Showing posts with label pilgrims. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pilgrims. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Haj - In This Sacred Moment, The 'Arafah Day

Tarwiyah Day, the eighth day of Dzulhijjah, one of the greatest days of Haj.

Pilgrims spent their time in Mina’s Tent City praying, supplicating (du'a) and contemplating preparing themselves for the second stage of their five-day greatest trip.

The Day of Tarwiyah marks the very beginning of the rites of Haj, the day during which the pilgrims redo what Prophet Muhammaad s.a.w. did, from the day the rules of Haj started, when He s.a.w. reached Mina where He s.a.w. prayed Dzhuhr, 'Asr , Maghrib, 'Isya' and Fajr prayers and then proceeded to 'Arafah before the sunrise.

Narrated 'Abdul 'Aziz bin Rufai: I asked Anas bin Malik, "Tell me what you remember from ALLAH s.w.t.'s Apostle (regarding these questions): 
Where did He s.a.w. offer the Dzuhr and 'Asr prayers on the day of Tarwiyah (8th day of Dzulhijjah)?"


He s.a.w. replied, "(He offered these prayers) at Mina."  


I asked, "Where did He offer the 'Asr prayer on the day of Nafr ( the departure from Mina on the 12th or 13th of Dzulhijjah)?" 


He s.a.w replied, "At AlAbtah," and then added, "You should do as your chiefs do."  - Bukhari.

Among the rules of this day is that Haj pilgrims frequenting their Talbiyah and perform the prayers at their specific times.

The Prophet s.a.w. and his companions had already assumed Ihram before they proceeded to Mina - so are we, not necessarily from Masjidil Haram - enough from the place where we stay.



Photo: Arab News

Today, nearly three million pilgrims 'Wuquf' or standing on Mount 'Arafah or on its plain, the climax of the annual pilgrimage.

The Prophet s.a.w. said, “Haj is ‘Arafah.”

The very core of Haj takes places on the day of ‘Arafah as well as at the site known as ‘Arafah, an area where the Prophet s.a.w. went, on the 9th Dzulhijjah, as a part of His Haj.

'Arafah is where Haj pilgrims, standing and supplicating to the ALMIGHTY s.w.t., seeking HIS forgiveness and mercy.

Men, draped in two white unsewn pieces of cloth, an extraordinary symbol of Islam’s unity and equality. 
Islam, a religion of universal character fit for all times and people.

On the Mount Arafah and the plains surrounding it from where Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. gave his farewell sermon more than fourteen centuries ago, men and women formed a massive stream of white set out, chanting that they have come to answer GOD’s call. The endless sea of  'white' pilgrims, in their endless chants,  

"Labbaikallaahumma Labbaik” (O GOD, here I am answering YOUR call).

Hear ALLAH s.w.t.
Fear Allah s.w.t., in private and public.
Adhere to Islamic creed and deeds, and radiance insyaALLAH, is reflected in us, in our doings, in our daily life.

Getting to 'Arafah is not without difficulties for many.
Hardship aside, having reached the plains of Arafah is a dream come true, for all pilgrims.
All believers, from all corners of the world, come to 'Arafah, to pray to GOD.

The feeling of wanting to meet GOD, the whole body shivers...
Ability to make connection with ALLAH s.w.t. is an individual experience.
Unexplainable...
No words can explain one's feeling although everyone on the sacred ground of 'Arafah is obviously with one intention, HIS acceptance.

Arafah, peaceful, is where the connection with GOD takes place, Dzulhijjah after Dzulhijjah, over and over again.
Today, the day of Haj, is the day where connectivity and communication to ALLAH s.w.t. is obvious.

While in 'Arafah, wise pilgrims spend the day making supplications to ALLAH s.w.t. as the Prophet s.a.w said,  

“The best du‘a is the du‘a on the day of ‘Arafah.” - Abu Dawud.

It is the ultimate day to ask for forgiveness of every single sin of us, as the Prophet s.a.w. also said,  

“There is no day in which Allah s.w.t. sets free more souls from the fire of Hell than on the day of ‘Arafah.” - Muslim.

People spent the day in worship and supplication, praying for their needs, and for the welfare of all.
Praying for an end to sufferings in Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, and everywhere else in the world.
Insya ALLAH we will have peace.
We have worldwide peace if we pray in sincerity, if the fund we use for the pilgrim is blessed, no abuse of any breathing creatures.
Unity in prayers itself has created a peaceful atmosphere, at the most peaceful place on earth.

"Labbaikallaahumma Labbaik”, reenacted again and again, since fourteen centuries ago.

The 'Arafah Day, one of the cornerstones of the pilgrimage, at the site where Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. delivered his farewell sermon, is where, on this day, the doors of heavens open to answer prayers and grant forgiveness.

Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah are the three stops on the pilgrims’ journey during the Haj, traces the steps of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

'Arafah reminds us of our beloved Prophet s.a.w.
He asked the believers to undertake this journey and here, today, the Haj pilgrims from all over the world, undertake the journey, since the last fourteen centuries.
And Muslims will continue to do so until the Judgment Day.

Haj is tiring but rewarding.
HIS choicest blessings is on the very true believers, he who believes with his heart, mind and soul.
Answer the call of ALLAH s.w.t. and pray for peace and tranquility.
Pray sincerely, spread humanity.

Haji Mabrur aside, the feeling in us now, in this sacred moments all over the world, indescribable... 

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Train Is Coming (To Mecca)


A Makkah Metro train during a test run. (AN photo)

30-Day Test Run For Makkah Metro
JEDDAH: The newly established Mashair Railway, which links the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa with Makkah, will have a 30-day test run before opening to transport domestic and GCC pilgrims during the upcoming Haj season.
Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb will inspect the railway (also known as the Makkah Metro) on Tuesday to make sure the facility is ready to transport the guests of God. The railway will bring about a dramatic change in pilgrim transportation between the holy sites.
Established at a cost of SR6.5 billion, the new railway will have a capacity to transport 72,000 pilgrims in an hour. Nine stations have been constructed in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa, each having three stations. This is the second largest project implemented by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs after the SR4.5 billion high-tech Jamrat Bridge project in Mina.
Habib Zain Al-Abidine, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, said the railway will have 10 trains in the first phase, each with a length of 300 meters. “Each train will carry 3,000 passengers.”
He said Saudi authorities have not yet fixed the fare. “The matter is in the hands of Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee. Once the prince gives his directives, we’ll announce the fare,” he said.
The time for transporting pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifa will be reduced to five minutes on the 9th of Dul Hijjah when the faithful will move together from the plain of Arafat to Muzdalifa. And another five minutes will take them from Muzdalifa to Mina on the 10th.
Zain Al-Abidine said the railway would operate throughout the year.
The second phase of the project will link Mashair Railway with the Grand Mosque in Makkah with a station on Umm Al-Qura Road. It will also be linked with the Haramain Railway that connects Makkah with Madinah and Jeddah.
The trains will have a test run covering 6,000 km each before starting regular operations. The first test run took place last Thursday. The railway will have 20 trains in the next stage, each with 12 carriages and each carriage holding 250 passengers. About 20 percent of passengers will be seated while 80 percent will be standing. Trains will have a speed of 80 to 120 km/hour.

******

A 'Train' Of Thoughts 
In Singapore, I saw the most intelligent and safest train in the world. It runs underground without a driver. It has 29 stations above ground.
The length of its track is 33.3 km and its speed 90 km per hour. This train is electronically controlled from an operations room, whose director says controlling the train is like playing a Playstation.
There are of course other examples. Let us go to Iran. A news item says China and Iran have signed a $2 billion deal (approximately SR7.5 billion) to construct a railway line from Iran to the city of Khisrawi in Iraq, passing through a number of other cities. The story was covered on Sept. 11 by a number of newspapers, including the Egyptian publication Akhbar Al-Youm.
Now let us go to an Arab country, Libya, which has a project for two railway lines with the total length of more than 1,152 km and costing SR9.75 billion.
This means that the cost of a single kilometer of rail is SR8.5 million. These two lines are being constructed by a Chinese company.
In Saudi Arabia there is Al-Mashaer (Holy Sites) Metro, which runs on track that is only 18-km long. It is also being built by a Chinese company. Its cost is SR6.6 billion, which means that the cost of a single kilometer is SR369 million.
Let us, without any prejudice, try to understand the high cost of this metro. It is a traditional historic tram. From the pictures that were leaked, it seems that in terms of decor its cars could compete with Van Gogh’s Opium Flower painting (which was recently stolen from an Egyptian museum). The cars are painted with 24-carat gold. The floors are encrusted with jewels and precious stones. Its seats are made of silver. It incorporates state-of-the-art technology and has an intercom system, which talks to each pilgrim in his or her own language guiding on the correct methods of performing Haj.
If need be, these cars will complete the rituals for the pilgrims. All the above is no more than hypotheses and theories. The truth lies in the hearts of the officials. I asked a friend why the Singaporean train is more intelligent and cheaper? He answered: “Because you are stupid!”
— aaljamili@yahoo.com

Source: Arab News