MAKKAH, 28 December 2006 — Black, white, and brown — people of all colors, creeds and nationalities, all chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (“Here I am, my Lord, here I am”), began moving yesterday into the tent city of Mina to mark the formal beginning of the Haj.
Hundreds of thousands of white-clad believers in buses, cars or on foot, started the first-leg of their holy journey from Makkah to Mina as chilly winds and unusually cold weather greeted them.
The pilgrims will camp in Mina today (Thursday) praying to Allah for forgiveness and solace before leaving for the plains of Arafat tomorrow (Friday).
“This is a dream come true for me. Each year I saved money to come on this journey,” said Illiyas Mohideen, a Yemeni pilgrim. “Now that day has arrived and I’m among millions of Muslims who have gathered here to perform the pilgrimage.”
Interior Minister Prince Naif, who heads the Supreme Haj Committee, has taken charge of security arrangements and was marshalling security and Civil Defense forces in the holy city. Increased safety measures have been taken in Mina to prevent stampedes.
The authorities reported that more than 1.6 million people had arrived in the Kingdom by Tuesday and more were on their way. Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom are expected to swell the number of the faithful undertaking the pilgrimage to more than 2.5 million.
The number of checkpoints on all roads leading into Makkah has increased enormously. Security forces are checking each vehicle. Up until Tuesday all those who did not have a Haj permit were being turned away.
From yesterday the authorities started arresting those who arrived at the checkpoints without valid permits.
One expatriate arrested at a checkpoint pleaded with Arab News journalists to bail him out. “I was arrested because the permit that I have is said to be a forged one,” said the man from Riyadh, who was crying hysterically. “I was told that they would keep me for some time and release me. But now I am told they will prosecute me. I have provided the policemen with all the details of the person who issued the fake permit to me.”
The Health Ministry said more than 9,600 medical personnel have been mobilized and 21 field hospitals set up at Makkah and Madinah for this year’s pilgrimage.
Pilgrims from the Middle East, particularly from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Iran, were worried about the peace and stability of their countries. Most of them said they would pray for the prosperity and development of their countries.
“We will ask the Almighty to give us strength to fight those who unleash atrocities on us and heap humiliation on the entire Muslim Ummah,” said a Palestinian pilgrim, Hammad Al-Jasir.
There is a firm belief among Muslims that those who get a chance to perform the pilgrimage are answering a call from the Almighty.
“You might be rich and famous, with everything at your beck and call, but unless He gives a call, you cannot perform Haj,” said Rafique Uddin Ahmad, of Pakistan.
The whole atmosphere around the Grand Mosque yesterday was religiously charged with people speaking only one language — the language of the Qur’an.
Not only pilgrims wait for this day to come. There are many others who eagerly await this annual congregation, which provides them with an opportunity to earn some good money.
Yesterday, taxis and other vehicles were in great demand. Drivers were charging a very high rate for a journey of only about five kilometers. In normal days, they charge only SR5 for Mina from Makkah but yesterday the price was anything between SR50 and SR100, depending upon the bargaining capacity of the pilgrims who were negotiating a deal with drivers for dropping them to the tent city.
There was a mad race among the drivers to reach Mina first and then come back to Makkah for another trip. Vehicles packed with pilgrims raced with each other to try to reach the tent city first. At times they were putting the life and safety of pilgrims at risk in their charge to earn as much as possible.
Those manning the traffic faced a tough time in regulating both the vehicular traffic and pilgrims walking toward Mina. All roads to Mina were packed with buses and other vehicles. The pilgrims were chanting the talbiyah and the entire area was reverberating with chants of “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik”.
Most pilgrims in ihram were performing Umrah at the Holy Mosque in Makkah before heading out to Mina. The mosque, which has been packed with pilgrims for the last few days, was slowly emptying yesterday.
At dawn tomorrow (Friday), the pilgrims will begin moving toward Mount Arafat where they will spend the day praying and asking for God’s forgiveness at the summit, in a symbolic waiting for the last judgment.
The pilgrims will then return to Mina to sacrifice an animal, usually a sheep, for Eid Al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, on Saturday. They will spend another two days in Mina for the stoning that symbolizes a willingness to renounce evil.
The pilgrimage, which ends on Monday, is one of the five pillars of Islam.
— With inputs from Siraj Wahab, Syed Faisal Ali, Samir Al-Saadi, Zainy Abbas and Galal Fakkar
