Haj Pilgrims Complete Mandatory Ritual

After completing the \'wukuf\' on the Arafah desert, haj pilgrims carried out the Stoning of the Devil ritual. Pilgrims need to maintain their fitness during the ritual it as necessitates walking 3-4 kilometers from their accommodations in Mina in temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

KOMPAS/NASRULLAH NARA

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MECCA, KOMPAS – After completing the wukuf (gathering) on the Arafah desert on Monday, haj pilgrims carried out the Stoning of the Devil ritual. On Wednesday (22/8/2018), or 11 Zulhijah in the Islamic calendar and the first Tasyrik day (the three days after the Islamic Day of Sacrifice), haj pilgrims carried out the ritual by throwing pebbles at the ula, wusta and aqabah pillars, each of which represent the devil. The ritual will continue this Thursday (23/8) and Friday (24/8), coinciding with the second and third Tasyrik days.

Pilgrims need to maintain their fitness during the ritual it as necessitates walking 3-4 kilometers from their accommodations in Mina in temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

“Pilgrims are required to protect themselves. If they are physically unable to carry out the ritual, it is better to find others [to do the ritual for them],” said Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin.

Data in the Integrated Haj Computerized System on Wednesday (22/8) at 12:30 p.m. Saudi Arabia time showed that 125 Indonesian pilgrims had died.

Time to share

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo joined Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) prayers at Tegar Beriman Square in Bogor regency, West Java, on Wednesday (22/8). A sermon was given by cleric Muhammad Suhendra.

After the prayers, President Jokowi said the Day of Sacrifice was a perfect moment to share what we had with others, especially as many locals in Lombok had been affected by a recent string of earthquakes.

“I urge all Indonesians on this holy day of Idul Adha to help our brothers and sisters in need,” he said.

The President later donated a sacrificial Ongole cow weighing 1.4 tons to Baitul Faizin Mosque in Bogor regency. Presidential spokesperson Bey Machmudin said the President donated sacrificial animals to all 34 provinces. A 1.5-ton Ongole cow was donated to Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended Idul Adha prayers at Istiqlal Mosque, where senior cleric Yusnar Yusuf Rangkuti from  Al-Washliyah, a Muslim mass organization, gave a sermon.

Former Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Mahfud MD gave an Idul Adha sermon at Kridosono Stadium in Yogyakarta. He said in his sermon that Idul Adha should be used to foster unity in diversity. In the face of the political year, the public was urged to respect political differences and not to become embroiled in conflict.

“Differences are created by Allah Almighty. Out of these differences, we can coordinate and do good things,” said Mahfud.

Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto attended Idul Adha prayers with thousands of TNI personnel, civil servants and members of the public at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, Jakarta. After prayers and the slaughtering of sacrificial livestock, the meat was sent to Lombok on an Air Force Hercules A-1320 aircraft. The meat, along with food ingredients, 30 military tents and water purifiers, will be distributed to locals affected by the earthquakes.

The Idul Adha commemoration in Lombok struck a somber tone this year, as many local Muslims lost family members in the series of earthquakes and aftershocks. In other regions, Idul Adha commemorations were solemn and the sermons filled with messages about caring for one another.

(INA/LAS/NCA/EDN/ILO/ZAK/SYA/RUL/BAY/E09/PDS/DVD)