Monday, October 16, 2017

وائے ناکامی متاع کارواں جاتا رہا

اور پھر ہندوستان کے آخری شہنشاہ بہادر شاہ ظفر کو میکنن میکنزی بحری جہاز میں بٹھا دیا گیا‘
یہ جہاز17 اکتوبر 1858ء کو رنگون پہنچ گیا‘
شاہی خاندان کے 35 مرد اور خواتین بھی تاج دار ہند کے ساتھ تھیں‘
کیپٹن نیلسن ڈیوس رنگون کا انچارج تھا‘
وہ بندر گاہ پہنچا‘
اس نے بادشاہ اور اس کے حواریوں کو وصول کیا‘
رسید لکھ کر دی اور دنیا کی تیسری بڑی سلطنت کے آخری فرمانروا کو ساتھ لے کر اپنی رہائش گاہ پر آ گیا‘
نیلسن پریشان تھا‘
بہادر شاہ ظفر قیدی ہونے کے باوجود بادشاہ تھا اور نیلسن کا ضمیر گوارہ نہیں کر رہا تھا وہ بیمار اور بوڑھے بادشاہ کو جیل میں پھینک دے مگر رنگون میں کوئی ایسا مقام نہیں تھا جہاں بہادر شاہ ظفر کو رکھا جا سکتا‘
وہ رنگون میں پہلا جلا وطن بادشاہ تھا‘
نیلسن ڈیوس نے چند لمحے سوچا اور مسئلے کا دلچسپ حل نکال لیا‘
نیلسن نے اپنے گھر کا گیراج خالی کرایا اور تاجدار ہند‘ ظِلّ سُبحانی اور تیموری لہو کے آخری چشم و چراغ کو اپنے گیراج میں قید کر دیا‘
بہادر شاہ ظفر17 اکتوبر 1858ء کو اس گیراج میں پہنچا اور 7 نومبر 1862ء تک چار سال وہاں رہا‘
بہادر شاہ ظفر نے اپنی مشہور زمانہ غزل
"لگتا نہیں ہے دل میرا اجڑے دیار میں‘
"کس کی بنی ہے عالمِ ناپائیدار میں"
اور
"کتنا بدنصیب ہے ظفردفن کے لیے‘
"دو گز زمین بھی نہ ملی کوئے یار میں،
اسی گیراج میں لکھی تھی‘
یہ 7 نومبر کا خُنَک دن تھا اور سن تھا 1862ء۔

بدنصیب بادشاہ کی خادمہ نے شدید پریشانی میں کیپٹن نیلسن ڈیوس کے دروازے پر دستک دی‘ اندر سے اردلی نے بَرمی زُبان میں اس بدتمیزی کی وجہ پوچھی‘
خادمہ نے ٹوٹی پھوٹی بَرمی میں جواب دیا‘
ظِلّ سُبحانی کا سانس اُکھڑ رہا ہے‘
اردلی نے جواب دیا‘
صاحب کتے کو کنگھی کر رہے ہیں‘ میں انھیں ڈسٹرب نہیں کر سکتا‘
خادمہ نے اونچی آواز میں رونا شروع کر دیا‘
اردلی اسے چپ کرانے لگا مگر آواز نیلسن تک پہنچ گئی‘
وہ غصے میں باہر نکلا‘
خادمہ نے نیلسن کو دیکھا تو وہ اس کے پاؤں میں گر گئی‘ وہ مرتے ہوئے بادشاہ کے لیے گیراج کی کھڑکی کُھلوانا چاہتی تھی‘
بادشاہ موت سے پہلے آزاد اور کھُلی ہوا کا ایک گھونٹ بھرنا چاہتا تھا‘
نیلسن نے اپنا پسٹل اٹھایا‘ گارڈز کو ساتھ لیا‘
گیراج میں داخل ہو گیا۔

بادشاہ کی آخری آرام گاہ کے اندر بَدبُو‘ موت کا سکوت اور اندھیرا تھا‘
اردلی لیمپ لے کر بادشاہ کے سرہانے کھڑا ہو گیا‘
نیلسن آگے بڑھا‘
بادشاہ کا کمبل آدھا بستر پر تھا اور آدھا فرش پر‘
اُس کا ننگا سر تکیے پر تھا لیکن گردن ڈھلکی ہوئی تھی‘ آنکھوں کے ڈھیلے پپوٹوں کی حدوں سے باہر اُبل رہے تھے‘ گردن کی رگیں پھولی ہوئی تھیں اور خشک زرد ہونٹوں پر مکھّیاں بِھنبھِنا رہی تھیں‘ نیلسن نے زندگی میں ہزاروں چہرے دیکھے تھے لیکن اس نے کسی چہرے پر اتنی بے چارگی‘ اتنی غریب الوطنی نہیں دیکھی تھی‘
وہ کسی بادشاہ کا چہرہ نہیں تھا‘
وہ دنیا کے سب سے بڑے بھکاری کا چہرہ تھا اور اس چہرے پر ایک آزاد سانس,
جی ہاں.......
صرف ایک آزاد سانس کی اپیل تحریر تھی اور یہ اپیل پرانے کنوئیں کی دیوار سے لپٹی کائی کی طرح ہر دیکھنے والی آنکھ کو اپنی گرفت میں لے لیتی تھی‘
کیپٹن نیلسن نے بادشاہ کی گردن پر ہاتھ رکھا‘
زندگی کے قافلے کو رگوں کے جنگل سے گزرے مدت ہو چکی تھی‘
ہندوستان کا آخری بادشاہ زندگی کی حد عبور کر چکا تھا‘
نیلسن نے لواحقین کو بلانے کا حکم دیا‘
لواحقین تھے ہی کتنے ایک شہزادہ جوان بخت اور دوسرا اس کا استاد حافظ محمد ابراہیم دہلوی‘ وہ دونوں آئے۔

انھوں نے بادشاہ کو غسل دیا‘ کفن پہنایا اور جیسے تیسے بادشاہ کی نمازِ جنازہ پڑھی‘ قبر کا مرحلہ آیا تو پورے رنگون شہر میں آخری تاجدار ہند کے لیے دوگز زمین دستیاب نہیں تھی‘
نیلسن نے سرکاری رہائش گاہ کے احاطے میں قبر کھدوائی اور بادشاہ کو خیرات میں ملی ہوئی مٹی میں دفن کر دیا‘
قبر پر پانی کا چھڑکاؤ ہورہا تھا ‘
گلاب کی پتیاں بکھیری جا رہی تھیں تو استاد حافظ ابراہیم دہلوی کے خزاں رسیدہ ذہن میں 30 ستمبر 1837ء کے وہ مناظر دوڑنے بھاگنے لگے
جب دہلی کے لال قلعے میں 62 برس کے بہادر شاہ ظفر کو تاج پہنایاگیا‘
ہندوستان کے نئے بادشاہ کو سلامی دینے کے لیے پورے ملک سے لاکھ لوگ دلی آئے تھے اور بادشاہ جب لباس فاخرہ پہن کر‘ تاج شاہی سَر پر سَجَا کر اور نادر شاہی اور جہانگیری تلواریں لٹکا کر دربار عام میں آیا تو پورا دلی تحسین تحسین کے نعروں سے گونج اٹھا‘
نقارچی نقارے بجانے لگے‘ گویے ہواؤں میں تانیں اڑانے لگے‘
فوجی سالار تلواریں بجانے لگے
اور
رقاصائیں رقص کرنے لگیں‘ استاد حافظ محمد ابرہیم دہلوی کو یاد تھا بہادر شاہ ظفر کی تاج پوشی کا جشن سات دن جاری رہا اور ان سات دنوں میں دِلّی کے لوگوں کو شاہی محل سے کھانا کھلایا گیا مگر سات نومبر 1862ء کی اس ٹھنڈی اور بے مہر صُبح بادشاہ کی قبر کو ایک خوش الحان قاری تک نصیب نہیں تھا۔

استاد حافظ محمد ابراہیم دہلوی کی آنکھوں میں آنسو آ گئے‘
اس نے جوتے اتارے‘
بادشاہ کی قبر کی پائینتی میں کھڑا ہوا
اور
سورۃ توبہ کی تلاوت شروع کر دی‘
حافظ ابراہیم دہلوی کے گلے سے سوز کے دریا بہنے لگے‘
یہ قرآن مجید کی تلاوت کا اعجاز تھا یا پھر استاد ابراہیم دہلوی کے گلے کا سوز,
کیپٹن نیلسن ڈیوس کی آنکھوں میں آنسو آ گئے‘
اس نے ہاتھ اٹھایا اور اس غریبُ الوطن قبر کو سیلوٹ پیش کر دیا اور اس آخری سیلوٹ کے ساتھ ہی مغل سلطنت کا سورج ہمیشہ ہمیشہ کے لیے غروب ہو گیا‘

آپ اگر کبھی رنگون جائیں تو آپ کو ڈیگن ٹاؤن شِپ کی کچّی گلیوں کی بَدبُودار جُھگّیوں میں آج بھی بہادر شاہ ظفر کی نسل کے خاندان مل جائیں گے‘
یہ آخری مُغل شاہ کی اصل اولاد ہیں مگر یہ اولاد آج سرکار کے وظیفے پر چل رہی ہے‘
یہ کچی زمین پر سوتی ہے‘ ننگے پاؤں پھرتی ہے‘ مانگ کر کھاتی ہے اور ٹین کے کنستروں میں سرکاری نل سے پانی بھرتی ہے,
مگر یہ لوگ اس کَسمَپُرسی کے باوجود خود کو شہزادے اور شہزادیاں کہتے ہیں‘
یہ لوگوں کو عہد رفتہ کی داستانیں سناتے ہیں اور لوگ قہقہے لگا کر رنگون کی گلیوں میں گم ہو جاتے ہیں۔

یہ لوگ‘
یہ شہزادے اور شہزادیاں کون ہیں؟
یہ ہندوستان کے آخری بادشاہ کی سیاسی غلطیاں ہیں‘ بادشاہ نے اپنے گرد نااہل‘ خوشامدی اور کرپٹ لوگوں کا لشکر جمع کر لیا تھا‘
یہ لوگ بادشاہ کی آنکھیں بھی تھے‘
اس کے کان بھی اور اس کا ضمیر بھی‘
بادشاہ کے دو بیٹوں نے سلطنت آپس میں تقسیم کر لی تھی‘
ایک شہزادہ داخلی امور کا مالک تھا
اور دوسرا خارجی امور کا مختار‘
دونوں کے درمیان لڑائی بھی چلتی رہتی تھی اور بادشاہ ان دونوں کی ہر غلطی‘ ہر کوتاہی معاف کر دیتا تھا‘
عوام کی حالت انتہائی ناگُفتہ بہ تھی‘
مہنگائی آسمان کو چھو رہی تھی‘
خوراک منڈیوں سے کٹائی کے موسموں میں غائب ہو جاتی تھی‘
سوداگر منہ مانگی قیمت پر لوگوں کو گندم‘ گڑ اور ترکاری بیچتے تھے‘
ٹیکسوں میں روز اضافہ ہوتا تھا‘
شہزادوں نے دلی شہر میں کبوتروں کے دانے تک پر ٹیکس لگا دیا تھا‘
طوائفوں کی کمائی تک کا ایک حصہ شہزادوں کی جیب میں چلا جاتا تھا۔

شاہی خاندان کے لوگ قتل بھی کر دیتے تھے تو کوئی ان سے پوچھ نہیں سکتا تھا‘ ریاست شاہی دربار کے ہاتھ سے نکل چکی تھی‘ نواب‘ صوبیدار‘ امیر اور سلطان آزاد ہو چکے تھے اور یہ مغل سلطنت کو ماننے تک سے انکاری تھے‘ فوج تلوار کی نوک پر بادشاہ سے جو چاہتی تھی منوا لیتی تھی‘
عوام بادشاہ اور اس کے خاندان سے بیزار ہو چکے تھے‘ یہ گلیوں اور بازاروں میں بادشاہ کو ننگی گالیاں دیتے تھے اور کوتوال چپ چاپ ان کے قریب سے گزر جاتے تھے جب کہ انگریز مضبوط ہوتے جا رہے تھے‘
یہ روز معاہدہ توڑتے تھے اور شاہی خاندان وسیع تر قومی مفاد میں انگریزوں کے ساتھ نیا معاہدہ کر لیتا تھا۔

انگریز بادشاہ کے وفاداروں کو قتل کر دیتے تھے اور شاہی خاندان جب احتجاج کرتا تھا تو انگریز بادشاہ کو یہ بتا کر حیران کر دیتا تھا ’’ظل الٰہی وہ شخص آپ کا وفادار نہیں تھا‘ وہ ننگ انسانیت آپ کے خلاف سازش کر رہا تھا‘‘ اور بادشاہ اس پر یقین کر لیتا تھا‘ بادشاہ نے طویل عرصے تک اپنی فوج بھی ٹیسٹ نہیں کی تھی چنانچہ جب لڑنے کا وقت آیا تو فوجیوں سے تلواریں تک نہ اٹھائی گئیں‘
ان حالات میں جب آزادی کی جنگ شروع ہوئی اور بادشاہ گرتا پڑتا شاہی ہاتھی پر چڑھا تو عوام نے لاتعلق رہنے کا اعلان کر دیا‘
لوگ کہتے تھے ہمارے لیے بہادر شاہ ظفر یا الیگزینڈرا وکٹوریا دونوں برابر ہیں‘
مجاہدین جذبے سے لبریز تھے لیکن ان کے پاس قیادت نہیں تھی۔

بادشاہ ڈبل مائینڈڈ تھا‘ یہ انگریز سے لڑنا بھی چاہتا تھا اور اپنی مدت شاہی بھی پوری کرنا چاہتا تھا چنانچہ اس جنگ کا وہی نتیجہ نکلا جو ڈبل مائینڈ ہو کر لڑی جانے والی جنگوں کا نکلتا ہے‘ شاہی خاندان کو دلی میں ذبح کر دیا گیا جب کہ بادشاہ جلاوطن ہو گیا‘
بادشاہ کیپٹن نیلسن ڈیوس کے گیراج میں قید رہا‘ گھر کے احاطہ میں دفن ہوا اور اس کی اولاد آج تک اپنی عظمت رفتہ کا ٹوکرا سر پر اٹھا کر رنگون کی گلیوں میں پھر رہی ہے‘
یہ لوگ شہر میں نکلتے ہیں تو ان کے چہروں پر صاف لکھا ہوتا ہے‘
جو بادشاہ اپنی سلطنت‘ اپنے مینڈیٹ کی حفاظت نہیں کرتے‘ جو عوام کا اعتماد کھو بیٹھتے ہیں‘ ان کی اولادیں اسی طرح گلیوں میں خوار ہوتی ہیں‘
یہ عبرت کا کشکول بن کر اسی طرح تاریخ کے چوک میں بھیک مانگتی ہیں
لیکن ہمارے حکمرانوں کو یہ حقیقت سمجھ نہیں آتی‘
یہ خود کو بہادر شاہ ظفر سے بڑا بادشاہ سمجھتے ہیں۔
~   وائے ناکامی متاع کارواں جاتا رہا ---
کارواں کے دل سے احساس زیاں جاتا رہا۔۔

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Sugar

🌈  *S U G A R  I S* 
         *P O I S O N*

🌈1. First factory to manufacture sugar was established by the British in 1866.

🌈2. Indians used to eat jaggery before this and seldom used to fall sick.

🌈3. To make sugar, sulphur is used, which is used in making fire crackers.
Sulphur is an element that, once it enters the body, it cannot be excreted from our body.

🌈4. Sugar increases cholesterol which is the main reason for heart attack.Sugar increases the weight of the body and thus we become fat.

🌈5. Sugar increases Blood Pressure. It is also the reason for Brain damaging clots.

🌈6. The sweetness in sugar is that of Sucrose, and this cannot be digested by human beings.

🌈7. To make sugar,
23 harmful ingredients / chemicals are used.

✔ Sugar is one of main reasons for getting diabetes.

✔ Sugar is the reason for burning in stomach.

✔ Sugar increases the level of Triglycerides in body.

✔ Sugar is the main reason for causing Paralysis.

✔ Instead of sugar use jaggery.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Let's sacrifice

🔶🔸🔷🔹"LETS SACRIFICE" 🔶🔸🔷🔹

Let's sacrifice🔪 on this
eid ul adha not just animals. 🐑🐏

:Let's sacrifice our ego, which stops us from doing so many good things. Which stops us from forgiving so many people,which stops us from looking at our own self.

:Let's sacrifice our pride which makes us look down on others .

:Let's sacrifice our greed for material things or called
TALAB E DUNYA ,which makes us collect more n more of everything. Which puts us on a path of never ending greed for more of everything of this immoral world.

:Let's sacrifice our anger 😡which makes us break beautiful relationships✨

:Let's sacrifice  Our grudges😡 that we hold in our hearts💜 against others.

:let's Sacrifice all our pessimism all our negativity.

:Let's sacrifice the ANTS (automatic negative thoughts)running in our heads full time non stop,

:Let's sacrifice our material gains to earn the spiritual gains.

:Let's Sacrifice our nafs

And
:Lets share and distribute among others

:Our love for loved ones💖 n strangers,

:Our care for those ESP who we might never meet again in life😪

:Our affection for everyone💕💕

:Our time share it with everyone ESP the elders,

;Our treasures ,our blessings which multiply when shared.

:Let's add more sacrifices 🐑🐏on this eid ul azha...

:Let's sharpen the knife 🔪of our faith ,and sacrifice all the bad we have inside of us.

:Let's bow our heads with sincere Repentance and remorse...
Only to share and distribute
All the goodness we have inside of us.🌷

:Let's follow the true
sunnat e ibrahimi..🌿

:Let's sacrifice our most loved possessions
Which is the real spirit behind qurbani ,
And SURRENDER to ALLAH SWT 🌟

Monday, August 21, 2017

بہو کی تلاش

*****مجھے تلاش ھے ایک بہو کی******

بیٹے کے واسطے مجھے دُولہن کی ہے تلاش
پھرتا ہوں چار سُو لئے اچھی بہو کی آس

لیکن کھلا کہ کام یہ آساں نہیں ہے اب
خود لڑکیوں کی ماوں کے بدلے ہوئے ہیں ڈھب

پڑھ لکھ کے لڑکیاں بھی ہیں کاموں پہ جا رہیں
لڑکوں سے بڑھ کے بعض ہیں پیسے کما رہی

اک ماں سے رابطہ کیا رشتے کے واسطے
کہنے لگی گھر آنے کی زحمت نہ کیجئے

لڑکی ہے بینک میں وہیں لڑکے کو بھیجئے
"سی۔وی "بھی اپنا ساتھ وہ لے جائے یاد سے

مل لیں گے ہم بھی بیٹی نے" او کے "اگر کیا
ورنہ زیاں ہے وقت کا ۔۔ملنے سے فائدہ؟

اک اور گھر گئے تو نیاتجربہ ہوا
لڑکی کی ماں نے چُھوٹتے ہی بر ملا کہا

شوقین ہے جو لڑکا اگر دال ،ساگ کا
لڑکی کی پھر نگاہ میں "پینڈو "ہے وہ نِرا

برگر جسے پسند ہے، پیزا پسند ہے
رُتبہ نگاہِ حُسن میں اُس کابلند ہے

اک اور گھر گئے تو طبیعت دہل گئی
پاوں تلے سے گویا زمیں ہی  نکل گئی

گر شوق ہے کُکنگ کا تو بے شک سلیکٹ ہے
بیڈٹی بھی گر بنا نہ سکا تو رِیجکٹ ہے

اِک گھر کیا جو فون تو لڑکی ہی خود ملی
کہنے لگی کہ گھر پہ نہیں ہیں مدر مری

فرصت نہیں ہے مجھ کو ملاقات کے لئے
گھر لوٹتی ہوں جاب سے انکل میں دیر سے

ہاں چاہے بیٹا آپ کا گر جاننا مجھے
کہیئے کہ فیس بُک پہ مجھے ایڈ وہ کرے

اِک دوسرے کو کر لیں گر  انڈرسٹینڈ ہم
بعد اس کے ہی بجائیں گے شادی کا بینڈ ھم

جس گھر گئے ،وہاں ہمیں جھٹکے نئے لگے
یاروں  ہمارے ہاتھوں کے طوطے ہی اُڑ گئے

آخر کھلا یہ راز کہ اپنی ہے سب خطا
بیٹے کی تربیت میں بہت رہ گیا خلا

کھانا پکا سکے ،جو نہ چائے بنا سکے
وہ کس طرح سے آج کی لڑکی کو بھا سکے

پڑھ لکھ  کے لڑکیوں کا رویہ بدل گیا
بے شک زمانہ چال قیامت کی چل گیا.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

The soulful, blissful journey of Haj.


Remembering Hajj
Trip to Madina November 18th 2009

By
Abida Rahmani

When we arrived at Jeddah airport from Makkah , it was scheduled that we will leave for Madina shortly. Our organizers decided to take us there by air and not by bus.
At the airport we learned that the flight is delayed. It kept on delaying for the whole night. Some technical problem was the cause and there was a total chaos and mismanagement in the hajj terminal.
Leaving for Jeddah through bus from Makkah is another story. Due to some restrictions from Saudi government we had to join another group from USA. That was so chaotic and disgusting crossing over the heads of prostrating people in the areas around haram sharif for Asr , that I could not stepped forward and was left behind. Alhamdolillah they waited for me and we joined that group in the luxury coach.Talked to some of them, they had better arrangements than us .

All of us were sitting all around at the terminal. Saudi Airlines served us with dinner. I put my bag under the head and lied down on the path. In the morning luckily we got boarded on a 747 jumbo jet which accommodated almost all the stranded passengers. To get on the plan in the line a group from Senegal tried to push us back and a brawl erupted. I talked to them, some of them a bit sane and understood. "We are here just to please Allah ( swt) . Are we pleasing him this way"?actually it is a norm of pushing, intimidating and overpowering people. They very well know that they are physically strong and that is so sad and appalling.
Alhamdolillah Allah give me the chance to come to Madinah again. We were taken to Hotel Golden Mubarak. The same hotel where I stayed with Asim last time.
We were impatient to reach masjid- an-nabwi(saws). Arriving to Madina and spent time here is not a part of the hajj. That is just out of respect and love for the prophet (saws).
The sight of erected umbrellas around masjid is just amazing. They are spread out in lotus shaped flowers all around the outside of masjid at day time. In the evening they are wrapped up in the shape of a pillar with lights on the sides. Such a marvel of engineering and technology. Some of those broken were standing like aliens in a star war movie. Hope they get repaired soon.
Masjid-i- Nabwi is more strict and organized . May be that it is not that much crowded like Haram.
We were eager for salaam at Roza-e-Mubarak (SAWS). That is just restricted to parts of riadul jannah. ( It means the garden of paradise) . The prophet ( SAWS) said,"there is a garden of paradise between my house and masjid." This area is called Riadul Jannah.
When I performed my first hajj women were allowed in front of the grave of Prophet(SAW). But later on it got stopped.Now the timings for women to enter Riadul Jannah (which is close to the grave but not visible) are after Fajar, Dhuhur and Isha.
When we went after fajar , it was a kind of stampede inside. The crowd was uncontrollable. I raised my voice to handle them but no one listened. A lady shouted," write in the newspaper how Saudi government treat women."She may be right, if the women were allowed normally then the scene would be different than this one .Because this area is opened for a very short period of time and all this chaos and stampede is visible.A lady in our group told us that after isha the time is longer. Therefore next time we went after Isha and joined the Urdu speaking group. The mutawwa ladies gave us lecture about hajj , its rituals but the ladies were getting impatient ,all of a sudden they started running and did not listen to her. This time we had plenty of time to pray in Riadul Jannah which is decorated with green carpets.

Madinah is a bustling city with lots of shopping centers and it is generally said that the prices are reasonable here. In our spare time we did some shopping. There were vendors all around selling different stuff. After our prayers we spared some time for arranging food and do some shopping for the loved ones behind and some of our own things. We all had cell phones . Actually I bought for myself from there. Made in china has flooded the market.

We did laundry and filled up the whole bathroom with washed clothes. 
Anyway, we had a wonderful and memorable time alhamdolillah.
Our group went to Ziaraat by bus to masjid Quba,( the first masjid of Islam) Qiblatain( where the order to face Kabaa as Qibla was revealed to Prohet saws),Uhad and Khandaq area. I had been there few times earlier. This time our scholar was Abdul Hakim Green from UK ( a white convert) and he was very specific about what to do and what not to do according to sunnah of prophet saws. he informed us that it is not a requirement to offer nawafil at masjid qiblatain. We did it as a respect for masjid.
On our 5th day we were supposed to leave for Makaah by bus for Hajj. Every where one could see the buses full of departing Hajis. The wait for bus took us the whole day. Madina was getting empty. Our hotel allowed us to stay for another night. Our trip back to Makaah was uneventful .
We arrived at a good speed at Azizia. There we stayed in a building .Ladies on one side, gents on the other. It was quite far from haram. next day we hired a taxi for haram but on our return we were charged a lot. Taxis had a hay day. We spend the whole day at Haram sharif offered an Umra , did our salaahs . Makaah and surroundings were bustling with hajis.
On 8th of Zilhajj we were leaving for Mina to perform Hajj.
Performing  Hajj :

Nov 25th 8th Zilhajj


We arrived at Mina from Azizia (Makaah ) today. It was altogether  changed than the hajj that we performed in 1983. Lots of improvements have been done here.Tent is big enough to accommodate all three groups of us. Ladies in one tent and gents in the other one. We arrived here by bus after 12pm. The sky in Makaah was over cast since morning, a significant scene to watch.(After arrival in Makaah Namaz-i- istisqa was offered in Haram because of the drought situation).Therefore every one was waiting for rain. With Allah 's blessings There was a big thunderstorm and it rained heavily . Our tent was leaking a bit from corners. We turned our umbrellas upside down to prevent leakage and put the empty blankets plastic bags to save our beds. The streets of Mina got flooded in a while. It is a common concept that if it rained on hajis, their hajj is accepted. May it be like this Allah is the most merciful. It rained for at least 3-4 hours with light drizzle for the whole day.

To watch the tented city was an amazing, amusing sight. These tents are now especially designed of fireproof material and any type of cooking stove or fire hazards are banned in Mina now. The food arrives from caterers. The arrangement inside were fantastic and luxurious. Thick foam mattresses which could be folded in a couch seat, brand new blankets ,brand new pillows and sheets. Tent had a special air conditioning system and these tents are fireproof. The food was quite festive with lots of dishes of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine. It seemed like we are attending a banquet .

Wondered if our organizers had provided us a part of this food during our earlier stay, when we ran after arranging our food and meals. In fact the arrangements in Mina were a lot better than my expectations. Over all the arrangements were lot more better than 26 years earlier. Mina had paved streets in the middle of tents. Bathrooms had shower facilities too over the commodes. Which some of the ladies resisted earlier but ultimately had the shower. There is no proper sewerage system, all the toilets are set up on an open drain, that is why one can smell a lot of stink . Every toilet had a water pipe or hose. However some of the toilets got messed up soon and the back up cleaning system was a total failure. There were clear signs for men  and Women  toilets with الرجال ,النساء signs ,but still the people did not follow.


A bazaar was set up on the side of the main road and lot of vendors were selling off nice stuff.

Our region of tents were assigned to Hajjis from North America, Europe, Australia and Turkey. In other words those were hajjis of the developed world. There was a microphone connection to our tent from men's tent and we could listen to all the announcements, tazkirs and prayed together.

For food mostly the ladies first was the motto. We were side by side. Soon we got befriended to our tent mates, some of whom we already knew .

The best motto from our sheikh was , Hajj = patience.


Nov 26th 9th Zilhajj Yaumi Arafaa


It is the day of Arafat the main pillar of Hajj ,we have to leave for Arafaat as soon as possible in the morning. It was 9 am that we proceeded through big buses for Arafaat, Saudi Government has restricted movement only by big buses and the roads are wide open. Therefore it was a good flow of traffic and did not notice any traffic jam. We took our lunch boxes along, which were more of snacks mostly white creamy sweat stuff. The carpets in the tents were a bit wet with yesterday's rains. Every where hajis could be seen reciting talbiyah Labaika Allahumma Labaik Labiaka la sharika laka labaik innal hamda wa naimata laka wal mulk la sharika lak ( O Allah I am present at your service and there is no one equal you, all the praise and glory is for you, you are the king and there is no one equal you) The media and surveillance helicopters were howling over head. We were given nice polao in lunch.

We prayed and prayed to Allah (swt) for our forgiveness and mercy .Forgiveness of our departed loved ones and my intention of doing this hajj for my beloved shaheed son. Begged for his mercy and blessings for my self, for the departed loved ones , for whole umma and especially for my kids, grand kids, brothers, sister and all those gracious people who did Ehsaan with me.Prayed while standing in the later part of the day. Most of us went out and prayed ,cried and begged to Allah(swt) for his mercy ,blessings ,forgiveness and for the strength of Umma . Here I could see a sea of Muslims all around. Men in white ahraams ,ladies in different colors. "O Allah we are so many in numbers but we do not have any weight any strength, any power. Give us strength give us supremacy, grant us with wisdom, great leadership and good judgment." Ameen


The pathetic part is that we all are God fearing, God loving people but extremely disorganized and undisciplined. By the end of the day the whole area was just littered up with garbage, water gushing from broken pipes in the toilets which were unbearable. O Allah give them strength ,unity and discipline.Although the conditions are a lot more better than 26 years back but still more improvement is required.

Muzdalifa

At 9pm we started for Muzdalifa and I was again back on my memory lane of the last hajj, when it took us almost 5 hours to reach there by 24 seater coaster van. It was so suffocating with running engines and traffic jam that I cried a lot like a small kid and Ahad (my Late husband)was comforting me.It was the toughest time in that hajj. This time we reached there mso quickly . The whole area was fully bright and well lit like day. Whole of the big ground covered with hajis, we were supposed to find our place in between. We had only our valuables and sleeping bags.


Following the sunnah of Prophet (SAWS) there was one azaan and two aqamaas for Maghrib and Isha prayers. Which were Qasr( shortened prayers).we spread out sleeping bags and tried to sleep which was extremely difficult. It was like if we were fixed in a match box, just neck to feet with each other. All the hajis were sleeping like this with so much humility on this hard ground just for the pleasure of Allah( SWT) to be successful; in the eternal life to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj is a tradition of Ibrahim(AS) followed by Mohammad (SAWS) and obligatory for those Muslims who can afford. Our muallim sheikh Abu Abdussalaam described Muzdalifa as a thousand star hotel, which is absolutely correct.I was trying to avoid the feet of the men sleeping to my head side.

I tried to sleep which was extremely difficult, the lady next to me was snoring a lot.Despite that slept for a couple of hours. At 2:15 am got up and went to toilet. It was absolutely busy with a very long line and almost took an hour . Offered tahjjud and then fajr. Did some tilawat (recitation of holy Quran) ,talbiya and started waiting for bus to be  back to Mina. Got the bus at 8:30 am and arrived back at Mina to our tent which was like coming back home. While leaving Muzdalifa the whole ground was littered with sleeping bags, mats , pillows and carpets. A lot of needy people were collecting those. We brought our ones back.

Nov27th 10th Zilhajj Eid day


After getting back , had a bath and changed, now we were out of Ihraam and most of the restrictions were gone. It was announced earlier that our sacrifices Qurbanis have been done. We greeted each other Eid- Mubarak. the ladies got busy in threading, nail cutting and make ups.Received calls from sons , family members and brothers Alhamdolillah. It rained again today. 

Then we started to leave for jamaraat for Rammi ( stoning the symbol pillars of Shaitan)I put on my joggers, it was a long walk but thoroughly enjoyable. The way to Jamarrat is specially designed ,what an amazing rout and complex!! Saudi Govt has spend a lot of money and expertise in designing this complex. We went through three big tunnels equipped with big blowers , lots of plastic bottles sucked up to it.

The flow of people was like a flooding sea on wide roads reciting Talbiyah and getting to encounter the symbols of shaitan. That Shaitan who came in the way of Ibrahim (AS) to stop him from sacrificing his son Ismail by the orders of Allah(swT). Ibrahim threw pebbles on Shaitan while proceeding on his way. His act was so much appreciated by almighty that he made it a ritual of Hajj till the day of judgment. I was over whelmed with this gigantic flow of hajis. They were of different colors, creeds and nationalities. Most of the groups were greatly organized and distinguished with their coats, hats ,ribbons .caps,shoes, trousers, skirts,scarfs etc.

Most of those were Malaysians ,Indonesians, Chinese, Turkish and from other countries.


During my last hajj we were not allowed to go for Rami because of the great rush and accidents . We were asked to give our stones or pebbles to our Mehrams. Therefore no one in ladies from our camp went. I was sick too down with flu and it was always on my mind because some of the scholars in Pakistan said that it is a compulsory act. When Ahad, Jamshed bhai and Nadeem got back from Rami there feet were badly hurt and chappals missing. This time we were wearing our regular shoes or joggers because the sheikh told us that women can wear any type of shoes and the men wore strong sandals too .The men were not out of Ihraam as yet because they had to shave.I was greatly excited this time and thanked Allah for granting me this opportunity again.

This was a huge complex, Jamarrat were erected as in the shape of wide pillars going through

many stories and all the precautions were taken to avoid accidents. It was a very smooth flow. Hajis coming in groups and moving towards other Jamra. The pebbles we collected from Muzdalifa in the size of a chick pea and we were supposed to throw seven on each jamrah saying bismillahi Allahu akbar. After completing this ritual we were on our way back and stopped under a bridge on the road. There men went for shaving their heads or haircut, we did a little bit with our scissors and each other's help.

Many hajis had spread out their mats, sitting and sipping tea. We accommodate ourselves with them, later on we offered maghrib prayers .Saw a few Pakistanis from Punjab looking for some lost relatives. We tried to help them out. On our way to Jamaraat we recited Talbiyah, now on our way back we have to recite Takbeer. All the intention for glorifying the greatness of Allah(swt). We did the same on 11th Zilhajj. Some of our people went on their own to do Tawafi- Ziarat which is like an Umra doing Tawaf and Sae in Haram. This is the end part of Hajj. For the rest of us the Sheikh assured us that we can do it later without any penalty. ThiCheck Spellings Tawaf is a must for a married couple, with out that they can not relate to each other physically.

Nov 29th 12th zilhaj

Today we again went for Rammi, this time our sheikh guided us all the way up on escalators. I've gone up and down long escalators in different amusement parks and buildings but this was a unique experience. Going all the way up to hit Shaitan(the pillars symbol of devil) we went through  four sets of high escalators. After hitting shaitan we went all around the roof to have a glimpse of Mina the tented city for Hajis. There were a series of tents up in the hills and those were VIP tents.

Nov30th 13th Zilhajj

Today we were leaving Mina and after Rammi were heading to Haram for tawafi ziarat and then to Azizia. We did our packing, rolled up our blankets, sheets and pillows and started waiting for bus. This was the last day for all hajis at Mina. We had to take a long way for bus. The streets were just littered with all kind of garbage, a lot of food stuff was thrown out too.

We did rammi and came back to bus which dropped us at the inside door of haram. It wasMaghrib time, offered prayers on stairs and then went for Tawaf . Some of it did upstairs on the top floor, then on the second floor . After doing Saee went in search of food to Burjul Bait where we were supposed to meet other companions and then to ride in bus. We ate at Hardie's an American franchise. It was nice burger and here it was Halaal. We had some tea and roamed in the area. An upscale mall and food court of course.

Around 12:30 am we sat on the bus and came back to Azizia.

Alhamdolillah our Hajj was over and in a couple of days we were leaving for Toronto.



عابدہ

Abida Rahmani




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On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 11:55 PM, Abida Rahmani







Hajj 2009

Nov 25th 8th Zilhajj


We arrived at Mina from Azizia (Makaah ) today. It was altogether  changed than the hajj that we performed in 1983. Lots of improvements have been done here.Tent is big enough to accommodate all three groups of us. Ladies in one tent and gents in the other one. We arrived here by bus after 12pm. The sky in Makaah was over cast since morning, a significant scene to watch.(After arrival in Makaah Namaz-i- istisqa was offered in Haram because of drought situation).Therefore every one was waiting for rain. With Allah 's blessings There was a big thunderstorm and it rained heavily . Our tent was leaking a bit from corners. We turned our umbrellas upside down to prevent leakage and put the empty blankets plastic bags to save our beds. The streets of Mina got flooded in a while. It is a common concept that if it rained on hajis, their hajj is accepted. May it be like this Allah is the most merciful. It rained for at least 3-4 hours with light drizzle for the whole day.

To watch the tented city was an amazing, amusing sight. These tents are now especially designed of fireproof material and any type of cooking stove or fire hazards are banned in Mina now. The food arrives from caterers. The arrangement inside were fantastic and luxurious. Thick foam mattresses which could be folded in a couch seat, brand new blankets ,mbrand new pillows and sheets. Tent had a special air conditioning system and these tents are fireproof. The food was quite festive with lots of dishes of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine.

Wondered if our organizers had provided us a part of this during our earlier stay, when we ran after arranging our food and meals. In fact the arrangements in Mina were a lot better than my expectations. Over all the arrangements were lot more better than 26 years earlier. Mina had paved streets in the middle of tents. Bathrooms had shower facilities too over the commodes. Which some of the ladies resisted earlier but ultimately had the shower. There is no proper sewerage system, all the toilets are set up on an open drain, that is why one can smell a lot of stink . Every toilet had a water pipe or hose. However some of the toilets got messed up soon and the back up cleaning system was a total failure. There were clear signs for men &Women  with الرجال النساء signs ,but still the people did not follow.


A bazaar was set up on the side of the main road and lot of vendors were selling off nice stuff.

Our region of tents were assigned to Hajjis from North America, Europe, Australia and Turkey. In other words those were hajjis of the developed world. There was a mic connection to our tent from men's tent and we could listen to all the announcements, tazkirs and prayed together.

For food mostly the ladies first was the motto. We were side by side. Soon we got befriended to our tent mates, some of whom we already knew .


Nov 26th 9th Zilhajj Yaumi Arafaa


It is the day of Arafat the main pillar of Hajj and we have to leave for Arafaat as soon as possible. It was 9 am that we proceeded through big buses for Arafaat, Saudi Government has restricted movement through big buses and the roads are wide open, Therefore it was a good flow of traffic and did not notice any traffic jam. We took our lunch boxes along, which more of snacks mostly white creamy sweat stuff. The carpets in the tents were a bit wet with yesterday rains. Every where hajis could be seen reciting talbiyah Labaika Allahumma Labaik Labiaka la sharika laka labaik innal hamda wa naimata laka wal mulk la sharika lak ( O Allah I am present at your service and there is no one equal you, all the praise and glory is for you, you are the king and there is no one equal you) The media and surveillance helicopters were howling over head. We were given nice polao in lunch.

We prayed and prayed to Allah (swt) for our forgiveness, forgiveness of our departed loved ones and my intention of doing this hajj for my beloved son. Begged for his mercy and blessings for my self, for the departed loved ones , for whole umma and especially for my kids, grand kids, brothers, sister & all the gracious people who did Ehsaan with me.Prayed while standing in the later day. Most of us went out and prayed ,cried and begged to Allah(swt) for his mercy ,blessings ,forgiveness and for the strength of Umma . Here I could see a sea of Muslims all around. Men in white ahraams ,ladies in different colors. "O Allah we are so many in numbers but we do not have any weight any strength, any power. Give us strength give us supremacy, grant us with wisdom and good judgment." Ameen


The pathetic part is that we all are God fearing, God loving people but extremely disorganized and undisciplined. By the end of the day the whole area was just littered up with garbage, water gushing from broken pipes in the toilets which were unbearable. O Allah give them strength ,unity and discipline.Although the conditions are a lot more better than 26 years back but still more improvement is required.

Muzdalifa

At 9pm we started for Muzdalifa and I was again back on my memory lane of the last hajj, when it took us almost 5 hours to reach there by 24 seater coaster. It was so suffocating with running engines and traffic jam that I cried a lot like a small kid and Ahad (my Late husband)was comforting me.It was the toughest time in that hajj. But now we reached so quickly . The whole area was fully bright and well lit like day. Whole of the big ground covered with hajis, we were supposed to find our place in between. We had only our valuables and sleeping bags.


Following the sunnah of Prophet (SAWS) there was one azaan and two aqamaaz for Maghrib and Isha prayers. Which were Qasr( shortened prayers).we spread out sleeping bags and tried to sleep which was extremely difficult. It was like if we were fixed in a match box, just neck to feet with each other. All the hajis were sleeping like this with so much humility on this hard ground just for the pleasure of Allah( SWT) to be successful; in the eternal life to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj is a tradition of Ibrahim(AS) followed by Mohammad (SAWS) and obligatory for those Muslims who can afford. Our muallim sheikh Abu Abdussalaam described Muzdalifa as a thousand star hotel, which is absolutely correct.I was trying to avoid the feet of the men sleeping to my head side.

I tried to sleep which was extremely difficult, the lady next to me was snoring a lot.Despite that slept for a couple of hours. At 2:15 am got up and went to toilet. It was absolutely busy and a very long line,It almost took one hour .Did tahjjud and then fajr did some tilawat and talbiya and started waiting for bus to come back to Mina. Got the bus at 8:30 am and arrived back at Mina to our tent which was like coming back home. While leaving Muzdalifa the whole ground was littered with sleeping bags, mats , pillows and carpets. A lot of needy people were collecting those. We brought our ones back.

Nov27th 10th Zilhajj Eid day


After getting back , had a bath and changed, now we were out of Ihraam and most of the restrictions were gone. It was announced earlier that our sacrifices Qurbanis have been done. We greeted each other Eid- Mubarak. the ladies got busy in threading, nail cutting and make ups.Received calls from sons , family members and brothers Alhamdolillah. It rained again today. 

Then we started to leave for jamaraat for Rammi ( stoning the symbol pillars of Shaitan)I put on my joggers, it was a long walk but thoroughly enjoyable. The way to Jamarrat is specially designed ,what an amazing rout and complex!! Saudi Govt has spend a lot of money and expertise in designing this complex. We went through three big tunnels equipped with big blowers , lots of plastic bottles sucked up to it.

The flow of people was like a flooding sea on wide roads reciting Talbiyah and getting to encounter the symbols of shaitan. That Shaitan who came in the way of Ibrahim (AS) to stop him from sacrificing his son Ismail by the orders of Allah(swT). Ibrahim threw pebbles on Shaitan while proceeding on his way. His act was so much appreciated by almighty that he made it a ritual of Hajj till the day of judgment. I was over whelmed with this gigantic flow of hajis. They were of different colors, creeds and nationalities. Most of the groups were greatly organized and distinguished with their coats, hats ,ribbons .caps,shoes, trousers, skirts,scarfs etc.

Most of those were Malaysians ,Indonesians, Chinese, Turkish and from other countries.


During my last hajj we were not allowed to go for Rami because of the great rush and accidents . We were asked to give our stones or pebbles to our Mehrams. Therefore no one in ladies from our camp went. I was sick too down with flue and it was always on my mind because some of the scholars in Pakistan said that it is a compulsory act. When Ahad, Jamshed bhai and Nadeem got back from Rami there feet were badly hurt and chappals missing. This time we were wearing our regular shoes or joggers because the sheikh told us that women can wear any type of shoes and the men wore strong sandals too .The men were not out of Ihraam as yet because they had to shave.I was greatly excited this time and thanked Allah for granting me this opportunity again.

This was a huge complex, Jamarrat were erected as in the shape of wide pillars going through

many stories and all the precautions were taken to avoid accidents. It was a very smooth flow. Hajis coming in groups and moving towards other Jamra. The pebbles we collected from Muzdalifa in the size of a chick pea and we were supposed to throw seven on each jamrah saying bismillahi Allahu akbar. After completing this ritual we were on our way back and stopped under a bridge on the road. There men went for shaving their heads or haircut, we did a little bit with our scissors and each other's help.

Many hajis had spread out their mats, sitting and sipping tea. We accommodate ourselves with them, later on we offered maghrib prayers .Saw a few Pakistanis from Punjab looking for some lost relatives. We tried to help them out. On our way to Jamaraat we recited Talbiyah, now on our way back we have to recite Takbeer. All the intention for glorifying the greatness of Allah(swt). We did the same on 11th Zilhajj. Some of our people went on their own to do Tawafi- Ziarat which is like an Umra doing Tawaf and Sae in Haram. This is the end part of Hajj. For the rest of us the Sheikh assured us that we can do it later without any penalty. ThiCheck Spellings Tawaf is a must for a married couple, with out that they can not relate to each other physically.

Nov 29th 12th zilhaj

Today we again went for Rammi, this time our sheikh guided us all the way up on escalators. I've gone up and down long escalators in different amusement parks and buildings but this was a unique experience. Going all the way up to hit Shaitan. we went through 4 sets of high escalators. After hitting shaitan we went all around the roof to have a glimpse of Mina the tented city for Hajis. There were a series of tents up in the hills and those were VIP tents.

Nov30th 13th Zilhajj

Today we were leaving Mina and after Rammi were heading to Haram for tawafi ziarat and then to Azizia. We did our packing, rolled up our blankets, sheets and pillows and started waiting for bus. This was the last day for all hajis at Mina. We had to take a long way for bus. The streets were just littered with all kind of garbage, a lot of food stuff was thrown out too.

We did rammi and came back to bus which dropped us at the inside door of haram. It wasMaghrib time, offered prayers on stairs and then went for Tawaf . Some of it did upstairs on the top floor, then on the second floor . After doing Saee went in search of food to Burjul Bait where we were supposed to meet other companions and then ride in bus.

Zubair wanted to eat in Hardies an American franchise. It was nice burger and because it was Halaal. We had some tea and roamed in the area. An upscale mall and food court of course.

Around 12:30 am we sat on the bus and came back to Azizia.

Alhamdolillah our Hajj was over and in a couple of days we were leaving for Toronto.



عابدہ

Abida Rahmani




-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile



-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile
-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 11:55 PM, Abida Rahmani







Hajj 2009

Nov 25th 8th Zilhajj


We arrived at Mina from Azizia (Makaah ) today. It was altogether  changed than the hajj that we performed in 1983. Lots of improvements have been done here.Tent is big enough to accommodate all three groups of us. Ladies in one tent and gents in the other one. We arrived here by bus after 12pm. The sky in Makaah was over cast since morning, a significant scene to watch.(After arrival in Makaah Namaz-i- istisqa was offered in Haram because of drought situation).Therefore every one was waiting for rain. With Allah 's blessings There was a big thunderstorm and it rained heavily . Our tent was leaking a bit from corners. We turned our umbrellas upside down to prevent leakage and put the empty blankets plastic bags to save our beds. The streets of Mina got flooded in a while. It is a common concept that if it rained on hajis, their hajj is accepted. May it be like this Allah is the most merciful. It rained for at least 3-4 hours with light drizzle for the whole day.

To watch the tented city was an amazing, amusing sight. These tents are now especially designed of fireproof material and any type of cooking stove or fire hazards are banned in Mina now. The food arrives from caterers. The arrangement inside were fantastic and luxurious. Thick foam mattresses which could be folded in a couch seat, brand new blankets ,mbrand new pillows and sheets. Tent had a special air conditioning system and these tents are fireproof. The food was quite festive with lots of dishes of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine.

Wondered if our organizers had provided us a part of this during our earlier stay, when we ran after arranging our food and meals. In fact the arrangements in Mina were a lot better than my expectations. Over all the arrangements were lot more better than 26 years earlier. Mina had paved streets in the middle of tents. Bathrooms had shower facilities too over the commodes. Which some of the ladies resisted earlier but ultimately had the shower. There is no proper sewerage system, all the toilets are set up on an open drain, that is why one can smell a lot of stink . Every toilet had a water pipe or hose. However some of the toilets got messed up soon and the back up cleaning system was a total failure. There were clear signs for men &Women  with الرجال النساء signs ,but still the people did not follow.


A bazaar was set up on the side of the main road and lot of vendors were selling off nice stuff.

Our region of tents were assigned to Hajjis from North America, Europe, Australia and Turkey. In other words those were hajjis of the developed world. There was a mic connection to our tent from men's tent and we could listen to all the announcements, tazkirs and prayed together.

For food mostly the ladies first was the motto. We were side by side. Soon we got befriended to our tent mates, some of whom we already knew .


Nov 26th 9th Zilhajj Yaumi Arafaa


It is the day of Arafat the main pillar of Hajj and we have to leave for Arafaat as soon as possible. It was 9 am that we proceeded through big buses for Arafaat, Saudi Government has restricted movement through big buses and the roads are wide open, Therefore it was a good flow of traffic and did not notice any traffic jam. We took our lunch boxes along, which more of snacks mostly white creamy sweat stuff. The carpets in the tents were a bit wet with yesterday rains. Every where hajis could be seen reciting talbiyah Labaika Allahumma Labaik Labiaka la sharika laka labaik innal hamda wa naimata laka wal mulk la sharika lak ( O Allah I am present at your service and there is no one equal you, all the praise and glory is for you, you are the king and there is no one equal you) The media and surveillance helicopters were howling over head. We were given nice polao in lunch.

We prayed and prayed to Allah (swt) for our forgiveness, forgiveness of our departed loved ones and my intention of doing this hajj for my beloved son. Begged for his mercy and blessings for my self, for the departed loved ones , for whole umma and especially for my kids, grand kids, brothers, sister & all the gracious people who did Ehsaan with me.Prayed while standing in the later day. Most of us went out and prayed ,cried and begged to Allah(swt) for his mercy ,blessings ,forgiveness and for the strength of Umma . Here I could see a sea of Muslims all around. Men in white ahraams ,ladies in different colors. "O Allah we are so many in numbers but we do not have any weight any strength, any power. Give us strength give us supremacy, grant us with wisdom and good judgment." Ameen


The pathetic part is that we all are God fearing, God loving people but extremely disorganized and undisciplined. By the end of the day the whole area was just littered up with garbage, water gushing from broken pipes in the toilets which were unbearable. O Allah give them strength ,unity and discipline.Although the conditions are a lot more better than 26 years back but still more improvement is required.

Muzdalifa

At 9pm we started for Muzdalifa and I was again back on my memory lane of the last hajj, when it took us almost 5 hours to reach there by 24 seater coaster. It was so suffocating with running engines and traffic jam that I cried a lot like a small kid and Ahad (my Late husband)was comforting me.It was the toughest time in that hajj. But now we reached so quickly . The whole area was fully bright and well lit like day. Whole of the big ground covered with hajis, we were supposed to find our place in between. We had only our valuables and sleeping bags.


Following the sunnah of Prophet (SAWS) there was one azaan and two aqamaaz for Maghrib and Isha prayers. Which were Qasr( shortened prayers).we spread out sleeping bags and tried to sleep which was extremely difficult. It was like if we were fixed in a match box, just neck to feet with each other. All the hajis were sleeping like this with so much humility on this hard ground just for the pleasure of Allah( SWT) to be successful; in the eternal life to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj is a tradition of Ibrahim(AS) followed by Mohammad (SAWS) and obligatory for those Muslims who can afford. Our muallim sheikh Abu Abdussalaam described Muzdalifa as a thousand star hotel, which is absolutely correct.I was trying to avoid the feet of the men sleeping to my head side.

I tried to sleep which was extremely difficult, the lady next to me was snoring a lot.Despite that slept for a couple of hours. At 2:15 am got up and went to toilet. It was absolutely busy and a very long line,It almost took one hour .Did tahjjud and then fajr did some tilawat and talbiya and started waiting for bus to come back to Mina. Got the bus at 8:30 am and arrived back at Mina to our tent which was like coming back home. While leaving Muzdalifa the whole ground was littered with sleeping bags, mats , pillows and carpets. A lot of needy people were collecting those. We brought our ones back.

Nov27th 10th Zilhajj Eid day


After getting back , had a bath and changed, now we were out of Ihraam and most of the restrictions were gone. It was announced earlier that our sacrifices Qurbanis have been done. We greeted each other Eid- Mubarak. the ladies got busy in threading, nail cutting and make ups.Received calls from sons , family members and brothers Alhamdolillah. It rained again today. 

Then we started to leave for jamaraat for Rammi ( stoning the symbol pillars of Shaitan)I put on my joggers, it was a long walk but thoroughly enjoyable. The way to Jamarrat is specially designed ,what an amazing rout and complex!! Saudi Govt has spend a lot of money and expertise in designing this complex. We went through three big tunnels equipped with big blowers , lots of plastic bottles sucked up to it.

The flow of people was like a flooding sea on wide roads reciting Talbiyah and getting to encounter the symbols of shaitan. That Shaitan who came in the way of Ibrahim (AS) to stop him from sacrificing his son Ismail by the orders of Allah(swT). Ibrahim threw pebbles on Shaitan while proceeding on his way. His act was so much appreciated by almighty that he made it a ritual of Hajj till the day of judgment. I was over whelmed with this gigantic flow of hajis. They were of different colors, creeds and nationalities. Most of the groups were greatly organized and distinguished with their coats, hats ,ribbons .caps,shoes, trousers, skirts,scarfs etc.

Most of those were Malaysians ,Indonesians, Chinese, Turkish and from other countries.


During my last hajj we were not allowed to go for Rami because of the great rush and accidents . We were asked to give our stones or pebbles to our Mehrams. Therefore no one in ladies from our camp went. I was sick too down with flue and it was always on my mind because some of the scholars in Pakistan said that it is a compulsory act. When Ahad, Jamshed bhai and Nadeem got back from Rami there feet were badly hurt and chappals missing. This time we were wearing our regular shoes or joggers because the sheikh told us that women can wear any type of shoes and the men wore strong sandals too .The men were not out of Ihraam as yet because they had to shave.I was greatly excited this time and thanked Allah for granting me this opportunity again.

This was a huge complex, Jamarrat were erected as in the shape of wide pillars going through

many stories and all the precautions were taken to avoid accidents. It was a very smooth flow. Hajis coming in groups and moving towards other Jamra. The pebbles we collected from Muzdalifa in the size of a chick pea and we were supposed to throw seven on each jamrah saying bismillahi Allahu akbar. After completing this ritual we were on our way back and stopped under a bridge on the road. There men went for shaving their heads or haircut, we did a little bit with our scissors and each other's help.

Many hajis had spread out their mats, sitting and sipping tea. We accommodate ourselves with them, later on we offered maghrib prayers .Saw a few Pakistanis from Punjab looking for some lost relatives. We tried to help them out. On our way to Jamaraat we recited Talbiyah, now on our way back we have to recite Takbeer. All the intention for glorifying the greatness of Allah(swt). We did the same on 11th Zilhajj. Some of our people went on their own to do Tawafi- Ziarat which is like an Umra doing Tawaf and Sae in Haram. This is the end part of Hajj. For the rest of us the Sheikh assured us that we can do it later without any penalty. ThiCheck Spellings Tawaf is a must for a married couple, with out that they can not relate to each other physically.

Nov 29th 12th zilhaj

Today we again went for Rammi, this time our sheikh guided us all the way up on escalators. I've gone up and down long escalators in different amusement parks and buildings but this was a unique experience. Going all the way up to hit Shaitan. we went through 4 sets of high escalators. After hitting shaitan we went all around the roof to have a glimpse of Mina the tented city for Hajis. There were a series of tents up in the hills and those were VIP tents.

Nov30th 13th Zilhajj

Today we were leaving Mina and after Rammi were heading to Haram for tawafi ziarat and then to Azizia. We did our packing, rolled up our blankets, sheets and pillows and started waiting for bus. This was the last day for all hajis at Mina. We had to take a long way for bus. The streets were just littered with all kind of garbage, a lot of food stuff was thrown out too.

We did rammi and came back to bus which dropped us at the inside door of haram. It wasMaghrib time, offered prayers on stairs and then went for Tawaf . Some of it did upstairs on the top floor, then on the second floor . After doing Saee went in search of food to Burjul Bait where we were supposed to meet other companions and then ride in bus.

Zubair wanted to eat in Hardies an American franchise. It was nice burger and because it was Halaal. We had some tea and roamed in the area. An upscale mall and food court of course.

Around 12:30 am we sat on the bus and came back to Azizia.

Alhamdolillah our Hajj was over and in a couple of days we were leaving for Toronto.



عابدہ

Abida Rahmani




-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile



-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile
-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 11:55 PM, Abida Rahmani







Hajj 2009

Nov 25th 8th Zilhajj


We arrived at Mina from Azizia (Makaah ) today. It was altogether  changed than the hajj that we performed in 1983. Lots of improvements have been done here.Tent is big enough to accommodate all three groups of us. Ladies in one tent and gents in the other one. We arrived here by bus after 12pm. The sky in Makaah was over cast since morning, a significant scene to watch.(After arrival in Makaah Namaz-i- istisqa was offered in Haram because of drought situation).Therefore every one was waiting for rain. With Allah 's blessings There was a big thunderstorm and it rained heavily . Our tent was leaking a bit from corners. We turned our umbrellas upside down to prevent leakage and put the empty blankets plastic bags to save our beds. The streets of Mina got flooded in a while. It is a common concept that if it rained on hajis, their hajj is accepted. May it be like this Allah is the most merciful. It rained for at least 3-4 hours with light drizzle for the whole day.

To watch the tented city was an amazing, amusing sight. These tents are now especially designed of fireproof material and any type of cooking stove or fire hazards are banned in Mina now. The food arrives from caterers. The arrangement inside were fantastic and luxurious. Thick foam mattresses which could be folded in a couch seat, brand new blankets ,mbrand new pillows and sheets. Tent had a special air conditioning system and these tents are fireproof. The food was quite festive with lots of dishes of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine.

Wondered if our organizers had provided us a part of this during our earlier stay, when we ran after arranging our food and meals. In fact the arrangements in Mina were a lot better than my expectations. Over all the arrangements were lot more better than 26 years earlier. Mina had paved streets in the middle of tents. Bathrooms had shower facilities too over the commodes. Which some of the ladies resisted earlier but ultimately had the shower. There is no proper sewerage system, all the toilets are set up on an open drain, that is why one can smell a lot of stink . Every toilet had a water pipe or hose. However some of the toilets got messed up soon and the back up cleaning system was a total failure. There were clear signs for men &Women  with الرجال النساء signs ,but still the people did not follow.


A bazaar was set up on the side of the main road and lot of vendors were selling off nice stuff.

Our region of tents were assigned to Hajjis from North America, Europe, Australia and Turkey. In other words those were hajjis of the developed world. There was a mic connection to our tent from men's tent and we could listen to all the announcements, tazkirs and prayed together.

For food mostly the ladies first was the motto. We were side by side. Soon we got befriended to our tent mates, some of whom we already knew .


Nov 26th 9th Zilhajj Yaumi Arafaa


It is the day of Arafat the main pillar of Hajj and we have to leave for Arafaat as soon as possible. It was 9 am that we proceeded through big buses for Arafaat, Saudi Government has restricted movement through big buses and the roads are wide open, Therefore it was a good flow of traffic and did not notice any traffic jam. We took our lunch boxes along, which more of snacks mostly white creamy sweat stuff. The carpets in the tents were a bit wet with yesterday rains. Every where hajis could be seen reciting talbiyah Labaika Allahumma Labaik Labiaka la sharika laka labaik innal hamda wa naimata laka wal mulk la sharika lak ( O Allah I am present at your service and there is no one equal you, all the praise and glory is for you, you are the king and there is no one equal you) The media and surveillance helicopters were howling over head. We were given nice polao in lunch.

We prayed and prayed to Allah (swt) for our forgiveness, forgiveness of our departed loved ones and my intention of doing this hajj for my beloved son. Begged for his mercy and blessings for my self, for the departed loved ones , for whole umma and especially for my kids, grand kids, brothers, sister & all the gracious people who did Ehsaan with me.Prayed while standing in the later day. Most of us went out and prayed ,cried and begged to Allah(swt) for his mercy ,blessings ,forgiveness and for the strength of Umma . Here I could see a sea of Muslims all around. Men in white ahraams ,ladies in different colors. "O Allah we are so many in numbers but we do not have any weight any strength, any power. Give us strength give us supremacy, grant us with wisdom and good judgment." Ameen


The pathetic part is that we all are God fearing, God loving people but extremely disorganized and undisciplined. By the end of the day the whole area was just littered up with garbage, water gushing from broken pipes in the toilets which were unbearable. O Allah give them strength ,unity and discipline.Although the conditions are a lot more better than 26 years back but still more improvement is required.

Muzdalifa

At 9pm we started for Muzdalifa and I was again back on my memory lane of the last hajj, when it took us almost 5 hours to reach there by 24 seater coaster. It was so suffocating with running engines and traffic jam that I cried a lot like a small kid and Ahad (my Late husband)was comforting me.It was the toughest time in that hajj. But now we reached so quickly . The whole area was fully bright and well lit like day. Whole of the big ground covered with hajis, we were supposed to find our place in between. We had only our valuables and sleeping bags.


Following the sunnah of Prophet (SAWS) there was one azaan and two aqamaaz for Maghrib and Isha prayers. Which were Qasr( shortened prayers).we spread out sleeping bags and tried to sleep which was extremely difficult. It was like if we were fixed in a match box, just neck to feet with each other. All the hajis were sleeping like this with so much humility on this hard ground just for the pleasure of Allah( SWT) to be successful; in the eternal life to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj is a tradition of Ibrahim(AS) followed by Mohammad (SAWS) and obligatory for those Muslims who can afford. Our muallim sheikh Abu Abdussalaam described Muzdalifa as a thousand star hotel, which is absolutely correct.I was trying to avoid the feet of the men sleeping to my head side.

I tried to sleep which was extremely difficult, the lady next to me was snoring a lot.Despite that slept for a couple of hours. At 2:15 am got up and went to toilet. It was absolutely busy and a very long line,It almost took one hour .Did tahjjud and then fajr did some tilawat and talbiya and started waiting for bus to come back to Mina. Got the bus at 8:30 am and arrived back at Mina to our tent which was like coming back home. While leaving Muzdalifa the whole ground was littered with sleeping bags, mats , pillows and carpets. A lot of needy people were collecting those. We brought our ones back.

Nov27th 10th Zilhajj Eid day


After getting back , had a bath and changed, now we were out of Ihraam and most of the restrictions were gone. It was announced earlier that our sacrifices Qurbanis have been done. We greeted each other Eid- Mubarak. the ladies got busy in threading, nail cutting and make ups.Received calls from sons , family members and brothers Alhamdolillah. It rained again today. 

Then we started to leave for jamaraat for Rammi ( stoning the symbol pillars of Shaitan)I put on my joggers, it was a long walk but thoroughly enjoyable. The way to Jamarrat is specially designed ,what an amazing rout and complex!! Saudi Govt has spend a lot of money and expertise in designing this complex. We went through three big tunnels equipped with big blowers , lots of plastic bottles sucked up to it.

The flow of people was like a flooding sea on wide roads reciting Talbiyah and getting to encounter the symbols of shaitan. That Shaitan who came in the way of Ibrahim (AS) to stop him from sacrificing his son Ismail by the orders of Allah(swT). Ibrahim threw pebbles on Shaitan while proceeding on his way. His act was so much appreciated by almighty that he made it a ritual of Hajj till the day of judgment. I was over whelmed with this gigantic flow of hajis. They were of different colors, creeds and nationalities. Most of the groups were greatly organized and distinguished with their coats, hats ,ribbons .caps,shoes, trousers, skirts,scarfs etc.

Most of those were Malaysians ,Indonesians, Chinese, Turkish and from other countries.


During my last hajj we were not allowed to go for Rami because of the great rush and accidents . We were asked to give our stones or pebbles to our Mehrams. Therefore no one in ladies from our camp went. I was sick too down with flue and it was always on my mind because some of the scholars in Pakistan said that it is a compulsory act. When Ahad, Jamshed bhai and Nadeem got back from Rami there feet were badly hurt and chappals missing. This time we were wearing our regular shoes or joggers because the sheikh told us that women can wear any type of shoes and the men wore strong sandals too .The men were not out of Ihraam as yet because they had to shave.I was greatly excited this time and thanked Allah for granting me this opportunity again.

This was a huge complex, Jamarrat were erected as in the shape of wide pillars going through

many stories and all the precautions were taken to avoid accidents. It was a very smooth flow. Hajis coming in groups and moving towards other Jamra. The pebbles we collected from Muzdalifa in the size of a chick pea and we were supposed to throw seven on each jamrah saying bismillahi Allahu akbar. After completing this ritual we were on our way back and stopped under a bridge on the road. There men went for shaving their heads or haircut, we did a little bit with our scissors and each other's help.

Many hajis had spread out their mats, sitting and sipping tea. We accommodate ourselves with them, later on we offered maghrib prayers .Saw a few Pakistanis from Punjab looking for some lost relatives. We tried to help them out. On our way to Jamaraat we recited Talbiyah, now on our way back we have to recite Takbeer. All the intention for glorifying the greatness of Allah(swt). We did the same on 11th Zilhajj. Some of our people went on their own to do Tawafi- Ziarat which is like an Umra doing Tawaf and Sae in Haram. This is the end part of Hajj. For the rest of us the Sheikh assured us that we can do it later without any penalty. ThiCheck Spellings Tawaf is a must for a married couple, with out that they can not relate to each other physically.

Nov 29th 12th zilhaj

Today we again went for Rammi, this time our sheikh guided us all the way up on escalators. I've gone up and down long escalators in different amusement parks and buildings but this was a unique experience. Going all the way up to hit Shaitan. we went through 4 sets of high escalators. After hitting shaitan we went all around the roof to have a glimpse of Mina the tented city for Hajis. There were a series of tents up in the hills and those were VIP tents.

Nov30th 13th Zilhajj

Today we were leaving Mina and after Rammi were heading to Haram for tawafi ziarat and then to Azizia. We did our packing, rolled up our blankets, sheets and pillows and started waiting for bus. This was the last day for all hajis at Mina. We had to take a long way for bus. The streets were just littered with all kind of garbage, a lot of food stuff was thrown out too.

We did rammi and came back to bus which dropped us at the inside door of haram. It wasMaghrib time, offered prayers on stairs and then went for Tawaf . Some of it did upstairs on the top floor, then on the second floor . After doing Saee went in search of food to Burjul Bait where we were supposed to meet other companions and then ride in bus.

Zubair wanted to eat in Hardies an American franchise. It was nice burger and because it was Halaal. We had some tea and roamed in the area. An upscale mall and food court of course.

Around 12:30 am we sat on the bus and came back to Azizia.

Alhamdolillah our Hajj was over and in a couple of days we were leaving for Toronto.



عابدہ

Abida Rahmani




-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile



-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile
-- 
Sent from Gmail Mobile

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 11:55 PM, Abida Rahmani







Hajj 2009

Nov 25th 8th Zilhajj


We arrived at Mina from Azizia (Makaah ) today. It was altogether  changed than the hajj that we performed in 1983. Lots of improvements have been done here.Tent is big enough to accommodate all three groups of us. Ladies in one tent and gents in the other one. We arrived here by bus after 12pm. The sky in Makaah was over cast since morning, a significant scene to watch.(After arrival in Makaah Namaz-i- istisqa was offered in Haram because of drought situation).Therefore every one was waiting for rain. With Allah 's blessings There was a big thunderstorm and it rained heavily . Our tent was leaking a bit from corners. We turned our umbrellas upside down to prevent leakage and put the empty blankets plastic bags to save our beds. The streets of Mina got flooded in a while. It is a common concept that if it rained on hajis, their hajj is accepted. May it be like this Allah is the most merciful. It rained for at least 3-4 hours with light drizzle for the whole day.

To watch the tented city was an amazing, amusing sight. These tents are now especially designed of fireproof material and any type of cooking stove or fire hazards are banned in Mina now. The food arrives from caterers. The arrangement inside were fantastic and luxurious. Thick foam mattresses which could be folded in a couch seat, brand new blankets ,mbrand new pillows and sheets. Tent had a special air conditioning system and these tents are fireproof. The food was quite festive with lots of dishes of Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine.

Wondered if our organizers had provided us a part of this during our earlier stay, when we ran after arranging our food and meals. In fact the arrangements in Mina were a lot better than my expectations. Over all the arrangements were lot more better than 26 years earlier. Mina had paved streets in the middle of tents. Bathrooms had shower facilities too over the commodes. Which some of the ladies resisted earlier but ultimately had the shower. There is no proper sewerage system, all the toilets are set up on an open drain, that is why one can smell a lot of stink . Every toilet had a water pipe or hose. However some of the toilets got messed up soon and the back up cleaning system was a total failure. There were clear signs for men &Women  with الرجال النساء signs ,but still the people did not follow.


A bazaar was set up on the side of the main road and lot of vendors were selling off nice stuff.

Our region of tents were assigned to Hajjis from North America, Europe, Australia and Turkey. In other words those were hajjis of the developed world. There was a mic connection to our tent from men's tent and we could listen to all the announcements, tazkirs and prayed together.

For food mostly the ladies first was the motto. We were side by side. Soon we got befriended to our tent mates, some of whom we already knew .


Nov 26th 9th Zilhajj Yaumi Arafaa


It is the day of Arafat the main pillar of Hajj and we have to leave for Arafaat as soon as possible. It was 9 am that we proceeded through big buses for Arafaat, Saudi Government has restricted movement through big buses and the roads are wide open, Therefore it was a good flow of traffic and did not notice any traffic jam. We took our lunch boxes along, which more of snacks mostly white creamy sweat stuff. The carpets in the tents were a bit wet with yesterday rains. Every where hajis could be seen reciting talbiyah Labaika Allahumma Labaik Labiaka la sharika laka labaik innal hamda wa naimata laka wal mulk la sharika lak ( O Allah I am present at your service and there is no one equal you, all the praise and glory is for you, you are the king and there is no one equal you) The media and surveillance helicopters were howling over head. We were given nice polao in lunch.

We prayed and prayed to Allah (swt) for our forgiveness, forgiveness of our departed loved ones and my intention of doing this hajj for my beloved son. Begged for his mercy and blessings for my self, for the departed loved ones , for whole umma and especially for my kids, grand kids, brothers, sister & all the gracious people who did Ehsaan with me.Prayed while standing in the later day. Most of us went out and prayed ,cried and begged to Allah(swt) for his mercy ,blessings ,forgiveness and for the strength of Umma . Here I could see a sea of Muslims all around. Men in white ahraams ,ladies in different colors. "O Allah we are so many in numbers but we do not have any weight any strength, any power. Give us strength give us supremacy, grant us with wisdom and good judgment." Ameen


The pathetic part is that we all are God fearing, God loving people but extremely disorganized and undisciplined. By the end of the day the whole area was just littered up with garbage, water gushing from broken pipes in the toilets which were unbearable. O Allah give them strength ,unity and discipline.Although the conditions are a lot more better than 26 years back but still more improvement is required.

Muzdalifa

At 9pm we started for Muzdalifa and I was again back on my memory lane of the last hajj, when it took us almost 5 hours to reach there by 24 seater coaster. It was so suffocating with running engines and traffic jam that I cried a lot like a small kid and Ahad (my Late husband)was comforting me.It was the toughest time in that hajj. But now we reached so quickly . The whole area was fully bright and well lit like day. Whole of the big ground covered with hajis, we were supposed to find our place in between. We had only our valuables and sleeping bags.


Following the sunnah of Prophet (SAWS) there was one azaan and two aqamaaz for Maghrib and Isha prayers. Which were Qasr( shortened prayers).we spread out sleeping bags and tried to sleep which was extremely difficult. It was like if we were fixed in a match box, just neck to feet with each other. All the hajis were sleeping like this with so much humility on this hard ground just for the pleasure of Allah( SWT) to be successful; in the eternal life to fulfill the fifth pillar of Islam. Hajj is a tradition of Ibrahim(AS) followed by Mohammad (SAWS) and obligatory for those Muslims who can afford. Our muallim sheikh Abu Abdussalaam described Muzdalifa as a thousand star hotel, which is absolutely correct.I was trying to avoid the feet of the men sleeping to my head side.

I tried to sleep which was extremely difficult, the lady next to me was snoring a lot.Despite that slept for a couple of hours. At 2:15 am got up and went to toilet. It was absolutely busy and a very long line,It almost took one hour .Did tahjjud and then fajr did some tilawat and talbiya and started waiting for bus to come back to Mina. Got the bus at 8:30 am and arrived back at Mina to our tent which was like coming back home. While leaving Muzdalifa the whole ground was littered with sleeping bags, mats , pillows and carpets. A lot of needy people were collecting those. We brought our ones back.

Nov27th 10th Zilhajj Eid day


After getting back , had a bath and changed, now we were out of Ihraam and most of the restrictions were gone. It was announced earlier that our sacrifices Qurbanis have been done. We greeted each other Eid- Mubarak. the ladies got busy in threading, nail cutting and make ups.Received calls from sons , family members and brothers Alhamdolillah. It rained again today. 

Then we started to leave for jamaraat for Rammi ( stoning the symbol pillars of Shaitan)I put on my joggers, it was a long walk but thoroughly enjoyable. The way to Jamarrat is specially designed ,what an amazing rout and complex!! Saudi Govt has spend a lot of money and expertise in designing this complex. We went through three big tunnels equipped with big blowers , lots of plastic bottles sucked up to it.

The flow of people was like a flooding sea on wide roads reciting Talbiyah and getting to encounter the symbols of shaitan. That Shaitan who came in the way of Ibrahim (AS) to stop him from sacrificing his son Ismail by the orders of Allah(swT). Ibrahim threw pebbles on Shaitan while proceeding on his way. His act was so much appreciated by almighty that he made it a ritual of Hajj till the day of judgment. I was over whelmed with this gigantic flow of hajis. They were of different colors, creeds and nationalities. Most of the groups were greatly organized and distinguished with their coats, hats ,ribbons .caps,shoes, trousers, skirts,scarfs etc.

Most of those were Malaysians ,Indonesians, Chinese, Turkish and from other countries.


During my last hajj we were not allowed to go for Rami because of the great rush and accidents . We were asked to give our stones or pebbles to our Mehrams. Therefore no one in ladies from our camp went. I was sick too down with flue and it was always on my mind because some of the scholars in Pakistan said that it is a compulsory act. When Ahad, Jamshed bhai and Nadeem got back from Rami there feet were badly hurt and chappals missing. This time we were wearing our regular shoes or joggers because the sheikh told us that women can wear any type of shoes and the men wore strong sandals too .The men were not out of Ihraam as yet because they had to shave.I was greatly excited this time and thanked Allah for granting me this opportunity again.

This was a huge complex, Jamarrat were erected as in the shape of wide pillars going through

many stories and all the precautions were taken to avoid accidents. It was a very smooth flow. Hajis coming in groups and moving towards other Jamra. The pebbles we collected from Muzdalifa in the size of a chick pea and we were supposed to throw seven on each jamrah saying bismillahi Allahu akbar. After completing this ritual we were on our way back and stopped under a bridge on the road. There men went for shaving their heads or haircut, we did a little bit with our scissors and each other's help.

Many hajis had spread out their mats, sitting and sipping tea. We accommodate ourselves with them, later on we offered maghrib prayers .Saw a few Pakistanis from Punjab looking for some lost relatives. We tried to help them out. On our way to Jamaraat we recited Talbiyah, now on our way back we have to recite Takbeer. All the intention for glorifying the greatness of Allah(swt). We did the same on 11th Zilhajj. Some of our people went on their own to do Tawafi- Ziarat which is like an Umra doing Tawaf and Sae in Haram. This is the end part of Hajj. For the rest of us the Sheikh assured us that we can do it later without any penalty. ThiCheck Spellings Tawaf is a must for a married couple, with out that they can not relate to each other physically.

Nov 29th 12th zilhaj

Today we again went for Rammi, this time our sheikh guided us all the way up on escalators. I've gone up and down long escalators in different amusement parks and buildings but this was a unique experience. Going all the way up to hit Shaitan. we went through 4 sets of high escalators. After hitting shaitan we went all around the roof to have a glimpse of Mina the tented city for Hajis. There were a series of tents up in the hills and those were VIP tents.

Nov30th 13th Zilhajj

Today we were leaving Mina and after Rammi were heading to Haram for tawafi ziarat and then to Azizia. We did our packing, rolled up our blankets, sheets and pillows and started waiting for bus. This was the last day for all hajis at Mina. We had to take a long way for bus. The streets were just littered with all kind of garbage, a lot of food stuff was thrown out too.

We did rammi and came back to bus which dropped us at the inside door of haram. It wasMaghrib time, offered prayers on stairs and then went for Tawaf . Some of it did upstairs on the top floor, then on the second floor . After doing Saee went in search of food to Burjul Bait where we were supposed to meet other companions and then ride in bus.

Zubair wanted to eat in Hardies an American franchise. It was nice burger and because it was Halaal. We had some tea and roamed in the area. An upscale mall and food court of course.

Around 12:30 am we sat on the bus and came back to Azizia.

Alhamdolillah our Hajj was over and in a couple of days we were leaving for Toronto.



عابدہ

Abida Rahmani




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