This is a post from Muslimwritings on a lesson learned from hajj.
Another woman told me this:
I did not see it. It was a small space. The smallest of spaces. No more than a quarter of an inch between my knee and that of the woman sitting next to me on the floor in the upper level of the Haram. And so far in the back we could not even see the railing that overlooked the Kaaba below us in the center.
It was Friday—Jumaah during Hajj and the women were still coming up the stairs. I knew how thick the crowd was below. There was no separation of men and women—just thousands of Muslims standing so close in prayer that they would be unable to make sajud on the floor; they could only press their heads against the backs of the people in front of them during the Jumaah prayer and janazah—funeral prayers–of those who had died during Hajj. Their souls go on with all of the prayers of their janazah—the prayers of thousands of people in the Haram right then seeking forgiveness and mercy from Allah.
I looked up and saw one more woman approaching me now from the entryway to my right. I was tired of being crowded and pushed in the heat to make room where all could see there was no more room. That was when I looked and saw it—the quarter of an inch.
I knew what she knew. It was her space, her opening. She stepped up to it and folded herself down onto the floor, into that space. And once again the row shifted, bodies realigned themselves—all the knees and elbows and feet. When it was done, she was sitting next to me but I was not really any more crowded then I was before.
That lesson was my gift from Allah on that Jumaah of my Hajj. And it has stood me in good stead all these years since: that great blessings, opportunities, rewards lie just beyond the smallest of openings–if only I have faith enough to see them, and to step through.
Here are videos, old and new, that together show Muslims during all parts of the hajj. A note: you will want see the faces of the Muslims and listen to the dua at Arafah.
Salat at hajj 2008
Tawaf around the Kaaba
Safa and Marwah
A dua at Arafat.
Muzdelifah.
At the Jamarat, stoning Shaitan
Hajj this year is going on as construction continues to expand Masjid al-Haram.
This is a video from Huda TV that gives step-by-step instruction on how to make hajj. You will see all of hajj from assuming ihram to making umrah through all of the phases of hajj. There is also information about visiting the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) mosque in Medinah.
If you had the means but didn’t make hajj this year, what are you waiting for?
When planning to make hajj, no one knows if that plan will become a reality or remain an unfulfilled dream. Would-be hajjis have always faced difficulties of money, health, distance or other problems. Not “feeling ready” to make hajj is not a reason to delay. In fact, it is probably the best argument for making hajj. After all, there is very little in life–from our births to our deaths–that we ever feel ready for. None of us is guaranteed life for another year, So as you see pictures and video of this years hajjis, make intentions before Allah to go next year.
For those of us who are not faced with great hardship, below is a small list of the problems facing Muslims around the world in their efforts to make hajj:
Many Iraqi Muslims have to wait for hajj. The ones who can travel have been helped with their overland travels by the Kuwaiti government. Many Iraqis are unemployed or displaced. Some have saved for hajj only to have their money stolen or have had to pay it as ransom.
Some Pakistani Muslims are missing hajj this year as travel group operators and the government accuse each other of being at fault for failing to complete the necessary paperwork.
Hajj for Muslims everywhere has become more expensive. Those who could have made hajj with relative ease a few years ago but didn’t, may now find the prices are not affordable.
For Egyptian Muslims, the price of hajj gotten so high as become almost unattainable for the majority of people.
These examples of the struggles faced by Muslims around the world–difficulties that did not exist in some places a few years ago or even last year–are a reminder to those who have the means and have not yet made hajj. Make intentions to make hajj next year, because Allah can bar the way at any time.
Posted by Umm Umar 
Posted by Umm Umar 
Posted by Umm Umar 
