Muhammad A. Muhammad
31 October 2008
opinion
The peculiarity of Hajj makes it a must for every intending pilgrim to seriously prepare for the whole journey. This informs government's dedication in ensuring that a hitch free hajj is achieved as far as possible every year.
Millions of naira are spent every year by federal and state governments in an effort to make our pilgrims go through the Hajj comfortably. Government plays its various roles of securing homes for the pilgrims, provision of medical aids and all other necessities that have to do with the pilgrims every year as required of any responsible government. The question of whether government is doing enough or not and the effectiveness or otherwise of government's effort with regard to Hajj could better be discussed another time.
However, all the efforts of the governments could be in vain, useless or even a waste, if the pilgrims are ignorant of how to perform the Hajj correctly. Because Hajj is not a worldly gathering, like Olympics or United Nations' inspired conferences, that requires contingents or representatives only even if they are passive. Rather it is a special form of worship which is governed by certain rules that must be strictly adhered to by each pilgrim before it is accepted from him. It is required of each intending pilgrim to know how to perform the Hajj correctly. The aim of any pilgrim is to have an accepted Hajj better known as Hajjul mabrur. A pilgrim that does not know how to perform Hajj correctly is only wasting his time, his money and by extension the public fund. The whole goal (after which millions is spent by government) is defeated if the pilgrims are not informed on how to do the Hajj correctly.
Perhaps this informed the Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau's administration's resolve to equally give importance to educating the intending pilgrims every year on how to perform Hajj correctly, as it has been doing to other aspects of Hajj preparation. The Kano initiative is so thorough that even the dull can understand and grasp, and it was, indeed, rewarding.
Months before the Hajj period, various Bita (seminar) centers created across the state will become lively with educative lectures, to the intending pilgrims, about how one can perform correct Hajj. The seminar is so extensive to the extent that even the minutest item is not left untouched. The intending pilgrims will be educated on the "compulsories'", "non compulsories", "necessitude", "important" and "prohibitions" of Hajj. They are also informed on what to do to remedy a certain mistake that might occur during the Hajj. This is very important as there are certain things that an intending pilgrim will do to cost him his Hajj if he fails to perform stipulated things to remedy the mistakes.
The state is subdivided into different zones to make it easy for the intending pilgrims across the state to attend the seminars without unnecessary difficulties. Each Bita center is manned by two or more scholars who are specialists in the field. Apart from this the intending pilgrims are given a hand book on Hajj and a cassette which contains details on how to perform Hajj correctly. This is meant for the intending pilgrims to read and listen over and over again so as to master the exercise.
When the take off time comes close, the intending pilgrims will be invited to the Hajj camp for a Hajj rehearsal. The venue of the rehearsal is the unprecedentedly simulated Ka'aba and its surroundings built by the Shekarau administration to let the citizens acquire the obligatory education, required of any intending pilgrim, easily. It is the first of its kind in Nigeria and second only to Egypt in the whole Africa. The Ka'aba is mimicked to give the intending pilgrims first-hand information on how to do the Tawaf, sa'ay and other related observances. The scholars who are popularly known as malaman bita will come and practically show the intending pilgrims how to do various forms of Hajj rituals. The intending pilgrims even joined the mock Hajj in order to be fully understood by them. This is the turning point for any intending pilgrim who is lucky to attend. Most of the intending pilgrims actually grasp what the whole thing is all about from this point as they are practically shown what they were taught before at the seminars.
When the take off started the malaman bita will be at the Hajj camp delivering lectures to the intending pilgrims every day. The state government also sponsors some of these scholars to follow the intending pilgrims to the holy land in order to guide them on how to do things correctly. The scholars are attached to the pilgrims according to the groupings. They field questions and answers as well as inform the pilgrims what to do next.
In the holy land the scholars follows the pilgrims on a house to house lectures in order to clarify issues that might arise and/or possibly confuse the pilgrims. This is also a chance for those who might have forgotten how to perform certain things. The scholars also made themselves available at the haramain for anybody who might have a question. They also organized snap lectures to the pilgrims at the haramain for the benefit of all pilgrims.
The malaman bita are also available at mina, Arafat, muzdalifa etc guiding the pilgrims on how to do things correctly. They are with the pilgrims up to the time they will return home.
Being among the malaman bita in 2006 I was flabbergasted to learn that most of the states have not arranged for this kind of very vital service to their pilgrims. This resulted in many pilgrims from different states coming to the Kano's malaman bita for guidance.
This is a very commendable Shekarau initiative which is among the most important aspects of pilgrims' welfares.
It is inconceivable for a state to spend millions of naira and work day and night for its pilgrims only to let them be on their own where it mattered most.
Unfortunately, the Federal and most state Governments failed or refused to give this highly important element its deserved position. This contradicts all logic. There is no point in spending millions of naira on how to take people and make them comfortable in the holy land without them knowing how to do what they are there for.
However, it will be very effective if the Shekarau administration considers adding the number of the malaman bita that will follow the pilgrims to the holy land. This is very imperative as the number of the state's pilgrims is too much for the state sponsored bita scholars, who had to, sometimes, beg other knowledgeable pilgrims to give them a hand.
One saddening thing I noticed, however, is that in spite of all these efforts to save our people from doing hajijiya (merry-go-round) instead of Hajj, some intending pilgrims neither attend the free seminars nor use the Hajj guide materials given to them. They also do not bother to ask the scholars in the holy land.
This article is a self-imposed promise of sharing one's Hajj experience with others and propping up useful suggestions so that those in a position to act might consider or do as deemed more appropriate.
Muhammad writes from Sagagi Quarters, Kano.
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