ARAFAT, 10 January 2006 — Delivering the most important sermon from the plains of Arafat, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh called on Muslims to follow the moderate teachings of Islam and steer clear of fanaticism and extremism.
“Shariah forbids terrorism,” he told the 2.5 million pilgrims who gathered in Arafat yesterday. The grand mufti urged Muslims worldwide to close their ranks and to unite against anti-Islam and anti-Muslim campaigns.
“You Muslims, who believe in Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) should work to cement your unity,” he told the pilgrims at Masjid Al-Nimrah. “The Muslim people should work to establish economic, political and military mechanisms to defend Muslims against attacks by their enemies.”
In an atmosphere filled with spirituality and serenity, the pilgrims performed the most important rite of the Haj, as they spent the day in prayer in Arafat.
A white sea of faithful surged to Arafat as dawn broke on the second day of the five-day event. Waves of men in seamless white robes and women in head scarves and long dresses joined voices in a crescendo chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (Here I am O God, answering your call).
Tears rolled down the cheeks of pilgrims as they climbed Jabal Al-Rahmah, where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) delivered his final sermon more than 14 centuries ago. The mount was flooded by pilgrims who sat or stood there for hours in contemplation and prayer.
Jabal Al-Rahmah is a hillock amidst a huge plain circled by mountains. It is uninhabited with few coming here except on this one day of the year. From a distance the mount looked like a white pillar surrounded by a huge white sheet. This effect was produced by the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in their “ihram” trying to find a place on or near the mount.
It was from this location that the Prophet (pbuh) made his historic last sermon during which he said that race and ethnicity do not designate superiority, only piety and good actions can achieve superiority for a Muslim before Allah. He advised his followers to learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood.
Standing in the plains of Arafat in prayer until sunset on the 9th of Dul Hijjah is the high point of the Haj. The pilgrims who fail to make it on time must come for Haj again.
“I really can’t describe the feeling of being here at Arafat for the first time. It’s overwhelming,” said 52-year-old Ali Saeed Al-Ghamdi.
“Words can’t describe how I feel,” a Kashmiri pilgrim said. “Look at this crowd answering God’s call, 1,400 years after the Prophet, the nation is alive and well. This is awesome, just awesome.”
A French convert to Islam was very excited about his pilgrimage. “I am French and embraced Islam in 2003. My Haj is very special. I studied all the rituals of the Haj in the last three years with a view to performing them correctly. I felt very close to Allah, the Almighty in Arafat,” said Jacque Karimullah.
“O God, grant me and my loved ones good health, forgiveness and save us from hell,” Abdul Samad, an Indian pilgrim, prayed as he raised his hands and faced the sky. With tears in his eyes, he added: “Forgive me for my sins and have mercy on my soul.”
“Haj is an experience of a lifetime, it is also a glimpse into the mind and psyche of the Muslim Ummah,” remarked Laique Niazi from Karachi, Pakistan. “Where else on earth can you find millions of people, different in language, race, color, culture, but united in faith and purpose, acting in complete goodwill, discipline, generosity, and brotherhood? That is the unique Haj experience I will share with all my friends and relatives.”
Niyaz Hanware, a businessman from Bombay, India, said: “Arafat reminds me of the Day of Judgment where we will all be gathered together dressed in simple white garb made up of two pieces of unsewn cloths so that a prince and a pauper are indistinguishable, a nobleman and a slave are side by side, an illiterate and an intellectual are in the same class, color and race do not matter, nothing matters on this day except your good deeds.” After a pause he added, “But I feel lonely, all alone, as we all will be on the Day of Reckoning.”
The pilgrims left Arafat after sunset, moving to Muzdalifa to spend the night, following in the footsteps of the Prophet (pbuh). They will also collect pebbles from Muzdalifa to stone the Jamarat in Mina after sunrise today in a ritual symbolizing the stoning of the devil.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan arrived yesterday at Mina to supervise Haj services.
The Armed Forces Hospital announced that it treated more than 2,500 cases from Sunday until yesterday. The Saudi Press Agency quoted chief of the medical mission, Col. Abdullah Al-Muhareb, as saying that four sick pilgrims were taken by the medical staff to Arafat and back to Mina to help them perform Haj.
— With input from Siraj Wahab, Syed Faisal Ali, Hasan Hatrash and Wael Mahdi
