Now it’s over and people have come from Haj with stories, memories and ideas for safer ones in future. Evening gatherings are now dedicated to pilgrimage, and how hard or easy things were for various people. Being a listener this year, I recorded some of the tales.
A Saudi woman said “I’ve never met so many different nationalities in my life; right in my tent I had a chance to communicate with women from other countries and it was an amazing experience.” Sharing tents, food and experience no doubt does create a bond between people.
A friend complained that she was repeatedly confused while praying or performing the rituals because of the conflicting advice people kept giving her. “Suddenly everybody is a mufti and they all come up with what they think correct judgments on how everything should be done.” In the end, she decided that she knew best and stopped listening though people did not stop volunteering information or personal views.
Some of those performing Haj this year were on special luxury trips but as one woman said, “How absurd! I wouldn’t go on one even if I could afford it.” Tales of the luxuries include the huge prices for special tents full of every luxury a five-star hotel could offer — catered food, large-screen TVs and everything you could imagine. Somehow the commercialization of what should be a spiritual experience makes me wonder if those people really understand Haj. All men wear the same white garment and women wear very modest, mostly white garmentsas well. All human beings are declared to be equal in everything and the simplicity is meant to make them feel closer to God and to each other; they are supposed to feel equal in everything. Some people, however, are never satisfied with being equal. Ostentation and showing off creeps in and if you encounter them on Haj, you will see the difference.
On the other hand, there are those who perform Haj every year and thus deprive those who have not performed the ritual. Every year, the Haj becomes more and more crowded and accidents occur. Some people though think that doing pilgrimage annually is the cause of accidents. A friend who was on Haj this year said: “If you perform Haj every year with a group and you have a designated place to stay and you perform the rituals in order, then there won’t be a problem.” The problem, she said, was with the people who do not have a place to stay and squat in the roads. She said that during the stampede, ambulances could not move because all the roads were blocked by people who were in effect living on the road. She remarked, “The authorities should provide space for people who cannot afford tents. Leaving them on the road helps nobody.”
Everyone is talking about the stampede and for every Haj, the stoning process is the hardest because of the crowds. A young man working with the pilgrims said that some carried their luggage with them during the stoning on the second day so that they would be ready to return to Makkah straightaway. Others bring their children with them. One woman recalled seeing a pilgrim with a 2-month old-baby heading for the stoning pillars. She pleaded with the women not to take the baby with her. “I tried to convince her to leave the baby with her relatives and go alone.”
Other people complain that some pilgrims do not care for each other’s safety; they push others and link arms with their group and so form a moving wall which causes some pilgrims to fall and injure themselves.
The comment that is repeated every year and is expected in all crowded places has to do with the garbage left behind. An elderly woman said: “I felt terrible after leaving Arafat when I saw the mess all the pilgrims had left. The place was littered beyond imagination, and it is not because of a lack of garbage containers; it was because of people who do not care about keeping the place clean.”
And like every year all these tales will be the talk of the town for a while and then will be forgotten, until the next Haj season comes.
