Ebrahim Moosa – Cii Hajj Nerve Centre | 24 October 2012

Ulama performing Haj this year have had their hands full attending to queries and assuaging the fears of first time Hujaaj.

Moulana Moosa Leher, currently in Saudi Arabia commencing his maiden Hajj, appraised listeners on the role of Ulama in educating pilgrims at the annual gathering.

“Many Hujaaj are coming now and enquiring, ‘Can I apply this ointment during the state of Ihram, can I do this, can I do that?’ Various last minute questions are flooding in.”

According to the Zimbabwean-born Aalim, scholars received the largest flurry of questions yesterday between Asr and Isha. He says the interest is indicative of the bubbling enthusiasm of first time Hujaaj. “There are lots of butterflies jumping around in peoples tummies at the moment. At the same time there is this fear of  ‘What it is going to be like, when I get to the plains of Mina, what do I expect, what do I do’ ”.

Speaking from Makkah, Mufti Abdool Kader Hossein said this years Hajj had been blessed with the presence of many high ranking Ulama and pious personalities. He fondly described a reunion with his elderly teacher Moulana Saeelmullah Khan DB, founder of Jamia Farooqia in Karachi. “90 years old. A person who taught Bukhari Shareef for more than 50 years. We had the good fortune to study by Hazrat, 33 years ago by the help and mercy of Almighty Allah.”

Mufti AK also spoke of healthy discussions he held in Makkah with Mufti Rafi Uthmani, the current grand Mufti of Pakistan.

Imam Abdul Hakeem Raban, a Cape Town based scholar also accompanying a group of Hujaaj said himself and fellow Ulama had initiated a comprehensive series of educational programmes meant to spiritually gear up pilgrims for the demands of the 5 Days. He advised fellow Hujaaj on the appropriateness of adopting Taqwa as the best provision for the journey of Haj and admonished that they should be ready for death at any stage.

“This is the Hajji. When a person proceeds for these 5 days, you are ready to go into the presence of Allah. So a person is actually ready to meet his Allah. Allah is giving you another chance to prepare and say ‘This is how I want to meet my Rabb, I want to take my ghusl, I want to put on special clothes, my kafn(ihram)’. You read your two Rakats and proceed in the company of Allah.”

ebmoosa@ciibroadcasting.com