Madinah was a place of firsts for us and provided clues to the trip to come. We got off the plane like tourists, giddy and exhausted. The giddiness dissipated as we stood in line to be processed by a series of clerks who were the first in the long line of alternately aggressive and apathetic bureaucratic employees we would encounter during our hajj journey. The chaos of getting onto a bus and checking in to the hotel was the first of many moments of chaos we would encounter. We got settled in our hotel room and immediately set off with two friends from Houston for the masjid an Nabawi.

Being in the masjid an Nabawi and visiting nearby mosques of historical significance would give us the first taste of the terrible pushing crowds we would experience. In that way it was beneficial to go to Madinah first – it prepared us as best we could be for the crowds to come in Mecca. My husband and friends made plans to get up after a few hours of sleep to pray tahajjud at the mosque, but I was tired and disoriented and opted for sleep instead.

December 31, 2005, ~3:15 a.m. Room 317, Hilton Madinah. I’ve been up for about an hour or so, taking my time and having a nice hot shower. Husband left to see the Rawdah ~1:30 a.m. but I thought I wanted to sleep more – as it turned out I wasn’t as tired as I thought, and got up shortly thereafter. The plan is for my friend and I to go to fajr together at the masjid an Nabawi and stay to see the Rawdah. After that we’ll meet our husbands back at the hotel and go on the tour of historic sites and such. Unfortunately the plan isn’t 100% clear to me, though, as far as what time my friend and I are meeting, and I will likely end up walking over to fajr alone. I’m kind of nervous about doing things alone.

So I’m looking out the window right now watching people steadily walking towards the Prophet’s masjid. Madinah is like a party town in total reverse – people are out at all hours of the night to pray, not to party.

I was totally jonesing for some coffee, even though I’m down to one cup in the morning and really do well without it. I was simply dreaming of sitting down with a hot cup of black bitter coffee when I started writing. I ordered a small Arabic coffee from room service and ended up with a carafe full of tea-colored cardamom-flavored hot beverage, which I’m hoping has caffeine in it…

I see so many people heading towards the masjid that I keep thinking it will run out of space – but then I remember it can hold a million people within the building and surrounding grounds. It’s enormous! And gorgeous. Subhanallah! Off I go.

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There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafat, and He verily draws near, then boasts of them before the angels, saying: “What do they seek?”

December 29, 2005, ~9:15 p.m. At JFK. Feeling really good now after a brief bout of “eye ache” [pain in my eyes that’s often a precursor to a migraine]. I drank a tall Starbuck’s Americano and now I feel much more energized. I also got myself up and chatting, which helped. Talking to a friend, I found out her story is much like mine, although she’s a born Muslim from the middle east. She didn’t practice her deen for many years; about four years ago she returned to being a practicing Muslim, although her family hasn’t necessarily followed suit. Like me, she will be making du’a on Arafat for her closest family.

This afternoon on the way home from lunch Daughter kind of laughingly made reference to stupid terrible things I did as a mother and it made me cry. On Arafat I will have so much to beg forgiveness for as a mother. I apologized to her and told her my “bad mother moments” are top on the list of things I will ask to be forgiven for. I still can’t imagine what that day in Arafat is going to be like. There are so many things I’ve done wrong that have kind of hidden or festered somewhere inside me because of my inability to manage my feelings about them. I can only imagine what it will feel like to confront my guilt, acknowledge it, feel it as really part of my life and part of me and then beg for pardon.

…~Midnight, I think. Aboard Saudi Air flight 34 headed to Madinah. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9 and just now left, but it was a delay I was prepared for, as we’ve been told again and again to anticipate delays and that patience will be essential to successfully navigate and finish this trip and the hajj. The plane has TV screens that during taxiing transmit the picture from a camera mounted outside the plane. When at long last the plane came to the takeoff strip and began speeding over the white arrows pointing out, out, out, I felt that now I am a pilgrim; now the pilgrimage has begun.

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We started our trip – which lasted almost three weeks – by visiting my family in New Jersey. Our itinerary would take us from New York to Madinah, where we would stay for two days before going on to Mecca.

December 25, 2005, ~11:45 a.m. (eastern time). On the plane from Houston to Newark. I’ve been trying to decide if I’m a pilgrim as of today, in a broad sense, that is. Although I’m not yet headed toward Madinah, today is the first day of a journey that will ultimately make a hajji of me, insha Allah. On the other hand, though, it’s Christmas and we’re on our way to visit my family for a few days. It’s hard to get my head around one or the other or both trips. I feel disoriented. I’m still really nervous about hajj and feel like I’ll be in a fog the whole time in NJ. I do want to stay focused on hajj and preparing myself for it.

So strange – melange of the many “ME’s” I’ve been – kid, high school, wife, mother, single girl, Muslim, then much more Muslim. When I broke away from my old life, I didn’t go in the direction I planned. This is the alternative, one that is, of course, quite superior. I’m almost – well, just about – to the point of not regretting my choices of the last few years, and maybe somehow this trip is the thing that will seal my acceptance of the life I chose and the life Allah guided me to.

I never actually thought about that before – that if I do hajj seriously and I do it well none of the other stuff I’ve prioritized or valued will seem so important. Hajj – pilgrimage – should make me feel like I’m truly a Muslim first and everything else secondarily, and in support of, my deen. I imagine that when I see the kaaba and when I see Arafat, places of such ancient history, I will feel so rooted in the beliefs Allah has given us since the days of Adam that nothing else will truly matter. If I can open my heart wide enough and absorb the experience enough I can feel content and satisfied. I look out the plane window and see the clouds. I’m traveling in a beautiful place above everything else, a place whose essence is much purer and simpler than life below. When I descend I hope I will be purer and simpler too.

December 27, 2005, ~ 6 p.m. At my parents’ house. I’m a little weary. We went into the city [New York] today – me, husband, Dad, daughter, sister and niece – and went to the MOMA, walked around Rockefeller Center (which was crazy crowded) and had lunch at a restaurant on 48th Street and 5th Avenue. It was so crowded we didn’t get to do much more. I feel bad for niece because she really wanted to go to the American Girl store (whatever that is; I think it’s a kind of doll) but the line was ridiculous.

December 28, 2005, ~10:30 p.m. Last night at my parents’ house. Tomorrow is Dad’s birthday and we’re going out for brunch at 11:30. Then the limo comes for us at 2 p.m. It all seems unreal. I finally got shoes for the trip that I’m happy with. I’ve been way overeating. Tomorrow will be a day to move on. I am nervous.

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This year Allah swt blessed me and my parents with the humbling opportunity to make our hajj, and what an experience it was.

Words cannot fully describe the way I felt about my trip, what it’s like being there, what I saw, but if I had to choose a word, it would be “magnanimous”. Everything about it was magnanimous, in a way that could only be created by God. If anyone had any doubts before, they fell over backwards the minute they step foot into Makkah.

Alhumdulilah, our flight there, Jeddah airport, luggage, all that went smoothly. All along, I had been mentally preparing myself for all the horror stories other people had told me about. We arrived safely at Jeddah, and while getting our luggage, one of the sisters tripped over a pole and fell down, landing on her outstretched arm. I scrambled to remember anything I had learned from my rotations, trying to help. But alas she had broken her arm. Her arm was casted and alhumdulilah, she remained in good spirits then and throughout the trip.

On entering Makkah Friday morning around 8am, I looked around at the other faces on our bus. All the same. All looking out the window, curious, anxious, for that glance, for any sight of the Kaaba. It’s like we couldn’t help ourselves. Before departing on this trip, shazia had mentioned something to me that stuck. These are the same streets that Rasul (S) had walked so many years ago. This city is sacred. Would it be like what we imagined it would be, like the pictures we’ve seen? I always thought it’d be all deserty- with sandy streets, safa/marwa as mounds? lol boy was I wrong. As we drove around, I could not see the Kaaba. I had to look closely just to figure out, that in the distance was the Haram in the midst of all those tall buildings and hotels galore.

We got to our little ghetto hotel room and took a few hours nap before trying to be alert enough for jummah. It’s friday. I was in Makkah. And I was going to have jummah at the Kaaba. SubhanAllah. They told us we’d have to go an hour early at least, but I didn’t realize how true that statement was. We only went a half hour early… and we didn’t even get close. Mom, dad and I found this little space on the street, that would normally fit just one person, but we three squeezed. And then soon after, more people squeezed with us. People squeeze in the most unlikely spaces. I guess that’s the barakah of the city, everyone has a spot. There’s space for everyone, and if not, you make space. It’s not just yours, its everyone’s masjid. That was the first time I had prayed next to some strange guy, and though it was odd at first, I adjusted. But otherwise, it was HOT. That was also the first time I had heard that beautiful recitation of quran in salah. And wow. I mean we listen to all these recitations at home on our mp3 players and are in awe. But hearing it in real life, and even more, during your salah?! Wow. It knocked me breathless. The tears just flowed. Is this what it’s like for people who live here, pray here everyday? They get to listen to this recitation in their salah everyday? I’m jealous.

After jummah, we debated whether to go do our tawaf right then or wait, our decision was made for us as the thousands of people walking out of the Haram pushed us along with them. We went back to the hotel to rest a little; we would do our tawaf at night.

As the sky darkened, we headed out at night for our tawaf, two young Iraqi sisters in our group asked if they could tag along. So we headed out together, all of us newbies, unsure of what to expect, but excited and almost anxious. As we walked, I noticed how even at night, this city is lit up like its day time. My mom loved that.

We got to the Haram, found the wheelchair station, arranged for this dude to push my mom in the chair and we all headed to the top floor to start our tawaf. The wheelchair dude was awesome mashAllah. As we went up, all of us first timers were little nervous. When will we be able to see the Kaaba that we always dreamed to see? Will it be there as soon as we get off the escalators? Unsure as we were, we followed the wheelchair dude carefully as he started the tawaf. We did not yet see the Kaaba.

As we did our rounds, the wheelchair dude said dua, and we said them too. More dua than I could have imagined. It was amazing. I mean, I had my ‘hajj made easy’ book hanging around my neck, all ready and what not, but this dude was awesome. After our 7 rounds, he took us closer to the railing, so that we could see that sight we’d all been waiting for. As we peered closer, I could feel my heart racing. And out of the blue, it sprang up on us. There it was. Faintly similar to the pictures, but at the same time nothing like I had imagined. Suddenly I felt light, watching that simple black cube down there in the middle, as millions of little dots circle it. It was bright, lit up, and it felt surreal. As if I was floating, something about that sight was not this-worldly. It was from somewhere else. How could something so surreal, so light, so majestic, so magnanimous be on this earth?

I don’t know what I was feeling, because I had never felt it before. And I cannot really put words to it. But I did think one thing at that moment. All day, consciously, or subconsciously, my eyes had searched here and there to see this sight, without success. So much surrounding it, all the tall buildings, the hotels, the outer perimeter, the Haram. It’s like this secret. A sacred secret. Hidden safely in the middle, not for all unready eyes to see casually as you pass by. It’s only for those eyes who are ready, who are searching, longing to see it. You have to make the effort, and you are rewarded with that sight. This hidden secret safe in the middle. Surrounded by such beautiful and intricate architecture, high arches, marble floors, chandeliers galore. Yet the hearts of those millions of people do not long to see the arches or the chandeliers. They swiftly pass by the fancy architecture. They are drawn to the center of it all. They are drawn to the secret. All the attention is focused on this simple black cube, ancient and majestic, in the midst of the intricate architecture that surrounds it. That became a profound thought in my mind throughout my trip.

Soon thereafter, moved by what I had seen, watching my mom being pushed in this wheelchair, I saw light where I had not seen it before. I’ve always been at my mom’s side for as long as I can remember. Frail as she is, with all her health problems, I’ve always been the one holding her hand. People would always see and make comments like, “You’re such a good daughter” or “Allah swt will reward you for all you do for your mother”. I never thought anything of it. I thought, hey, I’m just doing my job as a daughter, its not like I have a choice. If I don’t do it, who will? I never expected anything from it. I never expected reward. It was my duty. But that day, at that moment, all those comments flooded my mind. Allah swt will reward me. Allah swt is rewarding me. Right now, right here. Just by bringing me here, being here. SubhanAllah. My parents brought me with them, because my mom needed me to be with her. And that’s where my blessing lies. My reward IS the opportunity to come along, to this blessed city, to see the sights I was seeing, and to be awestruck by it all. That is my blessing. That was my reward. I am grateful, and I ask for nothing more. Any good I have ever done in my life, I took this as its reward. Anything more is just pure mercy from Allah swt.

As we finished, drank our zam zam, prayed our two rakah, the wheelchair dude prayed too. What a cool job that would be. How many tawaf had he done in his life? Tons, I bet. May Allah swt reward wheelchair dude. My dad got his haircut, and we walked back to the hotel, lighthearted, giddy, but definitely humbled by the events of the night.?

On our last night in Makkah before leaving for Mina, me and the two Iraqi sisters I had met, decided that we were going on a mission to try to touch the black stone and see maqam ibrahim. So around 1 am, after I put my mom to bed, we headed out. Our genius thinking behind the plan was that, since everyone was leaving for Mina, the Haram would be empty… or at least less crowded. We were quickly proven wrong the minute we walked in. I think others had the same idea we had, because it was super crowded, but we had to try. So we set out, holding on tight to each other. We got to maqam ibrahim, and we got to look inside. Prophet Ibrahim (a) had huuuge feet!!! It had to have been a size 13 at least. As we stood there, some dude nearby took out his camera to take a picture of it, and quickly a guard came and took the camera away.

Once we were done there, we merged back into the crowd circling the Kaaba, moving closer and closer with each round. Finally we got to the innermost circle, right against the hateem, and then right against Kaaba. We were almost there. I traced my fingers against the stone wall of the Kaaba to keep my spot in the first row. As soon as the corner of the black stone came, it was chaos. I quickly lost my spot. People were pushing and shoving, stomping. Somehow in the craziness of everything, I was turned around and was flowing, but backwards. The men around us were looking at us like we were weirdoes, as in, what are these young girls doing here? They’re going to get hurt. One brother signaled with his hand that we should probably head out before we did get hurt. So that’s what we did. We finished our tawaf and prayed our two rakah.

Praying at the Haram specifically on the ground floor is a captivating feeling. It puts the term “face the qiblah” at whole other level. Being able to see the Kaaba in front of you as you perform your salah is definately mind-blowing. We prayed that day on the ground floor saddened by the thought of leaving the next morning. But we still had the high of the experience we just had, sooo close to hajr al aswat. Maybe next time inshAllah.

Mina was a whole other experience. Difficult yes, but not undoable and definitely an experience worth remembering. There in those tents, I was able to bond with some great sisters, and chose not to bond with some others. I learned not to be picky about bathrooms, or showers for that matter. I slept very little, ate mostly fruits and fell in love with the laban. Of course I had to add about 6 packets of sugar in my laban to make it a lassi!

The next few days passed, eventful yes, but captured well in my pictures. Arafat was something else. And yes, anyone who asked me to make dua for them, I was able to alhumdulilah. May Allah swt accept my duas, the duas of my fellow hujjaj and all the muslimeen.

My time in Makkah, doing tawaf, the days of Mina, walking to the jamrat, carried this certain aura with it. Millions of people from all over the world, from all walks of life, from the richest to the poorest, the strong and the weak come here for this trip. And let me tell you, it’s no vacation. Hajj is no piece of cake, rewarding, but trying. And even still, the millions still flock to this sacred place, year after year, enduring in the struggle together. 4.8 million Muslims, doing the same thing, at the same time, walking to the jamrat from their tents in mina, chanting the labayk together, begging for forgiveness in the valley of Arafat, spending the night under the stars of muzdalifah. It’s no piece of cake, and yet they endure. Why? As I saw the people tawaf around the Kaaba, or the millions of muslims walk to the jamrat, I saw in them conviction. This is conviction. Conviction for The Truth. Belief like no other. There has got to be something divinely powerful about this to create such a movement. Only this deen has the ability to draw so many people to enjoin in this journey, through the hardship and ease of it all. Magnanimous. Only Allah swt can create this type of force. The One,True Lord. And I wonder, why isn’t everyone muslim?

My heart started aching the minute we left Makkah for madina… and it hasn’t stopped. My eyes flowed as I stared out the window of the bus inching out of this majestic city. When would I be back? Why did it take me so long to come here, to realize the possibility? There was so much more I had to do, so many more salawat I wanted to make, so many more tawaf awaiting my return. When would my eyes once again encounter that brilliant sight that had knocked me breathless that first night? How can I leave this blessed city of Rasulullah, and go back to… Albany? Ew. How would I ever be able to return to normal life? I don’t want normal anymore. I want to return to Allah swt. I want peace. I want serenity. I want to surrender with complete submission. I want forgiveness and humility. I want jannah. Im just waiting for my return and I’d like to think, its waiting for me.

Throughout my stay in Madina, I kept longing to go back to Makkah. So perhaps I didn’t get as much out of it as I should have. One thing was for sure, the date markets and I felt this natural immediate attraction to each other?. That was one thing I didn’t get in Makkah. Regardless I made sure to make my last night in Madina worth it. Around 10 pm, I set out for the rawdah. It’s open for sisters between 9 pm and 12 am. I waited patiently as the female guards, dressed in full black, set us in groups according to countries. After about an hour of waiting, it was our group’s turn to pray in the green carpeted area. I got my good two rakah in, and I made sure it was special. As soon as I salaamed out, I quickly got up to leave, so that the sisters behind me would have a spot to pray also. I went to the back of the masjid, found a nice empty spot behind a pillar, and prayed some more. I made dua. It was like the dua in Ramadhan on laylatul qadr, but now, here, in Masjid an Nabawi. I was leaving tomorrow back to Albany, what I once called my home. I prayed, afraid to return, begging Allah swt to forgive me, to make it easy for me, to ease the difficulties I once faced, to give me strength to endure, to guide me and always keep me guided. I prayed for the blessed opportunity to return to the blessed city, as soon as possible. I prayed what now became one of my favorite duas, for goodness in this life, goodness in the hereafter, and to be saved from the punishment of the fire.

And here I am, back in Albany, with my heart yearning to go back. I have not yet settled in, afraid to settle in, afraid to lose this feeling. But something tells me, I will never be able to be complacent here again. I will never be as comfortable as I was in Makkah al Mukarramah.

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As a person who works with a travel agency that provides a Hajj package, and has been a Hajj guide, I would like to clarify a few things.

First of all in regards to peoples complaints about why people in the office are not responsive to their clients is because until the last two weeks before travel we are still coordinating with the Saudi Government to organize our trip. Just as you are waiting for us we are waiting for Saudi Government to be responsive. We here in the US are use to one system and expect to have everything we want on time. Although that is a good quality you must understand we are dealing with people who run on their own time and since they have control over everything and they are trying to organize over 2 million Hajjies all over the world we must be PATIENT and CONSIDERATE! You know once a person decides that they are going to Hajj their Hajj journey beings at that time. You must be in Hajj mode until you complete it, and try to remain in it after Hajj.

On that note Hajj is unpredictable you must be ready physically and mentally for anything to happen. You may be in a group but don’t expect to have the same Hajj experience as the person next to you. Allah (SWT) has written out the hardships and easy for each person to go through. On this journey for Allah (SWT) nothing materialistic counts, and you are suppose to go through hardship. As a person who has experienced a very easy Hajj and a difficult one, I would prefer the hardship that way you feel like you earned your Hajj. I am in no way discrediting either or, but on my trip people in the group would complain about things that are not controllable and if things didn’t go there way I never heard the end of it.

As for the comments of Muzdalifa; what everyone needs to understand is that is just a plane place, some people stay until Fajir and some stay until 12:05pm regardless of the fact its unpredictable and you must be ready to move on the second. It’s not like Mina where you are set there for a few days. Muzdalifa is max 13 hours. As for it being freezing cold, last year 2006 it was really cold but that was the first time people experienced that, so this past Hajj 2007 everyone thought its going to be freezing and brought all there Luggage with them extra sleeping bags sweater, and it was beautiful weather and they were suffering with all there extra luggage. So everyone must keep in mind you just never know what to expect.

All in all there is always room for improvement, and we should always try to improve ourselves. May Allah (SWT) give us the strength and patient to pass through our journey for ALLAH (SWT) Please forgive me if I said something wrong or offended anyone.

Thank you
Salaaamu Aleeekoum

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My family started walking through the sleeping pilgrims to reach the bottom of a large hill. We laid our blankets and I pulled a rock closer to me as a pillow. I looked around for miles and all I could see were pilgrims. Some had sleeping bags, normal blankets, and pillows (which I envied), but others only had themselves and huddled together. I knew sleeping under the stars was going to take on a whole different meaning. There was absolutely nothing between me and the sky.

I can still remember how cold it was in Muzdalifa. I had to go to the bathroom the entire night, but refused because it was freezing. Plus I’m a germaphobe. There were bathrooms, twelve in total, but they had the longest lines ever and were used by countless people. I remember seeing a group of men hiking up the hill and my mom told me that the men also refused to use the bathroom stalls. Instead, they resorted to rocks.

Alhamdullilah, even though I was freezing, I was able to fall asleep. My mom sat up the entire night because she was too cold to move and my poor father had only two towels with him. Someone, somewhere, told him that he could buy blankets in Muzdalifa. Not true, or at least it wasn’t in our area.

After we prayed Fajr, buses started to pull in to take people to Mina. Our bus was late by a few hours, and the sun rose to slightly warm us up. While we waited, I gathered rocks to throw at the Jamraat. The valley is covered in pebbles, so it’s not difficult to find, but I absolutely avoided the ones that were wet!

My stay at Muzdalifa was by far the most difficult part of Hajj, but alhamdullilah for it. Even though I felt as if I had nothing, my night there was necessary and stark reminder about our origins. I was a reminder that I am from the soil of this earth and will one day lie in it. I drove out of Muzdalifa and was truly grateful to Allah for so many things; for letting me live such a comfortable life back home, for ending the night, bringing the day and taking us towards Mina, and also for making it a once in a lifetime experience.

– Frah Abdi

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Recently, the system for pebble throwing has become very organized, however, during the time I visited Makkah for Hajj, it was very dangerous. Many who entered the stone throwing area were never to return home. Over time, the pebble-throwing rite had gained the worst reputation. Out of fear, people hastily entered and attempted to complete the throwing of the stones, fearing for their lives. It was very cluttered and many visitors to the Holy area were not aware of how to keep themselves safe as well as others.

As I was entering the area for stone throwing, a man began to shout in Arabic, “MAWWWT YA HORMAAAAH, FEE MAWWWT JOWWAH!” Screaming out, “DEATH OH WOMAN, THERE’S DEATH INSIDE!” this fear appeal was to strongly discourage me from entering the area. Though I was a little nervous, I was stubborn and felt like I was capable and that I should throw my stones on my own. My brother stood close beside me and I felt protected. Apparently, just before we had entered, some had been trampled to death inside.

With so many people cluttered in that small area, I was feeling claustrophobic. Holding my pebbles tightly in my hand, with my brother stuck to me, I made my way to a place close enough to the front. If I was to throw from too far back, I could risk my pebbles not making it into the basin or hitting someone else in the head. One by one I’d pronounce “ALLAHU AKBAR!,” and lob a pebble into the basin. It was very difficult as so many people were pressed against me trying to do the same. Many were angry, feeling like they were throwing at Satan himself and thus shouting obscenities. That couldn’t be right, as the Hajj is to be peaceful and bad language should not be uttered. While holding the pebbles in my hand, I had opened my palm to take another out to throw it when someone forcefully bumped into me and shook a few out of my hand. I worried that I did not have a sufficient number to throw and so I began to lean down to the ground searching for the lost pebbles when I heard my brother screaming from the top of his lungs, “DO YOU WANT TO DIE? “ while struggling to pull me from my back so that I stood up again. I had forgotten about those who were trampled and those who had died. Only concerned just about the number of pebbles in my hand, I had taken a huge risk. When I had stood up and he carefully handed me a few extra pebbles he had. We continued for a few minutes and pushed through the crowds to exit to safety. When we came out, one guy in our Hajj group who exited with us found that his feet no longer had slippers on them. The guy carved slippers out of cardboard he’d found on the street. Another male in the group was wearing a woman’s bright pink slipper along with one of his slippers. He also came out with his glasses twisted on his face. We rushed out and gave Praise to Allah taala for getting us out safely.

There was much I gained from this experience and a few things that we should all bear in mind when it is our turn to throw:

1. We must be mindful of our purpose as throwing the pebbles is a means of remembering Allah the Almighty.
2. When selecting pebbles from Mina, we should select smaller pebbles, not huge rocks and stones. Throwing huge stones can result in injury to others.
3. We are throwing pebbles at the pillars and not at Satan and we should not shout insults as we throw. Be considerate of the sacredness of the time and place.
4. When throwing pebbles, they should not be thrown from a very long distance, so that the stones can properly fall inside the basin and so that they can accurately hit the target.
5. We should be careful not to harm others by cursing, fighting, or pushing others at the pillars. We must be gentle with others and careful of their rights.
6. Stones are to be thrown one at a time and not all at once.
7. Throw your own if you are capable.

And forget not that Allah taala has assigned a great reward for the accepted Hajj as the Messenger of Allah Peace and Blessings be Upon Him said, “…There is no reward for the Hajj Al-Mabroor except Paradise.” From the word mabroor is derived the word “birr” which means righteousness and good behavior towards people, fulfilling duties towards others and giving them their rights.

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For Muslims, Mecca is the most revered and holy city in the world. The city is mentioned in the Bible as “Becca.” It is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (d. 632 C.E.), peace be upon him, who Muslims believe was the last messenger of God for all time and humanity. Muslims do not believe the message he came with was new but was the same basic message revealed to previous prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses and Jesus, son of Mary, may peace be upon them all. The basic message being that there is nothing worthy of worship except God alone, without partners or associates.

The Muslim world today

Today, Muslims are estimated at a population of 1.5 billion, making about one in every four people Muslim. They come from every part of the globe and the book and faith they share is the common language between them literally and figuratively. Across nations, races and languages Muslims share the same basic sayings and greetings such as “Asalamu alaykum!” — or, “Peace be upon you!” — and all recite the Quran with melodious voices in the same original Arabic tongue and script as revealed to Muhammad more than 14 centuries ago. They also all share the same direction of prayer, toward the Kaba at Mecca.

Muslims believe that the Kaba was the first house of worship established by God for mankind and built by Abraham with his son Ishmael. It is mentioned in the Quran that they prayed for their descendants to be of those who bow their wills to God, literally “Muslim.” Today, millions from all over the world travel to Mecca each year to visit and perform umrah, hajj or both. Originally, Muslims in Muhammad’s time prayed in the direction of Jerusalem, but as time went on, God commanded them to pray toward the direction of Mecca.

Muslims do not worship the Kaba. One can even pray inside the Kaba in any direction. In fact, one of the members of our group did just that during our umrah trip. The Quran also states that it is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the east or west, but it is righteousness to believe in God. My first time visiting Mecca and the Kaba was an unforgettable experience.

Upon reaching the Kaba

We reached the city after 10 p.m. Despite the tire of travel and classes, we were excited and energized and headed to the Kaba to perform the umrah. When I first saw the Kaba it was so amazing it did not look real. I had only known it from the video clips, pictures and books. The Kaba glowed under the bright lights in the night and the people circled it as it towered over them. Fulfilling the dream of my life, I headed down the white stairs to the Kaba floor with my group to perform the umrah rituals, which include circling the Kaba seven times, praying two units of prayer behind the station of Abraham, drinking from the Zamzam well water, running between the hills of safa and marwa — as Hajar did centuries ago — and finally shaving the head while women clip a piece of hair.

Special prayers and remembrances are said during this time, both personal and prescribed, and because the rituals have been preserved for more than 14 centuries one can perform the umrah just as the Prophet Muhammad did.

There are no strangers in Mecca

It is difficult to describe experiencing Mecca without doing injustice to it. To a Muslim, there is no greater place on Earth. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said that prayer here is worth 100,000 times more than prayer in any other mosque, besides his mosque in Madina and Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. In Mecca, one sees people from all over the globe and of all races, colors and languages. We do not necessarily speak the same languages or have the exact same cultural customs, but we do share the greatest bond that is a common belief and practice.

I ran into people who were complete strangers, but after greetings of peace and only a few minutes of conversation, I ended up with their contact information or address and an invitation to their country as a welcomed guest. One man even offered me one of his daughters in marriage, a job and a place to stay in his country as we sat talking not far from the Kaba.

Saying that Muslims are hospitable and generous is an understatement, and their hospitality is, at times, a little overwhelming.

In Mecca, when the call for prayer is made the business world stops for God. Shops close or are even left open with sheets placed on merchandise as there is little to no need for fear of theft. Men, women and children all head toward the Kaba at the Grand Mosque to pray. Anyone arriving late can join groups of people praying in the sidewalks, walkways or shopping malls. At night, families, friends and perhaps even strangers sit and talk and enjoy tea, dates and each other’s company. Children play and some race in what are now popular roller skate shoes on the marble floor just outside entrances of the Grand Mosque.

Dream and reality

Being in Mecca brings to mind a verse from the Quran: “O mankind, indeed, We created you from a male and female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him (righteous)” (49:13). Certainly, in Mecca one can surely get to know the different nations and tribes from all over the world.

I truly thought that the person from China to my side was my equal and so was the person from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, America, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Europe and so on. We all bowed in peaceful and willful surrender to God. One remembers that no matter how distinguished we may be in race, class, color, sex, language or lineage, the trait that truly distinguishes us all is our God consciousness and righteousness that can ultimately only be known to God.

Malcolm X, after having experienced Mecca, stated that America could learn a great deal from Islam. Junaid, a member from our group and a convert to Islam, said that while making a video for his family and friends from Mecca, “Martin Luther King Jr. said he had a dream. No disrespect to Mr. King, but it is not a dream, it is a reality.”

And it has been going on for more than 1,400 years.

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