I hope these experiences will inspire some of the Muslims, who are still to perform the Hajj, to
complete it. I also hope
that this will remind the Hajjis of their time and experiences in Makkah and Madina, creating a zeal for them to return to the Holy
lands
regularly.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a requirement that any Muslim who has the
means
to carry out the Hajj
should perform it, at lease once in a lifetime. These are a series of stories that tell our story of Hajj this year (2004). We started off from
Central Scotland as a group of brothers and sisters. We went to Makkah to make the pilgrimage and complete the command of Allah.
After
the Hajj, we spent time in the masjid of Rasulallah for eight days before returning to Scotland.
1. INVITATION FROM ALLAHThis probably rings true for most of us.
Every year we have an intention to do Hajj and the year quickly passes by and we don't go to Hajj. This year was special. I had an
intention to do Hajj (again)........... 2. THE JOURNEY THEREAfter we completed Fajr prayer in the Stirling
Masjid, we started loading up for the first step of the journey - Edinburgh airport. We had to be at the airport for 7.00am to check in
our luggage. Ever........... 3. FROM SCOTLAND TO SAUDIWhen we landed in Cairo, we
were welcomed by the Cairo night at the death of the sandstorm. I took a deep breath taking in this foreign culture and language.
The air was tainted with the taste of sand........... 4. TO THE GATES OF MAKKAHWe had travelled from one side
of the world to the other with the sole intention of performing the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. Every Muslim, who has the means,
must perform the Hajj - at least onc........... 5. THE KA'BAHAll our baggage was unloaded onto the pavement outside the Hotel.
The bus was still unloading as my companions checked their luggage, making sure all their essentials had arrived safely. I hurried
int........... 6. THE UMRAHMagrib was my first Salah in Makkah in the Al Haram. I found it quite
unusual with the second Imam reciting the Takbir behind the Imam in such a beautiful voice. This is not common in our part of the
........... 7. EXPEDITION IN MAKKAHAfter a light sleep on our first night in
Makkah, we were wide awake well before the Fajr Prayers. We were lucky enough to get a hotel very close to Al Haram - I could
actually see the corner of the g........... 8. ARREST AND MORE RESTAfter a few days in Makkah, all my
room mates and most of the original Hajj group became ill. Some of us got the cold and before long it had spread to the whole
group. I bought a small stove and pans ........... 9. THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS AND
BEYOND.It was the first day of Hajj (8th Dhul-Hijjah). We got up early that morning, well before Fajr and had a quick shower.
We had already made all the preparation for the Hajj before hand so it was just a........... 10. THE CITY OF TENTWe walked along the highway, which turns into a
bridge that has a steep incline of 45 degrees. I could see the people before me and behind me, which seemed like a scene from
the day of Judgement. Peop........... 11. THE DAY OF ARAFATOn the morning of the day of Arafat we were
woken by the angelic zikr of a group of pious brothers from Birmingham. These brothers were not the box-standard Muslims you
would get wandering the streets........... 12. MISSION POSSIBLEAfter our ‘sight seeing’ of Arafat we made our way
back towards our tents. The air had cooled quite a bit by the time we got there. Our companions were already waiting at the tents,
some still absorbe........... 13. GETTING STONEDAt Fajr time, there was a frantic rush as everyone
around us was getting ready for salah. The queues to the toilets and ablution area were huge. Everyone was desperate to wash,
perform salah and get m........... 14. MISSION BACK TO MINAAlhamdu-lillah, all the brothers and
sisters in our group had completed the stoning safely. Don't under estimate the enormity of the task we had completed. Many
people are killed or injured during the...........
