by Rami Mahmoud Elsawah
Author's note: I recommend reading the article "Searching Fitra: Finally Home" before ever venturing to the Masjid Al-Haram. It really helped in preparing my heart for this great journey. Masha Allah.
On the day of Arafat, the most blessed day of the year (the equivalent of Laylatul Qadr) I saw a camel with a canopied seat on top, all covered in flowers and decorations.. At first I thought the Dalai Lama had made his way into town (I really did) but then I realized that the person inside was wearing Ihram clothes. His hands were up high in dua’ position as if seeking Allah subhanna wa taala's infinite mercy and forgiveness, but actually he was just posing for the camera. Then I saw many more camels…all with people taking pictures on them. I thought, and as one of the older members of my group said to me earlier...'This has all become Seeyaha (tourism).' My humble advice, don't turn your pilgrimage into a vacation and seeyaha.
Yet I saw some very very blessed things. Like eighty and ninety year old men all the way up on the third floor of the Masjid Al-Haram doing ramleh (fast walking) with ease for the first three tawafs around the Kaaba, outdoing many of the younger generations behind them. Keep in mind that the circumference of the third floor is much greater than the bottom floor. I also saw a woman who had never seen an escalator in her life. I thought to myself Subhanna Allah…there are people here who come here by foot and by bus, who have saved up their entire lives for this trip...and here we are complaining that our hotel is too far away and that the restaurant gets too crowded at dinnertime.
It was this ideology of being thankful that was really good. Some people took their plates of food and tea from the Mina camps and handed it out to the people sitting outside. My advice to anyone going there is just be thankful. Whatever condition you are in, there is always worse (and usually not more than 100 feet away). Enjoy the naama that Allah has provided and be thankful and do not complain. I repeat, it is enough that we are spoiled Americans/Europeans/Canadians, the least we could do is not complain about the minor inconveniences we may have to suffer.
But truly in Mina, on the very first day, our group (of about 40 people) finally became like a tribe. Like brothers unto one another we shared the same sleeping space and the same food, we stayed up late and talked about our lives, about the Quds (many were Palestinian & Jordanian), about philosophy and about the Akhira. It was at Mina where I really felt the Hajj. Because like Muhammed Alshareef said (I met him there for the first time…my brother introduced me), ‘You won’t remember the hotel and the accommodations, you won’t remember the food or the buses, all you will remember and look back upon during Hajj is the people you met, the relations you developed with them, the experiences you went through with them. It is so true. Maybe now I will finally give in to everyone’s demands and take an Al-Maghrib class. Maybe, insha Allah.
One of the beautiful things to behold about Masjid Al-Haram are the crowds. At times you could barely breathe and at other times you’re so focused on defending yourself and staying afloat that you have no time to focus on making du’a. But when looked at from a different perspective you can learn to enjoy it. Because as someone said to me while I was there, ‘If you were making tawaf and you were the only one there, it would really stink’. How truer could this be? When you think of it in the perspective that “Masha Allah, all these people came here solely for the purpose of worshipping Allah” you begin to enjoy the beauty of the crowds. Sometimes I would just close my eyes and see where the waves of people would take me to. Another time I was trying to get out of the inner circle of the tawaf but found myself absolutely stuck, when an old Turkish man (Turks are very strong) grabbed me with one arm and pulled me through the crowd. It was the funniest thing, I think that will be a very hard memory to forget.
I had siitng to the left of me at one point an old Chinese man who if you spoke any Arabic or English to, he wouldn’t understand a word you said . But at the same time picks up a Qu’ran and reads it with fluency. I had to the right of me a Libyan man who liked the vest thar I had because it came from Marsa Matrouh, a city hugging the Libyan border. Then came a man who asked to sit in between us. We said ‘ok’ and he said “tashakur”. I said “Turkish?” He said “No, Iran”. The man to the right of the Libyan man heard us and said he was Turkish. Subhan Allah! China, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Turkey...all in one spot…all sharing the same 8 feet of space in the shade of the Kaaba awaiting dawn. I don’t know how they ever get people to leave.
I must of course give mad props to Sheikh Muhammed Al-Hayek of the North Hudson Islamic Center. I have heard from so many people how selfish (for lack of better words) so many of the shuyukh that go along with these trips can be. But Sheikh Al-Hayek (even though his father passed away a week before the Hajj came) spent all his time in helping, giving lessons, answering people's questions. I saw him every day looking as if he was about to collapse of weariness because he could barely sleep…but he never turned away any person who asked him a question or sought from him knowledge. He truly put others before himself. Alhamdullilah that Allah allowed us to be with him on this rihlah.
To the Hidayaites:
Jazzakum Allah Kull khair to all those who made du’a for me.
Jazzakum Allah Kull Khair to all of those who wished me well.
Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar,
La Illaha Illa Allah!
Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar,
Wa Lillahil Hamd!
May Allah make us a strong Ummah
as salaamu alaikum
Brother please remember us in your Duas, especially that Allah takes us all to the Holy Lands solely for His pleasure again and again, ameen
was salaam
on February 5, 2005 7:00 AMOne thing I remember from Hajj was that it was like a mirror into myself. Believe me, no matter how big of a shaakir one may be, when one goes to Hajj every atom of one's inner ugliness comes out and becomes apparent. I look back at it now and its shameful. At the same time, it also becomes much easier to actualize the good that may be in one and to benefit others with it. You see the best qualities of humanity and its finer points. Its an amazing experience psychologically because there are soo many themes going on at the same time under this One BIG theme.
JazakumAllahu khair brother for this wonderful article mashaAllah. And thank you for the duas you made for us Hidayans while there :).
on February 5, 2005 11:42 AMJazakh Allahu khayr for providing us insight into your journey.
I had a question. Did you see any women with infants during Hajj ?
on February 5, 2005 1:34 PMSubhaanAllah, I was just thinking... Journeying to Mecca and Medina is the way out of writer's block :)
You end up experiencing so many little stories, the emotions are just at their peak, and the contemplation that you undergo all combine for a rich, fruitful writing experience one you return to the outside world.
JazaakAllah khair Rami, great to have you back, alhamdulillah.
So true, so true.
I went to do umrah before I got married, so I remember some things. But before I lived two years in Makkah and I thnk made hajj twice that time (7 and 8 yrs old I think). It was amazing. The feelings stay with you for a long time.
My mom made hajj when I was a baby, so it can be done in shaa Allaah.
on February 6, 2005 3:41 PMJazakhAllah sr ibtisam :)
my husband and I are planning Insha'Allah to make Hajj next year. however, we were blessed with a surprise and I still wanted to keep the same plans.
on February 8, 2005 12:48 PMSubhanAllah, when I saw your comment I knew you were thinking of bringing a lil haaji with you:)
MashaAllah! Congratulations Saima!
My fiance and I plan to make next year's hajj our first trip together. I'll look out for the sister with the adorable little baby :)
on February 8, 2005 3:12 PM
Asalaam Aleikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatu,
Jazaakum Allah Kull khair everyone for your dua's and you good wishes, it means much to me.
Sr. Saima I forgot to answer your question. But first of all. Barak Allah Feekum, may Allah bless your family and your new addition. I did see infants there but I REALLY would not recommend bringing him/her along. Most importantly because of all the sickness. Everyone who goes there comes back sick, and I wouldn't succept my child to that considering how dangerous sicknesses are to children. Other than that it is just a matter of inconvenience. Your poor husband is going to be worried sick because it is hard enough to protect/look after your wife on Hajj (from what I've heard and seen from many people) let alone trying to push away and hold off people from your baby.
My advice is just leave him/her with family for the 2-3 weeks you will be gone. My parents left my brother and my older sister(who was just an infant at the time) with my grandparents while they were making Hajj. This is the best solution in my opinion. May Allah may your trip easy for you.
Talal, it is more than just a way out of writer's block...it is a never ending pool of thought, knowledge and observation even when you are not looking for it. Also, when you get writer's block make du'a. I usually never have a clue what to write before I write...I just make du'a and say bismillah and the words flow out by themselves. That's the difinitive proof that none of this stuff that I write comes or know actually is from my own knowledge...all knowledge comes from Allah.
"...Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth..." (Ayat Al-Kursi)
That is why we really (as writers) have to also rememebr (and this is advice to myself foremost) to be thankful to Allah. That is why I have also started to recite this ayah after writing an article or such like that.
"...O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favours, which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: And admit me, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants." (Surat Al-naml, 19)
Wasalaam Aleikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatu
MashaAllah, how right you are akhee...
buy-buy writer's block.
you're right about the sickness.. my friend's parents went on hajj and her father came back with a really bad case of the flu. i guess i still have some time to decide on what to do insha'Allah.
whatever that's best.
on February 9, 2005 10:21 AMThis is just a note for Saima -- Congratulations on the new addition to teh family.
My parents went to Hajj when they had 3 children. 2 of us they left with relatives, and my brother (about 2 yrs old they took.
As beautiful as the feeling is for Hajj, I have to agree that it may not be the best place for your baby. Your baby would definitely get uncomfortable because of the heat/amount of ppl tehre, and his/her crying will disrupt your concentration. Also - babies sleep about 20 hours in the beginning, so you'll be carrying him/her everywhere. Might get you tired and limit your ibadah. I know that happened with my parents. (so next time they wisened up and took me with them, to baby sit my bro. while they did hajj ;)).
You will also be definitely exposing your baby to all sorts of viruses/illnesses and they don't get done with all their immunization shots till the child's 1.5 yrs old. Please be very very careful.
On the flipside, I would love to take my baby to hajj, the earlier the better. Hope you don't mind teh suggestin, but maybe you can do an istikhara when teh time comes...
Congratulations again on teh baby, and good luck with your decision.
As Salamualaikum Wa Rahmatullah
JazakAllah for the refreshing article. i just want to reiterate Br. Rami's highliht of the fact that many muslims who go to Hajj are not well off. May Allah increase the rewards for the Hajis. Brothers and sisters, there are many poor Muslims out there, who live below the poverty line. There are many of those who seldom get to eat meat or even a proper meal for that matter. And many of the times the victims of poverty are young children! Yes young children. Brothers and sisers, be grateful to Allah, and show your gratitude by spending on the poor and hungry believing Muslims. They are humans too; well, they are mostly kids. Think about yourselves....you people were once 1 year olds too. Ofcourse the religion of Allah is the Truth; it turns materialistic people with hyper inflated arrogant egos into caring and loving people. And remember the 3 rd pillar of Islam is Sadaqah or Zakaah, so uphold this before Hajj. Dont let the Ummah bleed brothers and sisters..... you would only hurt your ownselves, (own souls) and memories if you do so. May Allah give us Hidaya, May Allah give us Taqwa, May Allah give us kindness and compassion, May Allah give us wisdom, May Allah give us humility, May Allah open all of our eyes to the pains of the little sons and daughters of the believers and the . And May Allah show us the way of compassion to all his human creations specially the innocent children. Ameen
jazakhAllahu khayr sr saima :) for all of your insight and suggestions :)
everyone.. thanks again :)
on February 18, 2005 11:45 PM