Being at Arafat on this day of the Islamic calendar (9th Dul Hijjah) is considered the most important aspect of Haj. It was from this place that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, delivered his unforgettable sermon, enunciating far-reaching religious, economic, social and political reforms.
Lady Evelyn Cobbold, an Englishwoman, who became a Muslim and took the name of Zainab, described the standing scene at Arafat — wuqoof in Arabic — in moving words.
“It would require a master pen to describe the scene, poignant in its intensity, of that great concourse of humanity of which I was one small unit, completely lost to their surroundings in a fervor of religious enthusiasm,” she wrote in her Haj journal decades ago. “Many of the pilgrims had tears streaming down their cheeks; others raised their faces to the sky that had witnessed this drama so often in the past centuries. The shining eyes, the passionate appeals, the pitiful hands outstretched in prayer moved me in a way that nothing had ever done before, and I felt caught up in a strong wave of spiritual exaltation. I was one with the rest of the pilgrims in a sublime act of complete surrender to the Supreme Will which is Islam.”
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Jabal Al-Rahmah is the highest point on the plain at Arafat and every cameraman needs to summit it in order to get the best photos of the activity below. In the 10th Hijrah year, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, spoke at Jabal Al-Rahmah to the congregation of Muslims gathered around him. In this, his last sermon, the Prophet exhorted all Muslims to learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. This has made Jabal Al-Rahmah, the Mount of Mercy, a must reach destination for many pilgrims trying to follow exactly in the Prophet’s footsteps.
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Even from early in the day, Jabal Al-Rahmah seemed to have been draped in white. It is essential to understand that there are stairs on only one side of the mount. At any other time, Muslims would climb to the top using the staircase. During Haj, pilgrims will do absolutely anything to find a place on Jabal Al-Rahmah, so those who are able, forgo the stairs and reach the top through sheer force of will. These pilgrims climb over boulders and scramble up crevasses. The younger pilgrims, lift and pull the aged pilgrims up the mount in a slow, painful journey that always ends in tears.
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Why tears? Because once the pilgrims get high enough and look out on the gathered humanity below they begin to pray and beseech Allah. The tears stream down their cheeks as they beg forgiveness for their sins. Then they supplicate the Almighty to be merciful to them, their family, relatives, friends, countrymen and all Muslims. As one elderly pilgrim approached Jabal Al-Rahmah, the pilgrims nearby urged him to turn back. It was too crowded and too dangerous for him, they advised. But he would not retreat. “Something inside me is pulling me to this place. I must not stop. I must not stop,” he repeated again and again.
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The day at Arafat was surprisingly hot and the sprinklers came on at 9:30 to cool the pilgrims. Umbrellas were up long before the sun was at its height. As pilgrims struggled up the stairs on Jabal Al-Rahmah, sweat ran down their faces and the heat in the crowd was unbearable. The surprise of the day came when we decided to make our way down from the other side, since the stairway was impassable. The back side of the mount was quite cool and pleasant. We sat perched on a large outcropping and listened to the sermon being broadcast from Masjid Al-Namira, in better comfort than we could have found in the lobby of a five-star hotel.
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And then like those around us we prayed for our dear ones. Hearing the prayers of nearby pilgrims showed that all these Muslims are at Haj for the single purpose of renewing their faith. While it is true that they all beseech God in their own languages, it is clear to see that all their thoughts are only on the immediate event unfolding before them.
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And this last note: There is a general perception to those away from the scene of the pilgrimage that politics will be a primary focus. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pilgrims are not interested in politics. They are totally immersed in the Haj rituals. Through the pilgrimage people hope that they will become better Muslims. They are thinking of the Hereafter, not the here and now.
Haj Diary — Arafat, Oct. 25
