ALMISKEENAH

 

THEN….

Camel Tales…..

"Imam Zayn al-‘Ābidin, Rahmatullahi alaihi, performed the Hajj on foot more than one time, as his father and his uncle, al-Hasan, RadhiAllahu anhuma, did. It took him twenty days to perform the Hajj to the House of Allah.

He also performed the Hajj on his she-camel twenty times, and he took great care of it. The historians say he never whipped it. Ibrāhim ibn ‘Ali said: “I performed the hajj with ‘Ali b. al-Husayn Rahmatullahi alaihi. His she-camel was moving slowly, hence he pointed to it with the stick, and then he withdrew it and said: ‘Woe if there was any retaliation in the next world!’ Again it moved slowly among the Mountains of Radawā , Hence he showed it the stick and said to it: ‘You should walk; otherwise I will do!’ Then he mounted it, and it walked” His soul exalted to this level of mercy, pity, and gentleness to the animal, Hence he never whipped and frightened his she-camel. He thought that aggression against an animal would result in punishment and reckoning in the Next Abode."

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Joseph Pitts, England CA 1685  p.121

"If it happens that the camel dies by the way, the carrier is to supply us with another, and therefore those carriers who come from Egypt to Mecca with the caravan bring with them several spare camels; for there is hardly a night passes but many die upon the road. For is a camel should chance to fall, ’tis seldom known that it is able to rise again; and if it should, they despair of its being capable of performing the journey or ever being useful more. ‘Tis a common thing, therefore, when a camel once falls, to take off its burden and put it on another and then kill it, which the poorer sort of the company eat. I myself have eaten of camel’s flesh, and ’tis very sweet and nourishing…..

They travel four camels in a breast, which are all tied one after another, like as in teams. The whole body is called a caravan, which is divided into several kitars, or companies, each of which has its name and consists (it may be) of several thousand camels, and they move, one kitar after another, like distinct troops. In the head of each kitar is some great gentleman or officer, who is carried in a thing like a horse litter, borne by two camels, one before and the other behind, which is covered all over with searcloth (cloth coated with wax) and over that again with green broadcloth, and set forth very handsomely. If the said great person has a wife with him, she is carried in another of the same. In the head of every kitar there goes likewise a sumpter camel, which carries his treasure, etc. This camel has two bells, about the bigness of our market bells, hanging one on each side, the sound of which may be heard a great way off. Some other of the camels have round bells about their necks, some about their legs, like those which our carriers put about their fore horses’ necks, which together with the servants (who belong to the camels and travel on foot) singing all night, make a pleasant noise, and the journey passes away delightfully. They say this music makes the camels brisk and lively. Thus they travel in good order every day…..and if it were not for this order, you may guess what confusion would be amongst such a vast multitude.

They have lights by night (which is the chief time of traveling, because of the exceeding heat of the sun by day), which are carried on the tops of high poles, to direct the Hajjis in their march. They are somewhat like iron stoves, into which they put short dry wood, which some of the camels are loaded with. ‘Tis carried in great sacks, which have a hole near the bottom, where the servant takes it out as they see the fires need a recruit. Every kitar has one of these poles belonging to it, some of which have ten, some twelve, of these lights on their tops, or more or less. And they are likewise of different figures as well as numbers; one perhaps oval like a gate; another triangular, or like an n or m, etc, so that everyone knows by them their respective kitar. They are carried in the front and set up in the place where the caravan is to pitch, before that comes up, at some distance from one another. They are also carried by day not lighted, but yet by the figure and number of them the Hajjis are directed to what kitar they belong, as soldiers are by their colours where to rendezvous; and without such directions to would be impossible to avoid confusion in such a vast number of people. Every day, viz., in the morning, they pitch their tents and rest several hours. When the camels are unloaded, the owners drive them to water and give them their provender, etc. So that we had nothing to do with them, besides helping to load them."

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Winifred Stegar, Australia 1927.  p.359

"Departure for Mecca.
The days raced by. All too soon for me it was time to move on again. We found our camels beside the town hall, in a scene of sheer bedlam-choking dust, shouts, arguing agents and camel drivers, camels loose and camels held in check.

Don’t ever tell me of love between camel and owner. The camels loathe their drivers, their passengers, and anything connected with them. They snarl and show their filthy teeth at all and sundry. I have been amongst camels the greater part of my life; have known them from their birth to their death. That animal scorns the human race.

In this batch were old beasts and young ones, many of the latter tossing their loads sky high, for with such a mighty influx of pilgrims thousands of beasts not yet properly broken were pressed into service.

If you have never heard a thousand or so camels squealing in rage as they are being loaded, then you have something yet to hear….

It was sundown when, finally mounted on our animals, we passed through the city wall and out into the great desert beyond. Once clear of the wall the beasts were stopped and everyone dismounted and prepared for prayers. These were barely finished when there came a sudden rush to hoosh down the camels and take refuge beside them with covered heads from a great red wall of choking sand advancing on us, but it only lasted a few minutes, then was gone.

Two pilgrims rode on each camel; there was an arrangement of two string beds, one hanging on each side of the animal, with his hump running up between them. They were lightly fastened and one passenger, the first up, had to balance himself on the hairy hump till the other party arrived; otherwise one bed went earthwards and the other aspired to heaven. I learnt my lessons of ascent and descent the hard way.

The camels could not be properly hooshed down because of these beds. Some agents had short ladders to help pilgrims mount, but of course they were a drop in the bucket for such a crowd. The usual way to mount was to place your foot on the camel’s neck, then leap backwards onto your bed contraption. The first time I did it, as I reached the creature’s neck, he snarled angrily and looked back at me. I missed the hump in my fright and shot back to earth. Ali said he was sure the scream was heard back in Australia.

Over and covering both beds was erected a beehive cover of jute, its centre prop in a direct line with the animal’s neck. On this upright stick you lashed your red crock water bottle. Your spare gear rode at the back of your pillow. When weary you could lie down full stretch. This then was your home-a home on a camel’s back. In assigning pilgrims to the camels, the drivers tried to match the weight on either side; thus Janey and I rode on one side and Ali on the other. Two fat men would be allotted to a stronger beast, probably a bull camel, and lighter weights to lighter camels.

The long camel trains ran snake-like, tied tail to nose, maybe thirty or forty to a string. Two drivers walked alongside with sharply pointed sticks.

It was a frightening land we traveled through-stark, bare, inhospitable with its collars of dead volcanoes and naked mountains dotted with black basalt boulders, a land of hunger and fear-yet perhaps today, since oil has been given to it, the people may be better off. I certainly hope so. The emaciated Arabs who ran out begging to the camel trains were terrible to see. All the long night the beast plodded almost silently along, and Ali and Janey slept soundly. It grew very cold towards morning, a peculiarity of that land, where you can scorch by day and freeze by night."

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Harry St John Philby, Great Britain 1931  p.397

"Motor cars were tending to become an increasing element in the pilgrimage scene. At the time of which I write, the privilege of using them was still confined to the royal family and officials on duty, but in 1933 permission was granted to a wider circle, while in the following year all restrictions were removed, and the number of motor vehicles taking part in the ceremony was not less than four hundred. Since then the number has steadily increased, and foreign pilgrims who can afford the luxury have now little to complain of in the manner of comfort.

All around the murmuring of camels and the cries of men calling to their missing companions-a veritable orchestra of discord. How anybody found anyone else in that mushroom city of a night, which none had seen nor was to see by day- for we would be on the move again long before sunrise-was a mystery to me."

[approximately 100,000 pilgrims performed Hajj in this year, and yet regarded at the time a huge crowd!]

NOW…..

Air-conditioned coaches, video screens, snack bars, toilets, aeroplanes, even so, many aspects are still difficult with the movement of millions in a limited time frame and specific  locations. I wonder what the readers of history books in one hundred years time will think about this forth coming 1427 Hajj?

Click to see how a recently approved project for this Illuminated City is to be built, heralding the way for all sorts of futuristic possibilities. 

  

 

And a "modern-day" camel…..which happens to be on my son’s "wish-list". Maybe this, with wings is what the furture holds?  Meanwhile, I would happily settle with this beauty below that I recently met posing in the nearby desert!

 

Recent local articles related to Hajj:

Helicopters to assist with safety measures: 

http://arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=89865&d=11&m=12&y=2006

Modern day Ibn Battuta issued a visa:

http://arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=89867&d=11&m=12&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

First stage of the new Jamarat ready:

http://arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=89810&d=10&m=12&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.