UMbuso Owakhelwe Esihlabathini, Kuwoyela, Nasenkolweni

Iliphi izwe elikhulu njengeNtshonalanga Yurophu, elinabantu abayizigidi ezingu-12 kuphela, nelicishe libe ugwadule? Imuphi umbuso owasungulwa ngo-1932, wathola amathantala kawoyela ngo-1938, futhi waba umkhiqizi kawoyela wesithathu omkhulu kakhulu emhlabeni? Imuphi umbuso othatha iKoran njengomthetho-sisekelo wawo noyindawo yamadolobha amabili namathempeli ahlonishwa kakhulu enkolo yamaSulumane?

Impendulo yayo yonke lemibuzo iwuMbuso waseSaudi Arabia, obuswa iNkosi uFahd Bin Abdul Aziz. Njengoba ingamakhilomitha-skwele angu-⁠2 240 000, isengxenyeni enkulu yenhlonhlo yaseArabia, inoLwandle Olubomvu entshonalanga, uLwandle LwaseArabia ukuya ngaseningizimu, neArabian Gulf ukuya ngasempumalanga.

Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba ngibe nesithakazelo kulelizwe lamaArabhu? Ngabona ephephandabeni isimemo sokuya embukisweni eDolobheni laseNew York owawuxhaswe uhulumeni waseSaudi Arabia ngezimali. Ngaba nesifiso sokwazi okwengeziwe ngalelizwe elehlukile nendlela yalo yokuphila. Futhi njengoba ngokunokwenzeka ngangingeke ngilubhade eSaudi Arabia, kungani ngangingenakuvuma ukuba iSaudi Arabia ize kimi? ISaudi Arabia—Endala Nentsha

Ngokushesha nje lapho ngifika endaweni yombukiso, ngaphawula ukuthi konke kwakuklanyelwe ukwenza umphakathi uzizwe ulithanda lelizwe laseArabia. Kuyo yonke indawo kwakunabafundi baseyunivesithi baseSaudi abazinze eU.S. ababesebenza njengabaqondisi abanolwazi. Bonke babegqoke isembatho saseArabia ithobe, okuyingubo ende, emhlophe eshaya phansi ezinyaweni. Ngamunye futhi wayegqoke ighutra eyisikotshi ngokubomvu nokumhlophe, noma umshuqulo, oboshwe ngezindilinga ezimbili ezenziwe ngentambo emnyama. Bonke babesikhuluma kahle isiNgisi futhi benesizotha esikhulu lapho bephendula noma imuphi umbuzo mina noma ubani omunye esasiwubuza.

Lapho ngihamba ephasishini elikhanya kalufifi, elalinezithombe zomndeni wasebukhosini waseSaudi kanye nombukiso wamaslide amaningi wezici zaseSaudi Arabia, ngavakashela indawo eyayibonisa ukuphila kwesiko lama-Arabhu namaBedouin. Itende elimnyama lamaBedouin laliboniswe nazo zonke izimpahla zokuphila kwawo kokwehla enyuka. Nokho, ngokuthuthuka kwezobuchwepheshe zanamuhla, indlela yokuphila yamaBedouin, kanye nokwamukela kwawo izihambi okungokomlando, kuyaphela.

Ingxenye elandelayo yohambo lokubuka indawo yayiyisikhumbuzo samandla ayithonya elingokwenkolo eliqondisa futhi lilawule ukuphila komuntu waseSaudi Arabia​—⁠inkolo yamaSulumane.a

IMecca, IKaaba, NeKoran

Incwadi yamaSulumane engcwele, iKoran, “ibhekwa njengomthetho-sisekelo [weSaudi Arabia] futhi inikeza izindinganiso zokuziphatha nesiqondiso,” kusho incwajana engangalomagazini esemthethweni. Leyoncwajana ithi: “UMbuso uklama izimiso zawo ezingokwenhlalo, ezingokombangazwe, nezingokomnotho ngokwezimfundiso zenkolo yamaSulumane.” Nakuba embukisweni kwakunamakhophi amaningana abhalwe ngesandla eKoran, isihloko esiyinhloko salengxenye sasiyidolobha lohambo olungcwele laseMecca (ngesiArabhu, Makkah) kanye nethempeli lalo elikhulu neKaaba phakathi nendawo. Lokhu kwakuboniswe ngemifanekiso yakho emikhulu eyenziwe ngezandla.

IKaaba, isakhiwo esikhulu esiwumbhoxo esakhiwe ngamatshe futhi sambozwa ngendwangu ewugqinsi emnyama, sichazwa incwadi yenkolo yamaSulumane “njengendawo yokukhulekela uNkulunkulu ayala uAbrahama noIshmayeli ukuba bayakhe eminyakeni engaphezu kweyizinkulungwane ezine edlule.”b Khona-ke inkolo yamaSulumane (obaqalwa umphrofethi uMuḥammad ngekhulu lesikhombisa leminyaka C.E.) buthi buhlobene noAbrahama, umhambeli phambili oyinzalamizi yobuJuda nobuKristu. Khona-ke bungesinye sezimiso zenkolo ezintathu ezinkulu ezikholelwa kuNkulunkulu oyedwa.

Esimweni esingokoqobo iKaaba imaphakathi nendawo enkulu engafulelwe eyingxenye yethempeli elikhulu lamaSulumane eMecca. Ohambweni olungcwele (ḥajj) lwaminyaka yonke, amaSulumane angaphezu kwesigidi athutheleka khona ukuze athandaze futhi azungeze iKaaba kasikhombisa. UmSulumane ngamunye ophile kahle ngokomzimba ukubheka njengesibopho ukuthatha loluhambo okungenani kanye ekuphileni kwakhe. Lombukiso futhi wawuhlanganisa nomfanekiso wethempeli elikhulu laseMedina (ngesiArabhu, Madinah), indawo okwangcwatshwa kuyo uMuḥammad.

Okwakuthakazelisa kakhulu kwakuyiminyango ehlotshiswe yamayikayika yeKaaba eyayibukiswa. Ngokuvamile, amaSulumane kuphela akwazi ukuyibona, njengoba kuyiwo kuphela avunyelwe ukungena ethempelini laseMecca. Kwakunzima ukukholelwa ukuthi yayingeyokuqala kwaze kwaba yilapho umqondisi echaza ukuthi yayiyiminyango eyayisetshenziswe kusukela ngo-1942 kuya ku-1982, lapho kufakwa emisha. Yenziwe ngegolide nesiliva futhi ihlotshiswe ngongcwecwe begolide abanamavesi acashunwe kuyiKoran aqoshwe ngesiArabhu. Odongeni oluseduze kwakulenga ikiswah, noma isihenqo esisindayo esimnyama, esisetshenziselwa ukumboza iKaaba, esifekethiswe ngezinye izingcaphuno zeKoran eziyigolide.

Ukuphila Kwesimanje ESaudi Arabia

Njengoba siqhubeka nohambo lokubuka, kwakunezigcawu ezazenziwe kabusha zalokho okwenzeka emigwaqweni yakhona, kunabenzi bemisebenzi yezandla beluka omata futhi abanye beqongqothela izinsimbi bezenza izitsha zasekhishini. Abanye ochwepheshe babesebenza ngesikhumba bekhiqiza amahliphazi agqokwa ama-Arabhu. Omunye wayenza amakheji ezinyoni angenayo imicikilisho. Kanti omunye wayelolonga ubumba phezu kwesondo lombumbi elijikeleziswa ngonyawo.

Ekugcineni ngafika engxenyeni eyayiqokomisa impumelelo yanamuhla yeSaudi Arabia. Kwakusobala ukuthi ukutholakala kukawoyela kwakushintshé isimo sezomnotho saseSaudi nezinga lokuphila kwesizwe. IARAMCO (Arabian American Oil Company) yathola izingqimba zikawoyela ngo-1938. Kwakubukiswa ngamabhodlela anoketshezi olumnyama angamasampula. Incwajana yalenkampani ithi: “IAramco manje inezisebenzi ezingaphezu kwezingu-43 000, amadamu akhiqizayo acishe abe ngu-550, namapayipi agelezisa uwoyela angu-20 500 (amamayela angu-12 733) nezindawo ezingaphezu kwezingu-60 okuhlungwa kuzo uphethiloli kuwoyela.”

Akumangalisi ukuthi njengoba inesisekelo sezomnotho esiqine kangako, izincwajana zokwaziswa esazithola kulombukiso zithi iSaudi Arabia ixhasa izikole ezicishe zibe ngu-15 000 nezikhungo zemfundo ezikhonza abafundi abangaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-⁠2,5. Bonke bathola imfundo yamahhala baze bayofika eyunivesithi. Futhi kunamayunivesithi ayisikhombisa.

Njengoba kungase kulindelwe, uwoyela awuyona yonke into eSaudi Arabia. Imishini emikhulu yokunisela ngenkasa ekade yakhiwa isiqediwe, futhi ezolimo ziye zachuma kwaze kwaba sezingeni lokuthi lelizwe lithumele kwamanye amazwe izinhlanzi, izinkukhu, ukolweni, amadate, imifino, nemikhiqizo yobisi kanye neminye imikhiqizo evela emfuyweni.

Izinhlangothi Ezimbili Zendaba

Ngaqeda uhambo lwami lwamahora amathathu “eSaudi Arabia” ngihlabeké umxhwele kakhulu ngempumelelo yalesizwe esincane ngokuqhathaniswa. Ngazibuza ukuthi kazi izinto beziyokwehluka kanjani ukuba zonke izizwe bezibusiswe ngendlela efanayo ngezindawo zokugcina uwoyela noma eminye imithombo yezinto eziyigugu ezifuneka emhlabeni wonke.

Nakuba ngathola loluhambo lufundisa kakhulu, ngaphawula ukunganaki okuthile endimeni yenkolo. Angizwanga lutho ngetshe elingokoqobo leKaaba, inkanyezi ehlonishwa amaSulumane avakashela iMecca. Ngaphambi kokutholakala kwenkolo yamaSulumane, lelitshe “lalishonishwa njengento yomlingo esatshwayo,” kusho uPhilip K. Hitti kuyiHistory of the Arabs. Inkolelo eyisiko iwukuthi ngesikhathi uIshmayeli akha kabusha iKaaba, wathola itshe elimnyama livela engelosini uGabriyeli.

Okunye okwakungekho embukisweni kwakuwukuthi angitholanga kubhekisela ezingxenyeni ezimbili eziyinhloko zenkolo yamaSulumane, iSunni, neShia. Loluqhekeko luhlehlela emuva kakhulu kulabo abalandela uMuḥammad esikhundleni futhi lusekelwe ekuhunyushweni ngezindlela ezehlukene kokuthi obani abayizindlalifa zakhe ezisemthethweni ezingokomoya​—⁠ingabe uhlu lulandela igazi likaMuḥammad njengoba amaSulumane angamaShiite esho noma lusekelwe esikhundleni sokhetho njengoba amaSunni amaningi esho? AmaSaudi angawehlelo elinemithetho eqinile lamaWahhabi esikole saseHanbali, okuyisikole esinemithetho eqine ukwedlula izikole ezine zamaSulumane angamaSunni.

Okwakungekho ngokuphawulekayo embukisweni kwakungabesifazane baseArabia. Ngacabanga ukuthi lokungabibikho kwabo kwakungenxa yokuqonda kwabo eSaudi imithetho yenkolo yamaSulumane mayelana nendima yabesifazane ekuphileni kwasemphakathini.

Njengoba ngishiya umbukiso, ngakhumbula kanzima isisho sesiNgisi esithi kunezinhlangothi ezimbili ohlamvwini ngalunye lwemali. Ngaphandle emgwaqweni, kwakunababhikishi bama-Arabhu ababephisana ngamapheshana akhonona ngezenzo zonya nokungalungi eSaudi Arabia futhi elahla ukuntuleka kwenqubo yokubusa ngentando yeningi kulelozwe (awukho umthetho-sisekelo kahulumeni noma iphalamende). Kwangenza ngaqaphela ukuthi kwabanye abantu isihlabathi, uwoyela, nenkolo akukhona okuwukuphela kwakho okudingekayo. Kodwa okungenani ngangithole umbono ocacile ngokuphila kwaseSaudi Arabia nethonya lenkolo yamaSulumane kubantu bakhona.​—⁠Inikelwe.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibalazwe/Isithombe ekhasini 16]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

ISAUDI ARABIA

IMecca

I-IRAN

I-IRAQ

ISUDAN

ULwandle Olubomvu

ULwandle LwaseArabia

[Izithombe ekhasini 17]

(Kusukela kwesobunxele) Iminyango yeKaaba, ingcweti engumArabhu, umbhalo wesiArabhu ofekethisiwe

[Umthombo]

UDavid Patterson