HAJJ

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Whether in Islamic, Religious or Pilgrimage studies, has mainly been the focus of generalized comment rather than specific, in-depth studies. Important monographs do explore its history, including the early modern period. However, in an age of ever more intensive and extensive globalization, the late modern Hajj remains relatively under-researched. This may be in part because of the exclusion of non-Muslim researchers from Mecca and Medina, and also the relative closure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to detailed scrutiny.  Nevertheless, in edited collections and journal articles during the 1990s, anthropologists did begin to identify various aspects of pilgrims’ contemporary experiences in different national contexts.

As much a political event as it is a religions festival, the Hajj is considered to be one of the most important duties a follower of Islam should perform, and it has been part of Islam for centuries. In the book, Guests of God: Pilgrimage and Politics in the Islamic World, published in 2004 for the Oxford University Press, Robert R. Bianchi sought to explain the pilgrimage to non-Muslims: “The hajj is a time of profound reflection, during which pilgrims critically examine their souls as well as the social and political conditions in their homelands, the global Islamic community, and the world as a whole,” he wrote.

While the Hajj season occurs between the Feast of Fast Breaking at the end of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice during the pilgrimage, because of the number of Muslims who attend (about 2 million), the planning of the event has become a year round activity. Research paper topics to consider include not only a study of the religious implications and meanings of the Hajj for the Muslim religion, but also how the modern Hajj has changed and what non-Muslims should understand about the pilgrimage to Mecca.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The annual Muslim hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca has been completed where more than a million pilgrims had entered Saudi Arabia from abroad. All Muslim adults are expected to participate in the hajj, which is among the Five Pillars (core practices) of Islam, at least once in their lifetime unless they are physically or financially incapable of making the trip to Mecca.

The stampede was caused by two large groups of pilgrims arriving nearly simultaneously at a crossroads on their way to perform the "stoning the devil" ritual at Jamarat. Disaster was the worst to befall the pilgrimage since July 1990, when 1426 pilgrims were crushed to death in a tunnel near Mecca. Both stampedes occurred on Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Islam's most important feast and the day of the stoning ritual. Safety during the hajj is politically sensitive for the kingdom's ruling al-Saud dynasty, which presents itself internationally as the guardian of orthodox Islam and custodian of its holiest places: Mecca and Medina. Therefore there is a need of time to study some of these very burning questions:

1.2.1 What is the religious importance of Hajj?

1.2.2 What are the reasons behind the stampede during hajj every year?

1.2.3 How government of Saudi Arabia and other nations reacting? 

1.3 Objective of the study

Every year millions of Muslim pilgrims participate at Mecca for the annual Muslim hajj. But during the ritual “stoning the devil” hundreds of them die due to certain incidents. So the aim of this paper is to do research on the stampede caused during hajj. This paper mainly focuses on the following objectives:

1.3.1 To study about the religious importance of hajj.

1.3.2 To find out the reasons behind the stampede during hajj every year.

1.3.3 To find out the reaction of the government of different nations.

                                                     

  

1.4 Justification of the study

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.  Every year, millions of Muslims converge on the Saudi holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, with the massive ceremonies representing a major security and logistical challenge for the kingdom's authorities. On occasion, the Hajj and events surrounding it have been marred by accidents and tragedies, such as this year’s stampede near Mecca.

Each year the incidents occur, government reacts for few months, and then everyone forgets about it. Again the same incident occurs next year and the same process continues. Nobody is taking a step ahead to neutralize the incident. Only few researches have been done on this topic and fewer people around the world know the fact of Mecca and Medina. This research many not be enough to sum-up each and every detail but it has what is needed. It gives the general idea of situation at Mecca and Medina and contains the information about the stampede during hajj.

1.5 Limitations of the study

There is a time constraint for this research because of Young officer’s course’s busy schedule and limited duration of time.  Due to limited availability of materials on the topic, research is going to be based on these materials and own analysis. The limitation of the study will mainly be confined within a study on. Lack of current comprehensive studies, lack of recent books in this particular topics and lack of time for the research are the major limitations. This study is based on the limited published books and magazine which are published regarding on the Hajj materials only.

Own Analysis is based on the published books, newspaper, internet and general perception of the friends who are doing their master’s degree and has the general knowledge on the topic and also the personal knowledge of researcher himself. Because of time limitation for this research, every aspect could not be covered in this study.

1.6 Research methodology  

The research work has used qualitative method using primary and secondary data. It is written analytically and in a descriptive way.

This study is based on a descriptive along with analytical study for the stampede during hajj 2015. It has mainly used published books, and materials so used sources are secondary sources and data which include published books papers, internet, newspaper and magazines.  Secondary resources i.e. library method shall be used for data collection technique of the study. Few books to the subject matter were explored and analyzed. This research is based on limited published books, various journals magazines and internet websites have been rifled to gain and gather information as part of the research. So the secondary method of data collection is used during the research.

1.7 Chapter organization  

Tentatively, the chapters of the research are organized as under:     

1.7.1    Chapter I         Introduction.

1.7.2    Chapter II       Review of literature

1.7.3    Chapter III      Religious Importance of Hajj.

1.7.4    Chapter IV      Stampede during Hajj.

1.7.5    Chapter V       Reaction of the government of Saudi Arabia and other nations.

1.7.6    Chapter VI      Conclusion.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

There are few books to review on the specific research topics. However, the sources for the research have been primary sources of literature, interacting with various people in the different field who has the knowledge on the topic. However various books, newspapers, journals magazines and internet websites have been rifled to gain and gather information as part of the research.

In the book, Guests of God: Pilgrimage and Politics in the Islamic World, published in 2004 for the Oxford University Press, Robert R. Bianchi sought to explain the pilgrimage to non-Muslims: “The hajj is a time of profound reflection, during which pilgrims critically examine their souls as well as the social and political conditions in their homelands, the global Islamic community, and the world as a whole,” he wrote.

Journalist Al-Maeena said: "In the past few years, these kinds of stampedes (had not) happened because of the ... highway-like bridges to the places of the stoning."

  

CHAPTER III

RELIGIOUS IMPORTANCE OF HAJJ

3.1 Hajj

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.  It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm. The gathering during Hajj is considered the largest annual gathering of people in the world.  The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah, and a Muslim who fulfills this condition is called a mustati. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah). The word Hajj means "to intend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions.

The Hajj is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Abraham. During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals: each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka'aba (the cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for the Muslims), runs back and forth between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, drinks from the Zamzam Well, goes to the plains of Mount Arafat to stand in vigil, spends a night in the plain of Muzdalifa, and performs symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing stones at three pillars. The pilgrims then shave their heads, perform a ritual of animal sacrifice, and celebrate the three-day global festival of Eid al-Adha.

 Pilgrims can also go to Mecca to perform the rituals at other times of the year. This is sometimes called the "lesser pilgrimage", or Umrah. However, even if they choose to perform the Umrah, they are still obligated to perform the Hajj at some other point in their lifetime if they have the means to do so.

Hajj is an act of Worship - not tourism or promenade - which requires a physical and spiritual preparation. It is a station of renewing Iman as many other stations where sins are wiped out by forgiveness and where faith, trust, and love of Allah, His Messengers, and the believers increase. The pilgrim gets purified and comes out of his sins like a newborn baby.  It is a school of training for Taqwah - consciousness of one's duties towards Allah - good character and discipline like in the other schools of the pillars of Islam.  It is a manifestation of brotherhood, equality and Unity. The Muslims are like different branches but from one tree. In Hajj, they learn how to develop the Spirit of Unity.  It is an annual Muslim convention attended by Muslims from different horizons, colors, races, and tongues. They exchange ideas and news and celebrate their unity in faith and diversity in culture. They meet in their center-point Makkah (Qiblah). Muslims always have to have a center-point and should be constantly focused on their noble goals.

The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th (or in some cases 13th) of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. Ihram is the name given to the special spiritual state in which pilgrims wear two white sheets of seamless cloth and abstain from certain actions.

3.2 History

Hajj is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca that is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford to go. The 3rd chapter of the Quran, Surah Ale-Imran makes Hajj mandatory.  During this pilgrimage, Muslims try to get closer to God. The Hajj is performed in the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah.  All Muslims who can afford to go on the Hajj are required to do so at least once in their life.  The purpose includes worshiping God and interacting with Muslims who congregate for the Hajj from all around the world.

Muslims believe that the Prophet Abraham built the Ka'aba with his son Ismael. Kaaba is a sacred cube-shaped shrine at the centre Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque, in Mecca (Saudi Arabia).  Muslims walk around the Ka'bah seven times as part of the Hajj.  Muslims face to pray in the direction of the Ka'bah no matter where they are in the world.  It was the first house built solely for the purpose of worshipping God.  To be completed, the Hajj requires a minimum of five days, during which pilgrims travel across Arabia to complete various rituals, some of which are optional, but considered highly beneficial.

3.3 Some facts about hajj

·         According to Sahih Bukhari (one of the six main hadith writings of Sunni Islam), the Prophet Muhammad once said that those who finish the Hajj without committing any obscenity or transgression will have their sins completely wiped away.

·         It is believed that to teach Muslims to remain humble and unified, God mandated the Hajj.  During it, everyone wears the same clothes, prays together, and goes around the Ka'bah together.

·         All male pilgrims wear the ihram, a garment that is made of two pieces of unstitched clothing.  They are forbidden from wearing anything that has stitches in it, clothes that cover their ankles, or anything that cover their heads.  All female pilgrims are forbidden from wearing anything to cover their faces or hands.

·         Muslims on the Hajj are also forbidden from having sexual intercourse, proposing marriage, cutting their hair or nails, and killing animals.

·         According to the Saudi Arabian Embasy, the Hajj is the largest gathering of human beings on the Earth. Apex “A” shows the percentage of people from around the globe who already have participated in the hajj.

3.4 Top events and things to do

·         If you are Muslim, go on a Hajj pilgrimage or attend the smaller Umrah.

·         Visit the mountains of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah in Mecca.  Pilgrims walk between two hills, Safa and Marwa, seven times during the Hajj because they believe that Hagar, the wife of Abraham, did the same when looking for water for her thirsty baby Ismael.  As soon as she finished her seventh run, the Zamzam well sprung out from under baby Ismael's foot.  To this day, pilgrims on the Hajj drink the Zamzam's water, and often take it home with them in large canisters.

·         Visit the tower at Jamrat-al-Aqabah (Saudi Arabia).  After sunset on the day of Arafah, as part of the Hajj, pilgrims throw small pebbles at Jamrat-al-Aqabah.  This is the place where it is believed the Devil stood as he tried to tempt Abraham from carrying out orders from God.  This is act commemorates and symbolizes Abraham's rejecting of the devil.

CHAPTER IV

STAMPEDE DURING HAJJ

4.1 Stampede 2015

The deadliest Hajj stampede killed 1,426 people. The Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage, has been beset by disasters since the 1980s, leaving thousands dead and more injured. This year has been particularly deadly, despite attempts by the government of Saudi Arabia to make the pilgrimage safer for the more than 2 million people who make the journey each year. A stampede at one of the last rituals of the season, known as the "stoning of Jamarat," which symbolizes "stoning the devil",  killed more than 700 people and injured hundreds more in the most deadly incident in a quarter of a century. Apex “B” shows the point of intersection between 223 St. and 204 St. where the stampede occurred. Several foreign countries have announced the deaths of nationals. Death tolls given by foreign officials and international media so far are:

COUNTRY	DEATHS
Pakistan	236
Iran	131
Morocco	87
India	14
Egypt	14
Somalia	8
Senegal	5
Tanzania	4
Turkey	4
Algeria	3
Kenya	3
Indonesia	3
Burundi	1
Netherlands	1

Iran’s national hajj organization said 60 Iranian nationals were injured in addition to the 131 killed. The Fars news agency said Tehran had summoned the Saudi to lodge an official complaint over the disaster.

4.2 On that day

Two giant waves of Muslim pilgrims collided at an intersection Thursday near a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and more than 700 people were crushed and trampled to death in the worst disaster at the hajj in a quarter-century.

“People were climbing over one another just to breathe,” said Abdullah Lofty of Egypt. “It was like a wave. You go forward and suddenly you go back.”

The hajj, which drew 2 million people from over 180 countries this year, is a huge logistical challenge for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has spent billions of dollars to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims and maintain safety and security at Islam’s holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual event.

One crowd had just finished a ritual in which pilgrims throw pebbles at three stone columns representing the devil when it ran into another wave of people heading to perform the rite.

Sudanese pilgrim Mohammed Awad, 36, and his 56-year-old father were separated when people began pushing and shoving. Awad said he tried to get out of the crush of bodies for about 30 minutes and eventually climbed over a gate with others. It took him an hour before he could look for his father, who was under at least 10 bodies, but still alive.

“You can’t count how many bodies there were. They were stacked high,” Awad said.

Amateur video on social media showed scores of bodies, many still dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during hajj, lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles on a sunbaked street.

Helicopters circled Mina throughout the day, ferrying the injured to hospitals, while military police blocked the streets where the deaths took place. It was the second major accident during this year’s hajj season.

 On Sept. 11, a construction crane crashed down onto the Grand Mosque, killing 111 people and injuring more than 390. Authorities said high winds from a powerful storm caused the collapse and faulted the construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, which oversees construction at the mosque, for not following operating procedures.

Less than two weeks earlier, a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand Mosque, killing 111 people and injuring hundreds more, just a few days before the pilgrimage that would attract millions to the mosque. So why do incidents like this keeps happening at the Hajj?

4.3 A sudden surge in the crowd

Performing the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to make the journey to the holy city of Mecca near Saudi Arabia's west coast at least once in their lives. The pilgrimage takes place over five days and includes many detailed rituals; including wearing purifying white robes, walking counterclockwise around the Kabaa and the symbolic stoning of evil.

Thursday's stampede happened at this ritual stoning in the tent city of Mina, about 2 miles from Mecca. There, pilgrims throw stones at three walls and pillars called the Jamarat in a re-enactment of when the Prophet Abraham stoned the devil to reject his temptations. At 9 a.m., there was a "sudden surge in the crowd" heading toward the Jamarat, resulting in overcrowding, a spokesman for the Saudi civil defense agency said in a statement from the Saudi Press Agency. "A large number fell," the statement said.

4.4 stoning ceremony can be risky

The stoning ceremony in Mina was the scene of stampedes and deaths in the 1980s and 1990s because of a crowded bottleneck area on the way to the pillars. More recently, in 2004, an early morning stampede killed 251 pilgrims and injured another 244. It lasted 27 minutes before being brought under control.

In 2006, a particularly lethal stampede there killed at least 363 people. That time, pieces of luggage spilled from moving buses in front of the entrances to a bridge, causing people to trip, an Interior Ministry spokesman told The Associated Press in a BBC article.

Professor Fawaz Gerges, chairman of Contemporary Middle East Studies at the London School of Economics, says the stampedes there are caused by pilgrims "pushing and shoving to 'stone the devil,' throwing stones in a very narrow area."

The BBC has described it as the riskiest ritual of the Hajj because of the way worshipers jostle, which can knock weaker pilgrims over.

4.5 Other significant events

·        1987: More than 400 people, mainly Iranian Shiite pilgrims, are killed in clashes with Saudi security forces during anti-Western protests in Mecca.

·         1990: 1,426 pilgrims are trampled to death.

·         1994: A stampede near Jamarat Bridge kills 270 pilgrims.

·         1997: A fire in Mina tears through a sprawling, overcrowded tent city, trapping and killing more than 340 pilgrims and injuring 1,500.

·         1998: One hundred eighteen people die in a stampede near Mecca at the end of the Hajj.

·         2006: A small hotel in Mecca collapses, killing at least 76 people. The hotel, Luluat Alkheir, is occupied by Asian pilgrims when it collapses. More shown in Apex “C” and “D”.

CHAPTER V

REACTION OF THE GOVERNMENT

5.1 Investigation

Saudi authorities began an investigation, said Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, adding that initial reports showed two crowds coming from opposing directions converged at an intersection in Mina, on the outskirts of Mecca, when the pushing and shoving started. “Unfortunately, these incidents happen in a moment,” al-Turki said at a news conference.

But four survivors questioned how officials managing the flow of people could allow two big crowds going in different directions to intersect on two streets packed with pilgrims. “What happened was more than they were ready for,” Lotfy, 44, told The Associated Press.

Saudi Arabia takes great pride in its role as the caretaker of Islam’s holiest sites and host to millions of Muslims who must perform the hajj at least once in their lives. Signs posted around Mecca tell pilgrims that Saudi Arabia is honored to serve them, and the Saudi king takes the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in reference to the sites in Mecca and Medina.

About 100,000 security forces were deployed to manage the crowds and provide security for this year’s hajj, with 5,000 CCTV cameras throughout Mecca and Medina. Over the years, the Saudi government has expanded Mecca’s Grand Mosque that houses Islam’s most sacred site, the cube-shaped Kaaba. The government also uses sophisticated face-counting technology installed at a multistory structure in Mina known as the Jamarat Bridge, near where the tragedy occurred. The wide ramps and technology are designed to ease the pressure of the crowds and prevent pilgrims from being trampled.

Unlike the wide ramps leading to Jamarat, the streets amid the tents in Mina are narrow. The street where the accident took place is about 12 meters (36 feet) wide, with tall gates to the left and right. Behind the gates are the tents of hajj tour groups, organized by nationality.

King Salman expressed his condolences and pledged a speedy investigation. He said he gave instructions for a review of “all existing plans and arrangements, to improve the level of organization and management of the movement” of the pilgrims.

5.2 Billion Dollars 

As millions of devotees move in a small area, keeping them safe is a huge logistical puzzle for Saudi authorities.

"The numbers grow and grow and grow," said Hugh Kennedy, a professor of Arabic at the London School of Oriental and African Studies. "When the Hajj was in its early days, the numbers were thousands, perhaps even less than that; now we're talking about 2 million. They all want to do the same thing as those thousands did 1,400 years ago.

"It's not just that there are a lot of people there, it's that they want to be in the same places at certain times," he said. After the 2004 crush, Saudi authorities put in barriers to improve safety at the stoning site, according to the BBC. In 2009, the government erected three massive pillars and completed a $1.2 billion, five-story bridge nearby where pilgrims could toss stones. The Jamarat Bridge is air-conditioned to keep the temperatures at 19 Celsius (66 Fahrenheit) in a place where temperatures can routinely exceed 37 C (99 F), according to U.S. State Department. The idea was to give the faithful more room and a better atmosphere, and it worked well for a few years.

Journalist Al-Maeena said: "In the past few years, these kinds of stampedes (had not) happened because of the highway like bridges to the places of the stoning."

5.3 Professor’s view

Infrastructure needed to stop more crushes.

The Hajj is possibly the largest gathering of human beings on the planet, Kennedy said. "We all know from managing things like football crowds how very, very difficult this is, to (manage big crowds of people)," he added. How to prevent another stampede is a very delicate question for the Saudis, says Gerges, the London School of Economics professor, adding that disasters reflect very badly on authorities in the birthplace of Islam. "This is a very sensitive question for the kingdom, because the kingdom wants to come across as the custodian of Mecca and Medina, to provide security and safety."

He says that although the Saudis have been enlarging the space in Mina where pilgrims gather for the stone throwing ritual, the latest tragedy proves they need to go further. "You need a significant infrastructure in terms of police, support, and space. Imagine if you have 2 million people in a relatively small town. Mecca is a small town, in particular the sacred sites of Mecca," he said.

"I hope that the Saudi authorities would take a closer look at what needs to be done. The extra measures, technology, the crowd control, trying to find ways and means to prevent such catastrophes, not only because it's the responsibility of the kingdom to provide safety, but because it also reflects politically badly on the authorities in the kingdom."

5.4 Worlds reaction 

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blamed the Saudi government for the disaster. In a statement, he said: “The Saudi government should accept its responsibility in this bitter incident. We should not overlook that mismanagement and inappropriate conducts caused this disaster.”

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, who leads the world’s most populous Muslim nation, said “there must be improvements in the management of the hajj so that this incident is not repeated”.

King Salman called for an improvement in the management of the pilgrimage, but some members of the Saudi government appeared to blame the victims. In a TV address, Salman said: “We have instructed concerned authorities to review the operations plan to raise the level of organization and management to ensure that the guests of God perform their rituals in comfort and ease.”

Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, head of the Nigerian delegation in Mecca, said Saudi Arabia was wrong to blame the pilgrims. “We are urging the Saudi authorities not to apportion blame for not obeying instructions, they should instead look into the issues of this disaster,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World at One program.

CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSION

The most important thing we should keep in our minds is that Allah knows better than we do even if we sometimes think that a certain action is not clear to us or does not make a sense to us and why do we have to perform it. Of course Allah orders only what is good and just for us and all mankind. We should accept and submit to Allah. As a matter of fact, one of the meanings of Islam is acceptance.

In commemorating this, the pilgrim should think whether he, or she, is ready to offer the dearest thing to his, or her, heart for the sake of Allah. This religion cannot survive in the hearts of people without sacrifices, devotion, sincere love, commitment, and dedication. Allah says, "By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth Allah knows it well."