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Tag: Hajj

  • Mecca Stampede Survivor: I Was Pinned Down

    Mecca Stampede Survivor: I Was Pinned Down

    MECCA: Hamza Musa Kabir from Kano in northern Nigeria survived the massive stampede at the hajj by shedding his pilgrim’s garment after he was pinned under a man in the crush, which killed 769 people.

    Reflecting on the shocking events that unfolded on Thursday in Saudi Arabia, the 55-year-old tall, thin trader told his dramatic story to AFP’s Kano correspondent Aminu Abubakar, who also performed the pilgrimage:

    “We set off at sunrise from Muzdalifah and marched towards the Jamarat,” the place in Mina where pilgrims ritually stone the devil, Kabir recounted.

    “We were more than halfway through the procession when the road was blocked by the police, which led to buildup (of pilgrims).

    “Then the police blocked all the roads, leaving us with only one route. The situation became worse when the police allowed people returning from the Jamarat to use the same route back to their tents” where the pilgrims stay.

    “From where I stood, I could see a police officer on a raised platform at a nearby control post beckoning at pilgrims returning that they should move on.

    “Because those returning were moving in the opposite (direction) of the surging crowd, there was a stampede.

    “People became weak from suffocation and heat. People couldn’t breathe (in the crush). Many collapsed, mostly women and the old and disabled on wheelchairs.

    “I also was pinned down by this huge man I believe to be an Asian. I had to strip myself of my shroud which had become an obstacle to my escape.

    “I raised my hand and grabbed the shroud of another pilgrim from Nigeria who was already standing on a fence. He couldn’t pull me up because I was pinned down by this huge man.”

    ‘Countless bodies’ 

    In an act of desperation, Kabir grabbed the man’s testicles “and squeezed them which made him jump off me.

    “This enabled me to use my other hand to reach for the metal bar of the fence, and grab it. I then pulled myself up with the help of another young Arab man who was standing on the fence,” reaching safety inside one of the camps where Kabir then passed out.

    “I was so dizzy and weak and too weak to walk. I was spread on the floor and another pilgrim, seeing that I had regained consciousness, offered me his other shroud.

    “People offered me drink and some food. I then realised that I had been bitten (on) the side, by a young man from underneath.

    Kabir lost his backpack and most of his belongings except for a small bag around his neck.

    “I spent, like, two hours sitting down recuperating,” he said.

    “After that, I was assisted by another pilgrim from Niger to make it to the Jamarat and carry out the stoning rites.

    “What I saw on my return to the scene of the stampede frightened me, because I just saw countless bodies lying on the floor covered in white shrouds, and I knew I could have been one of them.”

    Still, he is not too frightened to return.

    “I know I will not die until the appointed hour…. Hajj is very important to my faith, and no obstacles will discourage me from seizing another opportunity to come back.”

     

    Source: http://english.astroawani.com

  • More Than 700 Pilgrims Killed In Saudi Hajj Stampede

    More Than 700 Pilgrims Killed In Saudi Hajj Stampede

    At least 717 people have been killed in a stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence directorate said, as the death toll continued to rise.

    The directorate said at least 863 other pilgrims were injured in Thursday’s stampede, which took place in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.

    The injured have been evacuated to four different hospitals in the Mina region, according to a civil defence spokesman.

    Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, ordered a probe into how the tragedy had occured.

    Nayef, who chairs the Saudi hajj committee, ordered the probe during a meeting with senior officials responsible for the pilgrimage in Mina, where the stampede took place.

    The findings of the investigation will be submitted to King Salman, “who will take appropriate measures” in response, the Saudi Press agency said.

    Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.

    Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi, reporting from Mina, said the incident took place in a street between pilgrim camps.

    “The street where it happened is named Street 204. This stampede did not happen at the site of the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual, which was happening today,” she said.

    “During and after the stampede the pilgrims continued to flock into Mina to perform the devil stoning ritual.”

    Amateur video shared on social media showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies – the men dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during Hajj – lying alongside crushed wheelchairs and water bottles.

    The head of the Central Hajj Committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, blamed the stampede on “some pilgrims from African nationalities,” Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV channel reported.

    Iranian authorities have said that at least 43 Iranian nationals were killed in the stampede.

    Survivors assessed the scene by standing on the top of roadside stalls as rescue workers in orange and yellow vests combed the area.

    About 4,000 people from the rescue services were participating in the operation to help the injured and about 220 ambulances were directed to the scene, a civil defence spokesman said.

    Photos released by the defence directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers helping the wounded onto stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the tents.

    Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Saleh, reporting from Mecca, said the number of deaths could rise.

    “This is only the initial number … The Hajj season was already overshadowed by the crane accident that killed 107 people and wounded more than 200,” Alsaleh said, adding: “The area has turned to a big massive construction site to allow more pilgrims to visit Mecca during Hajj.

    “Mina has more than 160,000 tents divided over several camps, and with the 1.9 million people taking part in this year’s Hajj, you will understand the logistical nightmare that the Saudi authorities are facing.

    “I’ve seen some footage and it’s really sad. I’ve seen piles of bodies on top of each other.”

    Deadly Hajj incidents

    Saudi authorities take extensive precautions to ensure the security of the Hajj and the safety of pilgrims. But tragedies are not uncommon.

    In 2006, more than 360 pilgrims were killed in a stampede, also in Mina.

    The day before the 2006 Hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.

    Two years earlier, a crush at Mina killed 244 and injured hundreds on the final day of the pilgrimage.

    And, in 2001, a stampede at Mina killed 35 people.

    The worst hajj-related tragedy, which happened in 1990, killed 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.

     

    Source: www.aljazeera.com

  • The Hajj Pilgrimage

    The Hajj Pilgrimage

    Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from across the globe began the annual hajj pilgrimage on Tuesday (Sept 22).

    The pilgrims began moving from Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca to nearby Mina for the start of the event.

    The first day of the hajj is known as Tarwiah Day, when pilgrims traditionally watered their animals and stocked water for their trip to Mount Arafat, about 10km from Mina.

    Pilgrims stay in specially-built fireproof tents in Mina, a city which only comes alive during the hajj season.

    At Mount Arafat, they will pray and recite from the Koran during the climax of the hajj season on Wednesday (Sept 23).

    Mount Arafat, a rocky hill on a vast plain, is where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon after leading his followers on the hajj.

    Find out more about the hajj pilgrimage below.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Jemaah Berwukuf Di Arafah

    Jemaah Berwukuf Di Arafah

    Jemaah dari seluruh dunia seramai 1.37 juta – bersama 600,000 jemaah Arab Saudi – berwukuf di Arafah hari ini, 9 Zulhijah, bagi menunaikan rukun haji.

    Pemandangan lautan manusia yang berhimpit di Padang Arafah dengan berpakaian ihram serba putih begitu syahdu.

    Wukuf adalah rukun haji yang yang difardukan ke atas jemaah, sejajar dengan sabda Rasulullah saw bahawa “Haji itu Arafah”.

    Lantaran itu, semua jemaah tidak kira lelaki dan wanita, tua dan muda, yang sihat dan sakit, perlu berwukuf pada 9 Zulhijah di Padang Arafah yang terletak 21.6 kilometer dari Masjidil Haram.

    Mereka termasuk 56 jemaah yang masih dirawat di beberapa hospital kerana cedera dalam kejadian kren runtuh dekat kawasan sai di Masjidil Haram pada 11 September.

    Mereka dibawa dengan kenderaan khas ke Hospital Jabal Al-Rahmah dan Hospital Besar Arafat untuk berwukuf.

    Dalam kalangan dua juta jemaah haji yang berwukuf itu termasuk 680 jemaah dari Singapura.

    Menurut pegawai bertugas, lebih 40,000 bas dan pelbagai kenderaan lain digunakan untuk mengangkut jemaah antara Makkah, Arafah dengan Mina bagi perhimpunan antarabangsa setiap tahun itu.

    Dalam perjalanan, jemaah melaungkan “Labbaiikallahhumma labbaik…” hingga akhir yang antara lain bermaksud “Kami datang menyahut seruan-Mu, ya Allah”.

    Semasa di Arafah, jemaah ditempatkan dalam khemah.

    Mereka mendengar khutbah Arafah di kawasan masing-masing, mendirikan solat jamak takdim zuhur dan asar serta berzikir.

    Selepas asar, jemaah biasanya keluar dari khemah dan memohon keampunan dan memanjatkan pelbagai doa.

    Keadaan lebih sesak dijangka di Jabal Rahmah, tempat Rasulullah dilaporkan menyampaikan khutbah terakhir beberapa bulan sebelum Baginda wafat.

    Selepas maghrib, jemaah meninggalkan Arafah, bermalam di Muzdalifah dan kemudian ke Mina, yang terletak kira-kira 15 kilometer dari Arafah, bagi melontar jamrah aqabah pada 10 Zulhijah dan menyembelih korban.

    Pada hari yang sama (10 Zulhijah), umat Islam di serata dunia menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha, yang dikenali juga sebagai Hari Raya Korban.

    Jemaah haji pula terus mabit (berkumpul) di Mina beberapa hari bagi meneruskan ibadah melontar jamrah.

    Mereka juga melakukan tawaf dan sai haji serta bertahalul (bergunting atau cukur rambut) bagi menyempurnakan ibadah haji.

    Selesai pelaksanaan ibadah haji, jemaah beredar.

    Sebahagian mula pulang ke tanah air, sebahagian pula terus beramal ibadah di Makkah manakala sebahagian lagi pergi ke Madinah supaya dapat beribadah di Masjid Nabawi dan menziarahi makam Nabi.

     

    Source: http://beritaharian.sg

  • All 3700 Livestock For Hari Raya Haji’s Korban Ritual Sold

    All 3700 Livestock For Hari Raya Haji’s Korban Ritual Sold

    Members of the public have taken up all 3,700 livestock for the Korban rites to be carried out on Hari Raya Haji next Thursday.

    The sales of the 2,000 Australian sheep and 1,700 Irish lambs across all 25 mosques in Singapore have been “overwhelming”, Singapore Mosques Korban Committee chairman Rashid Ramli said yesterday.

    The committee had secured 200 more animals for Korban this year and at a lower price, with each sheep priced at S$490, S$9 less than last year and each lamb at S$570, down S$5 from the year before.

    “We thank the community for the continuous support in ensuring that the syiar (religious observance) of Islam continues in Singapore,” Mr Rashid said. “Preparations at all participating mosques are on track, and the committee seeks the blessings and prayers of the community that Korban rites will proceed smoothly.”

    The act of Korban is an Islamic ritual that involves slaughtering livestock and distributing the meat to the needy to mark Hari Raya Haji.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com