Journey of a Lifetime Begins
Arab News Team
MINA, 29 December 2006 � Pilgrims braved chilly weather conditions yesterday busying themselves in prayers and contemplation in the tent city of Mina on the first day of the five-day journey of a lifetime.
The valley was reverberating with verses from the Holy Qur�an. Pilgrims from nearly 170 countries were in the city. The Haj will climax today on the Plains of Arafat where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave his last sermon more than 14 centuries ago.
Traffic from all around the Kingdom flowed smoothly into the city but there were huge queues at the entrance to Mina until late afternoon yesterday. Security forces checked every vehicle to keep pilgrims without permits away.
Thousands of police officers and reserved forces cleared the pedestrian pathway in Mina where thousands of pilgrims, including Saudis, were camping illegally. The officers started to clear the pathway at approximately 9 p.m. They formed a human block around the area to prevent pilgrims from camping in the place again.
The pilgrims were removed safely and peacefully from the pathway.
The police blamed Saudis for not following instructions, saying foreign pilgrims could be excused for not being aware of local laws, but not Saudis who are well aware of the dangers of squatting.
At the newly designed Jamrat Bridge, hundreds of security forces were successful in keeping the squatters away.
Security was noticeably higher this year, as authorities hope to prevent past calamities associated with overcrowding. Security forces have tightened measures on all entry points to the holy city to prevent pilgrims without valid permits from entering. At a press conference in Mina, Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman, said security forces went into full action yesterday. He dismissed the possibility of sectarian violence that has spiraled out of control in Iraq spilling over into the Haj.
�There is no indication that pilgrims arrived for anything other than to perform Haj,� he said.
The center of activity as always was in and around the historic Masjid Al-Khaif. Pilgrims who came in early pitched their tents in the shadow of the mosque and immediately settled into reading verses from the Holy Qur�an.
�This is the command of our Prophet,� said one pilgrim. �I don�t know much about these rituals. I only know that the Prophet undertook a similar journey and I am doing this to express my love for my beloved Prophet.�
�Words can�t describe how I feel,� said Ismail Attiyeh, 45, from Syria, choking with emotion. �To see all these people from around the world responding to the call and speaking in one voice to our creator gives me unprecedented feelings.�
Elderly men and women were seen huddling in their tents. Passing pilgrims waved and smiled at them.
Considerable physical strength is demanded of pilgrims during Haj. Salamat Bhuiyan, a Bangladeshi performing the Haj for the first time, said: �From beginning to end, the rituals demand a great deal of strength and endurance. We can eat during the Haj, but many of us use the occasion to fast. The constant crush of hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims, each trying to perform the same rites at the same time in limited space and in hot weather compounds the stress and heightens the requirement for good physical conditions and mental toughness.�
For all pilgrims, the aim is always to seek the peace of Allah. �It teaches us that all of life is a spiritual quest,� said Sultan Abdullah from Pakistan.
Every pilgrim that Arab News spoke to talked about the cold weather. �This is unbearable. But then this is what Haj is all about,� said Abdullah Al-Qahtani from the Kingdom�s Northern Province. �We have to sacrifice. Haj is no picnic as some people think. It is an arduous journey.� He remembered the last Haj that he performed 11 years ago. �It was very tough during those days,� he said. �Mina and Makkah have changed for the better. There are many more facilities now.�
Doctors at the local hospitals reported an increased number of patients coming down with flu. �It is because of the weather. It is very cold,� said Dr. Muhammad Hai at a Ministry of Health dispensary in Mina. The spokesman of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani, said: �No serious infectious or communicable diseases have been detected so far.� Some pilgrims from South Asia were a little nervous because of their location. �We are on the edge of Muzdalifah. Yet where we are there are the old signs saying that this is where Mina ends. I don�t know what to think. This is a question that has been the cause of dispute in our camp. Some have gone deeper into Mina and want to pray there. Some pilgrims are asking if their Haj is being performed correctly or not. The Saudi government must remove the huge sign boards and erect new ones on the edge of extended Mina,� said Anwar Abdul Rahman from India.
�Praying in Masjid Al-Khaif has a special place in the performance of Haj, though it�s not a part of Haj rituals. But everyone wants to pray in it. And I feel myself fortunate enough to get a chance to see this majestic mosque and pray inside it,� said Abdur Rehman Abdul Wahab, a Kuwaiti.
�Haj is never tiring but always rewarding. Whoever performs it becomes as pure and innocent as a newborn child. This is Allah�s way of showering His choicest blessings on the believers,� said Saleh Al-Sheikh, a Syrian.
�I�m here to answer the call of Allah and pray for the peace and tranquility in my motherland. Those planning to harm us should never succeed in their mission. I also prayed for the unity of the Muslim Ummah, which is the need of the hour, said,� Iranian pilgrim Haider Ali Najafi.
The number of foreign pilgrims participating in this year�s Haj has reached a record 1,654,407, according to Interior Minister Prince Naif. Of them, 1,500,519 came by air, 129,903 by land and 23,985 by sea and they came from 187 countries, the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.
Director General of Civil Defense Saad Al-Towaijeri said last night that the pilgrims had successfully completed the rites for the Yaum Al-Tarwiya, the first day of the Haj at Mina. No emergency case of accident was reported. All arrangements for the journey to Arafat are in place, he added.
-- With inputs from Syed Faisal Ali, Samir Al-Saadi, Zainy Abbas, Galal Fakkar, Siraj Wahab and Saeed Al-Khotani
[Reprinted with permission of Arab News]
Also see: �God
Will Ensure Our Safety� - Syed Faisal Ali, Arab
News
The
Hajj - SUSRIS NID - January 4, 2006
The
Hajj in Perspective: A Conversation with David Long - SUSRIS
Interview - Jan 23, 2005
Pilgrims
Bid Farewell to Makkah - SUSRIS IOI - Jan. 25, 2005
A Hajj Diary - By Faiza
Saleh Ambah - SUSRIS IOI:
