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I
Was in Awe at the Scale of the Place* |
Sr. Fatiha Arhbal
Australia
 Assalamualaikum
wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
Glory
be to Allah who brought me to Islam 5 years ago.
I
was seven months pregnant with our second child when my husband and
I decided to make our Hajj, in 1998, al-hamdu lillah.
We
spoke to others who had made Pilgrimage for advice, but the
resounding response was that we were mad to make Pilgrimage at such
a time. We were also planning to go by ourselves, that is, without
a group, which also brought a round of incredulous responses.
Others supported us with “in sha’ Allah.”
Nevertheless,
al-hamdu lillah, we put our trust in Allah, and He took care
of us. It seemed that from the moment we made our decision,
everything more or less fell into place, subhan Allah. We
prepared ourselves by studying about Hajj, and what was required on
different days, as well as finding out the approximate dates. Our
time was limited, so we had to be quite precise about where we were
going to be so that we could fulfill all the rites of Hajj
properly.
We
booked our flight from Australia to Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) through a
regular travel agent, and applied for our visas through the Saudi
Embassy in Canberra. We planned to spend 12 days in Saudi, with the
first 4 to 5 days in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah and the rest of the
time in Hajj. For this reason, we chose to fly from Jeddah to
Madinah return.
Al-hamdu
lillah, we arrived safely at the Hajj terminal at Jeddah, with
Muslims from all around the world prepared to make pilgrimage. I
was in awe at the scale of the place, ma sha’ Allah.
Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of people, who had to be
processed through customs & immigration, we missed our
connecting flight to Madinah. Al-hamdu lillah, though, a
Saudi official, may Allah reward him, found us a place on the next
flight, albeit with a handwritten boarding card. I feel that this
was a favor on his part to help us, as I think this was unofficial.
It
was helpful that my husband speaks Arabic (he is Moroccan), and I
have a little conversational Arabic, al-hamdu lillah, but
most of the Saudi officials and helpers speak excellent English, so
I think language doesn’t play too much of a role in official
dealings.
One
should be aware that the Saudi government has strict rules about
when is the last day to travel to Madinah or from Madinah to Makkah.
Al-hamdu lillah we got that flight, having just boarded
prior to midnight, which was the deadline, because if we had not,
we would have been unable to go to Madinah at all.
Our
passports were taken away from us and sent to Madinah to the
Pilgrim’s Office for those who have traveled by air, there is
another office for those who have traveled by land. We were given
two vouchers, one for each passport, with the address of the office
on them, and were told to go to the office as soon as practical to
tell of our return trip plans, so that our passports could follow
us back to Jeddah. Because we were not with a group, we had to do
all this ourselves, which was sometimes quite time-consuming, but al-hamdu
lillah, it didn’t get in the way of performing prayers. The
offices seem quite chaotic, with no queues and many Hajjis wanting
to be attended to at the same time. It took a couple of visits to
enter the second room where the passports are held; they were
located, and marked with our return journey plans.
Ma
sha’ Allah, the breathtaking first view of the Prophet’s
(peace and blessings be upon him) mosque at night on arrival by
taxi from the airport, brought tears to our eyes and we will never
forget it.
We
had not booked a hotel, so the taxi driver kindly dropped us near
the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque where
there were a lot of hotels. Because we were entering Madinah at a
time just days prior to the Hajj, many people were already leaving
to go to Makkah, so al-hamdu lillah, the hotels had a few
vacancies, and we found a room easily. The room had nine beds! We
had the room all to ourselves, but a shared bathroom. It was so
close to the mosque that you could hear the Adhan, make wudu’
and get there in plenty of time for Prayer, which was excellent for
Fajr Prayers, al-hamdu lillah. The prices were also very
negotiable, as the hotels were keen to have business.
Al-hamdu
lillah, a friend of ours in Australia had friends who lived in
Madinah, so we made contact with them and ma sha’ Allah,
they were excellent guides during ziyarah (the visit to the
Prophet’s Mosque).
Ziyarah
took us a full afternoon in a private taxi. We changed to another
hotel, Dar al Bab Al Jumu`ah, that had a smaller room and a private
bathroom, at a better price, ma sha’ Allah, we will return
there in the future, in sha’ Allah.
Another
time consuming occupation was the reconfirmation of flights, as
obviously all pilgrims are trying to do the exact same thing. It
just takes several visits, patience and perseverance.
Ma
sha’ Allah, it is easy to see why the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) loved this city and its people. To walk in a
place so steeped in Islamic history is inspiring and humbling. The
evenings, with the crescent moon hanging above the minarets of the
Prophet’s mosque, were sensational, subhan Allah.
I
am sorry to leave out all the details of the Sunnah of visiting
Madinah and the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him)
mosque, but this is something that is easily found in good books,
and beautifully simplified and easy to follow in the guidebook
provided by the Saudi Government on arrival in Jeddah. Actually, it
was my most used book during our visit, as it was very clear about
what needs to be done. May Allah reward them for this.
We
were sad to leave Madinah, but equally excited about the main
event, Hajj. We flew back to Jeddah, this time in our ihram,
intending to make Hajj. We arrived at the “normal” airport,
where we had to go to another office within the airport to be
triaged into nationality groups, according to the nationality of
our passports. We were given the address and number of the
Establishment for Pilgrims responsible for us in Makkah, which was
number 19. The group including pilgrims from America, Australia,
Europe and Turkey. Our passports were again held and sent to that
office.
We
then traveled by taxi to Makkah, where we dropped off at the Sacred
Mosque. We performed our `Umrah before Fajr, al-hamdu lillah.
A nearby hotel obligingly kept our luggage for us while we did
this.
The
Sacred mosque is one of the largest structures I have ever seen;
its sheer bulk just seemed to dwarf me, subhan Allah. The
atmosphere is almost tangible, the feeling of solidarity with the
Muslim Ummah just made me feel that I had really come “home”.
The sighting of the Ka`bah for the first time is awesome, its
beauty cannot be portrayed in any other way except by pure
experience of its presence and its meaning to us as Muslims. The
fact that everyone is there to do exactly the same thing in
praising their creator, Allah, just elevates and magnifies the
feelings, so that it feels as though your heart is going to leap
out of your chest with joy. Subhan Allah, nowhere else have
I felt such a strong sense of “rightness” and belonging.
During
our Tawaf, we were lucky enough, al-hamdu lillah, to meet
with a Moroccan woman, who seeing my condition and knowing we had
no hotel booked, invited us to her hotel for a rest after our `Umrah.
She guided us to the Zamzam well, and to Safa and Marwah to make
our Sa`i, may Allah reward her.
The
miracle of Zamzam water, subhan Allah, still never ceases to
astound me. So many people drinking and washing with it and taking
liters back home with them to their home countries, it truly is a
blessing of Allah, and the sweetest and most refreshing water on
Earth.
We
rested for a while at her hotel. She had gone with a group and
there were many people in each room, segregated by sex, unless part
of a large family group, in which case they had a room together. I
rested with the women, while my husband of course, was with the
men.
We
went by taxi to Office 19, and met the people responsible for us
during the days of Hajj. This is what you are paying for when you
apply for your visa, and get your bus travel vouchers. You are
paying for the infrastructure and organization, accommodation in
tents at Mina and `Arafat, plumbing, sanitation and water supply.
They were also selling vouchers for meals at Mina and we bought
some. We met Abdullah, the head of Number 19, who was very helpful
and friendly and really went out of his way to help us, may Allah
reward him for that. He and most of the staff there spoke perfect
English, so, as I was saying before, communication was no problem.
Unfortunately,
our Australian passports were not at his office and that made us
worried. Al-hamdu lillah, to his credit, he reassured us,
and told us he would look after us under the group number 19, gave
us our Number 19 ID bands, told us to have a good Hajj in sha’
Allah, and he would sort it out. We trusted him. We left for
Mina that night on a group 19 bus from the 19 office. Al-hamdu
lillah, it was all very easy, they even stored our luggage at
the office for us. All we had to do was stick to buses and tents
with group 19 on them, and we would be all right in sha` Allah.
The
bus trip took a very long time, but al-hamdu lillah, we
eventually arrived in Mina. We met with a lovely, ma sha’
Allah, Jordanian-American couple, with whom we traveled most of
the time while performing our Hajj. It was good to have another
sister to talk to and two men to help guard us in the particularly
crowded areas such as the Jamarat.
On
our first night in Mina, we climbed up on a nearby mountainside,
and watched the big picture unfolding around us. People walking,
the cars and buses jostling for space amongst the sea of people,
the little community of people living in tents on the hillside, who
have gathered there to sell cooked food to the pilgrims, and most
impressively, the massive city of tents that is Mina, with peaked
tents reaching as far as the eye can see, Subhan Allah.
The
accommodation was simple and adequate, al-hamdu lillah, with
rugs on the floor, fans spaced regularly, and dispensers of cold
iced water.
Lots
of ablution blocks, but obviously, with so many people there was
often a wait, especially at peak traffic times, such as before
Prayers. Our tents were not partitioned off at all, which meant
that there was no privacy, but it didn’t matter, as privacy
wasn’t really required.
My
husband and I decided to move from Mina to `Arafat by foot, while
our companions chose the bus. Al-hamdu lillah, I am pleased
that we decided to do that, as it was such a group experience,
everyone chanting “Labbayka Allahumma, Labbayk”, and the
swarming tide of the crowd all heading to `Arafat, made the day of
`Arafat a real glory and thanksgiving for the bounties bestowed on
us by Allah. The site of Masjid Namirah was again joyous, marking
our imminent arrival, Al-hamdu lillah. The walking road is
very comfortable, with ablution blocks and cold-water fountains all
along the way. Ma sha’ Allah, considering that there were
four million people everything was very clean. Compare this to an
event such as, for example, the Grand Prix, which has been held in
Adelaide, Australia, and although only attracted crowds in the
thousands, there was lots of vandalism and filthy toilet
facilities. Hajj to me was spotless, al-hamdu lillah.
However,
on reaching `Arafat, we had no idea where, in this sprawling tent
city, our tent 19 was. Obviously, being pregnant, I needed a good
sit down in the shade by this stage. Al-hamdu lillah, we
stumbled upon a group of tents with an Algerian flag. The finding
of the Algerian tent-being the next best thing to finding the
Moroccan tent-was really sent by Allah! My husband asked a man near
the tent at the front if I could sit down in the shade with some
women. He was a Saudi national, who had come to perform Hajj with
his extended family, al-hamdu lillah, their acceptance of us
as part of their family and their hospitality towards us is a
credit to them, and may Allah reward them in full. My husband
stayed with the men, and thanked them, but they responded that it
was they who must thank us, because it is because of the pilgrims
and the service that Saudi Arabia provides them, that in sha’
Allah, they, the Saudis, are rewarded many times over. I truly
do believe it is with this spirit that the Hajj organizers do their
duty, ma sha’ Allah.
We
made our du`aa’s, and spent some time at the Mount of
Mercy, which was full of an incredible hum of people, all thanking,
glorifying and pleading to Allah Most High. It is the day where the
tears fall and the heart overflows with thankfulness to Allah, and
belief in his mercy and that all our sins will be forgiven.
After
Maghrib Prayers, again we made our way with the flowing exodus of
people, to Muzdalifah. We had brought a backpack with us that
contained a “therm-a-rest” mat, which is a very small blow-up
insulated mattress found at camping stores, and some sleeping bags,
but, due to my pregnancy, we only stayed in Muzdalifah until after
midnight before making our way back to Mina. Again, rules-and their
exceptions-can be found in books on Hajj, so please check. May
Allah find this acceptable, in sha’ Allah.
After
Fajr Prayers in Mina, we performed the rites of Yaum An-Nahr, al-hamdu
lillah. I am thankful to my husband who encouraged me to be
brave and to throw my own stones at the Jamarat, and, al-hamdu
lillah, it was relatively easy, with a space opening up just at
the right time. Yes, I will admit there were a few times where the
push, pull and ebb of the crowd was a little too close to my baby
for comfort, but, al-hamdu lillah Allah protected us as we
just prayed constantly to Him to make it easy for us. Our du`aa’s
were answered, al-hamdu lillah.
With
this rite personally accomplished, rather than by proxy, I felt a
real accomplishment in the completion of Hajj, al-hamdu lillah.
We actually preferred the downstairs part of the Jamarat, and found
it easier to gain good access there.
In
Madinah we had bought sacrifice vouchers, which I feel is an
excellent idea on the part of the Saudis, ma sha’ Allah,
with the sacrificial meat slaughtered, frozen or canned, and sent
to people in need all over the world. It was good to feel that you
were benefiting Muslim brothers and sisters, al-hamdu lillah.
We
went by taxi back to Makkah to perform Tawaf al Ifadah and Sa`i,
having broken our ihram. We survived at Mina on packaged food such
as processed cheese, bread, fruit and juice. I can recommend
“Tang” as a must for the traveler as it adds extra salts,
vitamins and sugars to the diet. The food we had bought vouchers
for was unfortunately spoiled by the heat, and on our return, we
were offered a full refund, ma sha’ Allah, of which we
only accepted half. We returned to Mina that evening, tired and
sore although elated. We spent the next two days in the festival
atmosphere of Mina in the Days of Tashreeq, when all the traders
put out their wares to create a colorful street market.
Al-hamdu
lillah, I was also able to throw my own stones at the three
Jamarat on the first day, but on the second day, we, and the rest
of the pilgrims, had gathered at the Jamarat waiting for Zhuhr,
after which time it is permissible to throw the stones on these
days. It was obvious that everyone else had the same idea as us,
that is, to throw the stones as soon after Zhuhr as possible and to
execute a quick exit back to Makkah. After all, we had passports to
find.
That
day the crowd was far too intense for me, and my female traveling
companion, to throw our own stones. We tried, but the flow was
pressured. Therefore, we appointed our husbands as proxies for us
and waited in proximity. Al-hamdu lillah, Allah kept them
safe from harm and we left for Makkah.
We
went back to Office 19, where Abdullah, unfortunately, had not
located our passports. He recommended we return after `Isha’
Prayers. Again, the Sacred Mosque is a miracle. The background hum
of people, mixed with the chirping of the swallows that nest in the
various corners of the mosque is an unforgettable sound. The
swallows even nest inside the speakers, subhan Allah, and we
saw some of them actually flying back into their nests next to the
speakers, after the Adhan for Prayer. How beautiful that all of
Allah’s creatures find His Glorious Qur’an harmonious, subhan
Allah.
After
`Isha’, Abdullah sent one of his workers to drive us to the far
away Central Office for Pilgrims, in the hope we could find our
passports. Ma sha’ Allah, it was very far, and he drove us
to several places until they were located, having been held at one
of the offices, and marked on the computer. It was reassuring to
have an inside look into the organization the Saudis actually have
for locating passports, as from an outside view it can certainly
look like there is no organization at all. It was impressive, that
at the central office the computer easily located the passports.
The mind boggles at the amount of time it must take to log on all
the information. I’m sure that most of the organizers work 24
hours a day to serve the pilgrims, ma sha’ Allah.
That
night we were accommodated at Office 19, and then left for Jeddah
after making our Tawaf Al-Wada`. Al-hamdu lillah, all praise
to Allah who made our Hajj easy and gave us patience. I think that
we had several good experiences by virtue of going by ourselves. We
met many good people, whom we still have contact with, we walked
everywhere we could, and we were not restrained by having to wait
for, or do what, other group members wanted to do, al- hamdu lillah.
Al-hamdu lillah, we were able to concentrate on our prayers
and rites without being sidetracked by idle talk, which can often
happen in a group. We also were able to ignore, without criticism
or discussion, the inevitable “bad” things that one sees during
travel, as we should overlook these things while on Hajj. Al-hamdu
lillah, it seemed that if a situation developed, a person was
sent, or a space opened up whenever needed, thanks to Allah.
We
were so moved and enriched by our experience that we could not
resist the call to Allah in 1999, and this time we took our three
and a half year old first-born daughter... But that’s another
story, in sha’ Allah.
*
Excerpted with modifications from ICM/The Web Plaza (TM).
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