Pilgrim Preparations in Mecca

An  improvement in health and hygiene services for pilgrims is beginning in Ramadan and will extend through hajj.  The Arab News reports that preparations are going on for the influx of  Muslims making umrah during Ramadan.

…[M]ore than 5,600 janitors will be cleaning the city during Ramadan….The mayor said 150 garbage bins were placed at different locations in the city with 50 bins in the central area around the Grand Mosque.

…He said in the field of environmental hygiene, teams were established to inspect shops selling foodstuffs to ensure that health conditions are being met. He also said sub-committees were formed to monitor bakeries and prevent begging and street peddling.

 Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has instructed officials to put more efforts to upgrade the services provided to Haj and Umrah pilgrims.

Habib Miyan Dies

The BBC has reported the death of Habib Miyan on August 19, 2008.  Habib Miyan’s story was particularly appropriate to this hajj blog which belongs to Footsteps to Paradise, a organization that provides financial assistance to Muslims making hajj for the first time.  May Allah be pleased with him.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

By the Token of Time through the ages,

Verily Man is in loss,

Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and join together in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. (Quran 103:1-3)

 

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. 

Books About Hajj

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.