Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
Muslims should unite in word, prayers and action, and should avoid conflict, Hajj preacher Sheikh Yusuf bin Mohammad said in his sermon on Mount Arafat on Tuesday.
Sheikh Yusuf, who has held several of the highest religious positions in Saudi Arabia before being appointed preacher at this year's Hajj, reminded the world that racism has no basis in Islam, quoting a hadith – or saying – by the Prophet Mohammed.
“There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and no superiority for a white-skinned person over a black-skinned person, except due to one’s consciousness of Allah.”
Sheikh Yusuf said: “God has forbidden amongst you the spilling of blood, looting of wealth and violation of honour.
“The difference in languages, colours and ethnicities does not justify falling into discords and divisions.”
Allah has commanded for “unity, love harmony and prohibits disputes and divisions”, Sheikh Yusuf added.
The sermon was translated into 20 languages and broadcast in its original Arabic with simultaneous sign language interpretation.
Millions of pilgrims listened to the sermon and many more watched abroad.
“We are all watching the Hajj sermon live on YouTube,” Diana Wijaya from Indonesia told The National.
Pilgrims were due to combine their dhuhr and asr prayers in shortened forms, before making their way to Muzdalifah, an open area near the holy city of Makkah, near Mina, the “city of tents”.
“It’s extremely hot, but we are lucky to be here. Very blessed and we don’t take that for granted,” said Eman Ali, a local pilgrim.
At Muzdalifah, pilgrims gather pebbles for the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual that begins on Wednesday, which is also the start of the Eid Al Adha feast of sacrifice marked by more than 1.5 billion Muslims globally.
Sheikh Yousef has been a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and served as a teacher at the Grand Mosque of Makkah and the Prophet Mohammed's mosque in Madinah among others.
He has also served as a preacher during Eid sermons for 20 years. Most recently, Sheikh Yousef was Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance for four years.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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