Haj-e-Akbar
Seven days before we left for Haj we had no way of knowing that the “call” (Bulawa) had come, my wife and I had not even thought about it this year when everything seemed to happen at once and suddenly we were Haj-bound. Haj on a Friday meant that it was a very special occasion, Haj-e-Akbar, this was confirmed when we landed in Jeddah. The same milling crowd that seems to misbehave at Karachi suddenly inculcated discipline. All Haj passengers are processed at the Haj terminal, allocated Moallims by computer and then led to buses for transportation to Mecca. The Pakistani staging point was well-marked by flags but none of the senior officials were present, a relatively junior official tried to be helpful as he could but he had very little to impart. Given the fact that the Haj terminal processes about 1.5 – 2.0 million intending Hajis in a 30-day period arriving from almost a hundred countries, the mechanics of shifting pilgrims from aircraft to buses was relatively efficient, however some people had been waiting for as much as 6-9 hours. Our group reached Mecca in about 3-4 hours. We spent the next 3-4 hours till 5:30 am being bounced around Mecca searching for a Moallim who could take us, finally being allocated Moallim No. 5 and all the wait and anxiety was more than worth it. We simply got the best that one could hope for. From the owner of the company downwards, they were simply magnificent, giving care and attention when all we had heard about were horror stories. They were firm but efficient and cheerful. One would like to talk about Aamer Amin Attas and all his staff but one must specially mention Ahmad Dahan here. No amount of praise can be enough for him, the man was simply magnificent and is a credit not only to his company but to his country, not the least because this good Muslim comes across as such a helpful, caring ambassador.
There is no doubt that the handling of Hajis by the Saudis is a tremendous logistics feat. Even for someone trained in organisation and management, it is simply overwhelming, mind-boggling. Almost 2.5 – 3.0 million people have to be processed, their transportation arranged, their meals and accommodation catered for, their basic needs of washroom facilities provided, almost at one time. The grandeur and magnificence of the reconstruction of and around the Haram Sharif and Masjid-e-Nabavi notwithstanding, the specific attention to each detail is awesome. The Saudis have spared no expense in providing for all that is required in a co-ordinated execution of a well-laid master plan. Whether it is drinking water, medical support, communications, food, etc, it is there and for a brimming ocean of diverse population and at one time. The Saudis have responded to their responsibilities “above and beyond the call of duty”.
As one approaches the “Khana-e-Kaaba” wearing the Ehram for the first of the Haj rituals, the Umrah, one can never cease to be awe-struck by the first sight of the Kaaba, this despite the fact that we had done several Umrahs earlier. The pure splendour of “The House of God” marked by the constant stream of people circling in “Tawaf” with hundreds and thousands all around kneeling in prayer, cannot be described in simple words. The quenching of one’s thirst by “Aab-e-Zamzam” or the running between Safa and Marwa is virtually done in a spiritual daze, a repeated confirmation that there is no God except Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is His Prophet. Every time you enter the Haram Sharif, the feelings are virtually the same, engulfed in a sea of humanity from different parts of the world, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Somalia, Iran, China, Uzbekistan, etc, different faces, different builds, different languages but having the same common faith of Islam. There can be no equal to the togetherness of this congregation, separate in all the identities except for being united in one religion. You wonder at the strength of this vast multitude in one melting pot. You are drawn to this core acting like a magnet, the same as for all Muslims everywhere.
Nothing can really prepare you for the awe-inspiring spectacle at Arafat. We left for Mina to be there by the evening of 8th Zil-Haj, so as to be able to reach the site of the greatest congregation in the world before noon on the 9th Zil-Haj. Wearing the “Ehram” is compulsory, two pieces of unsewn white cloth, they magnify your anonymity, an equal among equals in a vast sea of human multitude having no distinction among each other, the basic tenet of Islam, all are created equal before God. To cope with the time and space, even the Prayers are combined, Zuhr and Asr are “Zuhrain”, Maghrib with Isha. Arafat is an occasion to exchange views and ideas on a scale unheard of in this world on any other platform by any other religion, or for that matter country or organisation. Even in that vast gathering, one feels special and elevated, to be there as a participant is a privilege that begins with the “Call”.
Some points need more attention by the Saudis, most points need the Pakistanis fending better for themselves. The fireproof fibreglass desert cooler installed tents in Mina were a Saudi miracle which must be commended, the location and number of washrooms need to be doubled. “Muzdalfa” definitely needs to have permanent washrooms on the same ratio, not only for ablutions and the basic call of nature for 2 – 2.5 million pilgrims in a 25-30 sq km area but also to keep the area clean. The Saudis did a good deal for medical services but when one aged lady had heart problem and was too heavy to be moved medically safely, the doctor on duty refused to send an ambulance and said she had to be brought to the centre, even given the nature of the emergency. On being pressed he shut further conversation by saying he had no time. Eventually after persuading a police car, a Saudi Red Crescent Society vehicle arrived and thereafter she was medically processed fairly smoothly. My wife had a very bad throat and fever, she was being sent away with “Panadol”, which she was taking already. She only got an Anti-biotic dose on her own insistence (but for one day only) with about as much rudeness she could take while on Haj. The Pakistan Medical Mission must have been somewhere, in the seven camps I personally enquired there was no sign of them.
PM Mian Nawaz Sharif is personally very much interested in the welfare of the Hajis, in Senator Zafarul Haq he has an able God-fearing enthusiast to manage the job but I do not think their message is filtering through, certainly the intent is not. We did not come across one single official of the Haj Mission, nor did many of the people in many of the camps, at least none in those I visited. I was in No. 17, the farthest at one end of Mina, so I had to traverse the entire area upto the other end to perform “Rami” at Jamarat. Most of the officials were naturally busy in Haj themselves, which one does not begrudge, but they had another duty to perform, to look after their countrymen and at least show their existence instead of catering to VIPs and regretfully, their own kith and kin or friends or connections. Then there is the matter of the Pakistan Mission. Why does not the PM task the DG ISI just to investigate why accommodation has been rented out more than 1000 metres from the Khana-e-Kaaba against standing instructions and what was the consideration when similar accommodation was available cheaper? The Haj Mission presently does not fulfil its mission and that needs to be rectified for the future. I write this as I sit at Mina, not with intent at criticism for criticism sake but to correct a great wrong, contrary to the real wishes of the present regime. Instead of being comfortable in solitude of the “Pakistan House”, let the personnel of the Haj Mission be distributed to each camp to be effective.
Personally, I had no illusions about the blessings of God, as He always does. Despite running a high fever since the morning of 8th Zil Haj, I had to keep me going, not the least of which was because my wife kept me plied with medicine and water. Instead of disintegrating under stress and strain, at times groups tend to come together to help each other, sometimes they cannot climb over their own selfishness. Someone remarked on the 3 km walk under the hot sun to Namirah Mosque and then back that it was will power. Fortunately for me, I know better. The ONE Who had given the Bulawa in the first place is the ONE that kept me going. My fever peaked at Namirah Mosque just before the Khutba and as I searched for and leaned against the wall to rest my back, a Turkish gentleman with two extremely old ladies kept plying me with water. Among the many prayers that I beseeched Allah on Arafat that day, one was, “thanks to you Allah that I am a Muslim, your Strength and Magnificence is all around me”.
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