A Video Hajj Workshop Series

The following videos are part of a series available on Islamictube.  This hajj video workshop series is by Sheikh Muhammad S. Adly.  Click on the links below to play the videos.

Sheik Adly Hajj-Workshop-Day-Two—Part-1-of-2 

Sheik Adly Hajj-Workshop-Day-Two—Part-2-of-2

Sheikh Adly Hajj-Workshop-Day-Three—Part-2-of-2

Sheikh Adly Hajj-Workshop-Day-Three—Part-1-of-2

Practical Hajj Tips, part 2

This video is posted on youtube with Muhammad Alshareef.  

Some people use corn starch in addition to or alternating with the Vasoline for the problem areas Alshareef mentions.

With all of the clothing that may have been previously laundered with scented detergents, dryer sheets or fabric softeners, wash them again with unscented products before packing them.

Get an unscented deodorant.

 if you can’t locate an unscented toothpaste, you can brush with baking soda (check with your doctor if the about the sodium if you have health issues). 

If you can’t find an unscented mouthwash, try peroxide (check with your dentist).

Forget taking along a lot  of hair care products. They take up too much space in your luggage.  They add too much weight.  And your favorite ones are probably scented.

You will really be too tired, too busy, in transit or engaged in remembrance of Allah to do more than a basic comb and brush. 

Some Muslim women simplify things by getting their hair cut or braided.

Muslim men should try on their Ihram without underwear as they will wear it at hajj.   Get used to securing it properly so it doesn’t loosen.  Also, practice sitting on the ground and standing up in it without any embarrassing display.

If you are a finicky sleeper–if you need dark and quiet and your own bed to sleep in, get a sleeping mask and load a bunch of nature sounds on your ipod.  Better yet, load it with Quran.   But don’t worry.  Allah is merciful, because exhaustion beats habit for all of us in the end. 

Here are more practical hajj tips. 

Hajj Writings

A coffee table photography book: Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant

There are a lot of books available about making the journey to hajj.  Rihla is the classical Arabic term used for the genre of travel writing, particulary for the sake of Allah. Works by hajjis (male) and hajjas (female) abound. The earliest of these works are nearly a thousand years old.  There are travelogues, highly personal meditations, scholarly collections, and books barely disguising various political or religious agendas.  The vast majority of books come from Muslims from many times and many countries. Yet some of the writing comes from non-Muslims who entered Mecca by deception and surprisingly, by Muslims who seem ambiguous about their intentions for making hajj in the first place (e.g. modern authors making hajj for the sake of a book contract)  There is also a hajj traveler or two out there who never definitively say if they even are Muslim.   Nonetheless, by doing a little investigating, you may find a book or two on the hajj experience that truly resonates with you, and helps you to prepare mentally for the journey you want to undertake.  The recollections of others–with their hardships, rewards and insights–may help you to keep your own difficulties in perspective and inspire you to try just a little bit harder for your own successful hajj.

For Muslims who would like to add to their personal, school or mosque libraries and Muslims who  purchase or want to recommend purchases to academic or public libraries, here is a small selection among the many available titles.  Sources for the commentaries are linked to each title.

Footsteps to Paradise

Mecca on the map

The non-profit organization Footsteps to Paradise which runs this blog has a newly redesigned website.   The site contains information about the organization and provides a means for Muslims who want the blessings of helping other Muslims make hajj.  Contributers may request dua be made on their behalf.  Contributions of any amount are accepted and welcomed.

Applications may only come from the imam of a community, who may submit the names of no more than three Muslim candidates who are making hajj for the first time. The site provides instructions and an application for hajj financial assistance.  Candidates must be able to pay for travel to and from departure site, personal expenses, sacrifice fees, etc. 

Assistance is for basic hajj packages only (roughly $5,000).  Assistance is contingent upoon available funds. No funds go to persons or masjids.  Funds are payable only to a hajj group approved by the Saudia Hajj Ministry.

The candidates may be male or female.  Women must be able to fulfill the mahram requirements of the Saudia government.  The candidates must be adults and have visa status such that they can leave and re-enter the country of residence.

Hajj History

If you are interested learning the history of making hajj through the centuries, you might want to begin with  this article which discusses how the pre-Islamic rituals conducted at the Kaaba were eliminated by Quranic injunctions. 

One of the most famous hajjis, whose travels took decades and whose journey ultimately covered thousands of miles is Ibn Battuta.  Ibn Battuta’s travels both exceeded and pre-dated those of Marco Polo.  The story of his hajj is here.  A six-part history of his travels begins here.

A short article about the hardships of travel, particularly by caravan is here.

A visual comparison of hajj in 1953 and hajj in modern times in this video on IslamicTube.net