The sons of a Saudi Mutawaf who died in Corona serve the pilgrims.. in implementation of his will
Family members of the late Mutawaf Talaat Tounsi at the Zaidi point to receive pilgrims in Mecca AFP
A prominent Saudi pilgrim who worked in the service of foreign pilgrims will be absent for nearly 30 years from Hajj this year after his death as a result of being infected with Covid-19, but his six children decided to volunteer and help the visitors of the Kaaba in his place, in implementation of his will.
Talaat Jamil Tounsi was a sports journalist before dedicating himself to serving Arab pilgrims arriving annually as well as Umrah pilgrims throughout the year.
The tawaf is the one who guides and assists foreign pilgrims in performing their religious rituals properly, and he must be sufficiently aware of their needs during their stay in the Holy Land.
His son Majid, 32, says that his father recommended him before his death, saying, "If something happens to me, you and your brothers should complete the Hajj work and stand together to serve the pilgrims."
"We all decided to work this year for the first time to serve pilgrims in memory of the father," the young doctor added in an emotional voice, who died in August at the age of 52, leaving six sons and two daughters.
The entire Tunisian family was infected with the Corona virus last July, after the infection was transmitted to them through his daughter, who works as a doctor.
Majed said that his father "was admitted to intensive care and continued to suffer from multiple complications, but he did not wake up from the coma associated with Corona, which eliminated most of the functions of his body."
And last Ramadan, which began in April, Majed and his brothers volunteered in the “gift of Hajj and Umrah” association in Makkah to serve pilgrims and follow the path of their father.
Despite his absence from this year's Hajj, his six sons, aged between 8 and 32, and his two grandsons, Talaat, 10, and Sami, 7, will stand at the pilgrims' reception center in the Zaydi district of Mecca to help pilgrims.
The youngsters will provide water, coffee and dates for the pilgrims, while the older ones will complete their procedures and issue their electronic permits and Hajj smart cards.
Majed, who recalled his assistance to his father in serving pilgrims during his childhood, said, "My feeling now is that I complete my father's mission and role."
The Tounsi family has been working in the raft field for more than 80 years.
Talaat's son, Jamal, 23, who works as an engineer, said, "Since we were young, we used to spend the days of pilgrimage in the holy sites with my father every year."
He continued, "His will has always been for us not to abandon this profession of honor, as mutawafaeen, or volunteers, that God has singled out for the people of Mecca."
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