Arafah and Mina ... 2026H

This morning IKIM.fm radio brought live coverage report of the wukuf in Arafah, the peak of the Haj ritual. About 28,000 pilgrims from Malaysia were there at present. My heart went out to them and I could imagine what they were going through now. They were having a tazkirah Subuh. We had one by Uztaz Wan Sohor Lebai Leman, who was our uztaz pembimbing. The tears fell freely and the feelings of remorse were intense. All the sins that were committed flashed before your eyes and mind and all you could do was prayed for the compassion of Allah to forgive and accept you. The skies of forgiveness were opened today. So, today, we fasted to commemorate the day of wukuf in Arafah.

What did I remembered of Arafah besides the feelings of remorse and regrets? Arafah is just a vast, empty desert about 20 - 30 minutes drive from Mecca on normal days. However, on the day of wukuf, it was dotted with thousands of tents, erected temporarily for the duration of that one day - from dawn to dusk. I remembered most were the chickens near the ladies' toilets. They were totally white in colour except for their beaks and feet. No wonder the eggs in Mecca were all-white in colour. At first we thought it was salted eggs as in Malaysia - but the guides rectified our mistake. Other than that ... everybody was absorbed in their own selves. Contemplating. Reflecting. Regretting.

Arafah - before the erecting of tents for the "wukuf" with Jabal Rahmah in the background

The thousands of tents for the "wukuf"

 If Arafah was a land of thousands of dotted tents and millions of people in practically every single space and corner, especially up Mount Rahmah ... then Mina was a carnival. It was more cheerful and alive. We were here for 3 days for the "stoning of the devil" ritual. Noor and I wandered around the jamrah or throwing area a lot. Firstly to look for more pebbles or small stones. This was where we encountered a lot of kindness of human nature. While we were looking for and picking up the pebbles. a hand was shown towards us offering us the stones. We looked up to see unknown faces and accepted the stones with grace and gratitude. Thus, we returned the kindness shown to us by collecting extra stones to be given to others whom we came across picking up stones. Simple gestures of kindness. Rich in gratitude and thankfulness.

I enjoyed Mina in the sense that it was so metropolitan. Hundreds of small peddlars from all over the world just put out a piece of tablecloth and spread out their varieties of goods for sale. I liked the Turkish knitted shoes. But I did not buy any. Noor bargained and bought a Russian multi purpose knife. Since both did not speak a common language, they let the calculator spoke. Numbers were universal.  :-D  We saw a lot of things. Once we saw a man selling gems, so since Noor liked gems, I sat down and started talking to him. He was a man from India and spoke English. So, as usual, out of curiosity, I started talking to him about him and his journeys instead of his goods. He made this journey every year not only to sell his wares but also to make friends, meet friends, perform his Haj and make some business. He travelled through the roads and water to reach here. It's a month's journey. He usually made enough money for his travel home.

The 3 jamrahs - now it is the shape of a ship / oblong to make more space for the pilgrims

I observed a lot of people's behaviour and mannerisms. Their haste, impatience and selfishness in waiting in line, pushing others to get out of their way and getting what they wanted by hook or by crook. I observed patience, resilience and faith of other pilgrims waiting on their mats and chairs for the next day throwing of the jamrah. It was a long trail back to their camps so they would rather wait the night for the next morning's throw. Most of them were pilgrims above 60 with their caretakers or family. They waited with patience and did not grumble but accepting. Very calming. I observed over-protectiveness of their female pilgrims by the Iranian males. They formed a human circle around their female counterparts and other pilgrims were pushed out to make way for their circle. They refused to break the circle. Either you are ploughed through or you made way for them. I observed overzealousness of the throwing rituals. As I stood at one corner and waited for Noor and Pak Wan, a member pilgrim, I observed that here each was on their own. Actually, I enjoyed observing people and their idiosyncracies while trying to figure out the lessons that I should derive from these incidents.

As I listened to the radio's live coverage of the "khutbah Arafah" my tears rolled down softly and gently ... recalling the time I was there and listened to it. I could only pray that the pilgrims there did their best for their belief and faith and for the sake of Allah. May they become a better person because of this journey of a life time. I know I have tried and will continue trying. Life is not ours but to live it as best as we can for Allah's acceptance of us. If Allah is with us, in us, for us... life is complete and fulfilling. Nothing else matters.