MAKKAH: ONE death and over 70 medical cases had been recorded when mashae’er operations began during the peak of the haj on Saturday.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Fuziah Salleh said the death of Faridah Abdul Latip from Pahang was due to cardiorespiratory arrest (heart attack).
“The 65-year-old collapsed after the stoning of the devil ritual in the Moasim Tunnel.
“She was pronounced dead at 7.05pm today (Aug 11),” she told reporters after visiting the Syisyah Medical Centre and its patients.
Others present were Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof and Malaysian Haj Delegation head Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman.
Including the recent death, Fuziah said the total number of deaths in this year’s haj stood at nine so far.
She praised TH’s Safari Wuquf programme, which allowed 79 patients to be brought to the plain of Arafat for wuquf on Saturday.
“I was told eight oxygen cylinders were mobilised for the patients (who were taken to Arafat using specially fitted buses).”
However, six other Malaysian pilgrims who were admitted to hospitals were unable to perform their wuquf due to the gravity of their illnesses. All six are in coma.
The steely determination of the old and frail to perform the haj is admirable, especially among the women.
For this spiritual journey of mine, I had learnt more about the impact of the haj on women.
My school education has taught me the haj is for all Muslims, whether they are men or women, old or young.
However, I came to realise during my preparations for the fifth pillar of Islam that the haj is so much more for Muslim women — it is a form of jihad for us.
The Prophet’s wife, Aishah, once asked: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we not attend the expeditions and fight in jihad alongside you?”
Prophet Muhammad replied: “No, rather the best and most beautiful jihad for you is the haj, a righteous pilgrimage.”
In another narration, the Prophet said, “Women must perform a jihad in which there is no fighting: the haj and umrah pilgrimages.”
For the families of women who had died while performing the haj, like Faridah’s, they can take comfort in knowing that their loved ones died in jihad.
Jihad is defined as a meritorious struggle or effort and when one dies while doing it, the person is considered a martyr.
It is interesting to learn the first martyr recorded in the history of Islam is a woman, Sumayyah Khayyat.
Rest in peace, Faridah and all those who have died in the Holy Land to perform the haj.