Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| BrKhalid |
| 03/05/01 at 09:37:27 |
| May Allah [swt] accept their Hajj and grant them Jannat ul Firdaws [hr] Hajj crush kills pilgrims Millions take part in the Hajj pilgrimage March 5, 2001 Web posted at: 8:57 AM EST (1357 GMT) MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- A stampede on the third day of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia has killed at least 35 Muslim pilgrims, Saudi media reports. The deaths occurred during the ritual of the symbolic stoning of Satan that was performed by more than two million Muslims on a desert plain outside Mecca. State-run Saudi television reported that 23 women and 12 men were crushed to death as a huge crowd rushed toward one of three giant pillars representing the devil. The official Saudi Press Agency said the stampede followed severe pushing and shoving at a bridge, where pilgrims perform the ritual stoning. An unspecified number of other pilgrims were slightly injured in the crush on the first day of the three-day ritual, the television said, citing a report from Saudi civil defence force. Siraj Wahab, a journalist at the scene, told CNN said he had seen at least five bodies being carried away. It was the first fatal incident at the Hajj since 1998, when at least 118 pilgrims died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede on the third day of the stoning ritual at Mina. During the ritual, wave after wave of pilgrims in white robes cast seven pea-size pebbles at the three pillars that symbolise the devil. The pillars are at the centre of giant ramps built to accommodate the huge crowds of pilgrims who must complete the ritual by dusk. Pilgrims arriving at the site at Mina from Muzdalifah collect pebbles for the stoning ceremony. Streets along the three-mile route were a sea of white robes. Many pilgrims walked, others crowded inside and on top of cars, buses and trucks as helicopters hovered overhead and police directed traffic. Muslims across the world on Monday celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's most important holy days, which marks the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Muslim tradition says it was the site of the pillars where the devil tried to tempt Abraham to disobey God by refusing to sacrifice his son. This account is common to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. According to tradition, at the last minute God instructed Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead, and Muslims around the world now follow suit, sacrificing camels and cattle to mark Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice. Once they complete the stoning ritual, pilgrims shave or cut their hair and then slaughter more than a half-million camels, cows and sheep near this tent city that only comes to life during the Hajj. For pilgrims in Saudi Arabia this year, most of the animals will be sacrificed at a large slaughterhouse in Mecca that was built at a cost of about $125 million. Pilgrims can go to slaughterhouses to buy and slaughter animals themselves or they can pay a bank or company to do it on their behalf. Meat is sent to the needy in 27 countries. The Hajj, or annual pilgrimage that is a pillar of the Muslim faith, peaked on Sunday with prayers on Mount Arafat, a hill outside the holy city of Mecca where the Prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon in 632. Saudi authorities were on high alert to avoid a repeat of a 1998 stampede in which more than 100 pilgrims were trampled to death during the stoning ritual. Due to the sheer size of the crowds, the Hajj has frequently been marred by tragedies. But the two past years have been trouble-free, mainly due to improvements in facilities and roads. The Associated Press contributed to this report. [url]http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/03/05/saudi.hajj.04/index.html[/url] |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| zakk |
| 03/05/01 at 10:44:21 |
| slm this also happened 10 years ago, when i was there. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| BrKhalid |
| 03/05/01 at 11:17:08 |
| [slm] The Saudi News Agency as yet have not released the nationalities of those killed. If anyone gets this news could they please post it here. Jazakallah Khair |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| Asim |
| 03/05/01 at 11:41:57 |
| Assalaamu alaikum, Hajj is a test of patience. Unfortunately, some become emotional and over zealous in their efforts that then lead to such situations. It is not necessary to have the best position for stoning; it is a ritual and when done with the best intentions it should be okay, inshallah. They should be considerate of other people among them including the old and sick. My parents were there when the fire of 1997 occurred. The horrific scenes they described were heart rendering, like a scene out of the day of judgement. Alhamdulillah, they escaped with only minor injuries. The point is hajjis should be patient and careful . There are huge numbers of people out there and therefore each one should do his/her part to ensure safety. May Allah accept the hajj of all hajjis. Wasalaam. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| bhaloo |
| 03/05/01 at 12:25:04 |
| slm Are there some safety tips people could give for those of us that haven't gone? |
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| meraj |
| 03/05/01 at 16:17:05 |
| slm, in a cnn.com chat with michael wolfe, he described the stampede and other aspects of hajj very well... good stuff :) [url]http://www.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2001/03/05/wolfe/[/url] ma'salaam |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| widad |
| 03/05/01 at 16:30:26 |
| slm I read that they are mostly Asian. The advice I would give is that women should not go to the throwing of jamarat at crowded times,they should appoint a wakeel for the stoning,because as you may have noticed the number of the dead were mostly women. When I went to hajj(7 years ago),my husband called me and my daughters and said "you have to make me your wakeel to throw your jamarat" I said:"no let me and the girls come and do our own",he told me the place was overcrowded and it was dangerous for women ",so me and the girls said OK,but a friend of mine insisted on going and she returned half an hour later crying her head off,saying what a horrible sight,a lot of women were trampled and I told her well,"we told you not to go and that it was dangerous",she was pulled by her husband,from the crowd and barely made it.. **The other problem is the language barrier,the police have speakerphones where they tell the hajjis what to do in a lot of languages,but they cannot get all the languages mashallah,people are from all over the world,but I had an idea a few years back: If each country had their own hajjis given courses on what to expect and what to do and showing them maps of everything and insisting that each woman went accompanied by a muhram,a lot of this could be avoided inshallah. But look at the bright side these people will be resurrected saying "labayka Allahuma labbayk". May Allah have mercy on the dead of all muslims. |
| NS |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| jannah |
| 03/05/01 at 16:49:39 |
| It's a miracle in itself that they are able to pull of the hajj with 2.7 million (according to michael wolfe this year) people trying to perform the same rites at the same times and moving from place to place. A tip about the jamaarat that I received over and over again is not to stick with the crowd and try to get to the front ,instead go to the sides and double back a little to throw from the back where it is less crowded. A sister in Canada's father passed away at the Hajj a few days ago. She used to be ez canada rep a few years ago. Please make dua for her family inshallah. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| BrKhalid |
| 03/05/01 at 17:02:03 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]Are there some safety tips people could give for those of us that haven't gone? [/quote] When performing the stoning, *never* bend down for something you've dropped! If you go down, you'll stay down!! I wish people would go in small groups but some go in in groups of 10-15 all linking hands. Can you imagine what its like to be facing a group like that's rushing towards you when you're on your own (and old and frail)? |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| bhaloo |
| 03/05/01 at 17:52:34 |
| slm [quote]Can you imagine what its like to be facing a group like that's rushing towards you when you're on your own (and old and frail)? [/quote] Brother Khalid thanks for the pointer, I can envision what its like to be alone and having a crowd rushing towards me, but I can't imagine the old and frail part as I am neither of those. Could you tell me what that's like? ;) |
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| meraj |
| 03/05/01 at 17:57:18 |
| slm, [quote]but I can't imagine the old and frail part as I am neither of those. Could you tell me what that's like? ;)[/quote] ouch. dis. ;-D ma'salaam :) |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| BrKhalid |
| 03/05/01 at 18:13:52 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]Could you tell me what that's like?[/quote] Did I say old and frail? Maybe mature and sensitive would have been more appropriate ;) Seriously though, as Sr widad said if you're going with someone who's elderly, its probably best to get someone to do the stoning on their behalf. Just another reason in my mind why you should go to Hajj when you're young if you can. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| PacificBreeze |
| 03/06/01 at 03:06:27 |
[quote]May Allah accept their Hajj and grant them Jannat ul Firdaws [/quote] ameen.. my paternal grandmother passed away when they had the Mina fire and stampede.. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| widad |
| 03/09/01 at 00:39:58 |
| slm Br AbuKhalid, not only the elderly,I mean the women and girls,if you have been to hajj lately,you will understand what I mean. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| jannah |
| 03/19/01 at 03:29:15 |
| Hajj perils, ancient and modern [Thousands of pilgrims during the noon prayers at Namera mosque in Arafat ] The Saudis have spent billions to improve infrastructure By BBC News Online's Martin Asser It has always been a perilous affair to go on the Hajj, or Muslim pilgrimage to the holy places at Mecca in western Arabia. For centuries the main dangers were disease, thirst, wild animals and the bandits who stalked the faithful en route to and from the remote and hostile Hejaz region where Mecca is located. [The fire-proof tent city at Mina] The fire-proof tent city at Mina The Hajj is a duty every able-bodied Muslim must perform if they can afford it and now, in the modern era of safe international travel, getting there and back is no worse than any other journey. Instead, it is the vast numbers of pilgrims - often in a state of religious fervour - crammed into the narrow Hejazi valleys where the Hajj rituals take place that pose the danger. However, with about two million pilgrims present, a hundred dead represents a one-in-20,000 risk, which is far safer than the odds which their forefathers would have faced. Improvements The Saudi Arabian authorities, ever keen to assert the legitimacy of the Saudi dynasty which only took control of the holy places in 1925, have spent billions of dollars improving the Hajj infrastructure. [Prayers at al-Haram mosque in Mecca] Numbers of pilgrims are far higher than in previous centuries In particular, the government of King Fahd, who adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Places 1983, has poured money into improvements - notably the recent erection of thousands of fire-proof tents at Mina where pilgrims camp out for one night of the Hajj. This was in response to a disaster in 1997 when nearly 350 pilgrims were killed in a fire started by a gas cooker which swept through the tent city at Mina. Police helicopters also now fly over the throng to identify any potential crushes at bottlenecks, although it is admitted that little can be done to control such a large number of people all intent on perform a particular ritual in the few hours designated for it. Paradise guaranteed The location of the symbolic Stoning of Satan ritual, which was the scene of the 2001 disaster, when 35 pilgrims were crushed to death, has also been the cause of previous problems. Similar incidents took place in 1994 and 1998, killing 270 and 180 people respectively. [Pilgrim praying at Arafat] Pilgrims reach a state of religious fervour In the latter disaster, the unfortunate victims were trampled to death when panic erupted after some pilgrims fell from an overpass when a parapet gave way during the stoning ritual. The worst single incident occurred in 1990, when by Islam's lunar calendar the Hajj fell at the height of the sweltering Saudi summer. More than 1,400 pilgrims were killed during a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel connecting Mecca with Mount Arafat. The authorities said the ventilation system in the tunnel broke down. Of course it must be stressed, as an encouragement for Muslims to face the perils of the Hajj - ancient and modern - it is the Islamic belief that anyone who dies in the performance of this duty is guaranteed immediate entry to Paradise. |
| Re: Hajj crush kills pilgrims |
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| jannah |
| 03/19/01 at 11:23:33 |
| subhanallah i thought this really showed the diversity of our ummah: CLOSURE ON TRAGIC ACCIDENT AT MINA DURING 1421 HAJJ March 15, 2001 The Ministry of Health reports that all 35 victims of the tragic accident on March 5, 2001 at the Jamarat Al-Aqaba in Mina have now been buried. The deceased were from twelve different countries: 10 from Pakistan, 5 from Turkey, 4 from Egypt, 3 from Sri Lanka, 3 from India, 2 from Indonesia, 2 from Afghanistan, 2 from Bangladesh, and one from each of Algeria, France, Palestine, and Sudan. A full list is available. |
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