Haj Excitement Grips Makkah

Syed Faisal Ali, Arab News

MAKKAH, 16 January 2005 — Pilgrims of all description — young, old and very old, black, white and brown — making their journey of a lifetime have converged on Makkah to perform the rituals of Haj which climaxes on Wednesday with the Standing on Mount Arafat.

With nearly two million Muslims from all over the world gathering in a geographic capsule in preparation for their religious duty, Makkah has virtually turned into a sea of seamless white clothes. Shops and business establishments were doing brisk business while traffic into the city was bumper to bumper yesterday.

Thousands of pilgrims circumambulated the Holy Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque which stood in all its majesty and grandeur beckoning the faithful. Circumambulation of the holy structure is an integral part of Haj. Pilgrims circle the Kaaba to start and finish the Haj rituals, which can be stretched over days reaching its climax with the standing on Arafat.

In the pilgrims’ prayers were the thousands of people killed in the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated Indian Ocean’s coastal life, and asked God to give survivors the courage to cope.

As the Haj tempo gathered pace in pleasant weather conditions, the tsunami tragedy weighed heavy with Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim nation with 220 million people — hit hardest. But 200,000 Indonesians, the country’s quota, still were expected to perform the annual pilgrimage.

Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam and over two million Muslims from all over the world perform the pilgrimage each year. The pilgrimage is a must once in a lifetime for all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it. However, many people from Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries do it repeatedly. It is believed to cleanse the soul and wipe away sins.

Yesterday, security was tight throughout the holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat to prevent stampedes or other incidents or accidents. At checkpoints several kilometers outside Makkah, security personnel were seen stopping cars randomly, peeking into trunks, shining mirrors to look for explosives in undercarriages and checking IDs and other personal documents.

A fleet of 3,000 vehicles, 10,000 officers, 15 aircraft have been pressed into service to make Haj smooth and incident free, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The Kingdom is taking extra safety measures to ensure this year’s Haj is accident-free and also to avoid the kind of stampede during the ritual of stoning the devil that over the past years claimed many lives.

Under a new plan that comes into effect this year, special emphasis would be given to the safety of pilgrims in the sprawling tent city of Mina. Extra safety measures will especially apply during the stone throwing ritual. Known as “Rami Al-Jamarat”, or the stoning of the devil, it is considered one of the most important rituals of Haj.

Stampedes usually happen over the bridge leading to the stoning areas where as many as two million pilgrims would be on the move round the clock. Last year, some 250 pilgrims were crushed to death and an equal number injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual.

SPA reported 5,849 reserve officers and police were helping keep law and order and manage traffic during Haj. The reserve security force will work in tandem with other departments to ensure that the guests of God perform Haj in peace and comfort.

Mina looked all bedecked to receive its annual visitors. The cleaning and maintenance of tents, roads and drinking water points as well as installation of safety equipment have been completed.

The Ministry of Health has also completed its preparations for the protection of pilgrims from any possible outbreak of diseases. Individual Haj missions of different countries have also brought their medical personnel and equipment to look after the health of their nationals.

Earlier, Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie told reporters his ministry is watching for any signs of epidemics, particularly among pilgrims from tsunami-hit areas. Thus far, none has been spotted.