Been to Hajj and back again

Salam Alekoum readers out there!

It's been a long while, has it not? =P I am back home right now, been home for more than a month so far and I must say already itching for work xD Initially I wanted a holiday until February but that's just too long I am already starting to feel bored and want to be able to do something worthwhile with my time (along with the other things I do like reading, drawing, cooking, etc)

One incredible thing that did happen to me so far is that I went to Hajj =) It was not planned at all. I just walked in one day on my Mom and Dad discussing the idea of going to Hajj, they asked if I would like to come, I said YES! and my Dad kinda banged his hand on the table in this hardcore way and went "Ok, we are going to Hajj this year!" I think this was like two weeks before Hajj, so we had a tiny amount of time to prepare ourselves. I felt so happy and so incredibly grateful for Allah blessing me with the chance to be going on this journey so easily and with no complications. Hamdullah, hamdullah, hamdullah!

The journey of Hajj in the means of 3ibada (worship) and doing the manasek (the different procedures) was so amazing. My favourite day was waqfat el 3arafa (Arafa) when we went to the mountain and all sat around out it in the different camps. On this day, from the time the sun rises, to the time the sun sets, all a person's sins can be forgiven with his Duaa to Allah. I took this day upon myself as a day I would contemplate all the blessings that I had in my life and thank Allah for them (or atleast I tried my best coz no matter how hard I try I will never be able to see all the blessings that have been bestowed on me), to ask for forgivness for the bad things I have done for my life, and finally to pray for myself as well as for my dear family and friends.

Seeing the Masjid el 7aram for the first time in my life really moved me to tears. I couldn't believe I was finally looking at it. And what was more amazing was the AMOUNT of people streaming towards it. The best way I can describe it is for you to imagine an ant mound, and thousands of tiny ants streaming towards it from every single direction. That's how the people were moving towards the Masjid for prayer. I couldn't believe the sheer number of humans I saw there, Subhan Allah, and we (My Mom, Dad and I) were just a speck in the stream as we became a part of it.

I saw people there of every race in the world during Hajj, faces that I have never seen the likes of before in my life. A nice activity to engage in is to sit somewhere where you can watch a crowd of people moving along, and remember the following verse from the Quran:

وَأَذِّن فِى ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡحَجِّ يَأۡتُوكَ رِجَالاً۬ وَعَلَىٰ ڪُلِّ ضَامِرٍ۬ يَأۡتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ۬

And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine

(Surat Hajj, verse 27)

I must say though, there were a few scary moments during my time there. Due to the huge number of people, sometimes the crowds can get a little stiffling and it would kinda make me start hyperventilating coz I really do not like crowds and being in the middle of so many human beings. However, I kept repeating the Duaa (Allahuma yaser wa la tu3aser) (Oh my Lord, make it easy and dont make it hard) and hamdullah I was able to get through some really tough situations that I normally would not be able to go through. My father literally pulled me out of a crowd of people during Rami el Jamarat because I was getting pulled away from him by the stream lol. My elbow was really sore later on that day xD

Another thing that disappointed me is the behaviour of some Muslims in terms of throwing trash and even dealing with people. I was shocked at the amount of garbage in Meena, it was so bad it started to reek. Have they forgotten the ahadith of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him dealing with keeping a place clean and beautiful as well as not throwing garbageon the ground. Also, the behaviour of some Muslims in terms of smashing into people when they are walking was really not cool. It seems that people forget that Islam is more than just the 5 pillars, but a whole way of life. All I can say is Allah yhdeena jamee3an inshaAllah.

I came back from Hajj feeling kind of a mix of emotions as a result of my experience there. I was sad due to the some of the behaviour and sights I saw there, but feeling incredibly happy that I was able to perform the journey and to have read so much Quran as well as Duaas in such a short number of days. I was terribly ill and so exhausted, and ended mostly sleeping during the next week after our return and recovering from a fever I had. However, looking back now on my time in Maka and the Hajj, I hope that Allah will grant me the chance to perform this journey again one day if He so wills it for me coz I really would love to go through it again, no matter how much of a Jihad it is.