It was a dilemma whether to not go and break the practice of many years or to just act on the news alert on the Swine Flu (H1N1) virus. I am not sure whether it is a real danger or a mere hype created by certain quarters. It can be seen from the pandemic alert and its fatality on the ground that it is far less than normal viral flu, which causes hundreds of deaths each year as per the statistics of WHO. Like many other viruses that all of a sudden descent on to our planet, like Bird Flu, SARS etc., this one is recent and an all out warning and alert is on-going. Precautions like the security alert, ubiquitous sanitizers, putting your finger on the biometric device as you enter your workplace, sanitizing on touching an escalator, wearing masks in a market are prevalent. As with the Taleban alert we travelers are rationing our tooth paste and shower gel or even safety razors. As Jeffrey Sachs put it -world has more time on this kind of thing (selling vaccine and dubious medicine is more profitable- imagine one of the world's biggest drug company – Pfizer was selling many un approved drugs and strange enough, bankrupted US economy for the first time recouped some fund by extracting an staggering fine of $2.3 billion –largest civil fraud settlement in history against a pharmaceutical company) than looking into ensuing human catastrophe – poverty, disease and hunger. Despite strong skeptic syndrome we decided to go for an Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) this season. We were going to pray for Rabbul Alamin and to His house, so we take refuge unto Him only. Umrah in Ramadan is equated with the credit of one Hajj, so we (my family) proceeded with our trip. "Labbaik Allahummah Labbaik" – I am here o Allah I am here. We did not forget to take extra face masks and a bottle of sanitizer as directed by the Ministry of Health. I was driving quite fast so as to be able to catch the Asar prayer as we planned to return immediately after Maghreb prayer, for the first time without praying Tarawi prayers. It took us approximately 45 minutes for a distance of around 80 km that includes the city limit and the traffic signals. More than once, my 4x4 crossed a speed of 145km/h. Had the high way petrol not been there, whom we encountered every 5 to 10 minutes, all would have rushed more fervently. A huge parking lot exists at the outskirts of Makkah from where buses frequent every four/five minutes. Special tunnels only for buses makes the journey a little more than five minutes. Our bus, the Turkish made Marco Polo of Mercedez, was full in no time. As we stepped out of the bus people were vending face masks. Where is the pandemic signal of WHO, the alert and caution of the Ministry of Health? Haram is full in this 40 degree temperature on the 1st day of September, and with the masks on, it is even warmer. Like us, many were wearing masks, but majority of the worshippers were not bothered. In the name of Allah, to His house they arrived to perform Umrah and to seek His forgiveness and mercy –unto His refuge. We did not find many people sneezing or coughing but with dry mouths they were rushing to the cold Zamzam water to cool off. It is estimated that 2 million worshippers can gather here.There is a ceiling fan every 10 square meters , every column displays big fans and in this millions of sq meter area, there should be a few hundred thousand fans swirling. There is a huge portion that is fully air-conditioned in all its 3 floors. The Masjid-al-Haram is a huge area surrounded by mountains and it is a herculean task to expand and provide more space, as every year it is becoming smaller for its increasing number of visitors. It appears that with its crystal and copper chandeliers, cool water dispensers, all time clean floors, beautiful rugs and carpets all around and ever expanding facilities, something still needs to be done. Accommodation and fast exits or transits from all around is the biggest issue to be tackled. People say had the authorities prudently looked into the issue overlooking the coterie interests, all these facilities could have been established long ago. This could have facilitated comfortable and affordable accommodation for all pilgrims rich and poor, coming year round, from all over the world. A fast train could aid in transporting all the visitors from Jeddah, Taif and Medina. A circular train could have exited all worshipers quick and easy from and around the Haram. With all the wealth given by the same Rab, the authorities still seem to refuse to look into the matters in such a perspective. This Haram provided sustenance for Makkan pagans and Makkan Saudis. Annual pilgrimage was there before the birth of Islam. The year man was born , and when emperor Abraha came to destroy Kaaba so that people would do their annual pilgrimage in Yemen, who proclaimed the messages of Allah to re- establish the Abrahamic faith. Faith has expanded far flanked but real Imaan is impaired by many innovations and non faith influences, yet millions come from near and far. They come to renew their faith in spite of all odds and subversive influences. The number of Bangladeshi pilgrims are on the rise, some of them even paying for the best suites available during Ramadan with the highest price (around 18k US$ for last ten days of Ramadan). Millions of Bangladeshis live and work here and repatriate the highest amount of foreign currency that heals the current account imbalance, while deceived by their host and own governments. The unjust treatment by the employers and injustice inflicted by default or by machination (by their own government) have made thousands to lose and lose by blood and sweat. No pilgrimage rectifies their hearts or their actions. It is not only a dysfunctional system that takes no care for the needy, but it is also inhuman and beyond their fundamentals of belief. Best of humanity is preached and manifested in Islamic faith and practiced by its supreme leaders on earth. We decry and ask for everything here in this marble, granite, huge chandeliers and soft carpeted grand place albeit forgetting small things in life. At one time a person's small thing appears to be of big concern as they do not want to sacrifice. Poverty, deceit and oppression thus prevail. Jeffrey Sachs, in his book, begs for a small amount to be spent to buy bed nets to save millions of Africans from malaria or other mosquito carried diseases, but to no avail. Billions have been spent on hyped fear that has been well filtered into people's psych so that they are ready to embrace, synthesise and divert their resources accordingly. Ambiguity and hypocrisy has engulfed us all, being human, we ignore the fundamentals of human needs, rather we are besieged with issues that is not the core of our problems. During Ramadan, in many mosques, a feast like iftar (breakfast) , from starters like sambusa to desserts like cream caramel and fruits including tea or coffee, is offered to hundreds. Every day in the Haram people will beg you to take their Dates or Kahowa (Arabic coffee), what is allowed inside the grand mosque, they will strive hard to get to the worshippers. If these symptoms persist, in true forms they would have rewarded their employees, at least as per the terms of their original contract, or raised their voices against what is being done to their fellow brethren. It does not happen! It does not even happen to our government's highest personalities who just returned from performing Umrah, uttering all lies to their subjects- 'they have solved the existing problems'. Humans are fast losing their fundamentals either in the name of religion or outside of it. In our planet the machine that sales well and with huge profit is that kills well - fast and easy. Bigger chunks of expendables is spent on its research. To be a good Muslim one need not learn the whole Quran and all prophetic traditions (sunnah) but the basics of it, to perceive its true spirit and abide by them. Ambiguity has no room here. When I last performed hajj, hundreds of people died just behind me within few minutes, just because those men who should guard the entry points were not there. Humans forget their duties or obligations towards himself and his Creator. Fallacy is being created. Today's humanists ask the hungry to go on hunger strike, the penurious to protest income taxes and the like, to descent or revolt against profiteering and injustice of the society often in violent terms. Arundhuti Roy describes it profusely. Is it that we have lost our acumen to make a human society where we all can live with the God given wealth shared to live a human life or should we succumb to the profiteering corporate culture and their economic and political doctrines? How much of the many years of my own pilgrimage and prayers, has made me self less, close to my Creator and His creatures? How much of my wealth am I willing to share, a fraction of it – I doubt! Well, perhaps many of us visit these holy places and decry the same without strengthening our faith (Imaan). After completing yet another Umrah we stopped at a roadside restaurant. Looking at the chicken I remembered Malcolm X. When he first came to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, he did not know how to eat the chicken without the use of a fork or knife. In his endeavor to bring justice to the blacks and thus finding Islam as a doctrine to take refuge in, he had to give his life for his fellow humans. We may often be blowing our own horn but our actions and intentions are far from it. O Omnipotent, guide us all!
M Haque |
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