...The weekend rolls in, a respite for some from the grind of the week, a start of a new round for others. Stresses it brings but then still absolutely lovely week :P
As Friday melts into Saturday it’s time to think about the fact that I have to attend wedding reception of my relatives and friends & kenduri kesyukuran for my relatives and neigbours yang bakal pergi menunaikan Rukun Islam yg ke5.
All in all It was tiring yet FUN :)
Talking bout Musim Haji, one of my bonda dear neighbours left for haj with her husband last Saturday. Beloved bonda, ayahanda and I went to their house which is just sepelaung away from ours to ucap selamat. After pak Imam melaungkan azan, they rushed into their MPV without looking back and headed for the call of the All Mighty. This reminded me of that time when I too was preparing to leave for my Umrah back, last year. This is not about going to Mekah, more about why when dah azan, kena cepat cepat ride the vehicle and don't look back. Some say if we look back, the journey will not be a safe one or one may not reach Tanah Haram at all. Wallahualam..
Performing the Hajj is truly like going to battle. You leave your family behind, you take along only the essentials and you make do with whatever we have. But the battle is not only physical, it was also emotional, psychological and spiritual.
I believe that Allah gives you lessons to learn everyday, irregardless of whether you are on Umrah (Small Hajj), Hajj or not, but somehow during that period, perhaps due to the situation, lessons seems to be more intense and you are somewhat forced to learn it. I imagine that the itinerary for pilgrims from Malaysia will be quite similar during the Umrah. You will be travelling between Madinah, Makkah, Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina, and your schedule will be quite packed.
Here are some tips I would like to share with regards to Menunaikan Rukun Haji & Umrah:
1. Drink lots and lots of water.
I know you'll be afraid that it will make you want to go to the toilet often and you're afraid if the toilet facilities will be bad, but drink away! Your body will lose water in other ways (sweating, and from reciting the Qur'an and dzikr), so dont worry about overloading your bladder. If you do have to go to the toilet, pray to Allah so that it will be easy.
2. Carry Pocket/Purse sized Tissues, WetWipes, Vaseline, Spray Bottle, your favourite cough drops and Snickers, all in a small sling bag. These are essential and will make your journey more comfortable. The tissues & wetwipes are really good for quick clean-ups and freshening up. The Vaseline can be used to maintain moisture on any part of the body (especially your lips! Lots of reciting/supplicating will make your lips dry). If you cant find a travel size vaseline, a non-perfumed chapstick will do. I carry a spray bottle of clean water (fill it up with zam-zam if you like) so that I can make wudhu' anytime, anywhere. Suck on a cough drop the moment your throat start to feel scratchy. Eat a snicker to stave off the hunger pangs. I carry this sling bag everywhere I go. Also in this sling bag were my handphone, some money, my insurance card, a copy of our Umrah/hajj registration, a pair of socks, and a small book of supplications.
3. Layer your clothes.
The weather can be quite erratic, so if you're not sure if it's going to be cold, make sure you bring layers of clothes instead of thick items. Bring one thick jacket/cardigan/shawl if you have to, and underneath them use layers. Bring socks, wear 2 pairs if it gets cold. (Note: Pullover abayas/jubahs are recommended as opposed to button-front ones.)
5. Tawaf/Saei with gripped socks.
You know them socks with rubber dots on the soles? Just like the ones for babies but these are for adults? They are really good for tawaf and saei. Masjidil Haram's marble floors can be quite cold and normal socks are slippery so these socks give you some grip and the extra friction makes it less tiring.
6. If you can, have your MP3 player filled with Qur'an translation.
I really should've bought an iPod lah. I only had a few selected surahs on my phone. I found it really helpful, especially when it's not conducive to read (i.e. in the bus, at night, noisy surroundings, you've lost your wudhu'). The translation helps you understand the meaning of the surahs. I got my surahs with English Translation from www.dhikrullah.com.
7. Write your supplications (dua) in a small notebook (buku tigalima).
I wrote all my supplications in a small flip-over notebook so that I don't forget, but I found flipping over a little cumbersome. I think a regular notebook (that flips left/right) would be much much easier to hold and flip as you move along.
8. Take your medicines.
You don't know what's gonna happen, so no matter how confident you are about your health or biological cycles, take your medicine! You do not want to fall sick during these 5 days.
9. Do lots of dzikr and supplications.
Take this time to really remember the Almighty and all that He has given you and reflect upon yourself. 'Istiqamah' bak kata my mummy G.. :)
Rasa macam rugilah pulak bila dah susah-susah pegi buat Umrah/haji, tapi membazir masa buat benda lain... :P (Especially for me lah, since I feel like this is my last chance to buat Umrah).
I'm sure there are more tips.. feel free to share.
Hopefully I can go again, and I really pray hard for it and make full use of the tips here, Ameen :)
Meantime, do enjoy my pictorial journey to Mekah last year'08....
my bag and Maggie Kari pedas adalah benda penting utk Oversea Trip :)
after 3days kt sana, 1 of the notty pak arab dok alwiz kacau me eventhough my clothes were VERY islamically, but for them still doesnt meet their full criteria thus as a result people will staring at you, and thus membuatkan my Mutawwif risau, so he decided to bought me this and forced me to pakai and that would be my 1st introduction to it. Man I dont know how Iranian women wear that thing, It fell from me all the time, it made me so angry! no matter how did it, it fell down huhuhu...
Mekah from my eyes...
me and the rest...with all d most adorable and helpful mate i've ever had..miss them!
After finishing with the tawaf and drinking some Zam-Zam water we went to Mount Safa and Marwa. Muslims who perform the Hajj or Umrah must walk/run between the two hills, starting from Mount Safa and ending with Mount Marwa. As we were walking, my eyes were always in search, to get a glimpse of the Kaaba. Those glances of the Kaaba were like nourishment to the soul, filling you with true, sincere, divine love, a love that can not be taken away from you.
Time to say bubye, you have no idea how much I miss it. Its an experience like no other experience.
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