By Dr Kouser Fathima,
The Haj pilgrimage is the dream of all Muslims, but sadly this year the pilgrimage is marred by accidents resulting in the death of hundreds of pilgrims. The crashing of crane claimed lives and caused injuries and was shortly followed by the stampede in Mina resulting in much bigger loss of lives. The official figure is above thousand, causing lot of grief among the Muslims. The Saudi government cannot just wash its hands off the accident, many questions have been raised about the management of the pilgrimage, pointing fingers at the authorities for their negligence. In today’s tech savvy world the chances of mishap should be negligible. The authorities need to review the arrangements especially the crowd management, for a mishap free Haj in the future.
While the need for questioning the authorities for adequate safety measures can’t be brushed under the carpet we also need to analyse the role and behaviour of the pilgrims. Sorry to say that the pilgrims need to be better advised and trained about the whole concept of Haj. The respective countries should conduct lectures explaining in detail about all the places, the safety measures and risks involved during the stay. Most classes conducted focus on the religious aspect and rituals barely mentioning the other aspects of the pilgrimage. With the help of technology virtual tour or even videos of the places can be shown to educate the pilgrims. All things including the huge crowd and weather conditions should be kept in mind while planning the pilgrimage.
Firstly very elderly, physically dependant people and kids should avoid going to the pilgrimage. It is not compulsory for the elderly and physically dependant to undergo the journey and face the hardships. Allah knows your condition well and will judge you accordingly. And for children Haj is Wajib only after they attain puberty, so small kids performing Haj is not needed.
Secondly Haj is Wajib only once in a lifetime, this should be repeatedly told to the people. Just because one can financially afford to go many times doesn’t validate repeated Haj by the nouveau riche Muslims and sadly for few it also has become status symbol. It is not uncommon to see people in gatherings bragging about the number of times they went to Haj. This is not only against the spirit of Haj but also you are belittling the others who for various reasons couldn’t perform the pilgrimage. People need to be reminded that the prophet himself performed Haj only once in his lifetime. If at all one has the money, he can go on Umrah throughout the year.
The authorities here can play an important role by enforcing strict restrictions like no one will be allowed to perform Haj again before a fixed period of 5 or 7 years. This will not only reduce the crowd but also give opportunity for others to perform Haj as the rich can sponsor the Haj of others. This way People can earn sawab and also aid in proper management of Haj.
Thirdly people should be taught about the importance of various rituals to be performed during Haj and also how to be performed without causing any trouble. The safety of the pilgrims should not be neglected especially keeping in mind the huge numbers. Rituals like stoning at the Jamarat can be performed by others on your behalf if you are not able to do it due to the huge crowd or health reasons. But many pilgrims are adamant about this and insist on personally performing the ritual.
Even during the walk towards the jamarat, there will be regular announcements made instructing the pilgrims to not to rush or push others. As the bridge is overcrowded, extra care is taken to maintain the safety of pilgrims, unfortunately many in the enthusiasm start rushing towards jamarat and unintentionally cause panic and harm to others. Anybody who has done Haj would know the sea of pilgrims marching towards jamarat or away from it, and even a small push or jostle is enough to create panic.
Moreover people from all countries with different physical build participate, so during a stampede the chances of weak and elderly getting pushed and injured is very high . There are many pilgrims who are also on wheelchairs and sadly are affected immediate during a stampede.
The pilgrims are treated with at most respect as they are considered as the guest of Allah .All possible amenities provided for the safe stay ranging from air conditioned tents, medical facilities, ambulances , paramedics and hundreds of volunteers distributing water and guiding the pilgrims .some responsibility also lies on the pilgrims to be followed for their own safety and convenience . Agreed not everything is perfect, many pilgrims do face various problems due to various reasons.
It is not uncommon to hear pilgrims complaining about various things as each individual would have faced various challenges .But let us remember we are talking about two million people gathered together at the same time , performing the rituals , not seen anywhere else in the world . This itself is a major achievement but yes there is always a scope and need for improvement. Both the authorities and the pilgrims need to work together to make Haj accident free.
Better crowd management and restriction on the number of pilgrims will surely be of great help and also proper training of pilgrims about safety measures is also need of the hour .The authorities need to put more instructions in various languages and increase the number of volunteers who know many languages. Regulated and timely entry of pilgrims especially on wheelchairs should be tried , may not succeed immediately but worth trying it for safety of pilgrims . More provision of drinking water and umbrellas will prevent heatstroke / dehydration. No preference based on nationality should be provided.
Haj is once in a lifetime experience, spiritual spirit of the pilgrimage cannot be forgotten. It is the time to show restrain, discipline and concern for others . Allah knows your intentions well and will reward you accordingly. So should try to maintain the spirit of Haj by our behaviour. After the huge tragedy let us learn from it , stop blame games , not carried away by false rumours , ignore hate mongers and pray for the dead pilgrims and their families .
…
(Dr Kouser Fathima is a Bengaluru based writer. She can be reached at [email protected])