Hajj is not an event that takes place in isolation from the rest of your life. If you are sincerely open to it, hajj is also an opportunity to learn, to grow and to change your life. Yet as more and more time passes, the intensity of the experience and memories of hajj fade. And your good intentions, if you are not careful, may fade with them. Here are some ways, if it pleases Allah, to continue to benefit from hajj by incorporating that once-in-a-lifetime event into the routine of everyday life:
- Patience. What you learn at hajj when told the bus will arrive-and this is a quote-”sometime between 5 minutes and tomorrow”. After a couple of weeks of unfathomable delays for every conceivable thing, it is in some ways a relief to go back to a hectic life. But don’t give in. Resist the urge to jettison that hard won ability to repeatedly find in any delay a moment for peace, reflection and dhikr to Allah in the midst of a demanding day.
- Perseverance. Not only is getting to hajj a struggle, but so is everything else once you get there. From getting enough sleep to taking care of bodily needs-the heat, the crowds, the lines, the waiting, the crowds, the crowds-did I mention the crowds? Nothing is simple, and everything tests your physical and mental limits of endurance. Allah got you through all of it. So whatever happens in your life from here on out, make dua or pray 2 rakah every time the going gets rough and remember that Allah will get you through.
- Gratitude. When you finished paying for your ticket. When your visa came through. When you started your journey. When you saw the Kaaba for the first time. There are so many moments of elation, joy and gratitude in the hajj journey. There are even more causes for gratitude in your daily life. Look for them. Just being alive is a big one. So rather than complaining about the conditions of your work or job or marriage, remember to start and end each day with an expression of gratitude to Allah.
The majority of Muslims live and die without ever making the journey. If Allah has chosen you to make hajj, remember that it is so much more than a vacation or a business trip, or an obligation to be fulfilled and dismissed. Hajj is an exceedingly rare opportunity for mercy and forgiveness of your past deeds. It is up to you to use the experience to help you make better choices about your actions now and in the future.
