A Ghanaian pilgrim, Alhaji Sulemana Iddrisu, aged 60 has passed on in Saudi Arabia where he was part of this year’s pilgrims performing the annual Hajj ritual.
The deceased died last Tuesday on Mount Arafat while performing one of the important components of the Hajj rituals on the mountain.
The death was announced by the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana in a statement which added that the deceased has since been buried in conformity with Islamic traditions after his family was duly notified.
When a pilgrim dies in Arafat, they are considered by Islamic tradition to have completed one of the most spiritually blessed rites of Hajj.
Under Saudi regulations, their body is respectfully prepared, buried in the Holy Land, and the death is officially documented.
Dying in a state of Ihram or the spiritually pure state before commencing the rituals of the Hajj on the Day of Arafat is considered a deeply honorable event in Islam.
According to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a pilgrim who dies during the pilgrimage will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment still in Ihram. While in this state pilgrims regardless of their societal stature must wear simple white clothing.
