In the spirit of sacrifices

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

Learning Curve: Perspective

New Sunday Times - 21-04-2013

 

THE Holy City of Mecca is always vibrant with people from all walks of life.

 

Since it reopened to the faithful to perform the umrah (lesser pilgrimage) in February, the stream of pilgrims seems endless.

 

Official sources put a figure of 400,000 umrah pilgrims arriving every month, and this could double in the month of Ramadan. Last year alone, 5.5 million pilgrims performed the umrah.

 

This time around, activities centred on the Holy Mosque or Al Masjid al Haram were even busier.

 

The mosque is undergoing renovation and expansion to accommodate the expected number of pilgrims arriving in the future.

 

It is not only the elegant minarets that are clearly visible from a distance, piercing the Haram skyline, but also the metal of mechanical cranes erected around the vicinity to expedite construction work that is going on round the clock.

 

Mecca prides itself on being a new landmark -- its state-of-the-art clock tower is at least five times taller than Big Ben in London.

 

One side of the Mecca clock tower faces the mosque and can be seen from some 8km away in four directions. At night, its green glow is visible from afar.

 

The towering structure is flanked by high-rise buildings -- eight hotels and an ultra-modern complex with various amenities, including a souk accessible to pilgrims. The complex is a waqf with some of the proceeds channelled in perpetuity to the mosque.

 

All this is part of a 25-year strategic plan by the Hajj Ministry to improve services for the benefit of millions of pilgrims.

 

A technical committee (set up last year under a royal decree) undertakes the planning, which includes the use of modern technology and smart systems that will give better services to greater numbers of pilgrims.

 

A few years ago, Universiti Sains Malaysia was indeed privileged to propose some projects that could contribute to the areas of crowd control, solid waste management, transportation and women's welfare.

 

A number of researchers was deployed to undertake groundwork as well as facilitate seminars in search of the most optimal solutions. Malaysian companies also bid for the projects.

 

It will be yet another milestone for the university and Malaysia should these developments become a reality as part of a larger system change at the holy site.

 

Be that as it may, work on expanding the Holy Mosque to cope with the demands of city renewal and growing numbers of pilgrims is not a new thing.

 

Under former Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques (the other in Madinah), many expansions have been done.

 

Evidently, this is far from adequate in keeping up with ongoing demands. In fact, some of the older structures of historical heritage had to be knocked down to make room for more pilgrims to circumambulate the kaaba, central to the ritual called tawaf.

 

This is the practice decree of Allah since the days of Prophet Ibrahim, when he was instructed to build the kaaba on the very site it is on now. Since then the tawaf continues literally non-stop, performed by generations upon generations of pilgrims in increasing numbers.

 

The latest expansion work is expected to last three years, posing clear implications in terms of space accessible to pilgrims and their mobility.

 

This, in turn, will affect the number permitted to enter the Holy land at any one time. Tabung Haji chairman Tan Sri Abu Musa Mohamed Nor, whom I was privileged to meet in Mecca last week, recognises the implications well in advance.

 

Tabung Haji is negotiating with the relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia to ensure that Malaysians' aspirations to fulfill their obligations for hajj and umrah will be minimally disrupted in the interim period. It calls for patience and sacrifices which, after all, lie at the heart of the pilgrimages.

 

- The writer is the vice-chancellor of the Albukhary International University