By Suleiman Ibrahim -
Loyalty of an Algerian wife to her husband saved her
from death in the Mina stampede on Thursday.
Aisha Iyadah, 62,
said her husband Mohammed Rajie, 73, complained of severe stomach pain as they
were on their way to the Jamarat complex for the stoning ritual on the fateful
day.
She insisted on
going back to her tent from the middle of the road to bring medicines for her
husband.
When Rajie was
fighting death in the stampede, his wife was hurrying back to him with the
medicines.
Iyadah narrated the story to Al-Hayat newspaper amid tears and crying, “the
Haji has gone.”
She said her
husband had severe stomach pains while they were in Muzdalifah. When they
arrived in Mina around 7.30 a.m and were on their way to throw pebbles at
Satan, his pain increased and became unbearable.
She said she asked
him to wait for her where he was until she brought painkillers for him from the
tent.
“He refused to let
me go and insisted on completing our journey to the Jamarat, but I was
adamant,” she said.
The bereaved wife
said she went back to the tent, brought the medicine, but was delayed for more
than three hours because of the congestion.
“When I arrived at
the street where I asked him to wait for me, I was surprised to see a security
cordon and a number of ambulances. Some pilgrims told me about the tragic
incident,” said Iyadah, who along with her husband was performing Haj for the
first time.
Iyadah said they
have 10 children who kept calling asking to speak to their father to
congratulate him on performing Haj, but every time she told them that he was
asleep.
“At about 10 p.m on
the day of the incident, my eldest son Belqasim, who is 35 years old, called me
and told me that he had heard about the stampede,” she said.
The mother said she
could not hide the news of the death of her husband any more.
“I am faithful and
patient. I fully accept the fate of destiny. All I want now is to have a final
look at him before he is buried,” she said.
* Culled from New Mail.
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