source: whatisislamabout.com
A successful Haj
THE 2016
Haj
season recently concluded with the pilgrims and officials alike terming
it a safe, convenient and successful Haj— all the ingredients that go
into the recipe called success. All pilgrims performed their fifth
pillar rituals in peace and security. It was by far a very smooth Haj
that concluded with no accidents. The sight of 1.8 million pilgrims
traveling in unison to the holy sites at specified times, gathering and
praying to Allah, was breathtaking. We all wish these pilgrims a safe
journey back home and we are looking forward to host millions of
pilgrims to perform their rituals in peace next year.
What
was amazing about this year’s Haj, which is a seamless continuation of
last year’s edition, the year before and previous ones, is the
participation of our youth to serve the guests of Allah. We have seen
them in all ages, men and women, not hesitating to provide any and every
help the pilgrims may need. The concept of volunteering to serve
pilgrims at holy sites only shows that our youth’s sense of
responsibility is growing. The hard work they displayed at the holy
sites is only an indication that a bright future is awaiting this
country when this generation comes of age and joins the workforce by
bringing this quality of hard work to their careers. I have seen and
been told by many who performed Haj this year that our scouts played an
important and vital role in providing guidance to lost pilgrims, helping
families to find their missing children and loved ones and transporting
injured and older pilgrims on wheelchair.
Our security officers —
the eyes that never sleep — should be thanked for their efforts to
ensure a safe and smooth Haj. In every corner, they were there watching,
round the clock, and organizing the pilgrims’ movements in sync with
the established plans for various sites. Despite bound by their duty,
they went beyond the call of duty to assist those in need. They even
carried pilgrims on their backs if they were not able to walk. We have
seen hundreds of pictures and many video clips of officers providing
assistance to those in need without them knowing that they were being
filmed or photographed. They seek no reward but the reward from Allah to
serve His guests with honor.
We have seen tired police officers
and security forces beat their exhaustion with a quick shuteye and are
back on their feet for yet another round of selfless service. They rest
or sleep under bridges on the hard concrete in hot weather for a brief
period and come back rejuvenated before joining the line of their fellow
officers to organize, guide and protect pilgrims. The scene on the last
day of Haj as pilgrims were exiting Mina with the officers standing on
the side of the road waving goodbye to pilgrims was a heart-rending one,
especially with the pilgrims greeting the officers back and some
shaking their hands. In addition many were praying to Allah that they
would come back one day to perform the pilgrimage again, while officers
wished them a safe journey back home.
The Health Ministry played
an integral role in this year’s Haj by providing treatment for sick and
infirm pilgrims and even transporting and accompanying sick pilgrims all
the way across the holy sites with a complete medical team, until they
completed their pilgrimage. I watched the other day a special coverage
on the efforts by the Health Ministry through the Snapchat account of
Fares Al-Turki, Saudi entrepreneur, who revealed the whole gamut of the
ministry’s efforts in keeping the pilgrims healthy and safe. He said
that heart catheterization and open-heart surgeries are taking place
alongside the prompt treatment for light and sunstroke cases.
While
Al-Turki was filming, a doctor said that they had performed 27
open-heart surgeries on pilgrims and 300 heart catheterization
operations.
Pilgrims who come form poor countries take advantage of
the free medical services provided to pilgrims to get these operations
done at no cost. It is said that some of the machines installed in the
heart of pilgrims cost more than SR100,000 and it is provided free to
pilgrims. The government, represented by the Health Ministry here, does
not ask for their nationalities or where they come from, but provide all
help to keep the pilgrims safe and healthy.
We thank all the
other related authorities that participated in contributing to the
success of this year’s Haj, all in their posts, working diligently and
selflessly. I cannot highlight the services of every individual or
authority as the space for this article is limited to mention all their
efforts. But we acknowledge their efforts that energized the journey of a
lifetime for a pilgrim. At the same time, we feel sorry for the Iranian
pilgrims, who were deprived by their own government from performing Haj
this year. We wish that Iran would come to its senses, if they have
any, and finally understand that Haj is not a political occasion to push
their ideology, but a spiritual journey of devotees and many stages of
servitude in their worship of Allah.
The authorities are to be
thanked that the squatting problem, which was a major one in the past,
has dropped dramatically this year following a clampdown on illegal
pilgrims. The numbers are also down sharply due to the awareness
campaign on squatting as a problem and the tough punishment imposed on
violating people.
Our aim to serve the guests of Allah will
continue forever and whatever suggestions for improvement or ways to
better serve pilgrims will be implemented next year. The only thing I
wish is to see next year is the cost of performing Haj to drop to an
affordable level. Once again all our thanks to those who participated
and made sure that our guests are safe and sound.
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Source: saudigazette.com.sa
