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My Journey to Hajj

By Hafiz Javed Iqbal

I was given this task a couple of weeks ago and I have been thinking as to where to start and what exactly to write. I guess my excitement began when my father asked that it was his wish I accompanied my mother to hajj and that I perform hajj on behalf of my grandmother, may Allah bless her soul and grant her a high place in paradise, Ameen. This was planned well before the month of Ramadan and obviously I wanted the month of hajj to arrive very quickly. My sense of anticipation was very high as I had already packed my suitcase before the month of Ramadan had even begun. There was great disappointment when I learnt that we were only going to stay for 21 days. Then there was a lot of confusion over the date, the plane and the accommodation. Finally we were told that due to the confusion over the plane etc. we were now going to stay for 5 whole weeks instead of 3.

The time for goodbyes arrived and after saying the final farewells to family and friends at the airport our journey to Hajj took us to Amman, in Jordan, where we stayed for one night. After wearing the Ihram we set off to Jeddah airport reading the Talbiyah and the Takbeer.

Whilst in Ihram, I was constantly reminded that if a person dies in the state of Ihram, then he will be buried wearing the ihram. Also whilst alive, we have deep desires to wear designer and excellent clothes, but whilst wearing the ihram you are conscious that when you die, this is how you will be dressed and buried.

Hajj tests you on your patience. A big relief for those who are short tempered and want to be cured. Your patience is tested at the airport when you go through approximate 3 hrs of passport control, the long queues and the subsequent wait at each stage. Just when we thought it was all over, we were told that you had to wait hours for your turn on the bus to Mecca.

The Journey to Mecca was very soothing and calm. My constant thought was on seeing the Kab’a. I was eager to reach there as quickly as possible. When we reached there, patience was once again tested when we went to the hotel, as there was a lot of disagreement over the sleeping arrangements, etc. However, for me the time had arrived to set off to the Mosque. When I first stepped inside the mosque, the tiredness due to the long journey etc seemed to have gone away and I found myself being relaxed. My inner self was calm, relaxed and very much at peace. There was no burden on my shoulders and any big issues didn’t seem to be important any more. It was as if another person had taken over my body. I remembered the saying that Allah says that when you enter my house, you are my guest. And for me this is what I felt. I felt that somebody had taken away all my problems.

Although there were hundreds of thousands of people present, I accompanied my mother and was able to fulfil the rituals of the first Umrah and the hajj, each time being reminded of the historical philosophy behind these rituals and actions as well as fulfilling the obligations and the sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). By doing this I found myself revitalising my inner-faith, and as a result cleansing my heart, body and mind.

I found the shopping expedition, both in Mecca and Medina very interesting and fascinating. The journeys from Jeddah to Mecca, then to Medina, from there to Jeddah and finally Jeddah to Manchester were very inspiring and heart fulfilling. The Journey from Mecca to Medina was awesome in itself. Finally, no words can do justice in describing the feelings of seeing the Rauza Pak of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and blessings be upon Him.

Throughout my journey I found that Hajj taught me all about self-control, i.e. controlling your desires and accommodating to others needs.