At Mt. Arafat

Our camp moved on to the valley below Mr. Arafat. Once again another relatively plush camp in the middle of the desert. Carpeted floors. Cool air conditioning. Coolers full of drinks. Buffet meals served with several kind of salads.

Outside. Chaos. The masses had used any type of tarp or plastic to shelter themselves from the desert sun. Garbage is piling up. Food is either provided by Saudi charities or is brought in live, killed and roasted over an open fire.

Arafat is Hajj according to the Prophetic tradition. It’s where Adam reunited with Eave. It’s where God descends to the lowest level and forgives the sins of everyone.

So everyone is praying non-stop both inside by camp and outside.

The masses have perched themselves on the mountaintops, desperately praying for God to forgive them. I climb up Mt Arafaft wading my way through the crowds jostling myself to the top. Pilgrims have written supplications on the rocks in their native languages. On the top I find an obelisk marking the mountain. Individuals are crowding around it trying to touch it just like at the Kaba, The obelisk has no religious significance, but people think that by touching it they can get closer to God.

Inside the camp there are also prayers going on but in a much more tranquil atmosphere. It’s almost if God is pointing out to us that one of things we have to be thankful for is the bounty we have been blessed with. We can see the differences between our condition and that of the rest of the world right outside our door.

Between the prayers recited by world class imams and speeches, we find out that Congressman Keith Ellison is doing Hajj with us, He exhorts us to bring morality back to America by playing a leadership role in civil society,