MINA: Forty-two-year-old Haruna Sayibu is from Tamahel, Ghana. Basking in the bright afternoon sun here in the tent city on the third day of Haj, he was relaxed and exuded an air of spirituality.

“Ever since I came back from the Plain of Arafat, I am in a state of excitement. So many people, wearing the same clothes, reciting the same talbiyah, doing the same thing, imploring the same God, crying their hearts out … unbelievable,” he said.

“This is my first Haj and I had no idea about how powerful these symbols of Islam were. We saw on television what happens during Haj but television relays do not give you any idea about what is happening on the ground. The reality is totally different. It is when we come here we realize how fragile and insignificant we are. Just one speck on the vast plains of planet Earth,” he said.

Sayibu counts himself lucky in that “not many people in my country can afford to undertake this journey.” He said it costs quite a fortune.

“We come from an average country but when it comes to faith we are no less that any other Muslim,” he said.

“I will be treated like a celebrity when I go back to my town. I will have attained a new status. Every step that I take from now will be followed. There will be so much onus on me not to go astray. And then my village folks will come to me with all their problems, domestic and monetary. And then everybody will abide by what I will rule. This is how it is in my country. Haj puts a lot of responsibility on us,” he said.

Sayibu said he is saddened by the divisions that wrack the Muslim Ummah.

“I can’t understand why we can’t unite to take on our enemies. Remember that fable of a father with four sons. United we stand divided we fall. Our contribution to the 21st century world is minimal or non-existent. What have we given to the world? We have not even been able to project the right image of Islam. We are a quarrelsome community, and once every year we come together in this holy places to renew our faith. That is it,” he said a tinge of sadness.

He said there is a lot more to Haj than symbolism. “The message of Haj is unity. Not only on the plains of Arafat but beyond it as well,” he added.