Management of Hajj
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Syed Jamaluddin
Hajj is the greatest event in the life of a Muslim. Tawaf around the Baitullah and 'ziyarat' of the shrine of the prophet are unique religious performances. During hajj, millions of people perform these rites and say their prayers in two Harem Sharifs. The rush pf people is unprecedented. Muslims all over the world get together for performing Hajj. It is unbelievable that millions of people try to perform the rituals at the same time. While people are located in Makka and Madina before and after Hajj, they are all together at Mina, Arafat and Muztalifa. This looks like a human sea. The management of the Hajis at this stage is difficult to explain. Problem arises in respect of toilet and ablution. Up to 15 people stand on the queue for toilet. This is a difficult situation. Water supply in those toilets is not often adequate. People take light food in order to avoid the toilet. About 75 to 100 people are put together in a small tent in Mina where they live and eat together. Of course, this is for a short period.
Hajj is a life-time dream for a Muslim. This is a life-time obligation for those who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. Adam and Eve sought forgiveness in the valley of Makka. Men and women perform 'tawaf' around the Kaaba (the stone building Muslims believe was originally built by Adam and rebuilt by Hazrat Ibrahim (SM) and his son Ismail (SM). Millions of Muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, cultural, ethnic, colour, economic and social barriers converging in unison in Makka attests to the universality of Hajj.
Pilgrims return home enriched by this holistic approach. From all over the world -- emanating from different continents, races, rich and poor, cosmopolitan -- they pour into Makka. They perform Tawaf and Saee-brisk walk between Safa and Marwa hills. Hajis feel they have achieved the ultimate goal and reached the house of Allah where prayers are answered. One who offers a Salaa in the premises of Baitullah will receive the reward equivalent to one lakh Salaa.
There is no parallel for such a gathering in human history. No other religion has a gathering of this nature This is a universal gathering. It is not for anything but to purify oneself from all past mistakes and beg for divine forgiveness. This is a divine institution that attracts people from all over the world. Hajj is indeed an incredible experience. It is a human response to a Divine call.
There is hardly any communication among the gathering. Every one has got what he/she has been yearning for -- the sight of Kaaba, the joy to communicate with Allah. People become tolerant, patient and accommodative. This is the most important lesson. People are trained to become punctual by regularly attending sallat in Baitullah. Living in camp they convey love and devotion to Allah. They spend time in peaceful manner and do not harm any one -- to foster unity and universal brotherhood. All stand before Allah. The best amongst all is the most righteous.
Hajis visit Madina Munawwara before or after Hajj and gain blessings by visiting the sacred tomb of Rasulullah. According to the prophet, who visits his grave after his demise will gain the same blessing as if he had seen him during his life-time. No words can do justice in describing the feelings of seeing the mosque of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One who offers one Salaa in Musjid-e-Nabawi shall receive the reward of fifty thousand Salla.
This scribe is fortunate to have performed Hajj this year and is writing this article from his personal experience. People (non-ballottee) going for Hajj from Bangladesh contact the hajj agents. The agents give them a rough idea of what is to be done. No comprehensive briefing is given. Orientation programme is also organised by the agents. But this orientation is not up to the mark. The intending Hajis depend on the agents in good faith and trust. But this trust is not fulfilled. Agents always preach that difficulties in performing Hajj are to be faced in the name of Allah. Hajis are not expected to make complaint against mismanagement. But they pay for the services.
Tranaportation of Hajis from Makka to Madina and back is often complicated and time consuming. Muallims control the buses. The buses never come in time. The muallims keep the buses (full of Hajis) waiting for hours in the name of checking. Buses are not always in good condition. Air-conditioning does not function. Our muallim was from Pakistan. Hajis have lots of luggage at the time of return. The office of the muallim would not let our bus go without extra payment. We had to collect extra money from the Hajis for payment to muallim. The institution of muallim plays an important role in transportation of Hajis. It is true that large number of buses has to be arranged. It is a big job to arrange buses. But there is scope for improvement.
No agreement is made with the agent about food. Whatever food is provided has to be accepted. In our case, food was not so good. We had to depend on'alu bharta' (smashed potato) and 'dal' in many cases. Dining space was inadequate. Hajis had to collect food from the kitchen and wash their own plates. There was no special food for sick Hajis.
Short distances were not covered by bus service by the agent. We had to depend on walking or taxi service. Exorbitant taxi fares were charged. During Hajj. Taxis do not go by meter. Prices of all items went up during Hajj. Saudi traders have minted money during Hajj.
The most humiliating thing about Bangladeshi hajis is that their passports were collected by muallims. They retained the passports until the end. These passports were delivered to us at Jeddah airport during departure. We were given to understand that they do so because our people disappear into Saudi labour market. But in any case taking away of the passports is not acceptable. Our government may look into the matter for redress. Saudi authorities have also stopped recruitment of Bangladeshis for employment.
Excess luggage is a problem with the returning Hajis. Many Hajis make commercial purchase which should not be mixed up with religious rites. Excess luggage also becomes a problem for air lines which can not carry all the luggage in one-go. This means Hajis do not get the luggage on the day of their return. In our case, 'zam zam' water was not carried by the airlines on the fourth day of our return .
In Bangladesh most Hajis are travelling under the guidance of the Hajj agents. But they are not given a fair deal by the private agents. Performing hajj is a regular event . Its management needs to be streamlined. Hajis have to negotiate with the agents without depending on the verbal understanding.
Saudi authorities have to attend to a couple of things. They have to supervise the activities of muallims more seriously. Muallims are not acting as facilitators. They should also increase substantially the number of toilets and facilities for ablution in Arafat, Mina and Muztalifa. They may also keep a check on prices.
Hajj is a divine thing. All concerned should try to make it as smooth as possible. The magnitude of the problem is gigantic and needs to be tackled in a commensurate manner. It is within the capacity of the Saudi government the custodian of the Harem Sharifs at Makka and Madina, to improve matters. We all pray for the success of the Saudi authorities.
The writer is an economist and columnist. e-mail:
syedjamaluddin22@yahoo. com
Hajj is the greatest event in the life of a Muslim. Tawaf around the Baitullah and 'ziyarat' of the shrine of the prophet are unique religious performances. During hajj, millions of people perform these rites and say their prayers in two Harem Sharifs. The rush pf people is unprecedented. Muslims all over the world get together for performing Hajj. It is unbelievable that millions of people try to perform the rituals at the same time. While people are located in Makka and Madina before and after Hajj, they are all together at Mina, Arafat and Muztalifa. This looks like a human sea. The management of the Hajis at this stage is difficult to explain. Problem arises in respect of toilet and ablution. Up to 15 people stand on the queue for toilet. This is a difficult situation. Water supply in those toilets is not often adequate. People take light food in order to avoid the toilet. About 75 to 100 people are put together in a small tent in Mina where they live and eat together. Of course, this is for a short period.
Hajj is a life-time dream for a Muslim. This is a life-time obligation for those who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. Adam and Eve sought forgiveness in the valley of Makka. Men and women perform 'tawaf' around the Kaaba (the stone building Muslims believe was originally built by Adam and rebuilt by Hazrat Ibrahim (SM) and his son Ismail (SM). Millions of Muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, cultural, ethnic, colour, economic and social barriers converging in unison in Makka attests to the universality of Hajj.
Pilgrims return home enriched by this holistic approach. From all over the world -- emanating from different continents, races, rich and poor, cosmopolitan -- they pour into Makka. They perform Tawaf and Saee-brisk walk between Safa and Marwa hills. Hajis feel they have achieved the ultimate goal and reached the house of Allah where prayers are answered. One who offers a Salaa in the premises of Baitullah will receive the reward equivalent to one lakh Salaa.
There is no parallel for such a gathering in human history. No other religion has a gathering of this nature This is a universal gathering. It is not for anything but to purify oneself from all past mistakes and beg for divine forgiveness. This is a divine institution that attracts people from all over the world. Hajj is indeed an incredible experience. It is a human response to a Divine call.
There is hardly any communication among the gathering. Every one has got what he/she has been yearning for -- the sight of Kaaba, the joy to communicate with Allah. People become tolerant, patient and accommodative. This is the most important lesson. People are trained to become punctual by regularly attending sallat in Baitullah. Living in camp they convey love and devotion to Allah. They spend time in peaceful manner and do not harm any one -- to foster unity and universal brotherhood. All stand before Allah. The best amongst all is the most righteous.
Hajis visit Madina Munawwara before or after Hajj and gain blessings by visiting the sacred tomb of Rasulullah. According to the prophet, who visits his grave after his demise will gain the same blessing as if he had seen him during his life-time. No words can do justice in describing the feelings of seeing the mosque of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One who offers one Salaa in Musjid-e-Nabawi shall receive the reward of fifty thousand Salla.
This scribe is fortunate to have performed Hajj this year and is writing this article from his personal experience. People (non-ballottee) going for Hajj from Bangladesh contact the hajj agents. The agents give them a rough idea of what is to be done. No comprehensive briefing is given. Orientation programme is also organised by the agents. But this orientation is not up to the mark. The intending Hajis depend on the agents in good faith and trust. But this trust is not fulfilled. Agents always preach that difficulties in performing Hajj are to be faced in the name of Allah. Hajis are not expected to make complaint against mismanagement. But they pay for the services.
Tranaportation of Hajis from Makka to Madina and back is often complicated and time consuming. Muallims control the buses. The buses never come in time. The muallims keep the buses (full of Hajis) waiting for hours in the name of checking. Buses are not always in good condition. Air-conditioning does not function. Our muallim was from Pakistan. Hajis have lots of luggage at the time of return. The office of the muallim would not let our bus go without extra payment. We had to collect extra money from the Hajis for payment to muallim. The institution of muallim plays an important role in transportation of Hajis. It is true that large number of buses has to be arranged. It is a big job to arrange buses. But there is scope for improvement.
No agreement is made with the agent about food. Whatever food is provided has to be accepted. In our case, food was not so good. We had to depend on'alu bharta' (smashed potato) and 'dal' in many cases. Dining space was inadequate. Hajis had to collect food from the kitchen and wash their own plates. There was no special food for sick Hajis.
Short distances were not covered by bus service by the agent. We had to depend on walking or taxi service. Exorbitant taxi fares were charged. During Hajj. Taxis do not go by meter. Prices of all items went up during Hajj. Saudi traders have minted money during Hajj.
The most humiliating thing about Bangladeshi hajis is that their passports were collected by muallims. They retained the passports until the end. These passports were delivered to us at Jeddah airport during departure. We were given to understand that they do so because our people disappear into Saudi labour market. But in any case taking away of the passports is not acceptable. Our government may look into the matter for redress. Saudi authorities have also stopped recruitment of Bangladeshis for employment.
Excess luggage is a problem with the returning Hajis. Many Hajis make commercial purchase which should not be mixed up with religious rites. Excess luggage also becomes a problem for air lines which can not carry all the luggage in one-go. This means Hajis do not get the luggage on the day of their return. In our case, 'zam zam' water was not carried by the airlines on the fourth day of our return .
In Bangladesh most Hajis are travelling under the guidance of the Hajj agents. But they are not given a fair deal by the private agents. Performing hajj is a regular event . Its management needs to be streamlined. Hajis have to negotiate with the agents without depending on the verbal understanding.
Saudi authorities have to attend to a couple of things. They have to supervise the activities of muallims more seriously. Muallims are not acting as facilitators. They should also increase substantially the number of toilets and facilities for ablution in Arafat, Mina and Muztalifa. They may also keep a check on prices.
Hajj is a divine thing. All concerned should try to make it as smooth as possible. The magnitude of the problem is gigantic and needs to be tackled in a commensurate manner. It is within the capacity of the Saudi government the custodian of the Harem Sharifs at Makka and Madina, to improve matters. We all pray for the success of the Saudi authorities.
The writer is an economist and columnist. e-mail:
syedjamaluddin22@yahoo. com