A young Muslim narrates his journey to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Walking toward the horizon, my pulse began to quicken. All of a sudden, the marble floors, the intricately decorated pillars, and the gold lighting fixtures seemed to melt away, and the only thing present in the world was the black structure in the distance that attracted me as a magnet attracts bits of iron. After two days of travel, the object of my journey was before me. My eyes gazed upon the black building and tears of repentance streamed down my face. I was finally standing before the Kaaba, the house of Allah. My Hajj had just begun.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and it is required that a Muslim perform it at least once in his or her lifetime.
My Hajj began in Dubai, where I put on the ihram, an outfit comprised of two white sheets worn by all men during Hajj. One sheet is tied around the waist, and the other is wrapped around the shoulders. A belt is then placed around the waist for the sake of security. Footwear consists of sandals, and these must expose the bone in the upper part of the foot and the ankles. Although, at first, I had some trouble wearing the ihram and covering myself properly, I soon overcame these troubles. Once I got the hang of it, I came to love the ihram, because it was simple yet elegant. The ihram makes all Muslims--rich and poor--alike, equal in terms of exterior appearance, by eliminating what often is a gauge of an individual’s wealth. When a man dons the ihram, he is equal to all around him; this external equality is representative of the Day of Judgment, when the rich and the poor will all look alike. It is required that one starts wearing the ihram and recites his or her intention to perform Hajj before reaching Makkah.
When the pilgrim is in the state of ihram, many things are forbidden to him. For example, he is forbidden to cut his nails and hair (since they are part of a living body), to uproot a plant and to kill animals. The idea is to teach self-restraint, and that your body doesn’t belong to you. You are forced to respect your body for the first three days of Hajj. The point is that if you can respect your body for three days, you can certainly do it for the rest of your life. This is just one of the many changes that Hajj imparts upon a pilgrim.
Upon arriving in Makkah, I performed the Umrah, which is a required part of Hajj. The Umrah consists of performing tawaaf (walking around the Kaaba seven times); praying two rakaahs; making du’a (supplication); drinking water that comes from the Zam Zam spring; and performing the sai’y, which consists of walking between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah seven times. It was right before I began the Umrah that I first saw the Kaaba, and because of this, that Umrah was one of the most special moments of my life.
After spending a few nights in Makkah, I went to Madinah to see Masjid-un-Nabi. I honestly thought that this was the most beautiful mosque I had ever seen, even moreso than Masjid al-Haram in Makkah! Masjid-un-Nabi has many beautiful features. For instance, it is decorated very lavishly, with intricate gold and marble everywhere. The one thing I was impressed by most was the level of detail of the decorations in everything in the mosque. You can literally sit inside of Masjid-un-Nabi for an hour and just look around, and at the end of the hour, you will still be noticing things that you had not seen when you first walked in.
Masjid-un-Nabi also contains the grave of the Prophet (saws), which I was able to see, as well as the graves of Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat Umar (ra), both of whom are buried next to the Prophet (saws). Yet another feature of the mosque is the Jannat-ul-Rawdah. There is a hadith (narration) that states that the area between the pulpit of Masjid-un-Nabi and the living quarters of the Prophet (saws) is a garden of Paradise and that prayers offered in the Rawdah are equal to 100,000 prayers. In the daytime there is always a crowd of people trying to reach the Rawdah to pray two rakaat.
I also was able to visit the al-Baqi cemetery, which is right next to Masjid-un-Nabi. Hadrat Uthman (ra) is buried here, as are many other Sahabah (companions of the Prophet). The Prophet (saws) would often visit this cemetery. The nice part about the cemetery is that is has been kept as it was 1400 years ago. The graves have not been covered with marble; it is still a large area of soil that comprises the burial ground. Also, the original headstones have not been replaced. The headstones of the Prophet’s time were just large rocks. Just being there makes you feel as though you were in another time, and it is also a strong reminder of death and man’s own mortality.
After visiting Madinah, I went to Mina to begin Hajj. During the first couple days of Hajj, you stay at Mina on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah (the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar), spend the afternoon of the 9th at Arafat, going to Muzdalifah for the eve of the 10th where you collect pebbles to throw at the Jamaarat.
Mina is one of the most crowded places you’ll ever see. You sleep in tents, and for the most part you live simply and spend most of your time in prayer. Because of the big crowds, you rarely venture out into the streets on the first day.
Arafat was probably the highlight of my Hajj. It is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been in. The roads, which are right next to the camp, are full of buses, and yet in the tent you feel nothing but inner peace. There is a hadith that states “Hajj is halting at Arafat,” and this is where your du’a is most likely to be accepted. Most of the people here stand outside in the sun and pray for forgiveness and make any du’a that they have.
On the 10th, while Muslims all around the world are celebrating Eid-al-Adha, pilgrims in Makkah go through the toughest day of Hajj, the 10th of Dhul Hijjah. On this day, pilgrims must throw seven pebbles at the biggest of the three Jamaarat, and then travel to Makkah to perform tawaaf and sai’y.
Many Muslims die every year while trying to throw the Jamaarat, simply because of the huge number of people trying to throw the pebbles.
After throwing the pebbles, tawaaf is performed at Masjid al-Haram, and this is another highlight of the Hajj, because the Kaaba is washed (ghusl) on the day of Arafat. It’s covering is also changed, and so on the 10th the Kaaba looks extra-special. Sai’y is also performed at Masjid al-Haram. Afterwards, pilgrims shave their hair, and are now permitted to take off the ihram and wear normal clothes. The final three days are spent at Mina, and these are usually days of prayer and rest. The final part of Hajj is that before leaving Makkah, the pilgrim must perform the Farewell tawaaf. This should also be the final action of the pilgrim before he leaves Makkah.
Hajj was an incredible experience for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it. There is simply no replacement for the happiness and peacefulness you feel. Hajj is meant to change a Muslim’s life, and for him to change his bad ways and become a better Muslim. The reward for Hajj is forgiveness for all of one’s sins and thus Hajj provides a “clean slate” with which a Muslim can literally start over, and live a good life unmarred by bad deeds and habits. May Allah accept the Hajj of those who have performed it and give all Muslims the opportunity to perform Hajj. Ameen. ̹
