+ Deploys 50-man response team to assist pilgrims
…Cautions against wearing of bathroom slippers
As the movement to Jamarat in the outskirts of Makkah for stone pelting exercise begins, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Medical Mission has called on Nigerian pilgrims to strictly adhere to instructions given by their guides and observe some health tips to avoid congestion and stampede.
Dr. Usman Galadima, the Head of the Medical Mission, while speaking with Muslim News in Arafat (on Tuesday) offered some tips for Nigerian pilgrims to stay healthy during the pelting rite at Jamarat.
Pelting at Jamarat, also known as the ‘symbolic stoning of the devil’, is one of the rites of hajj observed by pilgrims on the third day of their pilgrimage, coinciding with the Eid al-Adha feast of sacrifice marked by the world’s more than 1.9 billion Muslims.
Muslim News’ correspondent in Jamarat on Wednesday observed pilgrims walking in crowds as they threw seven (7) out of the 49 pebbles they gathered the night before in Muzdalifah, where they spent part of the night.
The remaining pilgrims will complete the first stage of the stone pelting at Jamarah al-Aqaba (the big pillar) today before they can progress to the second ( (Jamarah al-Wusta, the medium or middle pillar) and third stages (Jamarah al-Ula or al-Sugra, the small pillar) on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Dr. Galadima told Muslim News that there is need for pilgrims to observe some necessary medical tips in order to successfully complete the stages without hitch.
According to him, “Pilgrims need to get umbrella (white umbrellas in particular as they reflect the sun and reduce heat) They should walk with a lot of water. Though there are volunteers along the route providing water, the pilgrims are urged to also have water. In this environment, one should consume at least 3-5 litres of water a day, depending on how much one sweats.
“Also, the footwear is very important. We have been saying this overtime, but we still find Nigerian pilgrims moving about with bathroom slippers. Some of them develop burns on their feet. This is because the slippers get cut and they would have to walk barefooted. The floor is very hot and causes burns easily. So, I advise they wear comfortable footwear that would not easily cut and provide some cushion from the heat.
“There is a grouping of 188 pilgrims as the case may be, aided by the Mu’assasa at designated times. I advise pilgrims to follow strictly this arrangement so that we avoid congestion and over-travelling along that route. If people decide to go to Jamarat arbitrarily, that would cause issues and the experience of the stampede of 2015 is still fresh on our minds.
“I should add that before going for Jamarat, our pilgrims should rest. People also find it difficult to walk at times. The simple solution is to run petroleum jelly on their thighs. It lubricates the upper thigh and prevents friction.”
The Medical Mission also said it has deployed 50 response teams to support Nigerian pilgrims during the riskiest part of the annual pilgrimage where hundreds of people were killed in a crush eight years ago.
“We also have our response team and they are up to 50. But not all of them would be at Jamarat. Other emergency situations are also arising. Some will not visit our clinic and we have to mobilize our ambulances to them. So, we have people doing that. We have also distributed emergency numbers to different platforms so that if there are emergencies anywhere, they call those numbers.”
Brief story of Jamarat
The stoning at Jamarat is an emulation of Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade him from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son, Ismael.
Hajj is considered the world’s largest religious gathering, with about 2 million pilgrims, including 95,000 Nigerians performing this year’s pilgrimage.
