Performing the Holy Hajj

First of all, my wife and I thank Allah, the Almighty Who enabled us to perform the 2015 Holy Hajj safely and peacefully. We extend our sorrow to those who died during Hajj times, surely we belong to Allah and to Allah shall we return (Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun) and our prayers and thoughts are with them.

The term Hajj means "to intend a journey," which can be an outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions. It is the 5th pillar of Islam alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat and Siam. It is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all sane adult Muslims including male and female who are physically and financially capable and can support their family during their absence.

There is not a single moment when hundreds of thousands of Mauazzins around the globe are not proclaiming the oneness of Almighty Allah and the apostleship of the noble Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasalam) on the surface of this planet. Hajj rituals are an evidence of this belief.

Our hotel in Madinah was five minutes walking way to reach the al-Masjid an-Nabawi known as the Prophet's Mosque which is the second-holiest site in Islam after al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. Regardless of date or time, it is always open.  It is a beautiful, magnificent, lighted and brightened mosque. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever visits me after my death is like who had visited me during my life. And whoever passes way in either of the two Harams, will be resurrected from among the ones given safety on the Day of Resurrection." Summa Ameen! We had the opportunities to visit and pray both of there. Alhamdulillah!

O Messenger of Allah, O Prophet of Allah, O Beloved of Allah, O Final Prophet of Allah and O Mercy and Blessings of Allah peace and salvation be upon you. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and we bear witness that you are Allah's Servant and Messenger. Ameen!   

We toured several historical places in Madinah. We said two rakat nafal prayer in the Quba Mosque, the first mosque of our Holy Prophet (pbuh) in Madinah, Qiblah Mosque where Prophet received the command to change the direction of prayer known as Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah and visited Jannatul Baqi, the graveyard.

We came through USA from Madinah to Makkah and my only living elder sister, brother-in-law, nephew and his wife came through Bangladesh from Makkah to Madinah same time to perform the holy Hajj of 2015. In 2006, my sister last visited USA and after almost 10 years I met with them in my Madinah Hotel and al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. What a miracle of Allah! Thanks Almighty Allah for showing Your love to this deaf man! It was an amazing moment!  

When we moved to Swiss Hotel in the Clock Tower which is adjacent to al-Masjid al-Haram, then my sisters moved to Madinah. It was vice-versa.

We did the ritual of throwing seven pebbles known as Jamarat at the three locations in the city of Meena just east of Makkah. These three locations are the places where Satan intercepted Prophet Abraham on his way to accomplish his dream of sacrificing his son Ismail. But, Satan failed and Abraham won. It represents the temptation to disobey Allah and preserve Ismail.  

We attended at Mount Arafat which is known as Mount of Mercy as a source of Hajj ritual. Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: "Standing at Arafat is the essence of Hajj." It is the hill where our Prophet (pbuh) stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslim pilgrims at the end of his life. It is the place where pilgrims spend the whole day praying for forgiveness of their sins and fulfilling their strengths in the future. This mini gathering symbolises upcoming huge gathering when the Day of Judgement will come. All human beings will be resurrected in front of Allah, the Creator.

We stayed the whole night at Muzdalifah which is preceded by a day at Arafat. I got my hair cut as part of Hajj ritual.

Tawaf is one of the famous Hajj rituals. It circles the Kaaba seven times in anti-clockwise direction and ends at the green light. We did it first time in the mid-night. It symbolises about the oneness of Allah Who is worthy of worship. The circle begins from the Black Stone known as al-Hajar al-Aswad on the corner of Kaaba.  Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: "The black Stone is from Paradise. It was whiter than snow until it was blackened by the sins of the polytheists."

At the end of circling, pilgrims say two rakat nafal prayer at the Abraham's Station. If not possible because of crowd, then they pray at any part of al-Masjid al-Haram. After this, pilgrims drink water from the sacred Well of Zamzam prior to performing the next and last ritual of Hajj known as the Saee.

It may be mentioned here that as a sign of respect and greeting, Muslims normally say two rakat prayer at the mosque, but exception is found in al-Masjid al-Haram by circling Kaaba seven times.

Saee means the back and forth movement between the hills of Safa and Marwah in Makkah commemorating the memories of Hajar, the wife of Prophet Abraham. Allah commanded Abraham to leave Hajar and his newborn baby Ismail in the desert between the two hills Safa and Marwah to test their faith. Hajar did accordingly and was looking for water for her thirsty baby Ismail by walking and running seven times between Safa and Marwah hills. Finally, Hajar found the water of Zamzam gushing beneath her son's feet. Thus it became Saee as Hajj ritual by walking and running seven times between these two hills by Allah's command. We did Saee by walking and running seven times in honour of Hazar and her baby son Ismail.

Thus we notice that the number seven has a significant role in Islam. Besides, the number of firmaments is seven alongside the number of days of the week which is also seven.  

Staying at Swiss Hotel, it was possible for us to do additional tawafs and saees in the al-Masjid al-Haram.

At the end, we thank the USA Yaseen Hajj and Umrah Tour Operator for helping our dreams come true.    

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