Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Hajj Reflections |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/08/01 at 17:44:30 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) Alright all you Hajjis out there, come out come out where ever you are and share some of your Hajj memories with your fellow Madinates. One of my memories of my Hajj was being on the side of a mountain on the night of the 8th of Dhul-Hajj waiting for the day of Arafat the next day. It was about 2am and everyone in my camp had gone to sleep and the air was cool and there was a light breeze blowing. I was just sitting and looking down at the Jamarat below and watching a few Hajjis walking back and forth under the floodlights in Mina and looking at the mountains all around me. All I could think about was that I was here. After all the time preparing, thinking, wishing, hoping, I was actually here and tomorrow would be the biggest day of my life. The day of Arafat I didn’t want to go to sleep, I just wanted to stay there and reflect on the place and the time and the fact that our beloved Prophet [saw] had been to this exact same place. As we would say in the West, I just wanted to soak it all in and never forget the feeling of being there. The words of the Talbiyah passed through my mind over and over again: “Here I am O Allah, Here I am. Here I am, You have no partner. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is Yours, and You have no partner.” I think on that night I finally truly realised the significance of those words for indeed there I was. May Allah [swt] grant us all the ability to perform Hajj and may he accept the Hajj of those brothers and sisters who intend to set off on their journey in the next few weeks. |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/12/01 at 23:42:19 |
| slm, Br Khalid, you know it is interesting that for so many stories I have read about people who went to Hajj (and in my own experience) there has always been a point where the talbiya just hits you. Subhanallah it's amazing. BTW bor those who are interested in reading Hajj stories there is an anthology by Michael Wolfe called 1001 roads to makkah/hajj. It's rather interesting because it details the first hand hajj autobiographies of many different people of many backgrounds over the ages. There are even some accounts of non-muslims who snuck in to see what all goes on! There are also stories of reverts from the 18th century and earlier which are fascinating. The book is very rich. I'm wondering if I'll find it more interesting now that i've actually been there. Anyhow it is a good read and also a MUST for evey pilgrim: read Ghazali's Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship's section on Hajj!!! and don't forget to make dua for us when u'r there. |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/13/01 at 01:02:29 |
| hey jannah, the new hajj/umrah site looks pretty cool...awesome graphic on the main page...tips and tricks are cool...did u write them?...very good!... only thing though, and this strikes a nerve, so i apologize beforehand...the bringing the prayer rug to stake out a spot...in my own experiences i've tried very hard to be close to the Imam of Haram for Fajr prayer...and as we know that is difficult...I would get there around 3-4 hours beforehand... now i've done this lots of times, and when you go around where the first row would be, ppl have put all their prayer rugs down...it is hard enough to find a spot at 2am to sit. Now I have no problem with ppl putting a rug down and leaving for a short while...but i've sat there straight (in betwen a little sliver of space betwen two rugs) for hours amidst all these vacant prayer rugs...and no one is there! i don't know what the owners of these rugs are doing (sleeping? at home? outside Haram?), but they don't come by until around fajr or maybe an hour earlier for tahajjud... sorry, but it's just not fair to people who get there early and wish to use the areas...these ppl take advantage of the situation...they put their prayer rugs down right after the janitors have cleaned and put the masjid rugs back down...then they bail for the night and come back at fajr... it's just not fair :( it's just not fair :( i know, I sound like a little kid or a former vice-president...it's a pretty shallow gripe...and i'd be the first to say so...in a way of course the reality of the situation forced me to come even earlier for Fajr and spend more time in Haram...but still, there's no equity in it...now Rawdah in Medina, that is equitable...EVERYONE gets what and where they want depending on how much time and effort they put in... sorry guys for rambling about that...but like I said it struck a nerve...its been eating away at me for several years now and I just had to get it out :) wa alaikum salam... |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/13/01 at 00:58:26 |
| slm, hello that was supposed to be a SECRET until i finished the site.. ahhh well ok here's the deal with the prayer rug thing.. believe me i agree with you.. i think i sat at a place 4-5 hours straight in order to pray the eid prayers right in front of the kabaa. and some other people came an hour before and pushed their way in!!! what i meant is that if you don't bring a prayer rug you'll get squished because people have no regard to pushing you over or sitting right in front of you or back of you so it makes it impossible for you to be in the line when people start praying. it's pretty upsetting in that case so it's better to bring the janemaz and sit on it, ppl tend to respect a janemaz better than you sitting there.... in the sisters section i never noticed anyone leaving just their prayer rug..that woulda got sat on real fast if they did... anyhow jazakallah khair, please give me some more tips for that page and any advice you have... if i had my way i'd have numbered seating..you come in the haram you get a number..if you came in at 1 am you get good seats, if you came in at 6am prepare to pray on the concourse outside..but alas no one ever voted for me for khalifa :( |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/13/01 at 01:12:20 |
| the prayer rugs are like sacrosanct...no one dares sit on them, if someone who doesn't know sits on them, they will be rudely told to get off (the one time I made a mistake to move for a second, a brother pounced on my spot but sat several inches astray and onto part of the prayer rug just adjacent, he was cast out!)...funny isn't it, ok to push, shove, sit on people to force them to move, but oh don't dare sit on that rug... that taking numbers suggestion is awesome!!! that is an equitable approach! they should use it for medina...rawdah gets REAL rough... wa alaikum salam |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/13/01 at 01:46:26 |
| HAH! What would a brother know about the Rawdah getting rough... do you know what it's like when ten million sisters (most who have gone through childbirth and have no concept of pain anymore) all try to fit in the tiny 10 feet block they call the rawdah? Of course more than half of it is blocked off by WHITE CONCRETE WALLS because God forbid a sister actually sees any of the actual Masjid, Minbar or Mihrab. Remember you guys can go in whenever you want but we only have a 3 hour block of time and for SOME REASON they cut the sister's afternoon time in half because they need to VACUUM the Rawdah at EXACTLY that time. Like I was saying... if I was ameerah al-muslimeen we'd cut the rawdah in half putting that concrete wall down the middle, half for sisters, half for brothers, and then we'd have those red separator things mazing out to the front with a queue straighter than the Bank of England's going in ! |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/13/01 at 01:30:27 |
| ok i can't resist, but thinking about rawdah it reminds of me of something... they close masjid ul nabi in the evening and open it like an hour or two before fajr...of course everyone wants to be in rawdah, but the authorities don't open all the gates of the masjid when they open...so originally I used to stay around the gate waiting for it to open...of course there's a bunch of other ppl with me...and man, they open the doors... michael johnson, maurice greene? fastest men in the world?? they got nothing!...cuz I saw brothers fly in a mad sprint, blazing, thobes and turbans blowing in all directions, through the masjid to rawdah... i didn't know at the time, but they also open a gate right near rawdah...ppl camp out there, but at least there is a line...no prayer rug business... of course its still rough...real rough...rawdah is not for the faint-hearted or weak... wa alaikum salam... |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/13/01 at 01:48:48 |
| yeah sisters get a very short end of the stick in masjid-ul-nabi...I didn't even know though that any of rawdah is accessible to sisters at the alotted times...it must be just the little strip of space between the qabr and the partitions they put up. right? fine, sisters win...perhaps you got it tougher in rawdah... btw one of the times I went with and the leader had these connections with the authorities...and when the masjid was officially closed, they opened the masjid up just for the sisters of our group and they got to go see everything and do everything...all of rawdah, the minbar etc... yeah not fair to all the millions of other sisters...but those sisters were ecstatic, particularly those who had been there before and never knew of any of those areas b4... |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/13/01 at 06:45:02 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]they close masjid ul nabi in the evening and open it like an hour or two before fajr...of course everyone wants to be in rawdah, but the authorities don't open all the gates of the masjid when they open...so originally I used to stay around the gate waiting for it to open...of course there's a bunch of other ppl with me...and man, they open the doors... michael johnson, maurice greene? fastest men in the world?? they got nothing!...cuz I saw brothers fly in a mad sprint, blazing, thobes and turbans blowing in all directions, through the masjid to rawdah...[/quote] Br AbdulBasir that was funny I remember my father and I waking up early one night and got to the main doors at about 2am and we couldn't believe the amount of people there and when the doors opened…… man can people move when they want to ;-) With regards to the prayer mat, I have to agree it is very annoying but I guess you have to accept it and bear it with patience especially when you are performing your Hajj. I make no apology for saying that you should try to let NOTHING distract you when you're there. You've saved your money and travelled a great distance, the last thing you need is to get involved in a slanging match (or worse) in front of the Kabah. As we're on gripes there is a tendency for Hajjis to sit and pray very near the exits. One day we arrived about 15-20 minutes before the Adhaan and Masjid Nabwi was packed. I couldn't believe it, I thought we were going to have to pray outside. But as you move in, you realise that there is plenty of space further inside. I think people do this because they may have a long way to go back to their hotel and the knowledge during Hajj that it can take a long time to leave the Mosque. If you go make sure your hotel is within 5 mins walking distance of Haram if you can. Even though we were very near on some days it would take us half an hour to walk back to the hotel and combined with the heat you can at least understand why some people may want to make a quick exit. Inshallah I'll try and get a few more tips from my Hajj posted |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| Asim |
| 02/13/01 at 07:55:18 |
| Assalaamu alaikum, Hey, you guys are making us jealous! Have some consideration for those who haven't been for Umrah or Hajj :) May Allah swt give all of us an opportunity to visit soon, Ameen. Wasalaam. |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/13/01 at 12:22:42 |
| [quote]arrived about 15-20 minutes before the Adhaan and Masjid Nabwi was packed. I couldn't believe it, I thought we were going to have to pray outside. But as you move in, you realise that there is plenty of space further inside. [/quote] very true...sometimes it is surprising how many saff are unfilled inside... [quote]If you go make sure your hotel is within 5 mins walking distance of Haram if you can. Even though we were very near on some days it would take us half an hour to walk back to the hotel and combined with the heat you can at least understand why some people may want to make a quick exit. [/quote] hey is it just me, or does anyone else go practically blind around zuhr time at masjd ul-nabi from the reflection off the large white marble space outside the masjid? to supplement br. khalid's advice...you got to give yourself lots of time before the salah to get there, including just to get out of ur hotel...particulary in hotels with few elevators...it could take you like a half hour just to get on an elevator... i myself am preparing to take the stairs every single time inshallah to avoid the elevator crowds... wa alaikum salam... |
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| Moonshine |
| 02/13/01 at 14:38:00 |
| assalam alaikum Jannah, how did you get a place in front of the kaaba to pray? I thought the sisters area was separate and far off from kaaba. wassalam |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/13/01 at 16:28:16 |
| slm, Right in front of the zamzam entrances there is an area fenced off for women and alot of women come and surround that area on the outside too. The haram is pretty good about this equity in ibadah stuff. No basement to stick the women in Alhamdulillah :) |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/13/01 at 22:04:37 |
| slm, I am having second thoughts about posting what I wrote about my umrah trip the world.. maybe I should put it under password for only people I know? It just feels weird to tell the world about such a personal experience... |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/14/01 at 05:58:46 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]I am having second thoughts about posting what I wrote about my umrah trip the world[/quote] Not quite sure what you mean here but I guess at the end of the day it comes down to intention and why you may want to post it. Benefitting others is obviously a consideration but at the same time there are some things which should just remain between Allah [swt] and his slave. |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/14/01 at 06:06:28 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]hey is it just me, or does anyone else go practically blind around zuhr time at masjd ul-nabi from the reflection off the large white marble space outside the masjid?[/quote] Br AbdulBasir is this just an excuse to wear those really cool Ray-Bans that you got from the Duty Free shop? ;) But seriously I hear what you say. The sun is virtually blinding and without shades you have to keep your head down and your eyes virtually closed. I just couldn't get myself to wear aviators there though!!! |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| bhaloo |
| 02/14/01 at 11:24:56 |
| slm [quote]Hey, you guys are making us jealous! Have some consideration for those who haven't been for Umrah or Hajj :) [/quote] When's that Hajj section going up? ??? |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/14/01 at 11:59:01 |
| It's up...mostly jannah.org/hajj |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/14/01 at 14:22:57 |
| [quote]is this just an excuse to wear those really cool Ray-Bans that you got from the Duty Free shop? ;) [/quote] haha :) I don't know, I think I'd rather walk around squinting with my head down...I think I'd look less ridiculous... wa alaikum salam |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| AbdulBasir |
| 02/17/01 at 04:39:19 |
| [slm] Today at the masjid yet another brother entered the fold of Islam, and he enters the deen free of all sin. Can you imagine to be completely free of sin? What a way to begin a new life. In the past, everytime I saw someone revert to Islam, I thought how fortunate they were to be given that chance of redemption with a clean slate. Tonight, I thought instead how merciful our Rabb truly is. For now I know He SWT has indeed given all of us the chance to start our lives anew through a Hajj Mabrur. May Allah grant every one of us the chance to redeem ourselves before Him during our lifetime. For those of us fortunate to go this year, may we take advantage of this great opportunity, and perhaps I'll see some of you on the road to Makkah. Ma'assalama... :) |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| jannah |
| 02/17/01 at 13:41:11 |
[quote] May Allah grant every one of us the chance to redeem ourselves before Him during our lifetime. [/quote] Ameen!!! |
| Re: Hajj Reflections |
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| BrKhalid |
| 02/17/01 at 17:38:00 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]For those of us fortunate to go this year, may we take advantage of this great opportunity, and perhaps I'll see some of you on the road to Makkah[/quote] Make du'aa for us all on the day of Arafat and may Allah [swt] make it easy for you and accept your Hajj |
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