically in SA, hujjaj signed on with a local travel operator, and the shorter time packages were more expensive while the longer ones were cheaper.

According to Brother Abdurrahman, the new agreement will now be between the pilgrim and the Saudi service provider, overseen by the Hajj Ministry and the government of Saudi Arabia, so there is “no room for anything to go wrong,” and you as a pilgrim will not “get less than what you paid for”. Additional resources and better access to the Hajj Ministry also means that Hujjaj will receive the same levels of service that they are accustomed to and even better. When quotas are not exhausted, the balance goes into a pool and goes live worldwide, so that numbers of hujjaj per country can increase.

Al-Bait Guests are keen on employing the services of local SA guides and Imams etc. to provide the assistance and khidhmah that the hujjaj deserve. Brother Omar mentioned Al Bait Guests plans to come to SA to meet with imams and local guides, to guide the Muslim community in securing their hajj over the Nusuk system, reiterating that the Nusuk system is much more successful than any other. “Nusuk is the future, Insha’Allah,” he concluded, and the Saudi service operators are willing to assist the hujjaj “step-by-step,” in concluding the process on their journey of hajj.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat, Omar Akbar, Abdurahman Al Harbawi and Ml Faheem Arbee.