The Hajj - A Journey in Parts - Preparation

It is that time of the year again where those who have been fortunate enough to be chosen as the Almighty's guests get a chance to perform the Hajj or Pilgrimage.  A sense of longing enters my heart and I recall the time I was privileged enough to be amongst the fortunate.  I can recall, as if it was yesterday, the preparations for the journey.

In preparation for the journey, I began reading all the books prescribed and some that I had found to better understand the life of the Prophet and also to become more acquainted with the cities of Mecca  and Medina.  For this I ploughed through a number of biographies on the Prophet to get a better understanding of his life and what he had truly accomplished.  While there was a lot of information on the Prophet there was very little information on the history of the ancient city of Mecca.  I wanted more.

I attended Hajj classes, given by a doctor who was a family friend.  The classes prepared me for the practical side of the journey and also informed me of the rituals that needed to be performed.  Of all the advice given, I must admit I heeded most if not all the advice which was given making the journey much more pleasant, there were two things that stand out to this day.  The first was that I purchase a saal and a good back pack.

The saal is around 2m x 1.5m of cloth, cashmere if you can afford it, and can be used to pray on, as a table cloth to eat on, to rest on and to protect one from the cold very versatile. A good backpack provides the required support and protects one in case of a stampede.  In a stampede, the crowd pushes against you and every breath you take collapses the lungs until no breath can be taken. People caught in a stampede die of being stepped on while most die of asphyxiation.

Two nights before departure a very knowledgeable friend came over and to my delight began explaining to me of the significance of Mecca and the symbolism that surrounds it.  I fell in love with Mecca and, thinking back about my experiences, I realise it is truly the city of God Almighty.

Armed with the knowledge of the life of the Prophet, a history and understanding of the significance of Mecca, travel documents and luggage I set out to the airport.  I greeted my family with the knowledge that I may not return and what I now realise is that the person that left and the person that returned, while the same in body, was vastly different and the person I had once been had never returned.

Stepping into the car and leaving my beloved offspring behind was probably the most difficult thing that I ever had to do.  With a final greeting I departed to the airport.  The journey had began....:-)

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 10, 2010 at 8:44 PM

    the observer and poet is back.....so often we follow the ways of religion without knowing...which is better.... the informed faithful or the uninformed faithful.....perhaps not for us to judge lol

    ReplyDelete

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