EVERY year, for the past 1400 years, millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the small, yet the most significant town of Makkah. For forty days, just before and during the Islamic month of ZilHaj, this, the holiest of places for any Muslim of any sect, anywhere in the world, becomes the focal of attraction for one-fifth of the population of the world who come here from far and wide to perform Haj. And planning is already afoot for the next Haj, which is due in 2004.
Here in Pakistan, the arrangements are already in their secondary stages. The submission of application for the Haj process has already taken place and now, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis will start their preparation for Haj.
While preparing for the pilgrimage to Makkah, a ritual that most of us get to perform only once in our lifetime, most of us consult a large number of books and reading material. But unknown to a lot of us, is that there is a lot of material that can be gotten hold of on the web as well. Sites that there to calm our fears and prepare for this challenging job. For example, there is Hajj and Umrah http://hajj.al-islam.com/. This is one of the definitive Haj sites on the web. Quick to download and available in seven different languages, this address has a lot to offer for the first time Haji.
Plenty of links here to guide anyone who wants to know more about the fifth pillar of Islam. Just click on the Hajj Step by Step link and you will be taken to a separate, Flash powered page. Here, in one of the most interactive of presentations available on the Net, the user is taken, step by step process of how to go about Haj. Select from any of the three types of Haj that you will be performing and the rest is just clicks away. There is plenty of literature on this site, links that will take you through the rituals of Umrah as well as the visit to Medina. Also available is a multimedia section with pictures and videos. Still, there are the usual missing links, something that all of us just can’t seem to escape.
However, if it is pictures that you want, then you can visit the link http://home.swipnet.se/~w-19186/kaaba.htm. No text or literature in here. This is just a collection of more than 50 downloadable photographs of the Holy Kaaba. Seen through the camera lens, Kaaba and the millions who visit it every year, this is a visual treat and an inspirational link.
The Saudi Arabian Information Resource, is available at http://www.saudinf.com/. Though not much that one can find here in Haj terms, this is Saudi government’s main information portal to the outside world. And the link on the right of the page takes brief introduction to links like The Holy City of Makkah, Kaaba and Haj. Basic information related to Islam and Haj, this is one site that should be checked regularly for all intending pilgrims of the coming Haj.
Hajj and Eid ul-Aadha http://www.ummah.net/hajj is an old site. In fact, this link has not been updated since 2001. Still, the information on this South African site is useful to the intending Haji. The links, though some found not working, are immensely useful. The information here is simple and to the point. No lengthy paragraphs or continuous text. Just click on the How to Perform Hajj. In fact one can take out printouts and even prepare his own document of how to go about the performing Haj.
A less detailed resource on the Web is the Guardian newspaper’s http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,875224,00.html. This elegant, yet brilliant 12 step Flash based guide to the Haj is fantastic. In just about a dozen clicks the visitor is given the necessary rundown as to what exactly happens at Haj, where in geographical terms is Makkah located and where do people have to travel during Haj, from one place to the other. An absolute wonderful job by the Guardian people. Pity that no one could come up with such a simple concept in Pakistan
So, if the Guardian can do it, what is stopping the BBC from trying its own recipe? Nothing.
With the help of brief introductions and a 484Kb Flash movie, this yet again, to the point online guide http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/customs/hajj/index.shtml takes the visitor through the history of Haj, the main points on how to go about it and the personal experiences of Rafaqat Ali, a Haji who now shares his experiences in the form of an article on the BBC’s web site.
But more inspiring is the story of Betty Hasan Amin, http://www.beliefnet.com/story/69/story_6926_1.html the paralysed mother of two, who in 1992 performed Haj, as a paraplegic, in a wheel chair. If you ever thought that the sight of all those millions of Muslims made you frightened, then take some courage from this woman for who, love for Allah was determination enough to perform this important ritual of Islam.
Health is one of the primary concerns during Haj. Though being physically being able to perform all the rituals is important, but going about your Haj duties, without disturbing your Muslim brethren with all the sneezing and the coughing is also important. It is for this that the British Government, particularly the British Department of Health has appeared this special Haj page http://www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice/hajj.htm. Though not applicable in its entirety in Pakistan, this page still helps you to know how to prepare yourself for things to come. The portion title Health Tips is genuinely something that should be looked on seriously.
EVERY year, for the past 1400 years, millions of Muslims from around the world converge on the small, yet the most significant town of Makkah. For forty days, just before and during the Islamic month of ZilHaj, this, the holiest of places for any Muslim of any sect, anywhere in the world, becomes the focal of attraction for one-fifth of the population of the world who come here from far and wide to perform Haj. And planning is already afoot for the next Haj, which is due in 2004.
