Saudi Arabia -The Hajj
March 2002
25’
…Islam’s holiest mosque, filled to the brim with pilgrim’s performing the Haj.
A journey to Mecca forms a central part of the religion. It’s one of five pillars of Islam - duties every Muslim is obliged to perform.
Belief in God is the first and foremost.
Then there’s prayer - five times a day, facing the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Fasting in the month of Ramadan, in the Islamic calendar, is another duty…
…along with Zakat - donations to the needy.
Fifth comes the Haj, a journey of faith to the heart of Islam.
On the surface, it’s simply a walk in the desert… but looking deeper, it’s an audience with God… practice for the Day of Reckoning.
Pilgrims gather in Mecca days ahead of time, often having visited the second holiest site in Islam, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, 450 kilometres north of Mecca.
The Hajj officially begins on the 8th day of the month of Dhul Hijja, in the Islamic calendar - which is based on a lunar cycle, unlike the standard solar calendar used most of the time around the world.
On the 8th, pilgrims visit the Grand Mosque in Mecca, circling the centre, before heading 10 kilometres east into the desert, to Mina, where they stop overnight.
On the 9th day of Dhul Hijja, they continue another 14 kilometres or so east to the Plain of Arafat, for the spiritually significant “day in the desert”.
At sunset, it’s a journey back through a clearing known as Muzdalifah.
A short rest there, and it’s on to Mina overnight…
…and soon back to Mecca by the morning of the 10th day of Dhul Hijja.
That’s pretty much the physical journey… but the mental one is far greater.
Dr. Ahmad Ibn Saifuddin, Islamic Scholar.
“The core purpose of Haj is to be able to cleanse oneself from all sins, and to be born again person. This can come from some reflections and spiritual upliftment, and practice of the religion. They need to come here and grasp the meaning of being on the same land that Abraham and, er, Mohammed, and the rest – all prophets – stepped on. This is very significant in the life of any person.”
It’s the year 1422 in the Islamic calendar, and a particularly tense year for Muslims, following the September 11th attacks on the USA. Security was stepped up by the Saudi authorities, in case radical elements used the huge gathering of Muslims at the Haj to incite any form of extremism.
Dr. Ahmad Ibn Saifuddin, Islamic Scholar.
“Politics have to stay out of the Haj because Haj is an individual experience as well as a collective experience on the part of those who come. A lot of people are not aware of politics and what their in and outs… so they need to concentrate on the spiritual aspect of it… and I think the Saudi government has been taking some serious steps in that direction – preventing any demonstrations or any expression of support to any country including Saudi Arabia itself.”
Early and stern warnings by the government seemed to quell potential trouble, although the authorities insist that security is an issue every year, for various reasons - irrespective of September the 11th.
Dr. Zamel Abu Zinada, Saudi Ministry of Information.
“Every year has a design plan. A security plan is not something you pull off a computer disk, and you say, ‘this is the mapping and this is the plan’. Security plan is a creative endeavour of wheeling and dealing with every issue that comes in the surface.
The pilgrims I spoke to seemed to be quite philosophical about the possible harm done to the image of Muslims around the world – particularly in America.
South Asian man:
“This has allowed us – Muslim Americans who live in America – who are really Americans – to really talk about Islam in its truest sense… to talk to our friends, to our neighbours, to our kids, and explain what Islam is about, and we think, through it all, frankly how we live and what we talk about - Islam way of life - that’s not too different from the American way of life – perhaps even Christian way of life.”
Young American woman:
“I feel that more people want to know and learn about Islam and know what the true teachings are – rather than what these terroists have done in, in… So I see more people willing to learn more about the religion and Islam, whereas before it was kinda just like… I mean it was just strange, and what they knew was what they saw on t-v basically.”
East Asian woman:
“We not hating any other religion because all religion coming from God and we have to respect that.”
Young American man:
“God says in the Koran to save one life is as if you have saved all of humanity, and kill one life is as if you’ve have killed all of humanity. The life in Islam is extremely sacrosanct.”
Iranian man:
“Unfortunately, you know, because of the mass media in the western countries, all of them think that all of the Muslims are the terrorists and so on. But believe me the Muslim… the Muslim you know Islam means peace, means ‘hello’ it means ‘salaam’.
And Muslim people you see over here. You know millions of the people are living here without anyone touching anyone and so on.
This is a bad impression about the Muslim world, and it is not right, and it is not fair really, because it is a human being like any other human being. We believe in God like Christian.”
Balkans man:
“Muslim not terrorist, Muslim. Muslim not terrorist. I think America terrorist. He killing all Muslim in the whole world. Afghanistan, Iraqi, etc, etc.”
Arab journalists who have been covering the U-S-led and labelled “War Against Terror” were perhaps a little less philosophical, particularly when it comes to how they have often been perceived by the western media as biased.
Maher Abdullah, Presenter, Al-Jazeera TV
“Just growing a beard has the suspicion of being a terrorist. If you try to convey a message which is not necessarily in line with an American policy, you get suspected of being a terrorist. I had a friend who used to work in Kabul long before Taliban, and just because he worked during the last days of Taliban, he was almost accused of being a member of Taliban. So it’s this kind of fear, if you like, that inhibits all of us now.”
Fouad Nedah, Correspondent, Saudi TV
“Well, outside the Middle East, of course, Muslims are being stereo-typed. And Being an Arab adds to that kind of stereo-typing. And it’s been kind of difficult the way Muslims and Arabs are being portrayed in the media in the west. We’ve tried our best to portray what Islam is about – that we are the same kind of people, we can get along, we can communicate, we can establish contacts. We have the same worries, the same feelings… that Arab themselves, and Islamic countries, have suffered from terrorism. But the message doesn’t seem to be getting through, I’m afraid.”
Khaled Al-Maeena, Editor-in-Chief, Arab News
“Islam has not been hijacked by terrorists, but the silent majority of Muslims who are law-abiding, who believe in the true faith of Islam, have been quite, and I think the time has come for Muslims of good standing to come up and say enough is enough – and not allow those people who speak out loud, and do things that are very alien to the concepts of Islam.”
The key message from the Saudi government was that politics had to be kept out of the Haj at all costs, so that everyone could concentrate on their duties for the Haj - which are demanding at the best of times.
(Riz on camera)
“For a Muslim, devout or otherwise, Mecca is an overwhelming place. The small city centres solely around the sheer imposing size of the Grand Mosque, locally called, Al-Haram - or “The Sanctuary”. Like a marble magnet, it draws pilgrims to it’s heart”.
Mecca is now a modern city. It’s the birthplace of Islam’s prophet, Mohammed, and the place where he founded the religion.
It started out as a crossroads in the small hills of the Saudi Arabian desert… a passage through the rocky terrain.
It’s believe by many Islamic scholars to be where the first shrine to God was built by Adam, after he and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden.
Later the prophet Abraham is said to have built a similar house of worship on the same spot - now marked by the Kaaba - which translates to “cube”.
The Kaaba itself is not worshipped, neither is the black stone embedded in its corner. Said t to come from heaven, the stone - which draws pilgrims looking for blessings and luck - is thought to be a piece of ancient meteorite.
The sprawling Grand Mosque now surrounds the Kaaba, but it remains a simple cubic stone structure about 15 metres high, empty inside, and covered by a silk black cloth.
Muslims around the world must face the Kaaba to pray, and it’s the only place where Muslims have to form a circle to do so.
During the Haj, Mecca transforms into a sea of humanity… two-million-plus people, rolling continuously on toward Al-Haram. To pray in the mosque - or at least as close as possible to it - multiplies the blessings a pilgrim receives a thousand-fold.
The rituals have not changed in more than 14-centuries, but the pilgrimage actually traces its routes back to Abraham and his family during their stay in the desert around Mecca.
Despite the relative rigidity of the Haj rituals, there are conditions to fulfil before setting off.
A pilgrim must be of sound mind and body, and possess the financial ability to complete their mission of a lifetime. Failing those conditions, a Muslim can consider their Haj performed by sending someone else in his or her place. Sometimes communities or poorer villages will pool their resources and send a representative pilgrim to Mecca, who brings back the blessing and stories of the journey back with them.
The cost and effort of getting to Mecca is so great for the majority of the world’s Muslims that it can take literally a lifetime. That is why there are so many elderly people at the Haj. It’s a testing time for them, and they need to be looked after.
Armbands with details in Arabic provide information essential for relocating them if they get lost.
Even those needing help with mobility are willing to rist the crowd to perform their spiritual duty.
American woman:
“I think when you see so many different people from so many different places, and when you see what they’re enduring, and you know that everyone is there enduring the same thing for the sake of God… that’s just… it’s really moving, I think, to see if from other people’s perspective.”
Young American lad:
“It’s amazing to see so many people willing to do this, that it’s spiritually uplifting.”
South Asian woman:
“I’m overwhelmed with the harmony, with the peace, with the management. It’s amazing. I’ve travelled all over the world and it’s something to witness.”
Old Balkans man:
“I get a lot of experience. For all my 68 age. I came here, and I saw a lot of experience. I wish next year I be here again. God willingly.
South Asian younger man:
“The biggest thing surprised me – the management, and how they make the people come together in one place and perform the Haj in a good atmosphere, healthy atmosphere.
In ancient times - unlike today - the road to Mecca was a tough and dangerous one - often taking months - even years - of travel. This is one reason why few women made the pilgrimage until more recent years. Now according to the Saudi government, 40-percent of pilgrims are women.
The logistical difficulties of getting around and coping with the desert conditions have also become easier, as the Saudis take a scientific approach to the mass movement of people - even to the point of drilling large tunnels through the rocky hillsides to make the pilgrims routes shorter.
Dr Zamel Abu Zinada, Saudi Ministry of Information
“Haj is a cosmopolitan and a global convention. The people here in the streets (are) from all facets, from all land on earth, from all the globe. All nationalities you will find here (as) you’ve seen also in the reports.
Now, this teaches us that we have to deal with the phenomenon of the year. Every year after year, some new service gets being furnished to the Hajis.”
Although the Hajj covers a period of about three days, it ends up being much longer for most people, especially considering the lengthy travel involved for some.
The pilgrims have gathered in Mecca in the days prior to the start of the Haj, and are often already exhausted, or sometimes weak and ill.
On the 8th day of Dhul Hijja, when the rituals begin, they utter their intention to perform the Haj, and don their special pilgrimage attire - their Ihram.
For men, this is two simple white sheets, symbolising simplicity and equality for all - rich or poor… black or white.
Women have less restriction, simply having to dress modestly, but they should leave their face uncovered - which contrasts with the practice of some of the more traditional conservative women who never reveal their faces.
After performing their greetings at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, where they circle the Kaaba seven times anticlockwise, the pilgrims gather their belongings.
By late afternoon, the streets are filled with cars and buses loaded up ready to set off for the tent city at Mina, about 10 kilometres east into the desert. SCRIPT 18:
Mina has grown into a huge city… row upon row of modern comfortable accommodation for organised groups- although, of course, people will pitch camp wherever possible.
Fires at the tent city in the mid-90s led to scores of people killed. The cause was solid fuel stoves used by some pilgrims to hear their food.
Since then, fire-retardant materials have replaced the regular canvas covers… fire sprinkler systems have been installed… and the tents are even air-conditioned.
Mina is an overnight stopping point in preparation for the next, and most demanding, part of the Haj.
By the time the sun rises over the plain of Arafat, the first of the pilgrims are starting to arrive. Those with better transport make the 14-kilometres from Mina fairly quickly.
Before long, Arafat is a sea of people.
(Riz on camera)
“Essentially, it was just a barren stretch in the desert a few miles from Mecca, but it’s become the focus of so much spiritual energy for this one day in the Muslim calendar.”
According to religion belief, the day in Arafat follows in the footsteps of Abraham, Jesus and Mohammed, and IS the Haj. Failing to be on the plain between noon and sunset means a Haj has not been performed. It’s meant to be a time of reflection examining one’s life, and asking for forgiveness for sins committed.
Chanting, “At your command, here I am, oh God, here I am”, the pilgrims weave their way through the crowded streets laid out in Arafat.
Many try to climb onto the Mount of Mercy - or Jabal Al-Rahma - where Mohammed is said to have preached his final sermon.
The authorities try to discourage people from piling up on the small rock, as there is no obligation to be on the mount specifically… but the pilgrims have come a long way, and it’s hard to deter them. They’re proud of getting here and want their families to know.
(Riz on camera)
“There’s no denying how unique the Haj is, and how alien it seems to the outside world - particularly non-Muslims living in places like America and Britain. The ancient traditions are kept so strictly that the Haj is like stepping back thousand of years in time… almost !”.
During these hours in Arafat, a Muslim is supposed to ask for a clean start - a chance for redemption. It’s described as a rehearsal for the Day of Judgement, when all have to answer for their sins.
As dusk sets in, the pilgrims swarm out of Arafat heading back toward Mina. There’s a brief rest stop in an area called Muzdalifah, just before the tent city. Here the faithful collect a handful of small pebbles, which they carry with them to a place beside Mina called the Jamarat.
It’s said that when Abraham, his wife and son were in the desert, Satan came to them all individually disguised as a stranger, trying to break their faith in God. They all threw stones at him to drive him away.
Throwing stones at the Jamarat - three stone pillars - is what the pilgrims do to symbolise the casting out of the Devil
The Jamarat are now set between two floors of a huge walkway bridge. Both levels allow a flow of pilgrims past these stone pillars - but the sheer size of the crowd means that even such a large construction is too small for the masses coming through it. In the past, there have been severe crushes where scores of people have been killed - particularly the fragile or elderly, who can’t afford to lose their footing in such a surging crowd.
The Saudi authorities find this to be one of the most challenging logistical problems of the Haj. The flow of pilgrims is now up, to about 150,000 per hour, but it’s still a potentially deadly log jam.
Once this part of the Haj has been completed, the pilgrims can begin the closing rituals - such as the cutting of a lock of hair. Some can’t wait, and quickly look for help.
As the 10th day of Dhul Hijja comes to life, the pilgrims start to flow back into Mecca, after the stoning of the Jamarat. The official end to the Haj approaches, as Muslims around the world observe this as the day of celebration known as Eid Ul-Adha.
Eid is marked by the sacrificing of a head of livestock… again, symbolic of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son as a test of faith.
After the Eid celebration, many pilgrims return to Mina to continue stoning the Jamarat - although it’s possible to send someone else assigned to perform it on behalf of the absent pilgrim.
By now, many of the travellers are packing their bags for the journey home. The scene is often dominated by the large number of shaved heads… where many men opt for more than just a lock of hair cut off.
A freshly cropped scalp is the regarded as a proud symbol of a Hajji - a man who has completed his religion mission of a lifetime
(Riz Khan on camera)
“Modern transport is making is easier for pilgrims to get to Mecca to perform Haj. Islam is believed to be the fastest growing religion in the world… meaning the numbers wanting to make this journey is only getting bigger. That in itself is a challenge for the Saudi Arabian government.”
Technology has made the Haj far safer – particularly in moving the large numbers of people from place to place. Plus, facilities for hygiene and health have improved, and there’s greater awareness among the pilgrims themselves of what is expected from them while they are in Mecca.
The organisers of the Haj say that they are developing a “cumulative knowledge” with every problem, accident, and issue they have to deal with each year.
This time, concern over radicals causing trouble proved to be unfounded - but the experience no doubt added to the “cumulative knowledge”.
The image of Islam still rests in the hands of extremists.
Fouad Nedah, Presenter, Saudi TV
“Islam, as a word in Arabic – it means surrendering to God the Almighty… so it’s a religion of submission. It’s a religion that establishes peace… a co-existence with other religions. It’s been the way it is… I mean, we are in the year 1422, the end of the year 1422 Al Hijra. Islam has been here for a very long time… and never an incident like that happened in America lately, had happened before in the 14-hundred and 22 years. You know, why would Muslims wage a war now against Christian civilisation, and so forth ?
Maher Abdullah, Presenter, Al-Jazeera TV
“The burden is of course on the Muslim side, because we are under attack, we have to defend ourselves – regardless. Knowledge always should come first. We will try as much as we can, just to convey the message – ‘we are just like you’. We might be thinking differently, (but) most of the differences are actually what you might call contextual, and phraseology. People do not give you the chance to express yourself the way you want. They sort of rush you to express things either the way they want – or they disregard what you have to say.”
Dr. Ahmad Ibn Saifuddin, Islamic Scholar
“Before it will get better, it may get worse, but I’m things will come back to normal. People will go back to their own senses and understand that there is so much injustice in projecting the media of Muslims as terrorists and extremists.”
Riz Khan (off cam): “What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about Islam?”
“There are many things misunderstood about Islam and the most thing is the word, ‘Jihad’, because Jihad is a struggle, in any aspect of life. Spiritual, moral, physical… it’s to exert one’s effort in being a better person.”
How the Haj is handled next year may well depend on what happens over the next twelve months.
Written and Presented by Riz Khan
Managing Producer - Jim Miller
Editor – Simon Catt
Music - Ranjit Barot
Executive Producer - Riz Khan
© Riz Khan Productions