We set out from Madinah and headed to Dhul-Hulaifah which is the meeqaat for the people of Madinah. There we combined our Zuhr and Asr prayers in the masjid (apparently there is a hadeeth in which Jibril told the Prophet to pray in this 'blessed' valley) and then we moved on to Mina.
One of the great things that our tour operator had done during our earlier stay in Makkah was to give us a tour of the Hajj areas. So we'd already seen Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat before the days of Hajj started. So, we arrived in Mina the night before everyone else does and just settled in for some sleep.
Our camps in Mina were pitched in what i would call the "VIP" part of Mina. Its about 5 minutes walk from the jamaraat, and we were sharing this area with some Americans.
Our tent was one huge opened up tent divided into two. On one side were the brothers, and on the other the sisters.
I thought that the fact that all the brothers were in one tent instead of numerous smaller tents wasn't conducive to dhikr and ibadah. There were over 150 of us in that tent and it became too easy to just sit around and start talking about something non-beneficial, and we did this often. A conversation that started at lunchtime would often end at Asr.
Next time i go, i realise i'll need to be more disciplined with myself, keep my head down and do more ibadah. But having said that, there were some good brothers there. Some were old friends of mine, and some became new friends who i would like to hook up with in future.
On the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, which is when the Hajj rites begin, there isn't really much to do except reading Qur'an and other ibadah, and focusing on the task ahead of you.
On the 9th is when the action begins. We went to Arafat by coach where we had a large tent set up for the group. And we devoted all the time that we had there to ibadah and du'a. That was probably my best day of Hajj.
After Maghrib, we then headed out to Muzdalifah which can best be described as a huge car-park. But we didn't stay too long because i took advantage of the rukhsa to leave Muzdalifah after half the night (because i had three women to look after) and head straight to Mina. There is a foot path that takes you from Muzdalifah all the way to Mina - in fact to the jamarat bridge. It took us about 45 mins to get to our tents where we freshened up and then went to do the stoning.
When you see the jamarat area for the first time, it looks a bit frightening, because as you approach, all you see is hundreds of arms throwing stones (and slippers) violently at the jamra. But the setup by the Saudis this year was very good.
They have expanded each Jamra so that instead of being a pillar its like a huge wall about 60 feet long. That means there is a greater surface area for people to 'attack' and there isn't as much of a crowd build-up. My cousin went last year, and he found it difficult to go by himself, let alone his wife and mum, but alhumdulillah, the ladies with me stoned everyday by themselves.
So we stoned, and then i set out to do the Tawaaf al-Ifaadah. The women in my family were too tired to walk now after the trek from Muzdalifah. So i went to the Haram did the Tawaf and Sa'ee (injuring my foot in the process) and then returned.
When the rest of the guys who had stayed all the night in Muzdalifa arrived i got one of them to shave my head.
And thats basically it. I had completed the arkaan of Hajj.
The remaining three days we stayed in Mina. The bathrooms got a bit of getting used to. There was basically a row of cubicles each of which doubled up as a toilet and a shower. In the beginning, i used to have a shower each time i had to go, because of the fear of having dirty water get on my body. But then i relaxed and just tried to be careful. There must have been some heavy brothers around because the toilet seats were broken on the first day.
I think you have to go there expecting some hardship when it comes to the toilets. The quicker you accept that and get over it, the more you'll benefit from your stay in Mina.
We stayed in Mina for three days instead of two - partially due to the confusion with hotel bookings when the Saudis changed the day of Hajj - and then we were back in Makkah. Ahh... beautiful Makkah, i miss it so much. I miss the prayers and the adhaan... i'm thinking of going back this Ramadan. May Allah fulfill my dream.
Nothing much to report after that except for a day trip to Jeddah. We didn't have a card that allowed us to exit Makkah so we got stopped and told to turn back. Alhumdulillah, i was able to convince the guys to let us go through. And that pleased me, because being with Arabs for three weeks allowed me to get a bit of fluency back into my spoken Arabic.
Jeddah is a bit of a shock when you come from Makkah. Its more liberal and there are lots of wealthy people about. You will have people drive by with music blasting from the car. You'll have women wearing the Egyptian style headscarves (with the crown of the head showing). And thats not really the image of Saudi Arabia that people have.
We met some old friends in Jeddah and being with them was wonderful. They are a really wealthy family masha'Allah, but their humbleness and hospitality far exceeds what they have of physical wealth. They took us out shopping for the day and made a huge meal for us. This time we made sure to get the recipe for "Hubb soup" from them. Once i've tried it at home, i'll post it up, insha'Allah :)
And thats my Hajj trip :)
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Hajj pt2
And then we went to Madinah.
Madinah when we arrived was cold, and because of that i stayed ill for most of my time there. I used to manage three prayers in the Masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam everyday - but beyond that i was feeling too weak, and there was a feeling that by not completely resting i was just prolonging the illness. We stayed at the Mubarak Golden Hotel which when you come out of it you would approach the masjid from the direction of Bab us-Salaam. And the Masjid is huge and its beautiful and, unlike Masjid al-Haram, its quiet and its tranquil.
During our stay there we prayed behind three shaikhs. Imam Hudhaifi was good (as were they all) but his prayers tended to be too short. Imam ath-Thubaitee used to lead Fajr prayers and he used to make them long and beautiful. And then also, my favourite Imam, Husain Al ash-Shaikh led twice. He is great masha'Allah.
Perhaps more than enjoying the recitations was the pleasure and benefit i derived from the morning lectures by the handsome Sh. Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Mohsin al-Abbaad. Now, i went to Medina not knowing anything about either this shaikh or his father - and in fact, i had some misgivings about them - may Allah forgive me - because their names are always being trumpted by the deltas. But his lectures were fantastic, alhumdulillah. General topics, covered in real depth and emphasising practising iman in everyday life were food for the soul.
I wish i could have bought some of his tapes and so did the other brothers in the circle. In one Q&A session a brother wrote in sayin "we aren't from this country but we would like to benefit from your books and tapes, so please direct us to where we can get them." He looked at this question for about 10 seconds then read it out aloud and said "you shouldn't read the material of students of knowledge, but you should go and read the books of shaikhs like Ibn Baz, and ibn Uthaimeen and Salih al-Fawzaan." And i thought, masha'Allah - thats humility!
The love that the commoner Muslim has for the ulama is quite beautiful. You would see each country's Muslims represented in the circle huddled around the Shaikh. All looking at the teacher with love and awe. Alhumdulillah that He made our ulama the best of our nation and inclined our hearts to them.
And the rawdah? You didn't think that i would visit the city of the Prophet and not visit the rawdah did you? On our last morning there, i was feeling alot better alhumdulillah, and i woke up and then couldn't go to sleep after 2am. I felt that this is a sign. A sign that i am meant to pray tahajjud in the rawdah. So i got up, wrapped myself up in this cool Afghani scarf that my mum had bought me and headed out.
The masjid opens at around 3am, but the guard wouldn't tell us which gate would open first. When i got there, people were queueing at three gates, and i decided to stand at Bab as-Salaam. Alas, it was one of the other doors that opened first and the people just legged it! What a sight! I thought that i'd lost my chance cos loads of people had already got in by the time i reached the door, so i started to walk, rueing the missed opportunity. Yet, as i came closer to where the rawdah was i saw a huge white space on the ground (the rawdah has white carpet) so it was my turn to leg it. I stood in what is probably one of the best places to stand, behind a pillar where no one can stand where you're going to make sajdah, and prayed all my tahjjud there, alhumdulillah :)
The shame is that i've visited Madinah twice now and still not visited our pious predecessors buried in Jannat ul-Baqee'.
But still Madinah is a place for reflection... and for me, it is moreso than Makkah. I would sometimes stand looking at the house of Aishah and its three illustrious inhabitants and just reflect. The sound of conversation, revelation coming down, delegations bein received from distant tribes, armies dispatched. This all happened in the area where i was standing. I thought alot about the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar when i was in Madinah.
And then the Sun rose and the day turned bright - we were leaving this beloved city, turning our faces in the direction of Mina to start our Hajj.
Madinah when we arrived was cold, and because of that i stayed ill for most of my time there. I used to manage three prayers in the Masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam everyday - but beyond that i was feeling too weak, and there was a feeling that by not completely resting i was just prolonging the illness. We stayed at the Mubarak Golden Hotel which when you come out of it you would approach the masjid from the direction of Bab us-Salaam. And the Masjid is huge and its beautiful and, unlike Masjid al-Haram, its quiet and its tranquil.
During our stay there we prayed behind three shaikhs. Imam Hudhaifi was good (as were they all) but his prayers tended to be too short. Imam ath-Thubaitee used to lead Fajr prayers and he used to make them long and beautiful. And then also, my favourite Imam, Husain Al ash-Shaikh led twice. He is great masha'Allah.
Perhaps more than enjoying the recitations was the pleasure and benefit i derived from the morning lectures by the handsome Sh. Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Mohsin al-Abbaad. Now, i went to Medina not knowing anything about either this shaikh or his father - and in fact, i had some misgivings about them - may Allah forgive me - because their names are always being trumpted by the deltas. But his lectures were fantastic, alhumdulillah. General topics, covered in real depth and emphasising practising iman in everyday life were food for the soul.
I wish i could have bought some of his tapes and so did the other brothers in the circle. In one Q&A session a brother wrote in sayin "we aren't from this country but we would like to benefit from your books and tapes, so please direct us to where we can get them." He looked at this question for about 10 seconds then read it out aloud and said "you shouldn't read the material of students of knowledge, but you should go and read the books of shaikhs like Ibn Baz, and ibn Uthaimeen and Salih al-Fawzaan." And i thought, masha'Allah - thats humility!
The love that the commoner Muslim has for the ulama is quite beautiful. You would see each country's Muslims represented in the circle huddled around the Shaikh. All looking at the teacher with love and awe. Alhumdulillah that He made our ulama the best of our nation and inclined our hearts to them.
And the rawdah? You didn't think that i would visit the city of the Prophet and not visit the rawdah did you? On our last morning there, i was feeling alot better alhumdulillah, and i woke up and then couldn't go to sleep after 2am. I felt that this is a sign. A sign that i am meant to pray tahajjud in the rawdah. So i got up, wrapped myself up in this cool Afghani scarf that my mum had bought me and headed out.
The masjid opens at around 3am, but the guard wouldn't tell us which gate would open first. When i got there, people were queueing at three gates, and i decided to stand at Bab as-Salaam. Alas, it was one of the other doors that opened first and the people just legged it! What a sight! I thought that i'd lost my chance cos loads of people had already got in by the time i reached the door, so i started to walk, rueing the missed opportunity. Yet, as i came closer to where the rawdah was i saw a huge white space on the ground (the rawdah has white carpet) so it was my turn to leg it. I stood in what is probably one of the best places to stand, behind a pillar where no one can stand where you're going to make sajdah, and prayed all my tahjjud there, alhumdulillah :)
The shame is that i've visited Madinah twice now and still not visited our pious predecessors buried in Jannat ul-Baqee'.
But still Madinah is a place for reflection... and for me, it is moreso than Makkah. I would sometimes stand looking at the house of Aishah and its three illustrious inhabitants and just reflect. The sound of conversation, revelation coming down, delegations bein received from distant tribes, armies dispatched. This all happened in the area where i was standing. I thought alot about the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar when i was in Madinah.
And then the Sun rose and the day turned bright - we were leaving this beloved city, turning our faces in the direction of Mina to start our Hajj.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Hajj pt1
Well, its already been over a week since i got back from Hajj, and i can't believe how quickly things are happening.
Alhumdulillah, the Hajj went well and me and my group arrived back safely. If you want to hear about it, read on (i'll break it down by location):
Makkah
-----------
Our first port of call was Makkah where we stayed for four days, alhumdulillah. The only way i can describe seeing the Ka'ba again is that it felt like you had arrived home. It is a special moment: you enter the mosque, look around and see the other worshippers, and as you approach the courtyard of the Haram you see the base of the Ka'ba through the pillars. The gold calligraphy, the huge bricks under the drawn up cloth, and then suddenly you're there. The house whose foundation Ibrahim alaihis-salaam laid - subhanallah it attracts the heart like a magnet. The only way i can describe that first moment is that its like coming home.
The Imams i prayed behind in Makkah were as-Sudais, Salih Al at-Talib and Usama Khayyat, but unfortunately, my favourite, Imam ash-Shuraim didn't come until after we'd left. But the Mu'adhin there was great: Qari Ali Mulla! Listening to that call to prayer was A M A Z I N G!
I used to pray on the roof of the haram because the courtyard was too packed, and the first floor felt stuffy; but also because it seemed whilst praying on the roof that the voices of the Imam and the mu'adhin were rising up to the heavens. I used to sit right next to the railings opposite the Ajyad escalator so that i would be facing the side of the Ka'ba with the Yemeni corner on the left and the Black stone on the right. From here i could also see the Imam when he led the prayer.
When you stand, looking over that fence, its a time to reminisce. So many things happened here. You imagine that night when Umar (before his Islam) tried to scare the Prophet by scrambling around the Ka'ba underneath its cloth to the other side where the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was praying, only to be stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the Prophet recite the beautiful verses of the Qur'an. Or you imagine the time when the area around the Ka'ba was flooded after heavy rain and Abdullah ibn az-Zubair swam around it making Tawaf. Subhanallah, its a place with lots of history.
But there is a not-so-nice side of Hajj, and it isn't the Hajj itself, nor the locations, but the people. And this is what i think can make Hajj hard: not the physical aspects, but the non-physical aspects. How do you handle yourself when the courtyard of the Haram is packed by people making tawaaf and then some people choose to pray right behind Maqam Ibrahim right in your way? How do you handle seeing hundreds of Afghans and Chinese empty their nose in the streets? How do you react when old Pakistani men or women try to barge past you when there is no space at all in front of you? Or when the Turks/Malaysians come charging through the courtyard in huge groups shoving all those in their path to the side? Or the North African women who want to pray in the middle of the rows of the men? It can be tough, and it definitely is distracting. You don't expect to see that kind of stuff at the most holy place in the world.
You might have noticed all the different nations i mentioned there, and thats because there is no one nation that stands out as being the worst - we're all culprits. There would be a time when i would look at the Turks and think "these Turks they're the worst of all" and then i'd look to the side and see others being insensitive and say "Noo! Its those Indonesians they're the worst" and then i'd look in another direction and see a third group of people getting up to no good and .... you get my point? Jahl is international. And it actually then dawns on you that this, right in front of you, is the state of the ummah.
We arrived in Makkah about 8 days before the Hajj rites would start, and as the days passed, each day we would notice the crowds grow bigger, and that the walk to the masjid would take just a bit longer.
Alhumdulillah, the Hajj went well and me and my group arrived back safely. If you want to hear about it, read on (i'll break it down by location):
Makkah
-----------
Our first port of call was Makkah where we stayed for four days, alhumdulillah. The only way i can describe seeing the Ka'ba again is that it felt like you had arrived home. It is a special moment: you enter the mosque, look around and see the other worshippers, and as you approach the courtyard of the Haram you see the base of the Ka'ba through the pillars. The gold calligraphy, the huge bricks under the drawn up cloth, and then suddenly you're there. The house whose foundation Ibrahim alaihis-salaam laid - subhanallah it attracts the heart like a magnet. The only way i can describe that first moment is that its like coming home.
The Imams i prayed behind in Makkah were as-Sudais, Salih Al at-Talib and Usama Khayyat, but unfortunately, my favourite, Imam ash-Shuraim didn't come until after we'd left. But the Mu'adhin there was great: Qari Ali Mulla! Listening to that call to prayer was A M A Z I N G!
I used to pray on the roof of the haram because the courtyard was too packed, and the first floor felt stuffy; but also because it seemed whilst praying on the roof that the voices of the Imam and the mu'adhin were rising up to the heavens. I used to sit right next to the railings opposite the Ajyad escalator so that i would be facing the side of the Ka'ba with the Yemeni corner on the left and the Black stone on the right. From here i could also see the Imam when he led the prayer.
When you stand, looking over that fence, its a time to reminisce. So many things happened here. You imagine that night when Umar (before his Islam) tried to scare the Prophet by scrambling around the Ka'ba underneath its cloth to the other side where the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was praying, only to be stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the Prophet recite the beautiful verses of the Qur'an. Or you imagine the time when the area around the Ka'ba was flooded after heavy rain and Abdullah ibn az-Zubair swam around it making Tawaf. Subhanallah, its a place with lots of history.
But there is a not-so-nice side of Hajj, and it isn't the Hajj itself, nor the locations, but the people. And this is what i think can make Hajj hard: not the physical aspects, but the non-physical aspects. How do you handle yourself when the courtyard of the Haram is packed by people making tawaaf and then some people choose to pray right behind Maqam Ibrahim right in your way? How do you handle seeing hundreds of Afghans and Chinese empty their nose in the streets? How do you react when old Pakistani men or women try to barge past you when there is no space at all in front of you? Or when the Turks/Malaysians come charging through the courtyard in huge groups shoving all those in their path to the side? Or the North African women who want to pray in the middle of the rows of the men? It can be tough, and it definitely is distracting. You don't expect to see that kind of stuff at the most holy place in the world.
You might have noticed all the different nations i mentioned there, and thats because there is no one nation that stands out as being the worst - we're all culprits. There would be a time when i would look at the Turks and think "these Turks they're the worst of all" and then i'd look to the side and see others being insensitive and say "Noo! Its those Indonesians they're the worst" and then i'd look in another direction and see a third group of people getting up to no good and .... you get my point? Jahl is international. And it actually then dawns on you that this, right in front of you, is the state of the ummah.
We arrived in Makkah about 8 days before the Hajj rites would start, and as the days passed, each day we would notice the crowds grow bigger, and that the walk to the masjid would take just a bit longer.
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