MAKKAH: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) has advised Malaysian pilgrims not to rely solely on artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT or Google searches for guidance on the rules of haj and umrah.
Instead, Holy Land haj facilitator (Pihtas) Salmah Sheikh Hassan urged pilgrims to use the e-Taib service as their primary reference, including when at the Masjidil Haram, to obtain authentic and accurate guidance from certified ibadah guides.
"This is a matter of ibadah (worship). We want to ensure that every deed is performed perfectly so that we may attain a mabrur (accepted) haj. There have been instances where pilgrims paused during tawaf, stepped aside and contacted us via e-Taib because they were uncertain whether they had completed seven rounds or only six.
"In such situations, we (Pihtas) advise them to consider it as six rounds and add one more to complete seven, to eliminate any doubt," she said when met by the media here.
The e-Taib system, available through the THujjaj application, allows pilgrims to submit questions to Pihtas via their smartphones, in a format similar to the WhatsApp messaging platform.
Salmah said that, on average, pilgrims received responses to queries submitted via e-Taib within five minutes, depending on the stability of the internet connection at the time.
"When the internet connection is good, Pihtas officers are able to provide feedback within one to two minutes. On average, pilgrims' queries are answered in less than 20 minutes," she said.
According to Salmah, the e-Taib service was currently handled by four Pihtas officers working 18-hour shifts. Operations were extended to 24 hours a day during the Masyair week to accommodate the expected surge in queries from pilgrims.
"So far, e-Taib has received an average of more than 1,000 questions per week, and this is expected to rise to 4,000 during the peak haj season, reflecting the high demand for online guidance and prompt responses from certified guides.
"Most of the questions we receive are from female pilgrims, particularly on matters such as menstruation during ihram, prohibitions in ihram, payment of dam (fine), intention for ihram at miqat, and the tawaf ritual," she said.
Salmah said the Pihtas team was also assisted by three expert consultants from the Haj Advisory Committee (TH-Jakim), including deputy mufti of Perlis, Tajul Urus Abdul Halim. – Bernama
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