The Journey of A Lifetime (Republished)

It was a journey all practising Muslims look forward to and aspire to undertake at least once in their lifetime...the pilgrimage to Makkah for the obligatory Haj. The calling to perform the Haj came to me while I was in hospital fighting for my life due to medical negligence earlier this year. In spite of my recent surgery and the threat of H1N1 especially in a place where almost 3 million people gather, I resovled to undertake the journey with necessary precautions.

The Haj is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Abraham (Ibrahim), who was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Ishmael (Ismail). The rituals performed by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are re-enacted during the Haj, including the timing and places where the rituals occured.

The haj takes place from the 7th to 12th day of the month of Dzul Hijjah (the 12th month of the Muslim calendar). Based on Western calendar, these dates coincided with November 25 to 30, 2009. The rituals of the Haj are made up of Tawaf, Sai, standing at Arafah, spending the night at Mudzalifah and stoning of the Devil in Mina.

The rituals known as Tawaf and Sai are also required for the Umrah (minor haj) and their significance have been described in my post dated April 11, 2009.

For the haj, pilgrims additionally travel eastward from Makkah to Arafah where they are to remain until sunset on the ninth day, then stop to spend the night at Muzdalifah before proceeding to Mina at daybreak on the 10th day of Dzul Hijjah. From Mina, pilgrims return to Makkah.

Arafah (Arafat)

Tents at Arafah

Pilgrims spend time on the Plains of Arafat (Arafah). Arafah represents the beginning of man's creation. In the story of Adam (creation of mankind on earth), it is said that after Adam's descent onto earth, he met Eve at Arafah, it was there that they were acquainted with each other. The descent was when Adam was instructed to leave heaven after he rebelled. Arafah is also the place where Jabal Al-Rahmah (Mountain of Mercy) is situated, where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave his final sermon 14 centuries ago.

On 7th Dzul Hijjah (November 25, 2009), we departed Makkah for Arafah for the ritual known as Wukuf (which means "standing"). There are no specific rituals for Wukuf except to be present (standing before Allah) in contemplative vigil, prayers and supplications. Wukuf occurs on the 9th day of Dzul Hijjah between the afternoon (after dzohor prayers) until sunset during which pilgrims must be present; even if for a moment. Without this, the haj is not valid. Many try to be on Jabal Al-Rahmah at this time to pray for forgiveness; but it is adequate to be anywhere in Arafah for this ritual.

Our stay at Arafah (from 7th to 9th Dzul Hijjah) was a monumental test of patience, civility and spirit of goodwill amongst fellow beings. The first test was there was a heavy storm two days before Wukuf, which was considered a blessing for it rarely rained in the desert during this time of the year. There were floods, some tents were blown off and electricity was cut off.

We arrived late evening on 7th Dzul Hijjah after the storm and found that some mattresses in the tents were soaked. Some had to make do by laying plastic sheets on their mattresses to sleep. We also suffered mosquito bites in the dark and had to use torchlights to read the Quran. Another challenge was the lack of toilet facilities for the large number of pilgrims; resulting in long bathroom queues.

Inside the ladies' tent at Arafah

Pilgrims settling in for the night

The experience at Arafah was profoundly emotional for me; during the period of Wukuf all pilgrims had to be outside their tents praying, supplicating and contemplating. The air was filled with prayers and with a helicopter hovering above (for security reasons), it was a tearfully moving experience as I reflected on the course of my life, contemplated on what I need to do to be a better person and prayed to Allah for the strength to do so. I also offered prayers for family members (including the deceased), for a blessed and healthy life, for all Muslims, including my friends, for peace in my beloved country and to depart the world in imaan (faith). At this time too, I reflected on my late husband who performed the Haj 20 years ago on very short notice and with minimal funds...he was killed in a skydiving accident and was buried on the 44th day from the day he left for Makkah....I prayed that I would have time to redeem my sins before I return to Allah.

Muzdalifah (Mash'ar)

After sunset on the 9th day of Dzul Hijjah, we departed for Muzdalifah (or Mash'ar) to spend the night under the stars. This period signifies the Day of Judgement - Muslims believe they will gather in Mash'ar on Judgement Day to be judged by Allah for their deeds during their lifetime. The night was spent in prayers and collecting pebbles for the next ritual (Stoning of the Devil) at Mina. By dawn on the 10th (the day kown as Eid El-Adha), we left for Mina.

From darkening evening sky....

...to nightfall........and, finally, dawn at Muzdalifah

Mina

Mina is known as the "three-day city" for it comes alive only for three days in a year during the Haj. Our accommodation at Mina was a huge air-conditioned tent with 400 occupants.

Tent City Mina

This tent accommodates ~400 people

In Mina, we performed the first Ramy, throwing seven pebbles at the largest of three columns known as Jamarat. Today, for safety reasons, the columns have been changed to walls.

This act is a symoblic stoning of the Devil, based on historic tradition. Allah commanded Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son, as proof of faith. It is believed that at this spot in Mina, the Devil appeared and tried to dissuade Abraham from heeding the command. Abraham responded by throwing stones to scare him off. Millions of pilgrims converge at the Jamarat bridge, which houses the three walls representing the Devil, in order to re-enact the story (Abraham was tempted three times by the Devil to ignore Allah's command).

After casting the stones, pilgrims must peform the sacrifice. Completing the story, when Abraham went to sacrifice his son, he found Allah had placed a ram there to be slaughtered instead. Pilgrims thus must slaughter a sheep, goat, cow or camel - or more likely, pay for it to be done in their names. In my case, I paid the money (equivalent to Saudi Riyal 330) to Tabung Haji (Malaysian Pilgrims Board, which organized the haj for Malaysians) to perform the sacrifice on my behalf. The meat was then distributed to the poor.

 

It must be mentioned here that in Mina, I had my first taste of camel meat - it tastes like beef, albeit a little coarser!

We left Mina around noon on the 13th day of Dzul Hijjah to return to Makkah for the remaining rituals which included the Umrah, Tawaf and Sa'i.  

Makkah

There are currently plans underway to rebuild the city of Makkah and during the period of the Haj, all construction activities came to a halt. Shown below are some scenes from the city:

An artist's impression of a hotel being built in Makkah

A familiar name in the project to rebuild Makkah

For the last eight days of my 32-day Haj (the Haj period may be as long as 44 days), we visited the city of Madinah to pray at Masjid Nabawi, the resting place of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The visit is not obligatory but is traditionally included during the Haj.

The religion of Islam is not only about prayers and rituals to prepare for the Hereafter; it is also about doing good on earth, as signified by the following verse from the Quran (Surah: Al-Baqarah, 2:201). This verse is recited while circling the Kaabah:

"rabbana aatinaa fid-dunyaa hassanataw-wa fil-aakhirati hassanataw-wa qinaa 'adhaaban naar"

(Oh Lord! Give us in this world that which is good, and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!).

Apart from re-enacting the rituals undertaken by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Haj also teaches Muslims patience, humility, compassion, acceptance and faith.

The Haj is both enlightening and spiritually refreshing and, I pray that I would have the opportunity to do it again....Insya'Allah!