MY HAJJ, by Nabil Uthman
My Hajj journey began in Medina when I changed into ihram. I was a bit apprehensive about wearing ihram because everything written in guidebooks about ihram is all about prohibitions - "whilst in ihram, this is forbidden, that is forbidden, etc, etc". Once I was wearing ihram, however, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. This was a common feeling amongst people in our group.
Although I was wearing ihram, I was not, however, in a "state of ihram". This only happens once the intention to perform Umrah (or Umrah and Hajj) is made at the miqat.
The miqat for is not far from Medina, It is well laid out and has ample wudu facilities. After ensuring that everyone in our group had wudu, our guide took us into the mosque where we made our intention.
From there, we got back into our coach, to set off on a long, overnight journey to Mecca. By the time we arrived in Mecca, it was daylight.
Tired and weary, we all checked into our hotels, and then went to the Haram Sharif to carry out our Umrah.
We all know what the Ka'abah looks like, and what the Haram Sharif looks like. We've seen them both countless times on TV and in pictures. This doesn't prepare you though, for the very first time that you really see it with your own eyes. The mosque, beautiful though it is, fades into the background when you are looking at the Ka'abah.
Umrah consists of seven circumambulations of the Ka'abah, two rak'at, drinking zamzam water, and then seven passages between Safa and Marwah (the sa'ee). The whole process takes a matter of hours, and is a necessity to commence the actual Hajj rituals.
A couple of days later, we set off for Mina to start our actual Hajj. The Mina camps were clean and had large tents to sleep in. There were also plenty of toilet/shower areas and wudu areas.
For the first couple of days, people were just getting to know each other and getting used to the routine of life in the Mina camp.
The day before the Day of Arafat is called the Day of Reflection. On this day we should reflect on our sins and shortcomings in preparation for the next day.
Then comes the Day of Arafat. We were taken to Arafat by a coach. It is actually close enough to walk, but it isn't easy to know which area your own group has been allocated, so it is better to go by coach. Since we were there in the morning, I went with a group of friends to see Jebel Rahma (The Mount of Mercy). It was already filling up with people who wanted to be actually on the mountain for this day.
The Day of Arafat actually commences from the Duhr prayer, and should be spent in sincere repentance, asking forgiveness for your sins, and asking for guidance and strength to do better in the future. After all, this is why you are here on Hajj.
Shortly after sunset, another coach took us to Muzdalifah. Again, Muzdalifah is actually close enough to walk, but the difficulty is in knowing which particular part of Muzdalifah your group has been allocated.
It was a beautiful warm evening and the ground we were to sleep on was soft. We collected our pebbles for stoning the Jamirat, and early the next morning, a group of us set off at around 4am to walk back towards Mina. We stopped before the Muzdalifah / Mina border so that we could complete our fajr prayers whilst still inside Muzdalifah.
Having completed fajr, we went to the Mina camp to drop off stuff and then make our way to the Jamirat. Because of incidents in previous years, the Saudi authorities were implementing a timetable for groups. Groups were allocated a time period for going to the Jamirat, and would not be allowed entry outside of that time period. This would spread the number of people going to the Jamirat through the day. Additionally, the approach to the Jamirat is on two levels (with a third level under construction) with one way in and one way out. This means that groups approach the Jamirat, carry out their stoning, and then leave by the exit. If they are going back to Mina, they are moving along a different route than the one they approached by, meaning there are not two crowds going in opposite directions on the same route.
The first day, of course, we only stoned one of the Jamirat. Our sacrifices were made, and we could now shave our heads and leave our state of ihram. On the second and third days we stoned all three Jamirat.
Once the third day's stoning was completed, we headed to Mecca to complete our tawaf ifadah. Once this was done, our Hajj rites were completed.
Al-hamdulillah, our Hajj went very well, and I would recommend you to complete your own hajj as soon as possible.
Nabil went on Haj with Haj & Umrah Travel Limited (0207 286 1111, www.haj.co.uk )
