Hajj Portal

Hajj is not a holiday.
 
Of course this is no-one’s intension; we all (Inshai’allah) are performing Hajj because its one of the five pillars of Islam – it’s an obligation on all who are able. We all go seeking to fulfil our obligations and the pleasure of our Creator.
 
But sometimes; somewhere in the back of our mind buried somewhere; you might feel the trip will be a break away from work, children, family, problems or whatever occupies your mind back home.
 
After all, it’s a spiritual journey; a once in a life time journey; a chance to get away from this world and problems …. Isn’t it?
 
Don’t get me wrong, Hajj is a spiritual journey; the most fulfilling and rewarding journey most people will ever undertake.
 
But it’s no holiday.
 
It will be a long hard journey full of tests & trials; moments of happiness & moments of sadness.
 
Like anything else in the life; Hajj is not meant to be easy; and it’s not easy. So approach your Hajj journey in this manner.
 
So the first thing you want to do after making your intension to perform Hajj, is put yourself in the right frame of mind; once you have that, you can concentrate on the rest of your trip.
 
I have split up the rest of this article into 5 sections:

1. Selecting your Hajj Group
2. Preparing for Your Hajj
3. What to expect at Hajj
4. Hajj Tips
5. After Hajj …

Selecting your Hajj Group

The is no one formula for picking a group, everyone has their own needs and will be looking for different things from their group. But below is a list of considerations to keep in mind while choosing your group:
 
Spiritual Guidance
Make sure there are people of knowledge in your group.
 
If your group is not lead by a Sheik or Imam, make sure there will be one with the group the whole way through the journey; and not just a guest Sheik that will give the occasional speech or lesson. The Sheik\Imam needs to be there to answer questions when arise and to keep up your iman through the trip.
 
It would be even better if there is a sister with knowledge in the group also; otherwise the women might miss out on religious instructions throughout the journey.
 
Accommodation
Ensure that your hotels are close to the Haram’s in Meccah and Madina. Even small distances of a few hundred metres take a long time in the Hajj rush.
 
Also, if food is provided in the hotel it’s a big plus, because it saves you the time of having to look for or prepare your own food. Especially with Breakfast.
 
If are the sort of person that likes their own space; and are very fussy about cleanliness, then try get your own room; or try minimise as much as possible.
 
Although keep in mind that friends you make in Hajj will be friends for life. And there is no better way to get to know someone than to live with them for 3 weeks.
 
Organisation
Ask questions to try determine how organised the group is, e.g. departure and arrival times, where do we stop over, where are we staying, how many people per room, do we get room numbers etc.
 
Although no group can fully prepare for Hajj, it helps if your group has prepared what it can, and you will get a sense of how organised the group is when they answer your questions.

Preparing for Hajj

Packing
Travel light, if you have a 30kg limit, then only take 15kg with you.
 
Take comfortable footwear with you; make sure you have worn in the footwear before you leave for Hajj. This includes your Ihram and non Ihram footwear.
 
Knowledge
Learn, Learn & Learn.
 
Know everything backwards before you leave. Especially make sure you know:  

• How to perform Umrah  
• How to Perform Hajj  
• All the Dua’ needed for Hajj & Umrah  
• Rules of Ihram  
• What you should do in Arafat  
• Learn how to perform the Jaznazah (Funeral) Prayer, you will pray this 5 times day after each prayer  
• If you don’t know how to read Qur’an, try learn to read before you go  

You’re Will
Every Muslim should have a Will, if you don’t already have a Will, make sure you make one before you leave.

What to expect at Hajj

Jeddah Airport
Your first taste of Hajj will come when you arrive in Jeddah. Jeddah has three airports but all the Hajjaj land in an airport called “Madina Al Hajjaj” i.e. the City of Pilgrims .
 
Madina Al Hajjaj is not really an airport, it’s a big oversized Tent. There are no walls in this airport, just the tent covering over head. You will literally fell, smell and hear every landing and take off.
 
Expect to be there for at-least 8 hours until all your paper work is done. If your plane is due to arrive there at night, pack some warm clothing in your hand luggage because you will get cold at night in Jeddah, you will be exposed to the winds.
 
This will be your first test of patients. You will feel like you are being herded from one location to another. It will be your first taste of Hajj and your first chance to show your patience. Really push yourself to set the pace for your Hajj trip from your landing in Jeddah.
 
Crowds & Traffic
Everywhere you go you will have to compete with crowds and traffic. The best example I can give is imagine living in a crowded theme park for 4 weeks. If you need toilets, there is a line; if you want food, there will be a line; you get the idea. The only difference is that the lines are not quite as organised as they are here.
 
Health \ Sickness
Expect to get sick; more than once; with a variety of different diseases.
 
More than likely, you will also have to diagnose the illness your self and then prescribe your own medicine.
 
Speak to your doctor before you leave and take your medicine with you from here. Drink plenty of fluids and take your medicine at the first signs of sickness.
 
Group Issues
Even the most organise groups will have issues; most things will not go according to plan. Take it easy with your group leaders; help them as much as you can and remember your patience. Lay off them as much as you can.
 
Beggars
Hajj is a big season for Beggars. It attracts them from all over the world. There are a few different types of beggars, and unfortunately most of them are professional beggars:
 

1. Organised Groups of Beggars: you will see them come and leave together in groups (usually in a van or ute). Someone will actually come and move a group of women and their children from one place to another place. These are mainly African women, and in many cases they will have 3-4 kids around them all begging for money. In many cases some of the children have missing limbs. They (the kids) often get lost during the rush of Hajj and get punished if they move from their posts. They normally sit on the road and beg from a sitting position.  
2. Deformed\Disabled Beggars: They normally work alone and are really noticeable around Mina.  
3. Arab Women: They normally beg alone or in groups of two with a child. They will approach you directly and ask for money. They claim they are from Palestine , but most of them are Egyptians.  
4. Men from the Sub Continent: They will approach with the line “Do you speak English” and then give you some story about how they have lost money or need to buy a bus ticket etc. I was personally approached with this line 6-8 times during my trip. In all cases when I offered to buy them another bus ticket, they would refuse and only wanted money.  

I personally refused to give money to anyone that asked for it. If they looked genuine I offered to buy them food, or a bus ticket or petrol or what ever they were asking for; but I wouldn’t give them money.
 
I have seen beggars take out rolls of money, in one case enough to change a 1000 Riyal bill for a neighbouring shop keeper.
 
This is one of the hardest tests of Hajj; the beggars really affect your heart. Every time you pass by a beggar (and you don’t give them money), it makes your heart that little bit harder. There is no doubt that 95% of them are professional beggars.
 
Pollution & Noise
We used to joke with each-other that if the bus ever ran out of fuel we could each vomit a few litres of diesel. It felt like it had formed a layer in our stomachs after a while.
 
There is also constant noise, especially car horns in the back ground.
 
The Haram’s in Meccah and Madina
Now to the good stuff; the Haram’s.
 
This is one of the biggest miracles of Hajj; you will forget everything as soon as you step into the Haram (in Mecca or Madina).
 
I still can image myself sitting on the roof between Magrib and Isha, reading Qur’an; watching the people do Tawaf below on the ground level. The noise of the Falcons in the Sky just made the whole experience that little more surreal.
 
Or making Tawaf around the Kabah; especially late at night with the cool breeze.
 
Or being able to drink Zam-Zam on demand when walking into the Haram; before starting my prayers.
 
Make sure you visit the Haram outside of prayer times; just thinking of walking through it again gives me goose bumps !!
 
The ground level is always full; I found the 2^nd and 3^rd levels are better for worship, especially if you have women with you.
 
Remember in Madina the women and men are separated into different areas, but in Meccah they are not. You will find pockets and women and men through the Haram in Meccah.
 
Take advantage of your time there; you might not get another chance to go back.
 
Mina-Arafat-Muzdalifa
The whole Mina-Arafat-Muzdalifa-Mecca-Mina commando circuit is something you will remember for the rest of your life.
 
These 6 days are your Hajj, especially Arafat, and at the time you will not appreciate it; but if you will take anything out off your Hajj, it will happen in these 6 days.
 
And it is a commando course; it will push you to your limits in all aspects. Physically it will drain you. Emotionally it will exhaust you; and spiritually it will test you.
 
These days will make or break your Hajj and it is where you Hajj will climax; so prepare yourself. 

Some Hajj Tips

Don’t over eat in Mina
While you are in Mina, eat only what you need. Toilets are in short supply, especially in Muzdalifa. If you need to go in Muzdalifa, wake up (if you get to sleep) about 3-4am and go then. If you wait until Fajr, you will have a 60 minute wait.
 
Mina Sickness
After Mina is when most people get sick, so if you are the type to get sick, start taking your drugs while you are still in Mina, and continue to take them until you get home.
 
Consult your doctor before you leave, but these 6 days push your body to the limit and weaken your immune system. It is the perfect chance for one of the many viruses floating around to make a home in your body.
 
Departure Home After Mina
When choosing a group; try choose one that will depart for home a few days after you finish these 6 days. You will not want to stay in Saudi for much longer after you have finished your Hajj.
 
As I said, your Hajj will climax during these days, and you want to get home while you are still on a high.
 
Staying in Meccah or Madina after you have finished Hajj does not have the same feeling as it will have before Hajj. Try maximise your time before Hajj and leave as soon as you can after Hajj.
 
For the sisters, try plan your monthly circle (if possible) to occur either before or after these days.
 
Avoiding the Big Crowds
The 9th and the 10th of Dul-Hijja (i.e. the 2nd and 3rd of the 6 days) are the most exhausting days.
 
Consider what the typical Hajj does during these 6 days:  

• Day 1 (8^th Dul-Hijja): Arrive a Mina, sleep the night in Mina (i.e. the tent city)  
• Day 2 (9^th Dul-Hijja): Leave for Arafat from Mina, arrive at Arafat usually about Thuhr time (Arafat is a smaller tent city)  
• Day 2 (9^th Dul-Hijja): Leave Arafat and arrive in Muzdalifa usually around midnight. Sleep in Muzdalifa under the stars (its about this time that queuing the toilet takes a new meaning, and you will appreciate not stuffing your face in the previous day)  
• Day 3 (10^th Dul-Hijja): Leave for Mina from Muzdalifa after Fajr, usually on foot, and perform the Rajam (i.e. the stoning) in Mina. The Rajam is a 90min walk for the Australians each way.  
• Leave for Meccah from Mina and perform your 7 Tawaf + 7 Sa’ee and then walk back to Mina, usually making it back by Fajr on the 11^th  

During the process you would have walked between 30-50km; with virtually no sleep in between. And most of the walking is done in Ihram (that means no under wear for the men, and it is about now you really appreciate your underwear).
 
Now, here is my tip – don’t go back to Meccah on the 10^th. Wait, stay in Mina for a few days and finish off your Hajj in Meccah once you get back there for good either on the 12^th or 13^th.
 
You don’t have to finish your Hajj on the 10^th (unless you have a sister with you that is due for her monthly cycle). You can take off your Ihram without having to go to Meccah. So wait in Mina for a few days if you can.
 
If you do this, you will avoid the major Hajj traffic and crowds, it will save you 20-30km of walking during the busiest time of Hajj; and you will avoid the impossible huge crowds that will be at the Haram in Meccah on the 10th. You will also have more time and space to perform your Hajj properly. It will take out half the stress from your Hajj.
 
Also, make sure you ask your group leaders about what times to perform the Rajam; by picking the quieter times you will also avoid those crowds also.
 
Arafat
Prepare for Arafat, don’t just rock up there without a plan. Make a list of the all Dua’ you want to make while you are there. Write down the dua’ that people have asked you to make for them and take it with you to Arafat.
 
Learn your Dua’ if possible, fin a quiet place on the day and cry your heart out. Inshai’allah Allah (SWT) will shower His mercy on you and accept your Hajj.

After Hajj

Hajj does not end when you leave Meccah. The scholars have said that one of the signs that Allah (SWT) has accepted your Hajj is that you will come back a better person than when you left.
 
Your behaviour after Hajj is the best guide you have on whether Allah (SWT) has accepted your Hajj. So please remember this and be conscious of this fact. 

Conclusion

I will go back to what I said in the start; Hajj is not a holiday. It’s a journey of a life time. Inshai’allah it’s a journey that will change your life and will change you (hopefully for the better).
 
Once you have done one Hajj; you will feel it pulling you back; your heart will long for it every year; it will call you from the deepest deaths of your soul.
 
And you will want to go back.
 
Just approach this journey with the right frame of mind; its going to be a long hard slog; physically, mentally and spiritually - but it will also be filled with beautiful moments along the way.
 
In a lot of ways, Hajj is a small example of our life in this world.
 
We work hard in this life; life is not easy; and it’s not meant to be easy – you will have high points and low points. You will experience moments and ecstasy and join; and moments and sadness and pain.
 
But we are toiling away with one goal in mind – seeking our Creators Pleasure so that He may grant us His Mercy and entry into His Paradise .
 
Approach Hajj in the same way.
 
Have your end goal in mind every minute you are there. As always our end goal in mind; we need an accepted Hajj in our bag of deeds to attain this privilege.
 
It will only take one minute for you to say something or do something to nullify your Hajj. So please be wary of this; it’s a real and scary danger.
 
And most importantly, ask Allah (SWT) to grant you the patients and ability to complete your Hajj; and go expecting Allah (SWT) to grant your request.
 
You are going to the House of Allah; and what better host is there than Allah? Expect to be treated graciously & generously by the Best of Hosts – and be prepared for any tests that He may choose to put you through.