ARAFAT, 10 January 2006 — Yesterday was the most important day of Haj. On the plains of Arafat were spread more than 2.5 million souls, all beseeching their Lord for mercy and forgiveness. In Masjid Al-Nimrah, a most important sermon was delivered to a rapt audience by Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, the Kingdom’s grand mufti. Sadly, many of the assembled pilgrims had no idea what was meant by the words they heard. Except for references to various Qur’anic verses, most pilgrims from outside the Arab world could not follow the sheikh’s train of thought.
This is really a tragedy in our modern times. The truth of the matter is that Muslims living thousands of miles away had access to immediate translations of the sermon but the pilgrims were in the dark as to its meaning. For example, the Pakistani television channels beamed the speech live to their viewers and simultaneous translation in Urdu was provided.
Many technological means could be used to bring greater understanding of the sermon to the pilgrims. Women make up roughly 40 percent of the pilgrims but due to the crush they are unable to approach Masjid Al-Nimrah. Many women remain in their tents and have no access to the sermon.
This issue aside, yesterday the atmosphere in Arafat was wondrous. There had been a light drizzle in Mina on Sunday night and heavy rain had been expected, but nothing of the sort occurred. The drizzle had merely served to reduce the dust and the atmosphere was bright and partially cloudy. There was a cool breeze blowing across Arafat and due to the potential for direct sun, the authorities had made the decision to turn on the sprinklers early in the morning. This created a very cool, welcoming environment and created excellent conditions for the day’s rituals. One pilgrim, Bashir Muhammad called the weather “a blessing from Allah.”
There is always a rush among the pilgrims to get closer to Jabal Al-Rahmah (The Mount of Mercy), the point from which the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave his last sermon. Jabal Al-Rahmah is one raised area amidst a huge plain circled by mountains. It is uninhabited with few coming here except on this day of the year. But yesterday, from a distance the Mount of Mercy looked like a white pillar surrounded by a huge white sheet. This effect was produced by the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in ihram trying to find a place on or near the mountain.
The terrain of the mountain is not hospitable so when we went there we were surprised to find an elderly Egyptian couple quite a way up the hill. Fatiyya is 65 years old and her husband Muhammad is 70. When asked what had made them climb the mountain instead of staying comfortably in their tent Fatiyya replied, “The love of the Prophet and our faith in Allah. We wanted to get as close to the place as possible from where our beloved Prophet made his historic sermon during which he said that in the eyes of Allah the greatest Muslim will be the one with the strongest piety. Neither nationality, nor race or financial status will be important. In the end, piety will be all that matters.”
Piety is the focus of the pilgrims but some journalists have a different focus. There is definitely competition among the media. Many boast of how many stories they are filing daily. One journalist created high anxiety when he bragged of filing seven stories. Reporters had nightmares in which their editors demanded more effort. Working in Arafat and Mina is extremely difficult due to the problems with facilities such as Internet connectivity. Print news organizations here are not equipped with the latest satellite equipment and must depend on regular landlines and mobile phones. Later it was discovered that the journalist had filed seven small briefs in one day and everyone gave a sigh of relief.
This is the fifth Haj I have covered for Arab News and even in that short time there have been many changes. Arafat used to be a sea of white. Now, there is a huge element of color in Arafat mainly due to the colorful umbrellas distributed by companies, especially airlines and telecom companies. This year the plain is also dotted with small blue, red, yellow, green and purple nylon tents. These tents, made in China, are inexpensive and on sale in many local supermarkets. Designed to be used as playthings by children, the pilgrims have adopted them as convenient, temporary shelters. The tents are lightweight and can be setup with just two poles and a length of plastic cord. They provide privacy and protection from the sun and no one in any position of authority seems to oppose them. At the end of the day, the pilgrims will quickly fold them up, tuck them under their arms and take them to Muzdalifah.
Another colorful comforting aspect of Arafat is the neem trees. Planted over the years, the trees now provide shade and enhance the environment. Yesterday, hundreds of the trees moved in a gentle rhythm in the light breeze sweeping back and forth across the plain. Majid Amjad, a pilgrim in his late 40s, said the trees reminded him of his village in Badayun in Uttar Pradesh, India. “For me the shade of the neem tree took me to the past and I unconsciously went down memory lane, remembering many of the people from my youth,” Amjad said. “Then I prayed for all of them. But for the neem trees I would not have remembered them.”
Prayer is the activity of the day, although perhaps one wouldn’t believe that to be true based on the reports filed by many journalists. Encountering Al-Madinah Managing Editor Dr. Khaled Batarfi in Arafat, I asked him whether he thought people discussed politics at Arafat. The outside world has an impression that the 2.5 million pilgrims discuss nothing but politics all the time. According to Dr. Batarfi, the rituals of the Haj are so difficult and physically exhausting that no one really has the time or energy to talk about politics.
“Media people have a knack for getting quotes from people, and pilgrims are no exception but their reports give the impression that Muslims in Arafat and Mina are talking about politics,” said Dr. Batarfi. “Actually, if the media didn’t ask, such thoughts would not come to mind. Haj is a journey within and nobody has the time or inclination to discuss politics. Yes, in our prayers all the oppressed Muslims in the world take top priority. For instance, here in Arafat I prayed to God for the liberation of Palestine, the liberation of Iraq, Chechnya and Kashmir. I prayed to Allah to give me the opportunity to pray in the liberated city of Jerusalem but my prayers ... are between myself and Allah.”
