When we left Mina for Arafat the forecast was for rain. The temperature was hovering in the low teens and it was obvious that most pilgrims felt the cold. The men were clutching their ihrams tightly and were well swathed in the white fabric. The groups were walking about briskly and vociferously, chanting talbiyah “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik,” before boarding their buses to Mina. Not all the pilgrims were interested in motorized transport however. Those who were able walked to Arafat.
* * *
All of them reached Arafat in good time and were greeted by a blazing sun. On the horizon there was no sign of the eagerly anticipated clouds. The most hallowed sight for pilgrims at Arafat is Jabal Al-Rahma, the Mount of Mercy. This is the place from which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, gave his farewell sermon. People wanted to get as close as possible to this point and by 9:10 a.m. the whole area was covered with pilgrims. From a distance the gray mountain gave off the impression of being wrapped in a white sheet.
* * *
As the day wore on, the sun’s rays intensified and by noon the pilgrims were baking in merciless heat. Saudi Telecom began handing out umbrellas. The water sprinklers appeared. Ice water was distributed from trucks. The pilgrims sank to the ground in prayer and for a while, the hubbub diminished.
* * *
It is only when one sees the pilgrims massed at some point such as Al-Nimira Mosque that there is an awareness of the millions involved in the event. Due to better management this year, the crowds are generally moving rather smoothly. This is truly a blessing for all. How many are at this year’s Haj? The government puts the number of pilgrims from abroad at 1,419,706. The number from inside the Kingdom is more difficult to say. Current estimates put it at 500,000.
* * *
While transport services have improved, communications have not. The Sawa numbers issued for Haj, specifically the ones beginning with “0581,” are useless in Mina and Arafat. I have personally tried at least 20 different numbers belonging to pilgrims in an effort to assist them and it is impossible to get through. Interestingly though, people calling from fixed lines in Jeddah are able to connect with those numbers. One pilgrim who is making a tidy profit from the cell phone confusion is Saeed Ahmed from Cairo. He was selling emergency chargers for cell phones for SR10 and Al-Salam prepaid telephone cards. “This is how I subsidize my Haj every year,” he said. “It is good business. I always earn more than my expenses.”
* * *
The telephone debacle is increasing frustration among the pilgrims. Pakistani Hadi Khan, his mother, wife and cousin were performing Haj together. Hadi became separated from his aged mother near Al-Nimira Mosque. Soon after that his cousin, Murad Khan, got lost. Murad had a Haj Sawa number but was unable to call his cousin’s telephone with it. Eventually the only way to reunite the cousins was to enlist help from someone living in Jeddah who was able to call both the cousins’ phones. While the cousins eventually caught up with each other, Hadis mother remained lost. New services in other countries allow people, especially young children, to wear GPRS tags. These tags enable the wearer to be tracked and their locations noted within about a meter. Such a service would be ideal in Arafat and Mina. For a small fee, the optional service could be made available to those who need a safety system for keeping track of the young and old in their group.
* * *
Until we can go a bit more high-tech, we’ll have to make do with the next best thing — the Boy Scouts. If there were an award for excellence in service at Haj, it would have to be given to the Boy Scouts. The scouts carry maps and are constantly on the lookout for lost and distressed pilgrims. They either give people directions to their camps or if the pilgrims are families or are infirm, the scouts actually escort them all the way back to their group leaders. Some of the scouts are as young as 14, but all are doing men’s jobs. Many pilgrims have been calling to Allah for blessings upon the scouts and crying and hugging the boys when they are reunited with their groups.
* * *
It is normally assumed that Haj is colorless since most of the pilgrims are dressed in white. Once at Arafat, you see that this is not the case at all. The pilgrims use umbrellas of every color for shade. It gives a rainbow effect over the entire area. The group leaders carry poles on which they mount objects of every color. This year empty soda bottles are popular, but ribbons, Saudi headdresses, Palestinian headdresses and even balloons have been spotted. The idea behind the strange parade of poles is to give the group members something distinctive to look for in the midst of the crowds.
* * *
Technology is gradually making its way into the Haj. Everything from the digital cameras the pilgrims carry to record the event to the scooters the reporters ride to get around shows how technology used well can enhance the Haj experience. But low tech is still much in evidence. Some pilgrims carried cardboard boxes with them from Mina. The idea behind the cartons was that they could either be used as sunshades or ground covers, and they could be abandoned if they became too much of a burden.
* * *
One of the nicest souvenirs from Haj is the commemorative Saudi postage stamp issued for the occasion. There is a post office on the road to Al-Nimira Mosque. After the midday prayers, pilgrims began turning up to post letters and cards to relatives and friends at home. Postal employee Abdullah Aman said that he sold thousands of the stamps in the afternoon. The SR1 stamp is marked Haj 2004 and shows pilgrims leaving their plane at the Haj Terminal in Jeddah. Contacted by a friend who is a collector, I bought some myself to keep in remembrance of the day.
