MILLIONS of Muslims, including thousands from Malaysia, are on their way to Mecca, the most holy city in Islam, to perform the fifth and the last pillar of the faith, that is, performing the haj.
The pilgrimage is the largest annual gathering of people in the world.
It is also about showing the solidarity of Muslims and their submission to one God.
Muslims must carry out the haj at least once in their lifetime as long as they are physically fit and financially capable of undertaking the long journey and performing the rituals.
Haj rituals are normally performed between the eighth and the 13th day of the 12th month of Zulhijjah in the Islamic calendar.
The pilgrimage is associated with the life of Prophet Muhammad. It begin during the seventh century but, historically, the ritual stretches back thousands of years to the time of Prophet Ibrahim.
Among the rituals are performing tawaf, or walking counter-clockwise seven times around
the Kaabah, performing sa’i by
running back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinking water from the Zam
Zam well, going to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spending a night in the plains of Muzdalifa, and performing the symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars known as Jamrat-ul-Aqabah.
Pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice and celebrate Aid Al-Adha (Sacrifice Feast).
The haj is not all about performing rituals. It is more than that.
The pilgrimage is considered by some as the most significant of all forms of ibadah in Islam as Muslims are required to give up their work and leave their loves one for a certain period and undertake the long journey to Mecca.
Pilgrims have to give up the pleasures and amenities of life that they have enjoyed for many years and live a simple life during the pilgrimage.
All these painstaking steps, disciplined observations and hard life that they have to endure are for the love of God.
During the pilgrimage, too, Muslims will visit holy and historical places in Mecca and Medina, a journey which Prophet Muhammad himself had to undergo during the early years of Islam.
Exposing themselves to these
elements increases their knowledge and strengthen their faith, as well as change their attitude or lifestyle before performing the rituals.
At the same time, carrying out these rituals with a huge crowd of Muslims teaches the pilgrims about patience, good conduct and love towards fellow pilgrims.
Though Islam teaches them about the above values, many perform the rituals without fully understanding their significance.
As a result, we often hear of pilgrims dying during stampedes and getting injured during the stoning of the devil ritual.
In the haj, the stoning of the devil ritual is regarded as the most dangerous part of the pilgrimage because of the huge crowd, particularly as they cross the massive multi-layer Jamarat Bridge to reach the pillars.
On July 2, 1990, a stampede occurred inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma’aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat, and led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims — many of them Malaysians, Indonesians and Pakistanis.
On May 23, 1994, a stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the stoning of the devil ritual, and on Jan 12, 2006, a stampede during the stoning of the devil ritual on the last day of the haj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289.
For this reason, it is crucial
for pilgrims to know the basic purpose and main goal of undergoing haj.
After all, it is part of the goal and purpose of undergoing the pilgrimage itself as well as a part of the teachings of Islam.
Pilgrims must be patient and tolerant towards each other. They must respect each other and not shout at each other or jostle and shove one another as they strive to observe haj rites.
They should maintain their pride, dignity and exhibit good manners.
They should not be selfish and think about themselves.
They should have mercy and
love in their hearts for other pilgrims. Haj is not about going through the motions, but about honouring what Allah has made sacred.
They should know that shoving and jostling each other to carry out the rites do not obtain God’s favour, but rather, it is their piety and good conduct.
DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia