Jabalpur (MP): A strange a conflict has arisen between the family of a worshipper who has been missing since June 15 after going on the Hajj pilgrimage this year, and the Saudi Arabian government who has been seeking permission for performing his last rites, claiming the devotee to be dead.
This comes after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, June 21, that as many as 98 pilgrims have lost their lives in Hajj this year owing to the extreme heat conditions. "This year, 175,000 Indian pilgrims have visited Hajj so far. We have 98 Indian pilgrims who have died this year," said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
As per official sources, two official deaths of Hajj pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh have been reported due to extreme heat. One of them is an elderly person from Bhopal, Syed Mumtaz Hasan (72) and Rabia Begum from Chhatarpur.
Israr Ahmed Ansari of Jabalpur had flown to Mecca on June 5 for the pilgrimage. His family informed that Ansari called regularly to talk to his son, Aziz Ahmed Ansari. However, after June 15, neither did Israr call nor could he be contacted from India.
On June 21, an agent named Faizal Kaif called Israr's family in Jabalpur and informed them that he had passed away due to strong heat waves and the Saudi Arabian government sought permission for performing his last rites.
Shocked as they were upon receiving the news of the death, the family members instantly denied it, demanding a photo of Israr, which the government failed to provide. The family even alleged that Israr's spelling on the list that showed him to be dead was incorrect; Instead of Israr Ahmed Ansari, the list mentioned Idris Ahmed Ansari.
Without confirming Israr's identity, the family said that they could not permit the Saudi Arabian government to perform the last rites. Kaif said that bodies of hundreds of worshippers who passed away due to heat waves have been kept together, making it extremely difficult for officials to go and click photos there.
Son Aziz Ahmed Ansari met Jabalpur District Collector and demanded that the Saudi Arabian Embassy talk to government officials, trace Israr and bring him back to Jabalpur. As many as 6,750 people from MP went for Hajj this year, with 1,085 from Bhopal and 355 from Jabalpur. In Mecca, temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit), on Monday.
If a pilgrim passes away during the Haj—whether from an unplanned accident or a natural disaster—the funeral rites are performed in line with Saudi Arabia's widely accepted traditions and customs. The Indian Consulate General in Jeddah sends the original death certificate straight to the next of kin.
The days-long, primarily outdoor pilgrimage drew over 1.8 million participants from all over the world, many of them elderly and sick, and this year it coincided with Saudi Arabia's scorching heat, reported the press.
One of the main pillars of Islam is the Hajj, which all Muslims, who are able to do so, must perform at least once in their lifetime. Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and lasts until the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. This year, Hajj took place between June 14 and 19 in the Gregorian Calendar.
These predominantly outdoor rituals have fallen in line with Saudi summer's extreme heat in recent years. According to a recent Saudi study, the region's temperature is rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) every ten years.
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