In the Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
It is a great Blessing and Grace of Allah sub'hanahu wa ta'aala that we completed the Obligatory Hajj in the year 2010 (1431 Hijri).My husband and I could perform the Hajj with all its rituals properly only with the help of Allah.On the eve of 7th Dhul Hijjah 1431 which is 13th November 2010 we set our for Mina after Isha by bus. We were in Ihram and saying Talbiah when we started out from our home. We were doing Hajj al Ifrad in which the sacrificial animal is not necessary and one can directly wear the Ihram clothes for Hajj.We had to go directly to Mina and perform the five obligatory prayers.Our bus crossed the check point and headed towards Mina. We could see a lot of Hajis going toward Mina on foot from Jeddah. I could not believe that Allah had called me for this Great act of Hajj...I felt that a sinful and disobedient servant of Allah like me was given a chance to purify myself through this great duty toward Allah.The bus was going and we were reciting the Talbiyah all along.The Journey to Mina was not too long. After about one and a half hour we reached within the boundaries of Mina. Now we could see white tents spread far and wide till our sights could reach.There were hundreds of thousands of tents in Mina for the Hajis (pilgrims) to stay.Our bus dropped us just near our tent and all the pilgrims of that group took their belongings and proceeded to their respective tents.We were allotted wrist bands on which our numbers were written which helped in identifying our tents and our train bookings for Muzdalifah and Arafat trips.The Muallim with whom we were in a group was helping us all along. He got us settled down. After putting our baggage and performing the prayers we all kept ourselves busy in supplications and recitation of the Quran.We were busy in our prayers when there was an announcement that due to the large amount of Hajis it is recommended that we set out for Arafat in the night itself!We wondered it was recommended that one left for Arafat next morning after Fajr so how could this be possible!? But he convinced most of us saying that the crowd of pilgrims was too large so it is better to set out in the night itself.We had to travel to Arafat by 'Mashair al Muqaddasa' Metro train service. We had been given the boarding passes earlier when we took our bus to Mina from Jeddah.The Metro Train Service was launched for the pilgrims that year itself and it was the first experience for many.We walked till the railway station on foot. Hundreds of people followed one man in a group who had a board in his hand held high on a long pole.Every group leader had the board with the name of his group and camp and the members of that group were walking behind him. This made the long and crowded walk easy to track and manage Alhamdulillah.Everyone was reciting the Talbiyah 'labbaik Allahumma labbaik...' Here I am O my Lord, here I am...After a little waiting on the station we were signaled to move toward our platform numbers so that we can board the coming train for Arafat.It seemed like a flood of people of all types, nationalities, colors and regions...the one thing was common to all...they were all there for the once in a lifetime journey of Hajj...they were all there because they believed in Allah the one and only Lord.The Saudi guards were managing the crowd very well. Just as the train arrived everyone boarded it for the first time and could see the fine service they could avail to make their pilgrimage easier and comfortable.We could reach Arafat in minutes. We had reached there late into the night. There were tents erected for the Hajis. There was a big carpet in each tent for the pilgrims to sit or sleep. Each one of us was given a sleeping bag as we entered the respective tents.We spent the whole night in prayers, supplication and resting. Until after our fajr prayers we all remained inside the tents only. The tents and sections of ladies and gents were separate. We were provided with tea, snacks and other breakfast items after fajr. After having our breakfast we all came out of our tents and met our family members so that we could sit and make dua in Arafat till Maghrib time.The sharp sunlight could not bring down the high spirits that the pilgrims had to make the most of the great day of Arafat. They wanted to make all the supplications they could. We stood under the bright sun and made dua to our Lord.The pilgrims can stay in Arafat till maghrib time only so they want to make the most of these hours.As the time passed we made our supplications more and more and the spirits soared higher. Most of us ask for forgiveness so that our Hajj is accepted and we return as newborn babies with no sin! We also prayed for strong faith, health, a good life and death. We all aspire for the final destination Jannah or Paradise so most of the pilgrims pray for it during Arafat Day. All of us pray for the loved ones who had passed away. To sum up, we all pray for happiness in the world and the hereafter for ourselves and others.In Arafat we prayed Dhuhr and Asr prayers as shortened and combined. Then again we all got busy in supplications. Just around Maghrib time we set our for Muzdalifah to spend the night there.We had set out for Muzdalifah before maghrib through the Metro train. It was really a good experience.After reaching Muzdalifah we prayed Maghrib and Isha prayers shortened and combined. After that we took rest there.After praying Fajr in the morning we went to our tents in Mina. From there we went to Jamarat for the stoning of devils. We again took the train to Jamarat from Mina station. We could stone the pillars representing the devils easily because of the excellent way the officials were managing the crowd. They were monitoring the pilgrims from helicopters that were constantly hovering over the Jamarat bridge.The experience of the stoning of the pillars is one of its kind. We say the Takbeer loudly and then throw the stone on the devil. The emotion at that time cannot be explained in words. Tears come out and the heart feels the greatness of the words Allah u Akbar!As our Hajj was Hajj al Ifrad we could now come out of our Ihram after the first day of Rami Jamar or the stoning of the devil. Those who were supposed to do the sacrifice could come out of the state of Ihram only after they had done it.Coming out of the state of Ihram also felt great as now we were officially celebrating the completion of our conditions of Hajj. We felt so happy and thankful that Allah had helped us complete such a big obligatory duty for Him alone. We prayed that we had done a Hajj that is Hajj Mabroor or acceptable Hajj.After taking a bath and coming out of our Ihram we set out for Makkah to perform Tawaf Ifaada which is again a part of Hajj ceremonies.We easily reached Makkah in a bus. Since there was no space inside the place near Kaaba we were directed to take a route upstairs on the first level in the Masjid al Haram.We started our Tawaf of Kaba at around 1 pm and could complete it in two hours!After the tawaf we went for sa'ee of Safa and Marwah which took two more hours!After that it was Asr prayer. We could get free till 5 o'clock in the evening!We came out of the Mosque and took some break and had something to eat.We could pray the Maghrib prayer in congregation. We then took a taxi to Mina.The traffic was heavy and our taxi could move on a slow speed.We could successfully complete another part of Haj which is Tawaf al ifaada by Allah's Mercy.We were now back in the tent. We spent the night making dua and taking some sleep as well.The next morning after Fajr again the pilgrims started their journey toward Jamarat for the second day of stoning the devils.The pilgrims have the choice of stoning the pillars for 2 or for three days. We had now completed all the important parts of Hajj Pilgrimage so we felt a great relief.We spent the day and evening in prayers and supplications. There were ladies from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bihar in my camp. We had some conversation too among ourselves over Hajj itself. I read out some book which I had taken along with me to clarify some doubts related to Ihram conditions and other aspects of Hajj.Then the camp in-charge announced that the bus will depart for Jeddah by 4-5 pm in the evening so everyone was asked to pack their things before that time.We met each other and bid farewell and hoped for an acceptable Hajj.As we boarded the bus it started raining and soon it turned into a heavy downpour! We all were delighted to witness the rain. Soon the streets were full of water and many were standing in the rain enjoying it!As we were heading toward Jeddah the weather became pleasant and it was raining all along. We could see two rainbows on our way from the bus window. The sky was looking beautiful with soft wide clouds and rainbows.The trees were looking so fresh and lively. The greenery was looking so beautiful. Our hearts felt the contentment and satisfaction of performing a great duty toward Allah. The beautiful weather made ushopeful that Allah had accepted our Hajj.Our bus dropped us at the same spot from where we boarded it in the beginning of this journey of Hajj.The families of pilgrims had gathered to welcome them back home. It was indeed a heart warming experience. All were excited and happy...alhamdulillah.All praise is due to Allah.
