The Beginning; How to pick a group

1. Try to go with a smaller group, 50 people at most. Your group will be more organized and you will have an easier time getting your questions answered.

2. Make sure your group has one person for administrative matters and another person for religious matters. About the religious handler, make sure you feel reliable around your sheikh; anyone with a Islamic studies degree or with a decent book can answer your questions, but not every sheikh will give you the time and attentiveness you might need, especially when he's being asked by 50 people and trying to make his own hajj. The sheikh I had, who's mad cool, used to sit down with all for us at every step and read for us the best way to perform that task of the day, as well as read us hadith on the issue and so on.

3. If you can afford it, try to get a hotel that is close to Kaaba. You want to spend more time worshipping and less time traveling to your hotel. You will need to go back for food, rest etc.

4. Whatever they might tell you, The Azizayah district is FAR from the Kaaba, especially during the Hajj. You will have to take a bus to get there and who knows how ling that will take.

5. Make sure you know whether you want to go to Mecca or Medina first. The advantage of going to Mecca first is that you get all the tough stuff done and then get to rest up in Medina. It's sort of a nice reward for a tough and arduous trip. If you go to Mecca second then you will be rested up for your pre-hajj Umrah.

(Note: The real trip is Hajj. So if you go to Mecca first then you will be tired for your Umrah but will have many days to rest and recover for your Hajj. If you go to Medina first then you will leave Mecca tired and end your trip abruptly, with a big headache awaiting you at the airport. I would definitely recommend going to Mecca first, Medina second.)

6. If possible, try to find a group that allows you to use your hotel during the Manasik (the trip to Mina, Arafat, etc.) This is very very convenient, although most groups do not do this. Most groups will just have you pack up your stuff and they will just stick it in the trunk of the bus for a week.

Preparing to leave America.

1. Make sure you buy a decent canteen and some portable food like protein bars. You will need these for two reasons:

a) A seat inside the Haram is like gold, if you leave it for one second someone will take it. You will need a canteen full of zamzam and some food if you want to keep a good seat at the kaaba.
b) You might spend a lot of time waiting at the airports, especially in Jeddah. I mean a lot of time.

2. If you are a type A personality, leave your watch at home. Nothing will be on time!, This is not the U.S.A. I am serious, do not even bother checking the time. Just rely on Allah. This was told me by the sheikh during the last jum'ua, and I wholeheartedly agree.

3. MAKE SURE you have the name and telephone number of your hotels in Mecca and Madinah ON HAND before you leave America. Very Important! Keep this attached to you at all times, especially when you put on your Ihram clothes. Many people become disattached form their groups and because they did not know which hotel they were staying in, could not find them again. You will sit out in the hot sun for days, weeks, maybe even months while the Saudi authorities try to find a way for you, and the thousands of other lost people, to contact home and eventually their groups.

4. Mark your luggage, inside and outside, with your Name, Address, and Telephone Number. Do this for your home in the U.S., your hotel in Mecca, and your Hotel in Madinah.

5. Bring scissors (for cutting your hair), hair clippers, and a 220 to 110 adapter. If you plan on shaving your own head after Arafat, you will need these tools, a nd a very good shaver with lots of refills, preferably the MachIII or something higher. Trust me, the disposables will not work well.

6. Make sure your intentions are right. Put all your trust in Allah subhanna wa taala and know that if your are going for HIM, that everything else is easy.

At Jeddah

1. This is a very disorganized place. Find your group ASAP. Make sure you stick to your group and that your luggage does not go with the wrong group.

2. If you lose your group or came separately from them go to the information desk. Tell them your are from the US. They will give you a tag and tell you to sit in a an area. After waiting a very long time with other U.S. folks (make sure they're form the U.S.) you will get on bus and the bus driver will take everyone to their respective hotels. This is where you HAVE to know the name and number of your hotel, otherwise he can’t help you. You can also take a cab or minibus from the airport I guess, but you should ask to see where those are.

At Mecca

1. Once you reach your hotel you have two choices, make umrah right away or rest for a little while first. This all depends on your preference. ( I personally always just make the umrah right away; but keep in mind that for some reason you will not feel the experience like you should. This is for the simple fact that fatigue hinders your ability to worship properly. You will notice a big difference between making your Tawaf and Saiy rested and making it tired.)

2. Make sure you carry money with you at all times, even during Umrah. You will need this money for a haircut and to buy new slippers (yes, you will lose your slippers many times.)

3. Do not leave your slippers outside of the Haram, they will be swept away. Put them in a plastic bag and carry them inside. If you can, find a pillar or some place you will remember to find them. Otherwise, I know some people that just check them at the door and buy new slippers each time (it's only about $0.50 per pair) The reason he does this is that he doesn’t want to mistakenly take someone else's slippers.

4. If you're doing Umrah before hajj, you might not want to shave your head but just rather cut a few pieces of hair off. You will probably want to save the shaving for Hajj. If you really want to shave your head both times then don’t do the first one down to the skin. Just shave it with the clippers and not the razor. If you don’t have clippers and want to go to the professionals, they are right outside the Safa and Marwa (If you are one of the hills and facing the kaaba, it is on the exit opposite that)

5. Golden Gem: The best time to rest is between Fajr and Dhuhr. Make sure you stay for Duha prayer though.

6. If you want a good spot, you will have to be really dedicated. By this I do not mean being sly or by stepping over people to get to the front, or to squeeze in between two people so that they have no comfort in prayer. I mean if you want to get a spot for Fajr you will have to come two hours early. For the other prayers, you will have to come two prayers before it. So if you want to get a spot for Isha you will have to get there by Asr. If you want to come for asr you will have to come 2 hours before Dhuhr. The best time to look for a spot is after the prayer is done. People use this time to go home, eat, etc. For yourself, bring your canteen and fill it with zamzam. Like I said, you can’t get up to go get water unless you want to lose your spot.

7. As you start to get close and closer to the actual Hajj, Mecca will start to become more crowded. The way to deal with this agitation is 'perspective'. Rather than being agitated that everything is so crowded, look at it from a different point of view, i.e.) "Alhamdullilah, all of these people are coming to the same place for the sake of Allah". When you look at things this way not only will you not mind the crowds, but you might also wish that it is even more crowded.

8. Make sure you write down all your duas and carry a dua book. The stress, fatigue, and crowds will make you forget. Make sure you write down names and carry the list when you go to the Kaaba. Use the time in Mecca to reflect and make a big list for the day of Arafat. Reflect on all your misdeeds and think of this as the one opportunity you will have to erase it and never have to look back at them again. If you can’t think of anything then you're in trouble. Go make tawaf and reflect some more!

9. Try to Make tawaf (circumbulation) around the Ka'aba every day. The tawaf is like the prayer when entering a masjid. In fact, it is exactly that.