Hajj Journal 2005 – Part 6: Completing the Hajj

11 January 2006 – Penultimate day of Hajj. This morning we prayed Fajr at Muzdalifah. Woke up feeling like someone had beaten hell out of me (I suppose that’s what sleeping on rocks does to you) but felt happy and peaceful.

Had to queue up to get on a bus and no-one would let us on. Everyone was getting impatient and tetchy. Someone saw a bus with a sign that said “MILLI GORU” (a Turkish group) and yelled “MALJI GROUP” (our group-leaders name); it got us on. We got back to Mina and rested. After Zoher we went to stone the Jamaraat (shaitaan). From there we started walking to Makkah. I hadn’t realised that we would walk directly and left all of my things in the camp. Took us two hours to walk to Makkah. Rested, then after Maghrib did our Tawaf-e-Ziyarah feet away from the Kabah – on the busisest day of the year. Peeked into the Maqaam-e-Ibrahim (glass case containing stone with Prophet Ibrahim (AS) footprints. After the tawaf just sat on the steps and gazed at the Kabah. They say that during the Tawaf-e-Ziyarah, on the last shawt (circuit), an angel puts his hand between your shoulder blade and say that your amaal-naam (Book of Deeds) is now clear, you may begin again. I can say that I have never felt such bliss in my life. Such peace, such contentment. I could have stayed there like that forever. I think I will look for this feeling for the rest of my life.

We performed Esha and the performed saee between Safa and Marwa which were packed with people. Went back to our hotel and prepared to return to Mina. Got onto a bus with about 50 people and started trundling towards Mina at about 10pm. At 3pm the next morning was still nowhere near Mina. The bus was hot and surrounded by the fumes of thousands of vehicles. At 4am decided to get out and walk. As we neared Mina we saw great long lines of abandoned vehicles. If we hadn’t reached Mina by Fajr we would have had to pay a penalty. We reached our camp, exhausted, 45 minutes before Fajr adhaan. I slept well this morning.

Prayed Zoher and Asr at camp and then set as a group to stone the three Jamaraats (walls representing shaitaan). As we got near we held onto each other and guided people away from us so that the group wasn’t split up. It reminded me of the verse of the Quran “…hold fast, all together to the Rope of Allah and be not divided among yourselves.” (3:105). We stoned the Jamaraats and then returned to our camp. Got lost on the way so took us over an hour. One poor lady had blisters on her feet an inch long

12 January 2006 – The last day of Hajj

It’s done. I can only hope and pray now that Allah accepts this from us.