For over a year my family was pestering me
for taking them to Mecca
for Umra. But due to various
circumstances I was unable to take them for Umra. Finally a decision was taken in late April to
visit Mecca and
perform Umra (popularly known as lesser Pilgrimage) in the last week of
July.
Since early June the Swine flu hype was
escalating and it actually started spreading throughout the world with each and
every case being reported and monitored by the World Health Organization. This caused a flutter and nightmare in me. The
swine flu had already reached the jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia . I was more concerned visualizing the impact
it may have at the holy places. With
fear in heart and faith in God, I did not want to disappoint my family members. I went to the local transporter for booking
the seats and hotel for Umra, the rates were comparatively cheap. On enquiring about the swine flu and
restrictions, I was informed that there is no problem so far. Money was paid to the transporter and the
seats were booked.
On the day we were supposed to leave, it
was reported in the Newspapers that a women who had come to perform Umra, had
died of swine flu. The news made me
jittery. Some of my colleagues feared
for my visit and requested me to carry masks. I explained to them that the
virus can enter our body from any source even by handling a knob at the door,
touching the office desk or trolley at a super market. Finally I told them that
Allah Karim. Later on I contacted my
brother, who is a Medical doctor about my visit to Mecca for Umra and the case of the Egyptian
women. He encouraged me to proceed
without worry as we have come to an advanced stage of travel and explained
about the types of Flu and their precautions.
With initial confidence, I was hoping for
the last minute rescue by imagining that the government will cancel all the
buses to Mecca or advise the pilgrims not to
travel to Mecca ,
but nothing of that sort happened. When
we saw the bus, it was bustling with pilgrims.
Two Indian families, two Sudani families, two Pakistani families and
rest of them were bachelors. Among
bachelors almost eighty percent were Pakistanis, the rest were Bangladeshis and
Indians.
As the Bus started moving ahead my fear
galloped and was mindful of any kind of sneeze or cough. But fortunately in the entire journey no one
sneezed or coughed. Finally we reached Mecca . Still my mind was acting like a surveillance
camera, installed at the airports, scanning for persons with red eyes,
temperature, cough or sneezing.
Fortunately this time I did not see anyone coughing or sneezing nor
suffering from fever.
The moment we stood
in front of Kaaba, we were overjoyed, filled with excitement, felt fully
blessed and forgot about everything related to the journey. It was a real breathtaking experience after a
long time. The feeling was liberating and pulsating. For two days we were engrossed in prayers with attendance
to minimum daily needs. During our visit to Kaaba, it was being washed and the
door was open, we had a rare opportunity to have a glimpse inside the Kaaba.
Our successful
mission was over. Unlike in the past, I used to get flu after going to Umra,
this time I did not have any symptoms of Flu. After
our return, we realized the havoc caused by the virus. Day after day the virus
was becoming more virulent. The spread of Swine flu really got out of
control. The WHO had decided not to
count the number of affected persons. Restrictions were being imposed by
certain clerics and countries in-respect of Haj and Umra. The Swine flu Pandemic
was going ahead unabated with more infections and deaths being reported on
daily basis. A new challenging question was lingering in our minds, whether to
proceed on our annual vacation?
Mohammed
Sadullah Khan is a Faculty Member and a Freelance writer based in Saudi Arabia
and can be contacted at mosakhan40@gmail.com .
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