Worship
Interview With A Future First Time Hajji
The things social networking can do for you these days.
At least that’s how I felt after a friend of mine direct messaged me on Twitter saying, “Mubarak bro! Radio Islam is doing a show on Hajj today and I would like you to be a part of it,” after seeing an update I posted about how I was just a week from embarking on the journey to Hajj.
Excited and up for the offer to be on the local radio show based in Chicago, IL, I got in touch with the program, set up the time for an interview and went at it. The interview went well alhamdulillah and I’d like to share the recording with you here today.
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Title: Interview With A Future First Time Hajji
From: Radio Islam WCEV 1450AM Chicago
Host: Janaan Hashim
Guest: Saqib Shafi
Length: 15 minutes
Questions I was asked
The host, the very kind sister Janaan Hashim, spokesperson for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago amongst other efforts in Chicagoland, asked me the following questions.
- What kind of expectations of Hajj do you have in mind?
- How have you prepared spiritually to get ready for Hajj?
- What do you think is the purpose of asking for people for forgiveness before going?
- Do you have a guarantee that you will return back from Hajj?
- What made you decide that this is your time to go for Hajj?
- If you were to assume that you could go for Hajj only once in your life, do you think later in your life you would wish that you would have waited to go at an older age?
- What is your biggest challenge on this spiritual journey?
- What reaction have you gotten from family and friends about your going for Hajj?
I wonder how I’d answer the questions or change my answers after coming back from Hajj, or after performing Hajj again in my life. InshaAllah we’ll have to wait and see.
For those of you going on Hajj this year (may Allah give us all a Hajj Mabrūr!), what are your answers to these questions?
Radio Islam is a daily Muslim talk radio show broadcasting on WCEV 1450AM in Chicago, IL USA and also live on internet at www.radioislam.com. Tune in everyday at 6:00pm CST for daily programs on Islam, stories, interviews, and more.
Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah
Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.
The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.
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Amad
November 13, 2009 at 3:54 PM
bismillah… May Allah accept your hajj… pls pray for all of us.
Sadaf Farooqi
November 14, 2009 at 12:25 AM
May Allah accept your Hajj, and make it Hajj Mabrur, Ameen. Are you going alone?
My family is there too, loving every minute. It is my brother’s first time doing Hajj, too. They just reached Madinah after their short stay in Makkah for performing umrah.
I also think this post is proof how online social networking can create so many opportunities of doing da’wah and good deeds that have a ripple effect of propagating a good message to a large number of people!
Taqabbal Allahu minkum ajma’een, ya hujjaj.
muhajjirah
November 15, 2009 at 5:22 AM
the diversity of the hujjaj is AMAZING, mashaAllah. may Allah accept it from each of them. ameen.
mms
November 16, 2009 at 3:31 PM
MashaAllah very appropriate responses from the brother. May Allah accept everyone’s Hajj.
That being said, a little professionalism on the interviewer’s part would have been proper. Too much laughter, esp coming from a Muslimah while interviewing a brother, isn’t per Islamic teachings.
Please take this as constructive criticism.
Janaan Hashim
April 28, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Salam, and thank you, MMS, for your constructive criticism. Please look into your Seerah of the Prophet (saw) as well as his male and female companions to see that not only did he and his male sahaba have a warm relationship with the Muslim women of their era, but they laughed, joked and teased their female counterparts…all this without being miles apart and via phone.
Allah (swt) has given the gift of sincere laughter and comraderie – for you to assume there’s more behind it is rather inappropriate. I would like you to give me the benefit of the doubt just as I would give you; Allah (swt) commanded this in the Quran with the famous story of Aishah (r) and the slander based on assumptions that followed.
It’s time we start using the gift of laughter as it was done in the Prophet’s time. There is nothing Islamically inappropriate with laughter, but there is with assumptions and telling someone to restrict their behavior because of such assumption. Just something for you to honestly consider.
Your sister in faith and Radio Islam host,
Janaan Hashim
Hanan
December 30, 2012 at 11:33 PM
“Please look into your Seerah of the Prophet (saw) as well as his male and female companions to see that not only did he and his male sahaba have a warm relationship with the Muslim women of their era, but they laughed, joked and teased their female counterparts…”
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah. Just wanted to address this comment. Nowhere, and I must emphasize NOWHERE, in the Seerah of the life of our Holy Prophet – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – will you find that he “laughed” and “joked” or “had a warm relationship” with a non-mahram woman; nor did any of the Sahabah. This is, indeed, considered inappropriate, which is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Sahabah did not even directly interact with non-mahram women unless it was necessary. That said, everyone makes mistakes, and Insha Allah we all learn from our mistakes. Wassalaamu alaikum wa Rahmatullah.