The religious ritual which is sacred for Muslims all over the world turned into a tragedy as hundreds of faithfuls died on September 24 in Mecca stampede.
Hundreds of lives have been lost, rivers of tears have been shed, a series of accusations has been made.
Naij.com follows the traces of the recent incident, from the very beginning.
Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey.
Millions of pilgrims arrived in Mecca. Already at dawn on Monday the Grand Mosque was teeming with joyful pilgrims wearing white folds of cloth prescribed.
The Hajj began on Tuesday with pilgrims circling the Kaaba, a cuboid building also known as the “House of God” at the center of Islam’s most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca. From there they were set to visit Mina before proceeding on to Mount Arafat.
2. Stampede
The dire news about the stampede was reported on Thursday from Mina, the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca, when pilgrims started trooping to the Jamarat as early as 3am local time. It was clear from the very start that the death toll would be estimated in hundreds.
According to the final update, the disaster claimed at least 769 lives and left nearly 1,000 injured.
Some prominent Nigerians, including professor of Islamic studies Tijani El-Miskin and Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf, the first female editor from the northern part of the country, died in the tragedy. In general 54 Nigerians were said to have lost their lives in the incident.
4. Who is to blame?
It was the second major loss of life during this year’s Hajj season. On September 11 a construction crane crashed down on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 111 people.
Many came down on the authorities of Saudi Arabia over the Hajj development. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted:
“Instead of blaming this and that, the Saudis should accept the responsibility and apologise to Muslims and the victims’ families,” Khamenei was quoted as saying on his website.”
Witnesses also accused Saudi authorities of the lack of organisation. The pilgrimage hosts, however, not only denied responsibility, but also blamed “some pilgrims with African nationalities” for what had happened.
5. President Muhammadu Buhari reacts
The Nigerian leader did not play the blame game, but simply extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the disaster.
6. In photos
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