After reciting the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the first chapter Al Fatiha of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’emenine, Zafrullah Domun said:

Yesterday was the day of Arafat and today is Eid ul Adha in Saudi Arabia. According to the traditions this is a very blessed day and night. Moreover the Holy Prophet ^saw is reported to have said that there is no Hajj without Arafat. Thus we understand how important the rituals at Arafat are important in the accomplishment of Hajj.

It is true that the Saudi authorities have banned Ahmadis from performing Hajj. But as far as we are concerned we have a very close relationship with what goes on over there. There is no power on earth which can remove the love that we have in our heart for the Holy Prophet Mohammad ^saw and the sacred place known as Mecca. Others may be indifferent to these events but we are not. So I will share with you a few things that have been reported in the press about what goes on over there.

We learn that on last Friday (20^th November) about 2 million persons performed Jummah in the Grand Mosque of Mecca and about 500,000 were present in the prophet’s mosque at Medina. The Meccan imam reminded the faithful of the annual pilgrimage’s role in strengthening Muslim unity. He said:

“We can see here people praying to God in different languages, who have come from different corners of the world. They try to know each other and understand the meaning of unity and solidarity,” He also urged the Muslim faithfuls to stand united under the banner of Islam, following the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

At the Prophet’s Mosque, the imam said: “The Hajj will cleanse the faithful of sins they committed in the past.” He also pointed out that “Paradise is the reward for a blessed Hajj,”

The pilgrims went to Medina by bus and by planes. After visiting the historical places like the mosque at Quba, the Baaqi cemetery and the burial place of the holy prophet and his two noble companions, the pilgrims were returning to Mecca in droves. Every five minute a bus was leaving Medina for Mecca.

This year there are approximately about 3 million Muslims who will converge to Mecca for Hajj including about one million Saudis. The Saudi authorities have to control the number of foreigners in order to keep the figures at around 2 million by a country-wise system of quota. The Saudis have reported that for this year there are 13% more foreigners than last year.

During the days of Hajj there is another ceremony that take place but which is not directly related to the Hajj rituals and which is rather unknown.  It is the changing of the piece of cloth that drapes the Kaaba. On the first day of Zul Hajj those who are responsible for preparing the cloth hand it over to the guardian of the Kaaba at a special ceremony held on the first Zul Hijja. This year it was on  Wednesday 18^th November. Since the time of the Holy Prophet a family known as the Shaibi have been looking after the dressing and cleaning of the Kaaba. It is reported that the Holy Prophet ^saw gave them the keys and said: “Oh, sons of Talha, take the key of the Kaaba and keep it for eternity,” Any member of the family is, therefore, authorized to open the door to the Kaaba. A small bag made of green velvet with gold and silver engravings containing the key to the Kaaba, was also given to the guardian. This piece of cloth is made by the Saudis at a factory that was built 74 years ago by King Abdul Aziz. At the ceremony speeches are made about the history of the kiswa and its significance to Muslims.

During the year the Kaaba is washed twice; the first time in the month of Shabaan, that is the month preceding Ramadan and the second time on the 8^th day of Zul Hijja when the pilgrims go to Mina. This piece of black cloth  known as kiswa (cloth)  is made with 670 kg of pure silk, 150 kg of gold and silver used to engrave Qur’anic verses on the cloth. It is 658 square meters in size and consists of 47 pieces, each 14 meters long and 95 cm wide. It costs about $4.5 million. Last year some aspects of this ceremony were shown on television.

The Hajj is one of the greatest if not the greatest gathering on earth. To organize it requires coordination amongst different government services like health, sanitation, security, food distribution and accommodation. The Saudis have developed their skills at ensuring that the hajj goes on smoothly for all the hajis present despite some incidents that have taken place over the years. For example last year as many as 133 health clinics were allocated to serve pilgrims. Out of this 88 are seasonal facilities, 29 stationed in Mina, six along the pedestrian pass ways, 46 centers in Arafat, seven in Al-Madinah in addition to 45 in Makkah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. All these clinics are highly equipped and ready for emergency cases. They are used to reduce the pressure mounted on hospitals during the Hajj season. Last year more than 400,000 patients had their treatment at these temporary clinics. In addition the Saudis fear terrorist attacks and extraordinary precautions are taken to prevent any such incidents.

As far as the sacrificial animals are concerned about 800,000 animals are slaughtered. About 2000 butchers are hired for this purpose. The meat is packed and distributed to about 30 countries around the world. The Saudis do not reveal the amount of money that they spend to organize Hajj and for cleanup or how much revenue they receive. But it is estimated by the experts that they receive a lot of money.

So we see that the Hajj these days is a very important and complicated matter. Fortunately Allah has given to the Saudis enough money to cater for the needs of the pilgrims of such a great event. And it is fair to say that over the years the Saudis have been spending lots of money to improve the infrastructure of the places of Hajj in order to give more facilities to the Hajis.

According to most recent surveys there are about 1.5 billion Muslims around the world. Of course all of them cannot go for Hajj at once. Even an inhabitant of Saudi Arabia is allowed to perform Hajj only once every five years. Only a limited number of persons can be accommodated in the Holy sites for the Hajj.

Now we should all remember that the way Hajj is performed these days is the same way that it was performed about 1377 years ago by our master Hazrat Mohammad ^saw. However you should know that the Arabian tribes prior to Islam used to travel to Mecca every year. According to Islamic tradition, the Kaaba - a black silk-clad stone structure at the heart of the Grand Mosque in Mecca - was built by the Prophet Abraham in biblical times. Hajj is meant to be a commemoration of the trials Abraham was put through by God.

Again for the benefit of our members I would like to recall briefly what the main rites of Hajj are. The main Hajj which is performed in the month of  Zul Hijja every year begins on the 8^th and ends on 13^th. On the eighth  day of Zul Hijja (25^th November 2009) each pilgrim enters the state of ihram(sacred state) which entails wearing plain garments - two unstitched clothes for men, or any loose-fitting clothing for women - as well as following certain rules, including not hunting or engaging in sexual activity.  From Mecca the pilgrims will set out for Mina which is about 8 km away. They spend the night in Mina from where they set out for Mount Arafat on the next day. Mount Arafat is the place from where the Holy Prophet ^saw pronounced the farewell sermon in 632 A.D. The journey from Mina to Arafat is about 14.4 km. The pilgrims will pray Namaz Zohr and Asr and then they will supplicate Allah till sunset. They spend the night in Muzdalifa. The journey is about 9 km long. Here they will start collecting pebbles for the next day’s rites. They leave Muzdalifa for Mina before Sunrise. At Mina they will then perform the first Ramy, throwing seven pebbles at the largest of three columns known as Jamarat. This act is a symbolic stoning of the devil, based on historic tradition. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, the story goes, as proof of faith. It is believed that at this spot in Mina, the devil appeared and tried to dissuade Abraham from heeding the command. Abraham responded by throwing stones to scare him off. Millions of pilgrims converge at the Jamarat bridge, which houses the three columns representing the devil, in order to re-enact the story.

The bridge has been the sight of deadly stampedes in the past, with around 350 people being crushed to death in 2006. But in recent years, the event has taken place without major incident, and this year, Saudi Arabia has unveiled an expanded five-storey structure to accommodate the crowds.

In remembrance of the readiness of Abraham ^as to sacrifice his son Ismail because Allah had told him to do so, Pilgrims thus must slaughter a sheep, goat, cow or camel - or more likely, pay for it to be done in their names.

At this point, pilgrims trim or shave (men only) their hair and remove their ihram clothes. Many will then proceed to Mecca to perform Tawaf and Sa'ee, first circling the Kaaba seven times, then walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. When all is finally done, they return to their campsite in Mina.

We see that on this particular day the Hajis are very busy and they have a lot to do.

From the 11^th to the 13^th the Hajis rest at Mina. On each day, they will again symbolically stone the devil - this time throwing seven pebbles at each of the three pillars. When their time in Mina is finished, pilgrims return to Mecca to perform the final circulation of the Kaaba, a "farewell” circumambulation (tawaf).

Very briefly said, this is how Hajj is performed. And in the state of Ihram wherever they are the Hajis are busy reciting what is known as the talbiyya. They recite as follows: 'Labbaika Allahumma labbaik, Labbaika la sharika Laka labbaik, Inna-l-hamda wan-ni'mata Laka walmulk Laka, La sharika Laka' (I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call All the praises and blessings are for You, All the sovereignty is for You, And You have no partners with you.”

Unfortunately we Ahmadis are not allowed to perform Hajj these days. But we are sure that incha Allah in the future better days will come and we will be allowed to go to perform this important ritual. Once Allah revealed to me “doun ga tujhe ek din khana e kaaba ki kaleed”. This is a revelation in Urdu language and it means: “One day I will give you the key of the kaaba”. How this will be accomplished, Allah knows best. However I am inclined to think that it has a spiritual meaning. It may mean that Allah will give me access to what is the essence of worship. I think that we have already entered this path and Allah will open new vistas of knowledge and practice in this path as He is already doing. Incha Allah tomorrow we will speak about the spirit of sacrifice.