Al-hamdulillah, Allah blessed me with Hajj this year. And although I didn’t plan for it as well as I hoped I would - due to work loads and constant travel -  but in the few days of Hajj, I learnt a great deal which I hope to share with you here.

We left in the morning of 8th Dhul-Hijja, one day before the Day of Arafah amidst an unprecedented thunderstorm. Al-hamdulillah, we made it through the thunderstorms and the multitude of checkpoints safely. However, I only learnt days later, that others weren’t so lucky. A bridge on a main road leading to Makkah, collapsed in the thunderstorm, preventing 3000 pilgrims from reaching to Makkah. I had shivers in my spine when I heard that, I thought: SubhanaAllah, truly only those invited are made through, no matter how close you live to Makkah.

The day of Tarwiyya, 8th day, was a day of reflection, a day to prepare mentally and physically for our mission to come. Although the rain was distracting us during the day, since our tent and its furniture were wet, but during the night, with reminders from the scholars leading us in the camp, our contemplation began.

2.00AM - Day of Arafah, 9th Dhul Hijjah. We were rudely awakened with large speakers announcing that buses will be leaving early to Arafah to avoid the after fajr rush. The camp came to life after it was virtually dead with sleep. We moved to Arafah, arrived just before Fajr, prayed fajr and slept till 9. We woke up, full of energy and enthusiasm for this great day. I was so filled with energy, I wanted to walk to the mountain of mercy, the Mt.Arafah. I gathered a group of friends, and we started walking. We realized that the Mosque of Namira was just opposite our camping site, so gladly we decided to go to the mosque, perhaps find a space in the mosque to hear the Khutba during that day. On our way there, seeing the faces of so many pilgrims from different parts of the world was heart-warming. SubhanaAllah, I just love this “natural” love we have for our Ummah. It’s love and mercy that fills your heart when you see your fellow Muslims.

Guiding the rest of my group with a bright green umbrella - don’t ask - and chanting the beautiful chant of Hajj  - Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk... - we arrived close to Masjid Namira. But suddenly, I noticed a panic, 50 yards from where I was standing, and I immediately told my group to turn back. Al-hamdulillah, we made it in time, because the panic spread like wildfire in the ranks of the pilgrims and people were pushing each other and shouting feverously in the spot we were standing. Al-hamdulillah, no one got hurt This mini-experience, confirmed 3 traits of good leadership: 1. His vision/sight is far 2. He warns early of incoming danger 3. He finds a safe way out smoothly.

We retreated to the camp after we realized that we’ll take too long to get to Namira or Mt.Arafah and hence we’ll be spending the entire day walking and pushing/get pushed by crowd instead of focussing on our Dua. Dhuhur came, heard the Khutba, prayed Dhuhur and Asr together as per the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the best part of Hajj started: Dua, Dua, Dua :). Have you ever made dua so sincerely? How long did it last 10-20 minutes? Imagine spending 4-5 hours in constant dua asking Allah for his forgiveness and the good in this world and the next. SubhanaAllah, you feel your heart getting alive in a spiritual transformation as you’re making dua, and you discover things about yourself you rarely knew. You wonder what keeps you going during that day? (Hard for us to spend that long making dua in any other day) the true answer: It’s from Allah SWT.

Sunset arrived. It was a mixed feeling: sadness and happiness. Sadness because a great day has set, but happiness that you are of those who witnesses the Day. We moved to Muzdalifah, and although we were on the bus, my heart went to all those brothers/sisters walking from Arafah to Muzdalifa, it was a 5km walk, not an easy walk, especially after a long hard day. I remember 5 years ago, when I last went to Hajj, seeing moving scenes of children who’ve grown up carrying their parents and walking with them to Muzdalifah.

... To be continued