The most difficult, the most exhausting, but yet the most beautiful and peaceful journey of my life. Imagine having three million people in one city at one time doing the same exact thing. Welcome to Hajj 2013, Saudi Arabia.
I have done many blog postings of my travels, but this one is the most difficult. As a writer, I am at a loss of words. No matter what I write, it won't do justice to this humbling experience. But, I'll give it a shot.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, required of all Muslims to complete once in their lifetime.
From the moment we made the intention to perform our Hajj, we witnessed one miracle after another, opening the doors and enabling us to embark on this special journey.
After much preparation and packing, we were on our way to Medina, the city of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It still hadn't quite hit me yet that all this was really happening. After more than 24 hours in transit, we arrive in Medina in the middle of the night. There's hustle and bustle and we make sure our luggage gets on our bus and we head to our hotel. We're tired. We're sleepy. We're not sure what we're supposed to do at this point. It's dark. There's buses after buses after taxis after taxis on the streets. Hundreds of people are arriving.
All of a sudden, very loudly, we hear the Adhan, the call to prayer, echoing from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's mosque, for morning prayer. I stand there in awe as it sends chills down my spine. I'm really here. I look around and see hundreds and thousands of people flocking towards the mosque. As we walk to the mosque and stand united in prayer, I count my blessings and put my head on the floor in prostration and thank God for this exact moment in my life.
In the four days that we spent in Medina, we witnessed countless miracles. I saw my first sunrise there! Yes, I am 30 years old and had never seen a sunrise in my life. But, as I sat in the outdoor courtyard of the masjid one morning after prayer, I turn to see the most incredible sunrise. As tears flowed down my face, I felt like the most special person in the world because God saved this moment for me. Medina is the most serene, the most peaceful, the most incredible city in the world. I may be back home now, but my heart is left in Medina. I'm still not over my jet lag, but my every inch is yearning to go back.
We left Medina and headed towards the sacred city of Mecca. Our nine hour bus ride to Mecca was very smooth, we arrived at our apartment buildings, unloaded our luggage, and headed to al Masjid al Haram and the Kaaba, the House of God and the holiest mosque in Islam. As our bus gets nearer, my heart starts racing, I get goosebumps and can't hold back my tears. We get down, it's late at night, but the traffic and hustle and bustle doesn't end. Hundreds of thousands of people are walking towards the mosque. We walk together, hand in hand, looking down. And look up only when we have full view of the Kaaba. This is the moment where words fail me. There is absolutely nothing that I can write that will describe this moment. It was an incredibly overwhelming feeling- mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and more. There I am standing in front of what more than a billion Muslims pray towards five times a day every single day. I make every prayer in my heart as I stand there in utter awe and humility.
I have done many blog postings of my travels, but this one is the most difficult. As a writer, I am at a loss of words. No matter what I write, it won't do justice to this humbling experience. But, I'll give it a shot.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, required of all Muslims to complete once in their lifetime.
From the moment we made the intention to perform our Hajj, we witnessed one miracle after another, opening the doors and enabling us to embark on this special journey.
After much preparation and packing, we were on our way to Medina, the city of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It still hadn't quite hit me yet that all this was really happening. After more than 24 hours in transit, we arrive in Medina in the middle of the night. There's hustle and bustle and we make sure our luggage gets on our bus and we head to our hotel. We're tired. We're sleepy. We're not sure what we're supposed to do at this point. It's dark. There's buses after buses after taxis after taxis on the streets. Hundreds of people are arriving.
All of a sudden, very loudly, we hear the Adhan, the call to prayer, echoing from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's mosque, for morning prayer. I stand there in awe as it sends chills down my spine. I'm really here. I look around and see hundreds and thousands of people flocking towards the mosque. As we walk to the mosque and stand united in prayer, I count my blessings and put my head on the floor in prostration and thank God for this exact moment in my life.
In the four days that we spent in Medina, we witnessed countless miracles. I saw my first sunrise there! Yes, I am 30 years old and had never seen a sunrise in my life. But, as I sat in the outdoor courtyard of the masjid one morning after prayer, I turn to see the most incredible sunrise. As tears flowed down my face, I felt like the most special person in the world because God saved this moment for me. Medina is the most serene, the most peaceful, the most incredible city in the world. I may be back home now, but my heart is left in Medina. I'm still not over my jet lag, but my every inch is yearning to go back.
We left Medina and headed towards the sacred city of Mecca. Our nine hour bus ride to Mecca was very smooth, we arrived at our apartment buildings, unloaded our luggage, and headed to al Masjid al Haram and the Kaaba, the House of God and the holiest mosque in Islam. As our bus gets nearer, my heart starts racing, I get goosebumps and can't hold back my tears. We get down, it's late at night, but the traffic and hustle and bustle doesn't end. Hundreds of thousands of people are walking towards the mosque. We walk together, hand in hand, looking down. And look up only when we have full view of the Kaaba. This is the moment where words fail me. There is absolutely nothing that I can write that will describe this moment. It was an incredibly overwhelming feeling- mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and more. There I am standing in front of what more than a billion Muslims pray towards five times a day every single day. I make every prayer in my heart as I stand there in utter awe and humility.
The actual Hajj rituals started after this day. The days and nights spent in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah was a very rigorous and personal experience, one that must be experienced to understand. As more than three million people from all walks of life traveled to the most remote destinations, following the footsteps of our beloved Prophet, I couldn't help but be mesmerized every time I looked around me. Here are more than three million men and women from every corner of the world, every color, every race, every size, every economic standing, every class, every shape, every background, all united with one common purpose, one goal- purification of their soul. There was absolutely no difference between each individual. Everyone was dressed the same- in a white Ihram, a symbol of purity that indicates the equality of all people in the eyes of God. Everyone had to do the same thing. Equality at its purest form. It's no wonder Malcolm X was so moved by his pilgrimage. In his famous letter from Mecca he wrote, "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors...There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual..."
The completion of the Hajj rites marks the beginning of the three day festival of Eid al-Adha. Muslims all over the world participate in this happy celebration. I made some incredible friends during this journey and have formed a very special hajj family. El Medina Travel was exceptional every step of the way.
Completing Hajj isn't an ordinary task. Completing Hajj with an injured leg is even more challenging. Completing Hajj with an extraordinary man=priceless :) Thank you honey for being who you are. You are a true testament of good character.
And most importantly, thank you God for allowing us to begin our life together with such an incredible experience.
A couple of articles written about our Hajj journey...
National Public Radio
Los Angeles Times
The completion of the Hajj rites marks the beginning of the three day festival of Eid al-Adha. Muslims all over the world participate in this happy celebration. I made some incredible friends during this journey and have formed a very special hajj family. El Medina Travel was exceptional every step of the way.
Completing Hajj isn't an ordinary task. Completing Hajj with an injured leg is even more challenging. Completing Hajj with an extraordinary man=priceless :) Thank you honey for being who you are. You are a true testament of good character.
And most importantly, thank you God for allowing us to begin our life together with such an incredible experience.
A couple of articles written about our Hajj journey...
National Public Radio
Los Angeles Times
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