President Joko Widodo hands over a cow for the Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) celebration after performing the Idul Adha prayer together with the community at Astrid Field, Bogor Botanical Garden, West Java, Sunday (11/8/2019). The President also did the same thing in a number of areas such as Jambi, Jakarta, Surabaya and Surakarta.
MECCA, KOMPAS — The Saudi Arabian government is prioritizing haj pilgrims’ safety and comfort during the jumrah (stoning the devil) ritual. Apart from arranging a tight schedule for the ritual, officers are placed at several spots to help pilgrims.
Ahead of dawn on 10 Zulhijah, or Sunday (11/8/2019), haj pilgrims staying the night in Muzdalifah began to depart toward Mina for the stoning of the aqabah. Some went directly to the Masjidil Haram Grand Mosque to complete the tawaf ifadah (walking around the Kaaba) before doing the jumrah ritual.
The jumrah ritual in Mina, which involves the throwing of seven stones at three slabs of rock representing devils, was carried out under tight security enforced by guards. Pilgrims were moving slowly and in order over four floors of the Jamarat building. In every few minutes, a helicopter was heard flying above.
Roads toward the Jamarat were closed for vehicles. Sidqi Street, lined with hotels for haj pilgrims on both sides, was closed from the intersection with Al Masjid Al Haram Road. The 600-meter road was crowded with pilgrims going to and leaving the Jamarat building since the morning.
The Saudi Arabian government wants to avoid a repeat of the 2015 Mina stampede, which left hundreds of pilgrims dead. To ensure pilgrims’ comfort, pilgrims from Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, were prohibited from stoning the aqabah between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. The area was especially crowded during those hours, as all the pilgrims moved from Muzdalifah to Mina.
Meanwhile, on 11 Zulhijah (Monday, 12/8) and 13 Zulhijah (Wednesday, 14/8), Indonesian pilgrims will be allowed to do the stoning at any time.
Religious Affairs Minister and amirul haj (pilgrimage leader) Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said he prayed that all the Indonesian pilgrims would be mabrur (reaching the best quality that is pleasing to Allah). The characteristics of mabrur in haj is caring for others and bringing peace among people. Lukman said this in his speech before Indonesian pilgrims prior to the wukuf ritual at the Indonesian haj mission tent in Arafah on Saturday (10/8).
KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO
Muslims prepare to leave the prayer place after performing the Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) prayer at an intersection between Jl. Matraman Raya and Jl. Jatinegara Barat, East Jakarta, Sunday (11/8/2019). The Idul Adha celebration is an opportunity for Muslims to strengthen devotion and improve moral and social sensitivity.
Social piety
After the Idul Adha prayer on the Astrid field at the Bogor Botanical Garden in West Java on Sunday, President Joko Widodo said the spirit of sacrifice was important to not only strengthen piety toward God but also to improve social piety, interaction and mutual compassion.
Other than local Muslims in Bogor, the Idul Adha prayer was also attended by First Lady Iriana, State Secretary Pratikno and Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto. Cleric Iqbal Subhan Nugraha, a lecturer at the Jakarta An-Nuaimy College, gave the sermon and led the prayer.
In his sermon, Iqbal said Muslims should strive to improve their relationships with others, alongside the relationship with God through prayers and other rituals. Therefore, social piety had to be nurtured and manifested.
Social piety, he added, included giving meals to the poor, helping others, fulfilling our obligations whether as leaders or superiors and being dutiful to our parents.
Meanwhile, several mosques used more environmentally friendly bamboo baskets instead of plastic in distributing the meat of sacrificial animals. This was seen at Quba Mosque in DPR Alley, Kembangan district, West Jakarta, among other places.
Environmentally friendly baskets will also be used for the meat distribution at Al Akbar Mosque in Surabaya on Monday.
“The baskets are purchased from small businesses in Tulungagung at Rp 2,000 (US$0.14) per piece,” Al Akbar Mosque spokesperson Helmy M Noor said.
Mutual strengthening
The Idul Adha celebration proceeded safely and solemnly in many places. In West Nusa Tenggara, Idul Adha served as a moment to strengthen one another following the devastating earthquake last year.
In Guntur Macam village, Guntur Macan district, West Lombok regency, Idul Adha prayer congregants shook one another’s hands and hugged one another in the yard of a half-finished mosque after the sermon.
KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA
Residents of Guntur Macan hamlet, Guntur Macan village, Gunung Sari district, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, listen to a sermon at the Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) prayer at a makeshift mosque on Sunday (11/8/2019).
In Karubaga, the capital of Tolikara regency in Papua, 120 military and police personnel safeguarded the Idul Adha prayer at the Khoirul Ummah Subdistrict Military Command Mosque, attended by around 1,300 congregants. In Jayapura, 3,500 congregants joined the Idul Adha prayer at the Al Muminun Mosque at the Papua Police headquarters.
Solemn Idul Adha celebrations were also seen in other cities, including Banda Aceh, Surakarta, Bandung and Semarang. The Idul Adha prayer was followed by the slaughter of sacrificial animals and the distribution of the meat.
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