We moved about between cars and tents. The great city which had
erupted here for the day was beginning to be wound up. Soon there
will be nothing left, except traces of what had been. Yet people were
still on the Mount of Arafat, otherwise known as the Mount of Mercy.
Others were still engaged in their talbiyah and supplication. Some
were looking after certain needs, buying food or drink. The scene was
great. You could not fail to sense that genuine feeling of happiness,
brotherhood and satisfaction. People's eyes met for the first time
and a smile of happiness is exchanged.
You greet a person, he replies with the same greeting, but you
realize immediately that he could not speak Arabic. What has brought
those people together is simply their faith. It is a faith that
creates this bond of brotherhood among them.
There is still some distance before we gain the route specially paved
for pedestrians. The sun has almost set off. At a distance, we can
see the mosque of Namirah which is on the boundary of Arafat. By the
time we reach it, the night will have fallen and we would have met
the condition of combining day and night at Arafat.
The light of the day has disappeared and darkness gathered thicker
and thicker. We have gained the pedestrian route from Arafat to
Muzdalifah. The route is wide enough to take six cars easily. But
cars are not allowed here. It is one of two routes constructed
specially for those who wish to make their journey through Muzdalifah
and back to Mina on foot. Wide as it is, it is full of people - row
after row after row in a long procession. I do not know how far ahead
it stretches, but I can assume that the procession started with
sunset, more than half an hour ago. More people are coming behind us
in wave after wave, as if all two million or more of pilgrims have
decided to join this procession and walk back to Muzdalifah. Yet
there are several routes for vehicles and we can see them on both
sides. Each one is full of vehicles, heavily congested with traffic.
It seems we have made the right choice by deciding to walk back, for
the atmosphere here is pleasant, relaxed, happy. As we walk we
repeat, the very familiar phrases of talbiyah. The route is well lit
up, with stalls on both sides selling food, drinks, fruit and other
items. This must be something introduced recently, for my friend who
told me about his experience mentioned that he walked in darkness.
That was several years ago. The Saudi government continues to improve
facilities for pilgrims. May Allah reward them for the care they take
of us. How do I describe this procession? You have to see it in order
to appreciate what sort of procession it is. You look around you and
you see people who belong to widely different areas.
These are Africans, and those are Asians, but what about this third
group? Are they Europeans, or do they come from further afield? It is
a cosmopolitan procession. with people joining in from all corners of
the world. You see people who are white, black, brown and yellow. All
have the same purpose. All doing the same thing, all wearing the same
garments, all sharing in a feeling of happiness which has come to
them from somewhere out of this world. They all from a chorus
repeating a song set a certain tune. It is an angelic tune which
fills every body's heart with great emotions. It is certainly not
borrowed from Beethoven or Mozart. It does not have the rhythm which
makes people tap their feet or sway their heads with enchantment. Yet
it is much more inspiring. It penetrates far deeper into our souls.
The song we are hearing is not a record by Abdul Wahhab, the famous
Egyptian singer. Those who are chanting the words do not have voice
which remotely resembles that of Fairooz, or even the least known of
singers. But nobody here cares about the quality of the singing, they
are more concerned with the words.
These are the ones we have repeated thousands of time since we have
embarked on this blessed journey. No one feels that he has had
enough. How can he, when every time he repeats these phrases, he
earns a reward and draws closer to Allah. "Labbaik Allahumma labbaik.
Labbaika la shareeka laka labbaik. Innal hamda wanni'mata laka
walmulk. La shareeka lak." This is the song which is repeated in a
great variety of accents, set to music with unending variations.
However tune they are set and with any rhythm they are repeated, they
have the same inspiring effect.
"Here we come, our Lord, to respond to your call, to fulfill our duty
and to pay our debt. Here we come to glorify You alone, declaring
that you have no partners. Here we come, having set aside every mark
of distinction, position, honor. Here we come, having ourselves of
all the cares of this world, seeking your pleasure, declaring our
submission to you in total humility. Here we come, our Lord, hoping
for nothing more than Your acceptance and forgiveness. For give us
our sins that we have committed in ignorance and give us the reward
that You have promised Your obedient servants."
I look at my parents and my wife and ask whether they would like to
rest for a little while. None of them finds the walk tiring. Their
happiness seems to have reduced all other feelings to a very
secondary position. My mother says it is the happiest stroll she has
ever experienced in her life. My father confirms that he feels the
same. This is no surprise to me, because that is exactly my feeling.
We walk on, and so does everyone around us. Young, able-bodied
people, walking side by side with elderly, weak people. Here is a
woman who must be over 70 years of age, carrying a load in her hand
and walking. A young man approaches her and offers to carry her load
for her. They do not seem to speak the same language but with
gestures they understood each other. He helps and they walk along.
But what do I see here? A young man carrying his aged father on his
back and walking along. Both are in their ihraam garments. The old
man seems to be an invalid. This must be the moment he has cherished
and hoped for all his life. But what a dutiful and caring son he has.
This is the sort of dutifulness which can be expected only from a
Muslim. Muslims know that they owe a great deal to their parents.
Whatever they do for their sake, they remain short of full repayment
of their debts to them. Both father and son are repeating the same
phrases of talbiyah, joining in with the same chorus. Everyone seems
to find this angelic tune which accompanies these words set by the
Prophet most inspiring.
It is a little over two hours since we have started our relaxed walk.
We have reached Muzdalifah. I suggested to my parents that we walk on
until we are closer to its boundaries nearest to Mina, so that we
have less to walk in he morning. They approve this suggestion and we
walk on repeating the same words and the same tune. Who can feel
tired of declaring to Allah that he believes in His Oneness and that
he ascribes no partners with Him. We pass by the mosque of Muzdalifah
which is the place named in the Qur'an as "Al-Mash'ar Al-Haraam".
We move on until we cover about three quarters of Muzdalifah, before
we decide to stop. It is not yet midnight, and all pilgrims have
stopped here. All vehicles, have taken their parking positions
because no one is supposed to leave this place before midnight.
Indeed, the proper thing to do is to stay the night here. The Prophet
however, allowed women and elderly people to proceed shortly after
midnight to Mina. The concession is applicable to all, if they want
to use it, but it is infinitely better to everyone who can to stay
here till the morning. This is what we intend to do. The first thing
to be done here is to pray Maghrib and Isha. We spread our blankets
and prepare for prayers. Other pilgrims come and join us. My wife
sits to one side, because she cannot join in our prayer since she is
in the period. There is a congregational prayer every 30 or 40 yards.
Everybody wants to offer the two obligatory prayers, one after the
other, with Isha reduced to two rakahs, in order to follow the
example of the Prophet.
When we have finished our prayers, we have a snack of fruit which I
bought a short while ago for supper. There is nothing to do now
except sleep. My mother says that she does not want to sleep; she
wants to enjoy the scene. I told her that we have a heavy task ahead
of us tomorrow, and if we can have some rest, it is all for the
better. I lie down, I remember that the Prophet himself has slept in
this place. Here we lie, like he did, on the hard ground, using our
slippers for pillows and without any need for any cover. I wake up
shortly before dawn, having heard other pilgrims starting to move
around. I wake up everyone, and look for water to have ablution.
There is plenty around. Pipes and taps have been provided here in
order to be used for just this single night every year. When we are
ready, we offer our Fajr prayer and begin our second great day of
pilgrimage. This is the day of sacrifice, the day of the Eid, and we
have a busy day ahead of us.
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