Without in any way diminishing the awfulness of last week’s tragedy in Makkah in which dozens of pilgrims died or undermining the need for the most stringently applied building safety standards, it is nonetheless true that Haj has now become relatively safe and easy. Until fairly recently — certainly within living memory — the journey to Makkah was a once-in-a-lifetime event, not simply because of the costs involved but also because of the logistics and time needed to make the trip. No airplanes then and no buses from Jeddah. It could take weeks, even months, to get to Makkah. It was normal for people to set aside a whole year for the pilgrimage. It was not simply a question of time; travel was also nasty and potentially dangerous. The pilgrimage was something of a journey into the unknown; when pilgrims set out on the long journey to Makkah, neither they nor their families could be certain if they would return. Not that that was ever a consideration.
Today, on the other hand, we have become blasé about travel. It is quick. It is easy. Pilgrims, like any other travelers, can leave their homes in Dakar or Delhi and be in Makkah the same day barring mishap or incident. They can be back home a week later, less if necessary. As with all travel, we have come to expect ease and comfort almost as a right. We are quick to complain about the slightest inconvenience. The plane was a couple of hours late; it was crowded; there was a problem with seat allocation; there was not enough space in the overhead lockers; the airline meal was cold/hot/tasteless/not what we wanted; there were too many people at immigration. We grumble at what, for our grandparents, would have been no inconvenience at all. The logistics of getting to Makkah are not only quick, they are safe. There are still bandits out to fleece the unwary pilgrim, but they are usually crooks in the pilgrims’ home countries selling nonexistent accommodation and transport. There is nothing life-threatening involved. And the journey is relatively cheap too. The cost of air travel has never been cheaper — which is why the number of pilgrims coming to perform Haj has never been greater. The physical journey involved in the pilgrimage was always part of the spiritual journey. The difficulties and dangers tested the pilgrim’s endurance and faithfulness. They encouraged patience and trust in God’s providence and mercy prior to the joy of praying at Mina and Arafat, the conviction of past sins forgiven, the sense of spiritual renewal. Travel today has made it so much easier for pilgrims to perform Haj and that is surely good.
But there has been a loss, the loss of the lesson of patience, the loss of an understanding of timelessness, not just in God’s mercy but in our approach to God. The pilgrimage to Makkah serves as a metaphor for the pilgrimage of life. There is so much rush today, so much hustle, bustle and restlessness. May the joy of Haj melt the pilgrims’ restless hearts and minds and bring them to a new understanding of time and eternity — an understanding to take back to the busy, rushing world at home.
