There were many sudden deaths up there. On our way to Muzdalifah, the traffic jam indicated an accident and sure enough, I saw an African brother lying on the road, in full ihram - and in his own pool of blood. Syahid. InsyaAllah. For our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w once said that the person who died in ihram, bury him in his ihram, for on the Day of Judgement, that ihram will be his witness. MasyaAllah... what touched me were his friends - there were about three of them - and all of them, skin dark, ihram white, looked either forlornly at their slain brother or had a lost look about them. You see, me and my fellow Malaysians had a coach to ferry us from Arafah to Muzdalifah. However, these pilgrims, as many, many others, WALKED from Arafah to Muzdalifah. Those brothers must have tried to cross the road when the accident happened. And Muzdalifah was just across that road, a few steps away...
In Mina, an old Chinese pilgrim sat by the fence, apparently tired. He was alone. On my friend's way back to our tent, he was already covered with newspapers. Our own jemaah, an old man, went for umrah with his nephew and got separated somehow from the young man. The cleaners found him sitting down quietly at the Saie. He was sitting for a long time and of course everyone thought he was tired, being old and such. The cleaners got suspicious - went up to him. And yes - Innalillah. Another jemaah came to Mecca with her mother. She was just in her early 40s. They just reached the hotel, when the mother found her pretty sick, went down to get the doctor - and found her already lifeless. Apparently, her diabetes level went up so high, she must have entered into coma. Innalillah. She was supposed to protect her mother, but Allah called her to HIM first.
It rained twice in Mecca - which was quite an extraordinary thing to happen, for the locals said Mecca normally experiences rain only once a year. On both occasions, alhamdulillah, I was in Mecca. The first time it rained, there were thunder and lightning and it was pretty scary, to be in Masjidil Haram and to see the lightning flashing outside the walls and windows. When we went out after Isya' prayers - there was flood! Right at the courtyard. Flashflood. A person went syahid they said. The second time it rained, I was in my room - alone, because all of my roommates were at the Haram, performing their tawaf haji. As soon as it rained (I remember the strong winds), I could hear very loud takbirs all the way to my room - it was surreal. Then I heard the ambulance sirens - many, many sirens. When my roommates came back, they told of how while they were doing the tawaf at the Mataaf, pilgrims from inside the Haram ran out INTO the Mataaf (they believed that those doing the tawaf during a rain will get their sins washed out by rain) - and of course, being slippery, many fell in front of my roommates' eyes. And some were stepped on. Innalillah.
My husband sat beside an Indonesian who recounted how he and his group were pushing their way across the flow of tawaf, to get to the Hajar Aswad, when one of them fell, and the rest fell like dominoes. He saw his friend's face crushed by the pilgrims and he freaked out - he pushed back out of the flow. Innalillah. Six Indonesians went syahid that moment.
While waiting for my husband to finish his prayers, I was outside the Saie area, at the courtyard. It happened to be the pathway where the bodies of those who died were carried into the Haram for their last prayers rite. And so I saw, almost ten bodies, one after another, passed in front of me. You can tell their nationalities by the clothes worn by their bearers - they were Indonesians, Chinese, and Pakistanis, I think. Only one jenazah had his face exposed - an old Indian/Pakistani man. Was I scared? Not at the moment. Death, then, was as real as Life. After every prayers, we would surely solat sunat jenazah too. It became routine, part of solat at the Haram and Masjidil Nabi.
I felt the transience of life - that this life inside of me was truly not mine to hold and control. It is HIS. Awesome. So, what do I do with this life? This amanah? Truly and simply, to be good and do good with HIS help, HIS taufik and hidayah. For it is also HIM who choose whom HE wants to be good and do good. THAT, is a scary thought. Very scary. What if HE does not choose me - Naauzubillah. Ya Allah! Have mercy on me and my family - please keep us always on YOUR straight path and not let us leave this world except with your name on our lips and minds. Ameen.
Our ustaz said those who passed away there were the chosen ones - called back by Allah while at HIS HOUSE, in HIS blessed. InsyaAllah, Jannah is awaiting all of them - MasyaAllah.
Question is - do you want to be among the chosen ones? Did I want to be among the chosen ones?
Your answer is as good as mine.
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