Hyderabad: Draw of lots will be held on February 13 to select 710 Haj pilgrims from among applicants for free stay in Nizam Rubath in the holy city of Makkah during Haj 2025.
Hussain Mohammed Al Shareef, a Saudi national and the caretaker of Rubath, has selected a building equipped with all facilities in Azizia to house the pilgrims from Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka which were once part of the Nizam’s State of Hyderabad.
The pilgrims for stay in Rubath will be picked through draw of lots from pilgrims selected by Haj committees of three states.
Pilgrims from all 33 districts of Telangana, eight districts of Maharashtra and four districts of Karnataka can apply for stay in Rubath.
The caretaker has taken permission from Saudi authorities to house 710 pilgrims this year. Each selected pilgrim will be able to save Rs.50,000 to Rs.60,000. The Haj Committee of India will reimburse the amount after completion of Haj.
The pilgrims will be selected through computerised draw of lots. The caretaker has clarified that no recommendation will be entertained.
Nizams had established free housing facilities in Makkah and Madinah for pilgrims belonging to Hyderabad State. This was long before the discovery of oil in the Gulf. First such residential buildings were believed to have been constructed in 1860 by fifth Nizam Mir Tahniat Ali Khan, popularly known as Afzal-ud-Daula. He is said to have established 42 Rubaths.
However, most of these properties disappeared over time with the expansion of the Grand Mosque. After Hyderabad State’s accession to the Indian Union in 1948 and especially after the demise of the seventh and last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, steps were not taken to protect the properties.
Mir Osman Ali Khan had declared Rubath a Waqf to be administered by a Saudi national as per the rules framed by Saudi government. He had appointed Shareef Mohammed, a Saudi national with a lineage link in Hyderabad, as Nazer or administrator. Currently, his son Hussain Mohammed Al Shareef is the caretaker.
The Saudi government paid compensation for Nizam Rubaths, which had been acquired over the years. However, details like number of properties acquired and the amount were never disclosed.
The caretaker hires buildings every year to house the Haj pilgrims. In 2023, pilgrims could not be provided the stay as the Saudi authorities had not permitted the caretaker to run a building as Rubath.
