Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi
Doing one’s duty is a thankless task. But it does feel good to be appreciated.
Saudis have taken Haj hosting very seriously since King Abdulaziz bin Saud called for the first Islamic conference in modern history four years after overtaking the holy city from Shareef Hussein in 1922. The conference was held in Makkah in 1926 and attended by Islamic scholars and dignitaries representing Muslim communities in countries that were mostly colonized.
At the end of the conference, the King was delegated to take care of the Haj issue, with no help promised.
He accepted, and since then, his country, which came to be called Saudi Arabia, put its utmost focus on serving the millions of Hajis who came every year, from all over the globe, to perform their religious duties, at least once in a life time.
King Abdulaziz, his sons and the Saudi people, never shied away from their responsibilities. We regard as the greatest honor the hosting and serving of the Guests of the Most Compassionate. Our forefathers in and around Makkah have always served, since Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) put the first stone in building the House of Allah, in the middle of the holy valley.
After writing my last column, “Haj without pain?”, in which I discussed how we could improve our service, I received many comments, suggestions and notes of appreciation from dear brothers who made the holy journey this year or in the past.
Thanks dearest for your contribution. I am limited to 800 words in my article, so I had to choose and summarize your notes. Your brothers and sisters who helped make this Haj season such a success would love to hear from you.
Improvement!
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has done wonders organizing and managing the Haj (and Umrah, especially Umrah Ramadan where numbers can be just as large as during Haj).
Not easy, especially when the pilgrims converge in a very small area over a short period of time. Obviously not without shortcomings and, many at times, short of facilities, deserving attention and upgrading but if one were to observe the improvements made over time, I think the government deserves much credit.
Ever since I first went for the Haj, invited (as editor of Berita Harian, a news daily serving the Muslim community in Singapore) by the Ministry of Information, under Dr. Mohammad Abdu Yamani in the late ‘70s and later over a number of times in the ‘80s as a private citizen and again while as President of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore in the early 90s, the improvements were monumental. Again there were still many who understandably felt much more could be done.
The strategic thinking continues, as I was given to understand that planning for the development for better facilities (including accommodation, transport and utilities) is even more rigorous today. This is where I hope (as many others do) that in the process, we do not completely lose our Islamic heritage and history in the name of development and progress.
True to the spirit of the global and human Haj, especially it’s multifarious and multifaceted challenges, it’s incumbent on us individuals going on the spiritual Haj, Haj agencies, governments with significant Muslim pilgrims, to feel inclusive responsibility, to help improve preparations and fulfillment of the Haj.
After all, the Haj is aimed at bringing about better Muslims, for all mankind.” Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Singapore
Best Haj!
“This was one of the best Haj that I have seen or heard from others.
1. The accommodation in Mina was perfect with clean running water and bathrooms were very well cleaned at least twice a day.
2. Food was so much in abundance.
3. Train wait, while going to Arafat was about 15 minutes, while returning was about an hour. That was expected, because millions left together after Maghreb.
4. I saw trash when I reached Arafat, and also found it in Muzdaliffa. It means the workers were the ones who did it even before the Hajis arrived. It is the duty of the contractors to train their staff very strictly.
While doing the Jamarat, I did see trash and there were trash bags all over. It was the Hajis’ mistake. Therefore, extensive training and plenty of trash bags/cans are needed.
6. We must all feel that this is the only place in the whole world that sees so many people moving together to various locations at the same time.” Arif Mahmood AlKazmi
No gain without pain!!
“Twenty five years ago, when I performed my first Haj, we sit on canvas sheets, on top of stones and pebbles. No AC /fire proof tents … and no complaining! To me what mattered was the blessing of being there.” Ismaeel Marikar
