Message from Shepherds
By the grace of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), it gives us great pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of Shepherds. As we all know that Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is obligatory upon all muslims who are able to perform it financially and physically for once in a lifetime. Hence, one must utilize this opportunity to achieve Hajj e Mabrur by performing Hajj and other Ibadaat correctly as per Quran and Sunnah, the reward for which is Jannah, inshaAllah.
Moreover, it is our understanding that when it comes to learning the Deen of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), many of us are not able to manage time for it but for the Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) who have already taken time out of their busy daily schedule for Hajj will have ample time to learn about their Deen during the Journey of their Souls which is Hajj, inshaAllah.
Shepherds intention is not only to provide assistance to our respected Hujjaj, the Guest of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) in performing Hajj but also to focus on extensive lectures and trainings to learn some of the basics of Islam and to provide a comprehensive idea about Hajj to our respected Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), bidhnillah.
For this reason, Shepherds have teamed up with leading Islamic Scholars like Dr Mohammad Monzur E Elahi, Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Madani and other prominent Scholars to conduct extensive lecture programs on Hajj and other relevant topics in order to provide shariah guidance to our respected guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), Alhamdulillah.
In addition to Hajj, SHEPHERDS also arrange various types of affordable Umrah packages as per our respected clients’ preferences. For this purpose we have a Saudi based Bangladeshi team to provide assistance to our respected Umrah clients once they reach Saudi Arabia.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the appreciation and love showered upon us by our clientele each year. This has motivated us to overcome challenges and help us to grow in strength and numbers within a very short time by the grace of the Almighty.
Please feel free to contact us for any queries.
May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) forgive us and enable us to serve our Honorable Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and earn His pleasure in this Dunya and the Hereafter.
Thank You
SHEPHERDS
Our Story
By the grace of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), we started our journey in 2015 with the aim of bridging the gap between organizing Umrah & Hajj Packages as per Quran and Sunnah and simultaneously maintaining a good level of service standards. We realized that there is a vacuum in the Hajj & Umrah Service sector when it comes to providing good service and performing Hajj & Umrah as per the guidelines of Shariah.
Some agencies are focused on performing Hajj & Umrah as per the guidelines from Quran & Sunnah but they may lack in providing good quality services. On the other hand, some agencies are focused on providing top notch services but they may lack in providing comprehensive Shariah guidelines when it comes to Hajj & Umrah. This is where Shepherds comes into the picture focusing on both the Spiritual guidelines and Good Quality in Service Standards.
We realized that Hajj & Umrah journey is not just like any other pleasure trips or business tours; rather it is the Journey of our Souls. At the same time, the challenges and issues the respected Pilgrims encounter in these trips are very much different than other trips. Those who undertake Hajj & Umrah journeys have a specific set of spiritual goals to achieve and at the same time desire a satisfactory level of Service Standards in order to perform their Ibadat with a peace of mind.
Specially during Hajj which is a high intensive Journey with many restrictions and complications, many a times the respected Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) have to deal with critical religious issues which are not found in textbooks or websites, that is where the presence of an Islamic Scholar in the Hajj Package is highly crucial who can provide specific solutions to specific individuals.
Based on this understanding Shepherds has teamed up with renowned Islamic scholars of Bangladesh like Dr Mohammad Monzur E Elahi, Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Madani and other prominent Scholars to provide extensive trainings on Hajj and other relevant topics prior and during this life changing Journey.
In addition to the above, Shepherds strongly believe that the preparation for Hajj & Umrah will be insufficient without a detailed understanding of the practical challenges and issues which are frequently encountered by the Honorable Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). That is why Shepherds conducts thorough trainings on practical issues so that our respected Hujjaj become aware of the ground realities during the different phases of this Soul Enriching Journey.
With regards to Umrah, Shepherds offers a wide range of Private and affordable Group Umrah Packages. Prior Covid-19, the majority of our clients preferred private packages which were customized as per their preferences. However, in the post Covid-19 years, we have seen from our respected clientele an inclination towards Group Umrah Packages which are usually more economical than tailored Private Umrah Packages.
As expected, arranging Umrah & Hajj Packages has its fair share of challenges especially since every year the policy guidelines which are set by Governmental bodies evolves for the betterment of the Hujjaj. As a result since the inception of Shepherds our Journey was not smooth and easy but the Mercy of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and the enormous love and support from our clientele whom we consider an extension of our family has made it easy for us to navigate our tough times and motivated us to run that extra mile for our loved ones. And Alhamdulillah our numbers in Hajj and Umrah which have grown gradually over the years is a testament to their genuine support and affection for Shepherds. As a result, we remain ever grateful and at the same time feel responsible for such a high level of trust which our respected clientele bestows upon us.
Our name Shepherds is inspired from the Hadith, “Everyone of you is a shepherd, and is responsible for his flock (what is under his care)” [Sahih Muslim Book 20 Hadith 4496].
Our motto “Aspire to Inspire” implies that despite our flaws we are hopeful that through our efforts and services we will be able to bring about positive changes in our community at large. At the same time it also indicates that we do not consider ourselves as perfect in all aspects of this business and we would love to have our feet grounded and feel humbled by the enormous blessings and learnings our Journey with the Honorable Guests of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala has been offering us every moment of our lives.
Our Team
Tareq Hussain
Abdullah Mohammad Saleh
Hafiz Dr Md Rafiqul Islam Al-Madani
Dr Mohammad Monzur E Elahi
Why Shepherds?
Shariah Compliant
We consider Shariah Compliance issues as the highest priority when it comes to conducting our business. We strongly believe it is incumbent upon us not only to operate our Hajj & Umrah packages as per Quran and Sunnah but also to manage our overall business upholding Islamic values. That is why we have teamed up with renowned Islamic Scholars like Dr. Mohammad Monzur E Elahi and Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam al Madani.
Customer Centric
Hajj & Umrah being a spiritual Journey unlike any other pleasure or business trips, there is a spiritually sensitive dimension in organizing such packages within the guidelines set by various governmental authorities. Keeping all these aspects in mind, we from Shepherds consider being Customer Centric as our topmost priority in organizing Hajj & Umrah packages accordingly. A unique feature of Shepherds is that since our inception we have been conducting detailed surveys on Customer Feedbacks once our respected Pilgrims return from Hajj. This helps us to evaluate our overall packages and act accordingly if needed. We consider these surveys as an integral part for our effort to remain relevant with our customer preferences. To view these survey results, click here.
Transparency
We understand that Hajj and Umrah Journeys are not just only spiritually sensitive but also quite complicated to organize due to numerous policies and instructions from various governmental authorities. As a result, we strongly believe that it is best for both sides; we as organizers and our respected clients to have trust in each other. Hence we always try to maintain a level of transparency in our communications so that our respected clients can get real updates from time to time. This in return forms a strong bonding with our clientele which makes it easier for us to navigate through tough situations as one big family.
Dynamic Management
By the Grace of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) Shepherds team consists of dynamic individuals from various backgrounds ranging from renowned Islamic Scholars to individuals with vast experience in Hajj Management. These individuals always try to give their 100% for the service of the Honorable Guests of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala).
Affordable
Hajj and Umrah are getting expensive day by day due to various economic factors. We realize that for a vast majority of Bangladeshi Pilgrims arranging funds for Hajj & Umrah is getting difficult with time. Bangladesh Hajj quotas not getting filled up in recent years is a reflection of that scenario. Shepherds always strive to arrange affordable Hajj & Umrah Packages without compromising the service standards and overall package quality.
Striving for Continuous Development
In recent years, Hajj & Umrah sector has been greatly impacted by Post Covid-19 regulations and also by technological advancement. This resulted in digitalisation of many Hajj & Umrah services and also complications in Supply Chain Ecosystem. Taking all these challenges into account Shepherds always try to improve their service standards instead of taking things for granted. By the Mercy of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) our Customer Feedback from our surveys have been satisfactory since the beginning yet we did our level best to bring about improvements and experiment with various services in our packages within feasibility limits based on feedback we received even if it was from a minority of our respected clientele.