TRANSCRIPT
Annually, the Hajj attracts up to two million Muslims from across the globe, making it one of the largest gatherings in the world, if not the largest.
This pilgrimage is not only a spiritual milestone, required once in a lifetime for all able-bodied Muslims, but also an act of faith meant to cleanse past sins and foster a sense of unity and humility among the faithful.
Last year's Hajj returned to full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, leaving behind an increased awareness on health and disease prevention, especially in crowded spaces.
Enter the innovative prayer beads from D and F Labs, developed in collaboration with Aetha Design in the U-K.
It's called Protectasbih and they are the world’s first prayer beads that sanitise hands.
Manasvi Gosalia, co-founder of D and F Labs, tells of the vision behind the spiritually and hygienically enhanced accessory.
He says the design's efficacy lies in the fact that the beads are already a part of people's lives.
“The best thing is to find a common product which is already in someone's hand. So now we're not trying to push for people to go and reach out to something, it's already in your hands and if that is going to help you sanitise for betterment, that's okay, that's one battle won.”
Tom Parsons is Founder and creative director at Aetha Design.
He explains how the beads work without alcohol.
“During the development of the formulation, we came up with several challenges. some from a religious point of view. So we could not use anything using alcohol. So alcohol is most commonly used for antibacterial and sanitising products. So we have to look at natural potential solutions. So our research brought us to tea tree. Tea tree oil is really effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, because it disrupts its cell membrane of the bacteria.”
The beads are designed to encapsulate a solid core with a sanitising tea tree oil-infused layer, ensuring durability and zero waste once the sanitising element wears off."
However, the real challenge was creating a product that could endure the extreme heat of the Saudi desert says Mr Gosalia.
“We come up with the product and it looks great and it does the work. But the minute you put it out in the sun, beyond a point, because we're talking about 45, 50 degrees Centigrade, which which is quite inhuman at some point to, to, to deal with, so nothing can stay at that temperature. So I think that that's been the biggest challenge, which at some point we didn't really realise we would hit that.”
Mr Gosalia's colleague, co-founder of D and F labs, Shamsher Walia, says the product underwent rigorous testing and that they're confident it will offer pilgrims additional protection.
“ As with any product, it's take the first cycle of product to be distributed among the people, and then you know them to have a know-how about it and then get to wider audiences. Definitely I see the appetite for it, you know. But, it will be all dependent upon how it is received, which we feel it will be received well.”
Dr Salman Waqar, President of the British Islamic Medical Association, which provides guidance rooted in Islamic bioethics, supports efforts to raise awareness of potential health issues around the demanding Hajj pilgrimage.
“The Hajj is one of the largest gatherings of people, across the world. And naturally, when you bring people from all corners of the planet together, you also bring lots of diseases from those areas together as well. The authorities do a really good job in trying to keep things clean, but there's always a risk that viruses and other bacteria and, infectious diseases can be passed around people. And so having an awareness of these things is, quite important, especially if you have got pre-existing health conditions.”
Mr Waqar says standard hand hygiene advice - routines that people were all very familiar and comfortable with during the COVID pandemic - should be followed.
“So hand hygiene is very important. Anything that brings people's mind to that, to frequently wash their hands, to sanitise their hands is always going to be welcome. We know that a lot of diseases do spread by contact.”
He says there are other health interventions with a strong evidence base too.
“Such as vaccinations, for example. And, you know, often to travel abroad you need to have several travel vaccinations done.”
ProtecTasbih has been distributed to hundreds of Saudi Airlines guests as they journeyed to perform Umrah, the non-obligatory pilgrimage journey that thousands of pilgrims perform every year. They were also handed out across the Holy City of Mecca.
Pilgrims with pre-existing health conditions, who may take regular medicines or inhalers, should also arrive prepared and with enough medicines for the duration of their stay.
The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam.
