The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, on Friday, October 2, said
Nigerians would not participate in the devil stoning ritual, unless provided
accommodation close to Jamrat.
According to Vanguard, this followed the recent deadly Hajj stampede in Saudi
Arabia that claimed scores of lives of Nigerians .
Sanusi was quoted as saying:
“During the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he permitted pilgrims who came on
camels to stay in Makkah after Arafat, instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at
Muzdalifa.
“So, if the Prophet can give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals,
why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this untoward hardship
and death?
“Therefore, it will be part of my recommendation to the federal government that, if we
cannot get accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this
year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to
stone the devil.
“If one deliberately refuses to perform the stoning of the devil ritual, all he needs to
do is just to slaughter a ram. So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and
die instead of sacrificing a ram.”
The Emir yesterday also met with the authorities of Saudi Arabia urging them to
thoroughly investigate the Hajj tragedy that resulted in so many deaths of Muslim
faithfuls
.