Jeddah: The Haj pilgrimage can be physically draining even in ideal conditions, but pilgrims this year face an added challenge: scorching sun and temperatures rising to 46 degrees Celsius.
The Haj rituals involved many physical activities; thus, most pilgrims were exhausted and many fell ill. The hot weather in Saudi Arabia also affected the health of Indian pilgrims. The Gulf region’s climate is renowned for its extreme nature.
In a single day in Mina, 26 Indian pilgrims died mainly from heat exhaustion which is a heat-related illness that can occur after a person exposes to high temperatures and is often accompanied by dehydration.
“Our pilgrims are not accustomed to such high temperatures, this is the prime challenge of Indian pilgrims”, said Mohammed Layeq of Telangana NRI Forum, who swiftly coordinated with the Indian Haj Mission in Mina to complete the burial procedure of Sarwar Fatima (Sangareddy) and two other pilgrims.
Most Indian pilgrims are in exhausted mode, simply wanting to have some good sleep to relieve their stress, and most of them are not even interested to have their food also.
The four-day Haj, which concluded on Friday, is one of the most crowded in the world, with masses of Muslims from every corner of the globe packed shoulder to shoulder in prayer and rites.
In addition to physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and heat stress, inevitable overcrowding in ritual sites, especially in the Mina encampment.
Following rituals, pilgrims have returned to their accommodation in the Azizia area in Makkah, the area now looks like a mini India.
“Intense desert heart is all part of the Haj pilgrimage in the summertime in Saudi Arabia”, commented Mutiuddin Abrar of Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.
The hardship only heightened his spiritual experience, Haj is as an idea is based on accepting hardship, reward is equal to the hardship, he said.
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