BY Boniface Ongeri
Friday, January 07, 2011
When I later asked her what she had prayed for, she said: "I asked God to grant us rain so that we can get water and pasture for our animals.
"Eastern Province who converged at Oray ground in Wajir town to perform Roob-doon – a Somali ritual of praying for rain.
At the expansive Oray ground in Wajir town, men and women, young and old, were all united in a ritual they hope would help avert an impending catastrophe. They travelled long distances in the scorching sun, their prayer mats tucked under their armpits, to take part in the prayers.
The county, and North Eastern Province in general, is staring starvation in the face following a spate of prolonged drought in the area. The Ministry of Livestock says more than 22 million livestock are at risk and has appealed for Sh1.5 billion to save thousands of people from starvation. The La Nina weather condition predicted by meteorologists has resulted in scorched pasturelands as well as outbreak of livestock diseases and pests. Malnutrition is not uncommon in this part of the country, but its effects are usually felt during the dry season due to lack of milk and meat - the main nourishments in the province.
Sedentary life
"Under such circumstances the creator is the only one with a solution," says Abdullahi Jama Abdi, 57, as he performs wudu – an Islamic ritual of cleansing the body with water in preparation for prayers. "We have to seek Him," he says above the hubbub of blaring loud speakers calling for prayers. Residents have sought Him on this ground on several occasions. "In 1974, 1978, 1988, 1990 and in 2006 we were in a similar situation," Abdullahi says.
In the wake of the biting dry season, hundreds of nomadic families are now leading a sedentary life they are not used to.
A few weeks earlier, it rained heavily in the region, rendering roads impassable and briefly displacing people from their settlements. There was even an outbreak of waterborne diseases.
Now the dry season is back and residents are again crying out to God for rain.
That day, as humbled residents headed to the grounds, one could not help noticing that their clothes were turned inside out.
"It is supposed to be this way for such special prayers," explained Sheikh Abduwahab Mursal, the secretary to the Council of Imams.
At the back row, seated cross-legged on a mat was Mumina keenly following the proceedings, occasionally wiping streams of sweat from her face.
At the front, Noor Hamdi strokes his henna-dyed beards, gazing indirectly at the blinding sun and then at the distant white clouds, hope written on his troubled face.
During the prayers, Sura- tul- Fatiha (opening chapter of the Quran) is usually recited in shifts by the Imams at the front row as the others respond.
The supplicants rise and bow, murmuring prayers in between before the men who had worn their clothes inside out wear them properly. Women also do the same.
"It signifies that God will overturn bad to good," Mursal explains.
As Mursal further explains, prayers such as this one are called in times of an impending disaster. "Imams and preachers usually summon roob-doon in times of an impending catastrophe. Before the prayers, three-day fasting has to be observed. During the prayers one has to be clad in a simple attire as a sign of humbling oneself before God."
Like the Friday and Idd prayers, roob- doon are equally long, lasting up to three hours and are held in two rakas (parts).
Sometimes back, when the dry season got longer, the Maalim (Islamic teachers) would mobilise all Quranic students to carry looh (slates) above their heads, Mursal explained. The roob-doon meeting is widely publicised. The prayers are, however, replicated in other parts of the locations, though not simultaneously.
"Rain failure is a will of God. When the situation is grave it is an indication that some ills have been committed," Sheikh Abduwab says."During the prayers everyone asks for forgiveness and hate is discarded,’ he adds.
Source: Standard