The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: Alhaji Sanusi Uthman, a Ghanaian pilgrim, has disclosed that he took more than 15 bottles of water and never felt the urge to urinate due to the extreme heat that greeted Hajj pilgrims on the day of Arafat.

He said the weather temperature was as high as 48 degrees Celsius at 11 a.m. on the said day.

The pilgrim noted that the rate at which people passed out, with lifeless bodies being moved around due to extreme heat, got him scared and wondering if he would survive the pilgrimage.

“Right in front of my face, a woman who was beside us collapsed. One woman who we met there started losing it out of dehydration. I started feeling dizzy.

“This year’s Arafat has shown me that the Day of Qiyammah is not going to be easy. Indeed! I have seen what my eyes never saw,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Hajj pilgrims had to endure harsh temperatures that rose as high as 51 degrees Celsius, leading to the loss of 1301 lives, as recorded by the Saudi government for the Hajj season.

The Ghana Hajj Board reported six deaths, with some 13 other pilgrims with non-hajj visas also feared dead.

Despite arriving at Arafat from Mina before sunrise, Alhaji Sanusi said he had hurting and swollen feet after a long period of walking.

After several hours trying to cope with the heat, he said he had no choice but to lie down under the scorching sun to take a nap on the plain of Arafat so he could regain his strength.

He advised Muslims with the means to try and perform hajj in their youthful years, when they have better strength to endure the hardships associated with performing hajj.

“This journey is not for the weak. I didn’t get it that easy, but, alhamdulilah, I made it through. I will advise everyone to try and perform hajj at their youthful age when the need arises. It will help a lot!” he said.

Ghanaian pilgrims are expected to start arriving into country on July 3, 2024.