Worship

Recounting Hajj pt. 1 – Explaining The Unexplainable

Published

December 11, 2009

SaqibSaab

Whenever someone goes through a major life changing experience, people tend to ask common follow up questions. If someone gets married, they’re always asked, “How’s married life?” It’s the standard things to ask someone, almost like some sort of customary greeting. The person responds that things are going well, the honeymoon details are such, and life is good.

When you come back from hajj, the same thing happens. Everyone asks, “How was it?” Only, you can’t really answer the question.

The hajj journey is really the strangest thing in the world. It’s an intensely exhausting and difficult journey that you want to go back and perform over and over again. It’s a test that pushes you past your physical, mental, and spiritual capacities yet you leave devastated you have to go home. It’s something that has no parallel in anyone else’s life.

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So what are you possibly going to answer the question with? It was amazing? It was a life changing experience? It was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life? You can say a lot, but it’ll never really hit home. That’s hajj, an unexplainable wonder, and everyone reading this that has gone will definitely agree.

Yet, here I am trying to recap hajj in blog post form. Why am I going to even try?

Simple.

Firstly, this whole abstract explanation is basically a disclaimer. Me saying you can’t explain hajj as a whole to someone who hasn’t gone is my way of making it clear that I’m not trying to and even if I did I’d fail. It’s too large of a territory to conquer.

Secondly, with that said, what you can do, I feel, is give people a hint of the feelings and experiences you went through from it. Explain the scenario and how one personally gets through it and comes out from it, all while focusing on telling someone who is unfamiliar with the places, terms, and rituals, so as to not lose them in the details.

Think of watching a really good cooking show. My blog posts will be like that episode of your favorite chef showing how to make the perfect steak with the camera zooming in on every juicy detail. But to you, that’s as far as it’ll go. To really reach culmination, you gotta go the market, buy the steak, cook it, and eat it yourself.

That’s what I inshaAllah plan to do. Only instead of steak, I plan to give you a slight sense of hajj and the experiences I carried during the journey.

Thirdly, many Hajj recap articles don’t really do much for people who’ve never gone for Hajj. The terms and places are all unfamiliar, and the experiences seem too vague for non-Hajjis to connect with. These recaps won’t be like that. They’ll be written with someone who’s unfamiliar in mind, so inshaAllah anyone can benefit.

We ask Allah (SWT) to accept everyone’s hajj that went this year, before, and forever, and I ask Him to give me what it takes to give you all a taste of hajj and inshaAllah inspire you to one day go yourself.

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Related Topics:hajj

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Recounting Hajj pt. 2 – What Makes Hajj So Unique?

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SaqibSaab

SaqibSaab is an average Desi Muslim guy living in Chicago. He enjoys videography and design as side hobbies, and helps out with AlMaghrib Institute in Chicago, Wasat Studios, and other projects here and there. His go-around vehicle is a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta 5-speed Wolfburg Edition. Originally born in Michigan, he and his wife reside in Chicagoland with his parents who come from Bangalore, India. He blogs personally at SaqibSaab.com.

29 Comments

Amatullah

December 11, 2009 at 6:49 AM

may Allah azza wa jal accept your hajj.

Reply
hala

December 11, 2009 at 8:37 AM

it truely is an unexplainable experience! it felt terrible not being there again this year, but it was a good time to remember the experience in detail and where I am in my life a year later after committing to become a better person (better, maintaining, worse). may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accept the hajj of all the hajjij- ameen!

Reply
TheAlexandrian

December 11, 2009 at 10:11 AM

Salam,

Looking forward to reading the pieces, inshAllah :)

I have a bunch of comments to make, but I’ll save them for the relevant posts, heh

Reply
Mahin F. Islam

December 11, 2009 at 11:13 AM

So how was it?

Reply
bintarshad

December 11, 2009 at 9:56 PM

Ameen.
Cant wait to tune into the show…May Allah allow me and all those who haven’t had the opportunity to perform Hajj to go be able to Very very soon.

Reply
muhajjirah

December 12, 2009 at 3:33 AM

subhanAllah.

i went last year alhamdulilah & my friends and family know that ill write about anything in regards to Islam that i experience. but seriously- this is one topic i cant bring myself to writing about because of the points you’ve mentioned above. whatever i can say- cannot not really show the hajj i experienced. however inshaAllah i still have a hope of getting something out..one day!! lol.

a simple comparison would be like the birth of a newborn- a woman struggles in pregnancy, carries the baby, goes through hardship upon hardship (we all know the ayah) but miraculously when she takes a glimpse at her baby for the first time- waalaaah..no pain !! and wouldn’t you know after baby #1 comes along, baby #2 tends to be desired!

subhanAllah. hajj is sort of in weird way like that. once its over- you just wanna be there again, even after all its efforts. its because the sweetness of faith that overcomes ones heart, blinds the feelings of struggles that one went through. subhanAllah…or something like that anway!!! lol :-)

ameen to everyone’s duaa. may Allah make it reality for those who have yet to embark, and may Allah accept it from those who’ve been there- done that…and may Allah help us to always reflect upon the lessons we’ve learned there, or will learn there inshaAllah. ameeeeeeeeeen.

jazakAllah kheir for sharing..

Reply
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ummaasiyah

December 12, 2009 at 8:55 AM

Reading this is so true. Alhumdulillah, I went for Hajj this year and everyone has asked me how it was. Do you know my reply? FUN!
Honestly, that’s the only way I can put it! I could point out the Eastern toilets (main point of conversation in Mina each time one of the sisters came back from them, so that we could choose the right one when one of us went, lol), or the searing heat in Arafat with no AC…PLUS the rain in Mina this year…the streets were like mini-rivers…but you know what? Even that was fun…because I’ve never experienced camping and all the abovementioned before. I even fell ill and also suffered a major allergic reaction to mosquito bites on my foot…but I would still go through it all again just to experience the brotherhood/sisterhood out there and to be there on Arafat begging Allah for His Mercy.

It really is true…you will never understand Hajj unless you go.

Reply
Ameera

December 12, 2009 at 1:32 PM

I totally understand what you mean to say here! I had the same dilemma when I returned from Hajj early in 2006. What did I do? I went ahead and wrote a blog about it… still have to complete the last bit but it’s largely there. If you’re really interested in reading it, Google “my name” and “Hajj” together – you’ll find it as the first link Insha’Allah. I hope it benefits would-be Haji’s Insha’Allah… which was the purpose of writing that blog anyway!

Reply
- Abdullah
  
  December 12, 2009 at 2:54 PM
  
  MashALLAH very nice blog. Its wonderful that you seem to have an optimism about the whole experience. May ALLAH (SWT) grant u a lasting serenity from increased Eman and a peace of mind with HIS Mercy-Ameen.
  
  JAK
  
  Reply
  - Ameera
    
    December 12, 2009 at 9:14 PM
    
    Jazakillah… if the “optimism” comes across, that’s what I wanted… more people should want to go for Hajj. Also, having lived for years in Saudi Arabia and going for Hajj by road, it was an experience in itself… coming all the way from Tabuk.
    
    Reply
Kaminari Ninjah

December 13, 2009 at 12:50 AM

I dont like this ! yea you all can talk about “how beautiful it was in mecca” but so many ppl have no idea wats going on when the sun goes down ! this city has problems like every other city, it is an holy city but every holiness can be stained by an improper way of dealing wit it. If I take the quran and read it while Im in the toilet ? audu billah ! Do you understand what i mean ? Example : Many women are reporting that some ppl there have touched them on their butt while they making their hajj or sometimes while they walking down the streets. Unbelievable ? and they dont mean accidentally

Many ppl complaining about the organization , about the hygiene, ppl are going on toilets and smelling the beautiful aroma of an warm piece of …T – one of the famous gay scene is in mecca , and there is so much more to know . Yes you wont believe it bcoz you always thought of mecca as it was discribed to you, a kaaba , light, quran , muhammad (pbuh) ,history, Ummah,Sahaba (r) this is wat we associate wit mecca, but something is going wrong and I know very well how we Arabs can behave when the day is long.

Im from Morocco and I can tell you alot of stories about ur Ummah , the Ummah who does exist as an phantom of mind and no longer as an Unity, and this is reality it must be like that because everything must be perfect for HIM ! He has to be the shining star, Masih Dajjal, everything will be in chaos,fitaan (fitnahs) , and He who is going to do everythng just to make you believe in him, it must be an crazy world, everything must be crazy , no scholars, no knowledge, LOST

sorry for my language , there is no need to share my view and i respect everyone who has another opinion of mecca – everyone is welcome wit an critical mind.

but if the houses,buildings,towers are higher then the mosque`s Minarett that u cant even see them
then this city is an MECCALOPOLIS

here u can see a lil of this dirt made by ppl who trying to get clean of sins , what a beautiful hajj : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPfu0R3ZQcY

ps. Keep it up with the good work and may Allah make the Universe useful for you all

as salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi – smile – =)

Reply
- ummaasiyah
  
  December 13, 2009 at 7:01 AM
  
  I agree with some of the points you have made here…such as the buildings being higher than minarets of Masjid-ul-Haraam.
  
  I last went on Umrah in the last ten nights of Ramadan in 2000 and Makkah was a very simple place, busy, of course, but nice and simple. I went for Hajj this year and was shocked to find Zamzam Towers overtowering the Haram! Not to mention the awful and annoying sound of the tunnel underneath the Towers. It was a little disheartening. Plus the fact that there is a shopping centre in Zamzam Towers with MAC, Debenhams, Next, Aldo, Accessorise…it felt a little weird. Like you have intense ibaadah on one side outside the Towers and then pure DUNYA when you enter the shopping centre…I didn’t like it, especially since it’s right in your face. Sure, there’s Makkah Towers too, but Zamzam Towers really IS for the elite.
  
  The other point you mentioned about men intentionally touching women…this is where it is YOUR responsibility to look after yourself and to also ensure that your mahram knows to take care of you. After all, men are the protectors and maintainers of women (in the Qur’an, so no denying that), and protecting the woman’s awrah from being violated is down to the mahram with you. Yes, it’s true. They do touch you if you’re not careful, although it didn’t really happen to me during Hajj despite being squashed during tawaaf on the ground floor. But, I also told my husband to quite literally put his arms around me whilst walking behind me so that no one could try anything when we were doing Umrah. Having said that, I wish I had done my tawaaf on the first or second floor of the haram, because people aren’t squashed together and the tawaaf is very free flowing.
  
  Another piece of advice I would give to women going there…it is advisable to wear nikaab out there even if you don’t generally. It’s better for you, because you will get stared at…A LOT. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from.
  
  Aside from all that, Makkah is a beautiful place. Every place has it’s problems…including Makkah, but on a personal level, I don’t think it’s just Arabs who are problematic. I’m not even Arab…and an Arab guard of the Haram filled up our 10 litre Zamzam bottles for us. May Allah(swt) reward him.
  The problem is in the people, not the place.
  
  As for the people…yep, Hajis create a lot of mess. We drove past Muzdalifah during the day on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah on the way to the Jamaraat…subhanallah…us humans are so disgustingly messy!!
  
  But on the flipside…how many rubbish bins were there?? I didn’t see any in Muzdalifah and instead had to use a Bin Dawood carrier bag that I had kept with me to put all my empty food wrappers in. For a place which grows upto 2-3 million OVERNIGHT, I do believe it is partly down to the Ministry of Hajj to give us more bins so that we can throw our stuff in there. I used to wait till we walked to Jamaraat to throw some of my rubbish in there, cos there wasn’t anything near our tents.
  
  Anyway, I’m not here to complain about the organisation, but at the end of the day, the MoH do try hard to accommodate for a SAFE hajj first and foremost and if they can get through one year of Hajj without any major casualties, then that in itself is a success for them, because I don’t think ANY country in the world has to deal with whatever Saudi Arabia deals with on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.
  
  Reply
  - Kaminari Ninjah
    
    December 13, 2009 at 9:08 PM
    
    Sobhan al-Malik
    
    the point wit the niqaab is true,, i was about to write it here in my last comment but I thought that it could be too much for someone who never heared things like these problems, my Friend told me that the Saaudis are not able to control themselves , evenn if they see just your feet, or let it be more critical , SOME not ALL of the saaudis are on this level of “nafs-against-control”
    
    Im not here to dedicate all the bad words to my friends of mecca, but Im a person who believes that if you want to become better than you have to care about your problems,erase them and keep moving forward, and I am a Muslim, Allah told me not Sheikh B, Allah told me that Mecca is the Holiest City for us Muslims and Muminoon.
    
    It is not their City and it is not their Kaaba, it is the Kaaba of Allah and we disrespecting the ground the place of the kaaba with McDonalds , is it really only me who is thinking about that ? Im turning my face my fingers and feets towards the Kaaba ! and mcdonalds&co ? ps.McDonalds is supporting Izrael , Im not that guy who is telling you how bad they are and how good we are, forget that even it is nuttin to forget about, but … wordless !
    
    Sometimes Im laughing, we have two extremes – ppl who running naked in morcco and ppl who cant control themselves in saudi arabia and between these extremes,between these countries – I have no idea how to think about it and how to talk about it, because if someone is pointing it out it seems like a person who is doin it, is an hater – but I feel very sad about this
    
    but keep being optimistic and keepp the smile alive ,everything will come to an end, even prooblems
    
    sorry my language and much respect for everyone
    
    as salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi – smile – =)
    
    Reply
Sadaf Farooqi

December 13, 2009 at 2:44 AM

May Allah accept your and other Haji’s Hajj! Ameen.
I look forward to your series, and insha’Allah it’ll hit home with me as I have gone that route too, alhamdulillah.

Reply
Farhan Abdul Azeez

December 13, 2009 at 10:51 AM

SaqibSaab! I didnt know you went to Hajj this year… may Allah SWTA accept from you, and all others who went to Hajj! Looking forward to when we next meet so we can talk about it Insha’Allah.

Also, there is a website called http://www.HajjDiaries.com that is supposed to feature diaries and reflections from ppl’s Hajj experiences. Once your posts are up, maybe I can submit them there to get posted as well? And if anyone else has a blog, diary, reflections, etc from Hajj, just email HajjDiaries [at] gmail [dot] com.

Reply
- SaqibSaab
  
  December 16, 2009 at 11:52 PM
  
  Farhan! Alhamdulillah I did go, and I’m totally down to put up my recounts of Hajj on HajjDiaries.com.
  
  I’m gonna have to listen to your hajj khutbah now that I’ve gone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipG3dHc4gxU
  
  Looking forward to it. :)
  
  Reply
abu abdAllah Tariq Ahmed

December 13, 2009 at 7:23 PM

May Allah accept the Hajj of all the hujjaaj! Ameen. And for those hujjaaj who are still in the Haramain or making their way to their homes across Allah’s earth, zawwadakumullah ut taqwa, wa ghafara dhanbikum, wa yassara lakumul khayra haythumaa kuntum.

I have noticed that I was asked more questions about my Hajj when I had just come back. But I feel that the best explanation of Hajj is the impact it makes on the lives of the hujjaaj. Ask me now about the Hajj I made four years ago, and my answers will go beyond hope and wonder. Looking back now I am filled with appreciation. I could not have asked for the Hajj that Allah subhanahu wata ala gave me. I could not have scripted it nor could I have planned for it. Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah.

Reply
muhajjirah

December 14, 2009 at 11:24 PM

asalaam alaikum warahmat ALLAH wabarakatu:

some of the comments above are quite disturbing and is doing nothing but causing more fitna. i am an american muslim living in madinah, and although there are trials here and in makkah- we should NEVER speak of them as if it overcomes the blessings that are here, in other words we should fear Allah in our speech. it is true that although these 2 cities are sacred lands not everyone who walks upon them is the ideal muslim. so before we begin to complain about others and the way they practice or don’t practice Islam- and subhanAllah, particularly on HAJJ of all things, it is ever so important that we point the finger to ourselves first rather than publicizing the faults of others- even if their names are not mentioned. certainly if Allah blessed you to come here for a Hajj- He ALSO blessed that brother or sister who’s manners are ill.

if we are talking about problems to solve them as a whole that is one thing, because no doubt our Ummah needs to do that. BUT if we are talking to just point out the negativities with the risk of leaving a sour impression to those who have never stepped upon these lands- then that is something we should think twice about and present it in a fair way so that Makkah and Madinah are not minimized in the hearts of our brothers and sisters.

if someone went over your house and saw things they didn’t like- would you go expose those problems and ills for the sake of conversation like what is happening here? or would you talk about the generosity of those who invited you? if you saw problems- wouldn’t you want to help them?? If you see problems with the UMMAH in MAKKAH- the HOUSE OF ALLAH…then make duaa..and instead of pointing all the ills, why not make a problem list with SOLUTIONS..if its that important to express?

or write a letter to the UMMAH about HAJJ as a reminder for those who go, and encourage others to go..seriously, we already have enough trash being talked against our Ummah in the world, we don’t need the members of our Ummah pointing out the negativities and leaving out the positives.

point blank..fear Allah..even online.
may Allah guide us all. ameen.

Reply
- ummaasiyah
  
  December 15, 2009 at 5:20 AM
  
  Jazakallah khair for that reminder. I believe I am one of those pointing out the faults and my initial intention in writing my comment was to give advice for those who are planning on going there in the future.
  
  Admittedly, it’s not a good idea to write about the other stuff, but I stand by the advice I gave in my previous post.
  
  I would like to add that Hajj is one of the best things I ever did…and I’m pretty sure just about everyone else feels that way. You overlook all the shortcomings and logistics of it all and enjoy every second you’re out there, because it doesn’t matter how hot, how tired or how many mosquito bites you have, you will love every moment out there. And you will cherish the memories, as I am now.
  
  May Allah forgive me for my mistakes…Ameen.
  
  Apologies if I offended anyone else because that wasn’t my intention.
  
  Reply
- Kaminari Ninjah
  
  December 15, 2009 at 9:51 AM
  
  comments above are quite disturbing and is doing nothing but causing more fitna /
  
  A fitnah is bad. A fitnah is bad when ppl will be forced to cmmit sins. A fitnah that hold you back from sins is better than a fitnah who force you to commit sins. Example : You want to steal , there comes a brother/sister and is telling you “fear Allah my friend” these words can do Fitnah to shaytan’s words and even to him. So the person will not steal and he will earn an hassana for not doing bad.
  
  Fitnah against the words of SHaytan = very helpful and good
  
  Fitnah against the word of Allah or Muhammad, pbuh, =very bad and not good
  
  then make duaa..and instead of pointing all the ills
  
  THe Prophet of Allah, pbuh, told us where ever you sees an evil let it change it wit your hands, u cant ? speak against it, atleast command the good, you cant ? somebody is telling you talking against the evil is doing fitnah ? then you know wat ? then hate it in your heart(abu said al chudri,muslim) , thats a beginning against the evil,bad …but if you feel nutting against it you see ppl doing all these things in the near of the prophet and in the near of the kaaba , ppl are on an way to hell if they dont stop and i dont want them to go to hell.
  ps. I want to speak against it not only to hate in my heart, I want to write against it not only making dua, I want to Stop ppl from doin bad, not only making dua, EVEN if dua is an powerful weapon, Allah gave us knowledge which is powerful as well , and the prophet pbuh ,teached us , to talk against it, stop it with your hand, the least hate it in your heart and make dua, so please dont say Im causing fitnah, this is not fair , but sorry that I didnt write it in a way that ppl couldnt misunderstand me
  Allah make me wanna go to the ppl, ameen
  
  we should NEVER speak of them as if it overcomes the blessings that are here
  
  the blessings that ppl have in mecca is not accountable, the blessing that ppl have in medina is not accountable. You have the last prophet in your near this make me feel like i wanna live in these cities and help ppl who actin bad and the ppl who can help me , must help me.
  
  when the heart is good the whole body is good, when the heart is bad the whole body is bad(bukhary), mecca/medina is the heart of the ummah we want that these cities are clean of hilton hotels and mcdonalds etc. Im not sure to which sahabi the prophet pbuh said if you see medina is going to be full of dunya leave it, but sure this does not mean , have no markets in your area.
  
  we should fear Allah in our speech.
  
  Muhammad pbuh thought us , that the muslim is the mirror of an other muslim ,
  
  if you see anything bad if you look in the mirror you wouldnt go out with that, do you get angry at the mirror ? NO, you appreciate it !
  sometimes ppl can see things from you , you cant see for yourself.
  so when the mirror shows you something you appcreciate it
  
  the mirror showed it to you immediately
  
  and even it is wrong you appreciate it
  
  teached by “kamal el Mekki”
  
  whoâ€™s manners are ill.
  
  these manners are ill ? No I dont think you meant that , i just think you misunderstood what I was tryin to point out but everything is ok , no hate,no disrespect, no bad words, we are all ppl who have good manners inchallah, and we all just want the good, we want firdaws, we always try to aim hard, not yea they do these things but we have all the blessings here, no problem,
  
  the prophet pbuh , said “do not cure anyone”
  
  so it was very very good that you have wrote your comment and tried to remind us ,and the ppl of concentrate on yourself, like prophet yunus a.s said, la ilaha ila anta, subhanaka inna kunta mina dhailimeen
  
  ps. this sentence – we donâ€™t need the members of our Ummah pointing out the negativities and leaving out the positives.
  
  is totally right, and very interesting because this shows that someone must have an critical mind, and as i said in my old comments, have an critical mind even in this topic, and i hope you dont have any problem with me. may allah make the universe useful for you and your family – ameen
  
  ps.2 . I hope we dont need to talk about this again, much luv and respect to all muslims and muminoon and sorry me for my bad manners in not pointing or discussion it fairly ( out)
  
  as salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi – smile – =)
  
  Reply
  - muhajjirah
    
    December 17, 2009 at 12:54 AM
    
    asalaam alaikum warahmat ALLAH wabarakatu..br//sr. kaminari
    
    here’s the thing when Islam is a beautiful religion, way of life which i’m sure based on what you’ve offered- makes us both on the same page. alhamdulilah Allah has guided us in being muslims. truly all good comes from Allah, Allah Alone. so seriously..greetings of peace to you.
    
    the point that i was trying to make was that we have so many more beautiful things than good in this 5th pillar of Islam, that when we start our list of complaints we are at risk of losing the ajr we may have gained because complaining is a sign of impatience.
    
    all im saying is that there is an etiquette we all need to use when expressing any aspect of Islam because it can be one word that is heard or read by another that paints a very ugly picture of a very beautiful principle we have as Muslims.
    
    i totally understand your passion for wanting to follow the hadith of rebelling against corruption and evil with your hand, tongue or heart and may Allah reward you for that. but we have to be careful with what we say because the reality of Makkah & Madinah (& Jerusalem) is that they are indeed holy lands, sacred and deserve our reverence towards them..even if there are some in those lands that should be exhibiting the better manners.
    
    alhamduliah, i think we all know how much emphasis Islam places on manners when our beloved Prophet Muhammad salAllahu alayhee wasalam taught that the best amongst the Ummah are those with best manners.
    
    please overlook my faults if i have offended you- that was certainly not my point, but i just wanted to mention one more thing..
    
    you said this: “Im not sure to which sahabi the prophet pbuh said if you see medina is going to be full of dunya leave it, ”
    
    id be interested to get a reference for that because this is the hadith where Prophet Muhammad salAllahu alayhee wasalaam advised people to deal with the struggles by staying in Madinah- not to run away from them. this is the hadith that comes to mind:
    
    â€œWhichever of my followers will bear patiently the hardships of Madinah, I shall plead on his behalf on the Day of Judgment.â€ (Muslim)
    
    Allah Knows Best.
    
    asalaam alaikum warahmat ALLAH..
    your sister,
    muhajjirah
    
    Reply
    - Kaminari Ninjah
      
      December 17, 2009 at 2:04 AM
      
      as salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi wa barakatou , may ALLAH make the Universe useful for you ! Ameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen
      
      wonderful comment, I love to see muslimeen and muminoon with an critical mind, Im 100 % sure that you have understood my points which I have made and Im 100 % sure that I have understood your points, and this is wat we need ! critical mind ! I came with the bad things and you came with the good things and now we look upon them, and think about them, how can we deal with these points, what do we want for our children – the next generation – I mean one day there must come an change , why not thorugh us,our children, I would love to be brought up on the day of judgment with you and everybody who wanna be responsible for the change,direction we have made for the entire world ! not only for Mecca and Medina.
      
      and NO! – you havent offended me ! there was respect in every letter, Im not a baby I can bear alot – smile – sure we should be careful with our words we should try to control our heart,emotions , Nafs and this is Jihad, so wat else is better than that ?
      
      but one point ! you must know one thing , and Im sure u know it already because everyone will experience it one day, someone who never heared of something bad in mecca and medina , will be SHOCKED like I was and that is why someone could be out of control, WAT ? MY beloved city ?! no never ever ! but than you see it is true and it makes you sad and with this sadness you won’t feel it anymore, you want to change it and then you can say things and offend ppl – so … I hope you dont think Im this black and white muslim thinker I try to keep up wit many ideas and thoughts,
      
      Here in Germany we are going to make some Table-Dawah but it will look like an “Promotion Stand” very creative very useful and helpful for everyone on earth – so everyone can do something for his own Soul – let the Soul smell good for the Angels on the Day of Death – ameen ameen — a pondering silence — yes ! Ameen
      
      Im brother Kaminari , sorry for my language if it is broken english – smile – I have never heard of anything bad in medina , that would shock me again if there would be anything not acceptable :( – mhmm –
      
      http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/3260334991_fa134ac2ab_o.jpg – peaceful
      
      anyway I will read your two comments a second time again , and I will think about it , May Allah purfy us , May Allah make the univers useful for us then he is our source of strenght – ameen , as salam wa alaikum sis and always remember to smile muslimeen and muminoon
      
      your Brah , Kaminari Ninjah
      
      Reply
      - Kaminari Ninjah
        
        December 17, 2009 at 2:42 AM
        
        ps.2 I haave found an article which i dont know how representive it is, but it is “interesting” and now after your two comments we know how to deal with that , just read it , if you have anything to say about that it would be very interesting from an perspective of somebody who lives there
        
        keep smilin – may Allah make the Universe for all the Muslimeen and Muminoon
        
        article : http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/08/world/middleeast/08mecca.html
        
        salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi
      - muhajjirah
        
        December 17, 2009 at 7:44 AM
        
        asalaam alaikum warahmat ALLAH,
        
        jazakAllah kheir for your comments. about the links, i dont recognize the first picture what masjid is that?? is it one in madinah?
        
        and the second link- the article, yeah..i agree the zamzam towers are over the top and distracting, and as much good that is going on over there to facilitate the needs for renovations, the distracting buildings are indeed nothing short of obnoxious.
        
        however, this is just a perfect example of how we can explain that makkah is a sacred holy ground, but this does not mean that everyone who walks upon the land and buildings that surround are done for Allah’s sake. :-(
        
        duaa for the Ummah is a must. may Allah indeed guide us all.
        i think we’re done with this topic! and apologies to others for allowing it to stray from the point of recounting the amazing feelings of hajj which was never meant to be undermined.
        
        asalaam alaikum warahmat Allah,
        muhajjirah
      - ummaasiyah
        
        December 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM
        
        The picture in the link isn’t the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. I can confirm that for you, because I’ve just been :-)
    - Kaminari Ninjah
      
      December 17, 2009 at 11:48 PM
      
      Yea I know that the picture in my link isnt the prophet’s mosque , It was just an beautiful image and wonderful with the color, blue,white,gold –
      
      http://kingteam.deviantart.com/art/The-Prophet-s-Mosque-M8-136829418 here is that wat u have seen wit a smile , i think
      
      i would love to see this mosque here : http://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/haj_12_12/h09_17292987.jpg
      
      however, may allah make the universe useful for you
      
      as salam wa alaikum wa rahmatoullahi – smile people – =)
      
      bro. Kaminari
      
      Reply
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