4th Day of Hajj - Jamaraat

Today we do the stoning ritual again - this time all 3 of the pillars. After breakfast, we rested and explored the camp. The campsite is home to more than 3 million pilgrims with kitchen and bathroom facilities. Our camp was next to some pilgrims from France and other European countries.

Fruits was readily available. The fruit is fresh and juicy. The Saudis are big on fruit juice - boxes, bottles, cans - all kinds - orange, mango, strawberry, cherry, pineapple, apple, guava.

We set out after salaatul Asr to do the stoning. There were literally thousands of pilgrims on their way to the Jamaraat as well. Sometimes the crowd becomes so dense that it comes to a standstill - shoulder to shoulder - advancing only one small step at a time. We passed thru 2 tunnels carved through hugh mountains - one of them easily about 3/4 of a mile long.



This is a pedestrian only road that is used only during the days of Hajj. We walk for about an hour and eventually made to the Jamaraat. The crowd was hugh - people everywhere - in front of us, behind us, to the right and to the left.

The pelting was uneventful - no stampedes.

The Saudi Authorities have completely demolished the old Jamaraat and are in the process of rebuilding it to better accommodate the pilgrims. I am told that there will be 5 levels when it is completed with separate entrances and exits.


We sent back to the camp site - another hour's walk - and rested and had dinner.

3rd Day of Hajj - EID!

Eid Mubaarak!!

Today is Eid-ul-Adha - the Eid of sacrifice - commemorating the incident of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son Ismail (AS). We prayed Fajr (We are still at Muzdalifah) and then we set out for Mina. As I said, most of the brothers and some sisters decided to walk - somewhere around 1.5 miles or so - took us about 45 minutes.

This was a pedestrian only road - dedicated to pilgrims alone. It was packed - as far as the eyes can see, there were thousands making the walk back to the camps. There were a few vendors on the road side trying to take advantage of the opportunity peddling flip flops, henna, toys, etc.

Everyone was recite the Talbiya and the Takbeeraat...

Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar- Laa illaha ila Allah. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, wa lil lah ilhamd..

We arrived at Mina, dropped our bags and headed straight for the Jamaraat - another hour's walk - to do the stoning ritual. This is the one ritual that everyone is most apprehensive about. Many accidents happen at the Jamaraat resulting in many deaths over the years. We were told that the Saudi authorities have completely demolished the Jamaraat area and are in the process of rebuilding it from scratch to include 5 levels, but as of now, only 2 of the levels are completed.

So we muster our courage and headed out - the crowd was huge! Everyone in Mina seem to be going! The crowd is so huge that we slow down to an almost complete stop due to the massive volume of people much like the rush hour traffic in New York.

We kept going - Labaik Allahumma Labaik... we continued with the Talbiya.

We arrived at the Jamaraat area and there were pilgrims as far as the eyes can see!...

We stoned the Jamaraat which turned out pretty easy. There were hundreds of Police assisting with crowd control.

Back at the camp site it was now time for my newest hairdo (or lack thereof). The men have to shave their heads and the women must clip a third of a fingers length off. I paid 10 Riyals to the local 'Barber' and was satisfied with the result. These 'Barbers' set up shop almost instantaneously around the campsite and do a pretty good job.

I quickly took a long shower - last I showered was 2 days ago!
I relaxed in the air-conditioned tent and took a nap.

2nd Day of Hajj - Arafat

Today is the Day of Arafat - the most important day of the Hajj. Arafat is Hajj - and if one has not gone to Arafat, then his Hajj has not been fulfilled. Today is the day that all pilgrims will bring their baggages of sins in front of Allah (swt) seeking His forgiveness. A day of begging our Lord and Master to forgive us our sins, a day to sincerely repent to the one who created us, a day to reflect on the real meaning of the life of this world.

Allah's Messenger (saw) said,
'When the day of Arafah comes Allah descends to the lowest heaven and praises them to the angels saying,
"Look at my servants who have come to Me disheveled, dusty and crying out from every deep valley. I call you to witness that I have forgiven them."
The angels say, "My Lord, so and so was suspected of sin, also so and so and such and such a woman."
He said that Allah Who is Great and Glorious, replied, "I have forgiven them."
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "on day have more people been set free from Hell than on the day of Arafah."
[Tirmidhi]

We boarded the buses and set out, each with his own thoughts, each hoping for the forgiveness of his Lord. The Saudi Authorities provides transportation for the pilgrims from location to location. It's no trivial matter to relocate 2 million+ pilgrims from one spot to another within hours!We arrived at about 9:30 am - the atmosphere was hazy and the desert air was beginning to warm up quickly.

Arafat (literally means To Know or To Recognize) was the place where Prophet Adam (AS) and his wife Hawa (AS) met after they were both sent down from paradise.
The tents at Arafat were just that - tents, real tents, no AC or power switches like those in Mina. Every direction one looks, he sees pilgrims dotting the landscape in every direction - on the plains, on the hilltops, each absorbed with his thoughts, attempting to unload his burden to his Lord.
There is something about being alone high on a hill in solitude with the wind only around you that allows one to come to grip with his thoughts. Perhaps that is why our Noble Prophet(saw) himself sought solitude on the Mountain of Light. And so, I sought a hilltop for myself as well.
We all made sincere supplications, for ourselves, our families, our relatives, our friends, the Muslim Ummah - tears stream down the faces of the pilgrims, bodies shook with sobs seeking the forgiveness of the Almighty.
The pilgrims continued the entire day in a state of prayer seeking the pleasure of the Almighty.
The sun wan beginning to set now and we would have to leave and once again Arafat would become desolated until next year. Everyone was hurrying to make additional supplications and with the setting of the sun we boarded the buses once again to set out for Muzdalifah where we will spend the night - praying/sleeping out in the open air - with no tents.

MUZDALIFAH
We arrived at muzdalifah around 8:30 pm or so. We immediately prayed salaatul Maghrib and 'Isha' and proceed to gather the pebbles we would be using for the Stoning ritual.
Like I said, there are no tents here - some had sleeping bags - but most just had a few blankets. The night was cold - about 55 degrees F - with a steady 15 mph biting wind.
We made up our beds and proceeded to settle down. Sleeping was difficult with the cold constant wind but we managed. The men were still wearing our ihrams (2 pieces of cloth) and we were not allowed anything else.

We woke at fajr, prayed and proceeded to get back to the camp at Mina. Most of the brothers and some sisters, too, decided to walk instead of waiting on the bus. The walk was about an hour long.

1ST Day of Hajj - Mina

Today is the day all were anxiously waiting on - we arrived at camp Mina about 1:00am and secure our tents. The tents were filled from corner to corner with thin mattresses, pillows and blankets. The tents were made of a canvas type material, off white in color, draped over sturdy metal structure of brackets and runners. The tents opened at the top sort of like a chimney with a covering to let out the hot air. In the middle of the tent is the main pillar above which are power switches for the lights and for the air-conditioning unit. The tents are permanent structures that are left assembled all year long.

Everyone was excited about the new living quarters. We went to sleep.

We woke up for prayers and breakfast of jam and bread, crackers, fruits and coffee or tea. Today we do nothing much but stay put in the tents. Hajis should make use of the day by reading Qur'an, pray extra salaat, do other zikr( remembrance of Allah (swt)), read Islamic texts, listen to lectures, etc.

We also tried to located others who we know are present at Mina and who came with other groups. There were 3 other brothers from my local Masjid who I know are here as well. I was able to locate two of them.

Dinner was of Casareep Chicken prepared by Brother 'Aabid - a Jamaican brother who studied a Madeenah University and who now resides in Madeenah. Everyone enjoyed it. We went to sleep early.

Tomorrow, Friday, was the Day of Arafat - the most important day of Hajj. Rasulullah (saw) said that "Hajj is Arafat!" All pilgrim will have to travel to Arafat - approx 9 miles from Mina - by bus. The tents at Mina will be desolated come tomorrow.

Day before Hajj

Tomorrow the Hajj begins!

We spent the rest of the day strolling thru out new neighborhood, drank latte, ate Chinese, repack our suitcases with gifts we bought for relatives back home.

The Hajj begins tomorrow and I could feel the excitement and apprehension in the air. Everyone had questions, How do I do this? How do I do that? When should I do the other? - some nervously repeated the same questions.

We are supposed to leave for the camp at Mina tomorrow after Fajr salaat but Imaam Zameer decided to start out around midnight to avoid the chaos.

We left for Mina around midnight, several busloads of hujaaj reciting the talbiya -
Labaik Allahumma Labaik...

The Hajj has begun...

Back to Makkah

The trip from Madeenah to Makkah is about 5 hours under normal conditions. But Hajj is not normal condition with 3 million pilgrims competing for the same resources. Between stopping at the Meeqat to get into Ihraam for 'Umrah (we had to do 'Umrah again since the trip from Makkah to Madeenah crosses the Meeqat), bathroom stops a that include a (bus) fender bender, checkpoints of Saudi Police seeking illegal hajis, we arrived at our place of stay - 'Azziziah - in Makkah at about 1:30pm after about 14 hours!

Nevertheless, all was well, we were just tired, and hot. At the checkpoints, free boxes of food and juice are handed out to all hajis - The Saudis are big on juice - all kinds.

We showered, relaxed. There was some confusion with the allocation of rooms. After being sorted out dinner was served and we went to bed.

Jannatul Baqi

Today we plan on visiting Jannatul Baqi. Jannatul Baqi is a cemetery right next to Masjid an Nabawi. It is said that more than 10,000 of the Prophet's companions are buried here along with many of the Prophet's (saw) close relations including all of the wives of Rasulullah (saw), except for Khadijah (RA), his son Ibrahim who died in infancy, Fatima (RA), his daughter, many of the prophet's aunts, the grandson and uncle of the Prophet (saw) as well as Uthman ibn Affan (RA).

The cemetery is rather simple - a walled in area with walkways. There are no headstones, or tombs or mausoleums - just dirt, some graves have a mound while others became leveled with the ground over time due to the wind with the only marking being a stone to indicate the presence of a grave.

It is a rather sobering sight - the place being tranquil, quiet and surreal with the cold morning wind howling through the intricate design of the fence.

On the way back to the hotel we passed Masjid Gamaama (Masjid of the Clouds) where Rasulullah (saw) pray the Eid salaat. We also passed Masjid Abu Bakr and Masjid 'Ali.

We also visited the local Dates Market where we purchased Ajwah dates. This is a small date that was loved by Rasulullah (saw). Naturally, all Muslims flock to buy it.

We then went back to the hotel has had breakfast.

We leave for Makkah tonight for the beginning of Hajj.

Madeenah Tour

Today is our tour of some historical sites in Madeenah. We will visit the first Masjid ever built, the site of the Battle of Uhud among other places.

We boarded the busses and headed out on King Faisal's Way. We passed Masjid Bilal - so named after Bibal bin Ribah (RA), the african slave that was freed u Abu Bakr (RA) and the first one ever to call the azan.

Next stop was Masjid Quba - the first ever Masjid. Rasulullah (saw) said that if one make wudhu (ablution) at home and pray two rakaat in Masjid Quba, it is equivalent to performing 'Umrah. Everyone in the group, of course, took advantage of this bounty.

We entered the courtyard of the Masjid which had a retractable roof for hot days. The men's entrance was to the right and the women's to the left. We prayed 2 rakaat. There were thousands of pilgrims there just like us.

We continued our journey pass Masjid Jumu'ah - where the first ever Jum'uah prayer was conducted. Rasulullah (saw) was on his way to the Haram in Makkah from Masjid Quba and he stopped here to do Jumu'ah.


Mount Uhud was our next stop - The Battle of Uhud is a long story. Muslims are taught a great lesson through this battle. There are 70 martyrs buried here at Uhud including the beloved Hamzah (RA). Jabal Rimal (The Archers Mountain) sits close by - this was where Rasulullah (saw) commanded the archers to guard the rear of Uhud from - a command they disobeyed.

Walking about in this area gives one goose bumps. The terrain is as original as the days of Rasulullah (saw) - no huge buildings, no streets and alleyways - one gets the feeling that he is walking/fighting along with his beloved Prophet (saw).





Next on the agenda is Masjid Qiblatien - literally The Masjid of two Qiblas. It was here that Rasulullah (saw) was commanded to change the qibla (direction to face during prayer) from Jerusalem to Al Ka'ba.

Masjid an-Nabawi

Masjid an-Nabawi is nothing short of majestic. It has the capacity to house about one million worshippers with prayer area on the roof as well as in the outlying courtyard. The courtyard is laid of white marble tiles with huge 30+ foot high lamps lining the courtyard.

Hugh doors lead into an immaculately kept structure. The first thing that catches the eyes are the numerous hugh columns - literally hundreds - intricately designed with golden trims. Huge arches formed between the columns at the top. If one were to stand at one end and look at the arches, it gives the effect if looking into a cave almost. The pillars lead up to what seem like 50 foot ceiling also beautifully designed.

At various points, the ceiling gives way to 30ft diameter domes - 27 in all - which completely slides open to allow the the midday sunlight in.


One is left awestruck looking at the magnificence of this building. You can literally eat off the floor. Workers are constantly mopping areas that does not in the least bit seem in need of it. The workers constantly rushes to keep the hundreds of water pitchers lining the walkways filled with cool zam zam water.
Attached to the Masjid on the front side of the building is what used to be the house of our dear and noble Prophet (saw). He was buried here along with Abu Bakr and 'Umar next to him (saw).

Madeenah

Today we leave for Madeenah - The City of the Prophet (saw). We will visit the Prophet's Masjid, of course, his house in which he (saw) was buried and we will visit some other historic site as well.

We boarded the busses and departed about 3:30am. The journey to Madeenah is special, it brings tears to the eyes to know that over 1400 years ago, our noble Prophet (saw) made a similar journey - The Hijrah - only he did not have the luxury of AC buses and coffee breaks.

We looked at the rolling hills with hardly a blade of grass in sight. this was harsh terrain. We mused on the history of The Hijrah - how the Prophet (saw) and Abu Bakr hid in the cave trying to elude thier pursuers; how difficult it must have been to navigate through this unforgiving desert day after day.

We arrived in Madinah just before Jumu'ah. The Prophet (saw) made du'a for all Muslims to love Madeenah and his du'as, of course, are always accepted. There is no one I have ever met who did not love Madeenah. It is beautiful, clean and full of history. It's people are friendly and accommodating. It is absolutely clean! One does not see even a candy wrapper on the streets.

We prayed salaatul Jumu'ah in the Prophet's Masjid and went food hunting. We lunched on Chicken Broast and chips.


I went back to the Masjid later that night to visit Rasulullah (saw), Abu Bakr and 'Umar and give them salaams. The Prophet (saw) was buried in his house (as was Abu Bakr and 'Umar. The house is attached to the Masjid and the door is made of a thin, golden, grill-work type material. There are no lights inside but if one gets close enough, one can see on the inside. The inside seems to be simply of earthen or concrete floor.


I was able to pray in the Rowdah as well. The Prophet (saw) said that between his house and his mimbar (pulpit) is a part of Jannah and so everyone tries to pray within this blessed space.

FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!

Bang! Bang! Bang! - Someone was banging on out hotel room door. I thought it was one of the sisters looking for my wife to go on a shopping excursion. The sisters do sometimes have midnight meanderings in the malls.

Turns out that the banging was being carried out by none other than our group leader - "There is a fire in the hotel!" he informed us. "Get to the bottom floor!"

He did not have to ask twice. I woke up my family and we bolted. There were others in the hallway already, looking at each other confusingly and beginning to panic.

We opened the doorway to one of the stairwell and proceeded down, but could only go a few steps - the stair well was filled with a whitish smoke that burnt our nostrils. We turned back, I was beginning to feel the first pangs of panic - I know these are old buildings with possible no fire escape. We rush to the other stairwell - this one was much better - we proceed down. We saw some people rushing up - "go to the roof!" they yelled. I told my wife "Don't you go to no roof! Bring the kids with you. The only place I am going is down! Don't listen to anyone!" We proceeded down. We passed a hotel supervisor who informed us, "Everything is under control. Go back to your rooms."

"Nah aah, The only place I am going is outside!!" So we went out and waited. Turns out that it was a small electrical fire in the office due to some overload circuit. Better safe than sorry.

After a couple of hours, we went back up and tried to sleep. The night passed uneventfully.
Tomorrow we leave for Madinah, inshaAllah.

Getting Crowded

Like I said, it's getting crowded now as the days of Hajj are fast approaching. I arrived at the Haram around 5:00 am for Salaltul Fajr (which is at 5:26 am), but I was unable to even get in! This section was full as indicated by the red light above the doorway. Above every doorway are Red and Green lights indicating whether or not this particular section is full. Today the light was red! So I whipped out my musalla (prayer rug) and prayed on the street with hundreds of other folks.

After salaat, we prayed janazah (funeral prayer) for a child. It is worth noting that I have never prayed a single prayer (5 every day) without also praying the funeral prayer afterwards! After every prayer, there are funeral prayers without exception.

After Zuhr SalaatLater on that day, on my way to the Masjid, I noticed a large crowd at the entrance I normally use. On coming closer I noticed a haji lying on the ground with 3 medics trying to resuscitate him. He seemed in his early sixties and completely unconscious. He seemed far gone with no response to the CPR being administered by the medics. By the time we got closer to the entrance and upon looking back, it seemed like the medics had given up. Another haji dies in the House of Allah - a dream for many.

More Makkah

We've been spending the days at the Masjid, taking advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. We did some shopping, also..."Marhaba...Marhaba, Haji" the shop owners grapple for our attention. Makkah is very hilly, the streets are line with shops filled to the capacity with clothing, trinkets, toys, utensils, jewelry, books, CDs, food items, etc., each competing for the haji's attention. The streets are kept cleans by hundreds of workers constantly working to remove strewn garbage by the millions. It's a daunting task to say the least.

At the time of prayers, a most amazing thing happens - I guess amazing to us New Yorkers. The call to prayer is sounded and the shop owners go to the prayers without closing their shops. Some of them simply shut the lights off, indicating that the owner is absent while others simply throw a net on their merchandise and go off to prayers.

It was getting (more) crowded in the city now, as the days of Hajj are drawing closer. Some South Africans arrived in our hotel.

Tour of Hajj Sites

Today we will tour some of the historic sites of Hajj so that come the days of Hajj, they will be familiar to us. We will visit Mount Arafat, the Mina camps, Muzdalifah and Mount Hira.

Our bus driver was a skinny young fella who smoked incessantly. It is quite unfortunate to see the young men in Saudi smoked so much. It seems like they all smoked - no one seemed to realize the implications of this disgusting and dangerous habit.

Our young bus driver seemed very anxious, always very restless, puffing and sucking on the cigarette, jabbing on the horn of the bus even when there was apparently no reason to honk. This was much to the annoyance of the bus load of "horn-free accustomed" passengers. He turned this way, and that - weaving the huge bus into seemingly impossible openings and maneuvering hair raising turns.

We kept looking at each other with raised eyebrows after each episode of his driving accomplishment.

We arrived, surprisingly, safely at Mount Arafat and toured the grounds. Some of us attempted climbing the hill which is not too high.

The Prophet Adam and his wife Eve were reunited on the hill and forgiven by Allah (swt) after separation on account of their disobedience in deference to the suggestion of Satan.

Mount Arafat

We drove through Mina - the Tent City - and passed by Muzdalifah on our way to Mount Noor. The cave of Hira located on the top of this mountain is where The Prophet Muhammad got the first revelation 1400 years ago. This was quite a high mountain with limited access. Only a few high-spirited ones attempt to climb.

Mount Noor

On our way back, we passed by the grave of Khadijah (RA), the first wife of Rasulullah (saw).

On our way back to the hotel, we also passed by the house in which the Prophet was born. It has since been made into a library.

Lunch was Pizza Hut - 50 Riyals. It was pretty good - a taste of home.

Dinner was Afghanie rice and Roast Chicken - 27 Riyals.

Makkah

We went to the Haram around 2:30 am. There were thousands of worshippers there already - none seemed interested in sleeping. We were making tawaf around Al-Ka'ba - I was trying to concentrate on my supplications when out of nowhere, the most soulful, serene, almost mournful voice began emanating from the Masjid's powerful sound system...

Allahu Akbar...Allahu Akbar
Ashadu an laa illaaha illalaah...
...
The Azan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMJh4nElSLQ

The mournful voice sank deep into me - it seemed to touch my bones - I became oblivious to my surroundings and the thousands around me - only concentrating on the voice and what it said -

God is the Greatest...God is the Greatest
I bear witness that there is no god but God...
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God...
....

tears well up in my eyes...how ungrateful is the human. I became affixes on the voice until it faded and then became aware of the thousands around me...many of whom were crying themselves. We prayed salaatul fajr and went back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we have a tour of some of the historic sights in Makkah - 7 am sharp!

Makkah - Masjid AlHaram

Today is Tuesday (about 5:00 am) - and we have not slept since Saturday night - somehow no one seemed to be aware of it.

We freshened up and proceeded to the Masjid AlHaram eagerly anticipating seeing Al Ka'ba. We rounded the corner from the Hotel and there! Right in front of us! A sight that many dream of seeing - a most magnificent structure - massive, intimidating, beautiful, majestic - an outlying courtyard of lily white marble floor leading up to walls of grayish colored marble tiles with huge 30 ft tall doors of gold trim, each door bearing it's own name - the sanctuary of Makkah - Masjid AlHaram.

Masjid AlHaram was built around Al-Ka'ba during the days of 'Umar (RA) and was extended since to become the largest Masjid in the world.

We entered from King Fahd's Gate - and we were welcomed by hugh pillars - 4ft in diameter, some round, some square, all of marble - hundreds of them within this Masjid that could easily accommodate some 2 million worshippers!!

The huge pillars rested on lily white marble floors and lead up to 30+ ft ceilings intricately designed with beautiful arches between the massive pillars. At the base of these pillars are air-conditioning vents which provides relief from the hot days.

The structure of Masjid AlHaram is that of a courtyard type structure, it surrounds Al Ka'ba and the actual structure of the Masjid is built around an inner courtyard which is roofless. The floor of the inner courtyard is also of white marble and it is in this inner courtyard, in the middle if it, where one will find Al-Ka'ba surrounded by the majestic structure of the Masjid which consists of 3 floors encircling Al-Ka'ba.

Al Ka'ba is surrounded by 3 rows of domes numbering some 500 and which are supported by some 462 pillars of which some 218 are made of slender marble and 224 are carved from a stone called Hajjar-e-Shams of which some are hexagonal and others are octagonal and are yellow in color. Masjid al-Haram has an oblong form, its north wall is 164 meters long, south wall 146 meters long, east wall 106 meters long, and west wall 124 meters long. Saudis in 1955 extended these four walls, so that Safa and Marwa were included in the Masjid. Hence, the mosque became approximately 1,722,000 square feet!!

Masjid al-Haram has nineteen doors, of which four are on the east wall, three on the west wall, five on the north wall and seven on the south wall. It has seven minarets.

AlKaba is a cubical room built of stone in the middle of Masjid al-Haram, and is 38 feet tall. Its north wall is 30 feet long, south wall 28 feet long, the east and west wall each 44 feet long. On the corner of the east- south walls is the stone of Hajjar-i-aswad, which is over four feet above the ground. The Kaba has a door on the east wall 6 feet above the ground, the door is 5 feet wide and 7 feet high. The outer side of the Kaba is dressed with black silk tissue emblazoned with Qur'anic verses in golden thread.

Using the escalator one traverse to the roof of the Masjid from which one overlooks the inner courtyard and Al-Ka'ba with thousands of worshippers circumambulating seeking to get closer to their Creator. Powerful flood lights are all around that brings to life this city within a city.

The Zamzam well, also within Masjid al-Haram, is in a room opposite the corner of Hajjar-i-aswad and 48 feet away from the corner, and has a stone curb 6 feet high. Its diameter is 8 feet long, and its depth is 100 feet. The room, built by Sultan Abd-al Hamid Khan I, has a floor covered with marble, sloping near the walls, and ending in gutters at the feet of the walls. The gutters are of such competent work that they do not let any water ooze into the well. Even with hundreds of thousands of Hajjis drinking the Zamzam, washing themselves with it, and taking some of it back to their countries, the water in the well is never exhausted. Today the water is pumped out day and night with a machine and a large-hose pipe, but it still does not seem to be exhaustible.

We entered Masjid AlHaram from King Fahd's Gate and continue though the Masjid towards the inner courtyard - I was watching my wife and kids - I wanted to see their reaction upon seeing Al-Ka'ba. They had no idea where it was or where to look. We continued towards the center and then suddenly the roof disappeared and we were out in the open again - in the inner courtyard - and then there, in front of us, as bright as day - Al Kaba!! Quietly majestic, observing the thousands circumambulating it. Time stood still. My wife was in tears, my son was in tears, my daughter's mouth was hanging open, I smiled - Allah (swt) has graced me to bring my family to the His House.

There were literally thousands of worshippers making tawaaf (circumambulating) - We wanted to get as close as possible. We proceeded to make 7 tawaaf as is prescribed, reciting verses from The Qur'an and making supplications, every so often glancing over our shoulders at Al-Kaba to remind ourselves that it was really there.

It was surreal to know that our Prophet himself (saw) walked right here, maybe in the same spot that I was in. We completed the rites of tawaf and proceed to do the Sa'i. The S'ai is walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah (which is approx. 1500 ft apart). This is to re-enact the incident that happened to Hajjar, the mother of Ismail, when she was left by her husband, Ibrahim in the desert as per the command of Allah (swt).

We completed all the rituals in about 2.5 hours and I proceeded to get my local 5 Riyal hair cut. To end the ritual, the men have to cut their hair and the women needs to remove a third of a finger's length also.

We went back to the hotel and slept.


Later on after the afternoon prayers, we bought lunch - chicken and chips and went walking the streets of Makkah - bought a tea kettle, orange juice, mango juice and a few other items, drop them off at the hotel and went back to the Haram for Maghrib and stayed until 'Isha'.

We then returned to the hotel and slept till 2:30 am and went back to the Haram.

Jeddah

We touched down in Jeddah around 7pm. We prayed salaatul Maghrib in the airport terminal and waited for immigration clearance. After about an hour we were done. We exchanged some dollar for Saudi Riyals (373 to 1) and boarded our bus after some confusion allocating our luggage.

Our group of approx 150 were allocated 3 buses and we set out for the Holy City of Makkah al-Mukarramah.

It was night and visibility was limited. The trip from the airport to Makkah took us through some uninhabited areas. The landscapes was very mountainous and dry - very rocky with not a blade of grass in site.

Due to our unscheduled earlier flight we were unable to go to our Hotel as planned - we had to settle for the 5 star Makkah Hilton! Oh darn! We tried not to complain :-)

We checked into our luxurious quarters which comprised of 4 individual beds, a kitchenette with a small refrigerator and a marbled bathroom with a bidet. We freshened up and hurried to Al-Masjid Al-Haram.

Turkey

We touched down in Istanbul around 11:20 local time - a 7 hour difference from New York. Our flight to Jeddah is scheduled to leave at 2:30pm. We rushed to use the wash room, make wudhu (ritual washing) and change into our Ihraam in preparation to perform 'Umrah. The Ihraam is 2 pieces of cloth which the males intending to perform 'Umrah must wear. The men are not allowed to wear anything else besides these 2 pieces of cloth except a pair of sandals and a belt - no underwear, jacket, shoes, hats, shirts, trousers, etc.

After changing, we sat around trying to get accustom to our new threads while waiting for our flight.

We boarded the flight to Jeddah about 2:30 and set off for a 3 hour flight. About 2 hours into the flight, we passed over the Meeqaat. The Meeqaat is an imaginary boundary around Makkah. Those who are coming for 'Umrah or Hajj must be in the state of Ihraam at this point (which is why we had don our garments at the airport in Turkey). At the Meeqaat, the hopeful haji will also begin the recitation of the Talbiya -

Labaik Allahhumma Labaik
Labaika laa shareeka laka labayk
Innal hamda wa ni'matta laka wal mulk
laa shareeka lak.

Here I am O Allah (in response to Your call), here I am
Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.
Indeed all Praise and Sovereignty belong to You.
You have no partner.

At around 6:10 (Jeddah time), the pilot of the aircraft announced, "For those who intend to perform Hajj, we are passing over the Meeqaat now!"
The entire plane load of hujaaj began reciting the Talbiyah. When one contemplated on the meaning of the recited words, it brings tears to the eyes.

Here we are, complying with the commands or our Lord and Master, attempting to fulfill our obligations as was directed to us by our noble Messenger, Muhammad (saw) - what could be a better thing to do?

Departure Day

So we woke up around 10 am - the flight is at 5:30 pm and we have to be at the airport 3 hours prior to departure time. We arrived at the airport on time and proceeded to the check-in which we accomplished uneventfully. The terminal was crowded with well-wishers with the usual hugging and crying - the hopeful hujaaj leaving their familiar surroundings and families bound for a strange and distant land.

We bade our farewells and boarded the aircraft - Turkish Airlines airbus. We took off about 30 mins late. Dinner was served shortly - Chicken or Pasta? The flight attendant asked. My enthusiastic sixteen year old inquired "Is the chicken Halal?". The flight attendant responded matter-of-factly, "Huh? - The chicken is from New York!" Since I haven't read anything in the Shari'ah about 'Chicken from New York', I thought it would be safer to go Pasta. Turns out that everything served on Turkish Airlines is halaal - they even insert a little note with the meals saying "Our meals are all Pork free.'

We tried sleeping unsuccessfully - everyone was on a high. There were over 350 hujaaj in our group of which about 150 were on this flight. We were a pretty diverse group - Pakistani, Guyanese, Trinidadian, Palestinian, Egyptian, American, Chinese, Bangladeshi, Puerto Rican, Jamaican, Nigerian, Syrian - to name a few.

Several hours later we were served breakfast of omelet and hash browns with coffee.

New York

Final Hajj Seminar

All payments have been made...and we are all excited. The final Hajj seminar was to be held on Dec 10th 2006, however, we were contacted and asked to convene for an emergency meeting on Dec 3rd - lunch was to be served!

We all met at about 10am at Chateau Royale. The weather was mild for December, however, it was somewhat windy. We arrived on time and spend the beginning minutes mingling and getting to know some of our new friends and who we will have to spend the next three weeks with. Most of us choose the 4-in-a-room package and as such we needed to select our "family" for the next three weeks. I did not have to go through this selection process, since we were a family of four!

The Imaam arrived and began to address us. He would spend the entire day with us if he had to to get things all clarified since this will be the last meeting.

Unfortunately, he relates, we have a big problem with the visa allocation and as such, due to resulting flight cancellations, we will no longer be traveling on Dec 15th as was originally planned but we will now travel on Dec 10th!

School vacations will have to be adjusted; work vacations will have to be adjusted; Letters to employees may have to be issued.

What to do? We all looked at each other searchingly to find some acknowledgement for going forth with the change of plan.

We decided to bite the bullet and make the necessary changes and travel on the 10th as well. After all, we will have several more days to spend at Masjid-al-Haram in Makkah!

We prayed salaatul Zuhr, had lunch on Rice, lentils, chicken curry and kebabs and my family and I stayed back and assisted imaam with odds and ends till late. We prayed salaatul Asr and salaatul Maghrib and left all excited about the upcoming trip.