History testifies to the extent to which Maldivians have prioritized the complete fulfillment of religious duties since receiving the light of guidance from Islam. The tradition of sending children to teachers to learn the Holy Quran, the emphasis on encouraging children to pray, and the customs of welcoming Ramadan all prove the importance Maldivians placed on fulfilling the pillars of Islam. Among the acts of worship in Islam, Hajj is the only one that can only be performed at a specific place during a specific season of the year. According to early Maldivian history, Maldivians gave special importance to performing Hajj even in the earliest times. According to the travelogue of Maldivians who went on Hajj around 1928, these were long journeys lasting about six months.
They would depart from the Maldives on steamships, go to Colombo, then to Egypt, and from Egypt to Jeddah. After that, the journey from Jeddah to Medina was also a four to five-day trip.
Maldivians who intended to go for Hajj would begin their sea journey with little hope of returning to their families. After spending half the year traveling, many Maldivians died without even reaching the land of Mecca. When Maldivians who used to perform Hajj by sea began to perform this worship by air, the number of people going for Hajj also increased. According to Maldivian historical records, Maldivians first went for Hajj by air in 1960. That was a journey Maldivians made via Ceylon. However, this was also about a month-long trip. Since then, over time, Maldivians have built their own airport and have flown from their own soil to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.
The late Annabila Habiba Husain Habib wrote in her diary of her air journey to Hajj in the Hijri year 1402: “If it were Malé time, I would say we arrived in Jeddah in the evening. The journey to Mecca has begun. After boarding the bus to go to Mecca, we began to feel the hardship included in the Hajj journey and the spiritual joy of this journey in its metaphorical sense. By midnight, at about 1:30, we had arrived on the sacred land of Mecca.”
At that time, Hajj arrangements were made in difficult ways. In Mina, there were days when water would seep under the mats spread in self-erected tents. Pilgrims had to sleep in dusty sand, their condition deteriorated, and thousands were unable to complete the Hajj rituals. Many people died during the Hajj rituals.
However, the Maldivians’ journey for the noble worship of Hajj has become shorter and easier. Even for the journey made by air to perform Hajj, additional convenient arrangements have now been made. As the Maldivians’ Hajj journey became easier, continuing to travel, today in the 21st century, the Hajj arrangements have become completely modernized.
The government has done extensive work over the past two years to obtain the convenient services provided by the Saudi government for Maldivians. As such, the government has now provided Maldivians with the convenience of the most modern facilities. Maldivian pilgrims will spend less time at the airport, not feel the weight of the luggage they have to carry, and can relax on the soft sofa beds in Mina.”
