January 21, 2005
The 10th of Dhul-Hijjah
The 10th was a crazy day. After walking from Muzdalifah back to Mina, we fell asleep. We woke up soon after to perform the first stoning of jamaraat. Rami is crazy; stones flying from everywhere. I lost my money belt (stolen?) and one slipper fell apart. I walked barefoot half the way back to the camp. Though I was exhausted, I insisted that we do tawaaf ifaada and say'i that same day. It was crowded and difficult, and the taxi drivers charged us 40 riyaals each way.
January 19, 2005
In Muzdalifah
I've lost track of January time, but it's the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. I haven't written much in a while, because too much has happened in the last few days to afford me writing time. I am currently sitting on my sleeping bag, which is covered with sand. I am in Muzdalifah, and it's been the most unfamiliar of all the Haj rites so far.
On Friday (Jan 14th), we were told that we would be leaving Madinah for Makkah on Sunday (the 16th). That worked, I could spend more time in 'ibadah, and still fit in some shopping time. I spent most of Saturday in Masjid Nabawi, since Sunday was to be my last day. After Isha, I came back to the hotel. The Safa Travel guy was waiting in the lobby, and asked me : "Where have you been? The bus is waiting!" He said we had to leave right away. I thought he was joking. But it was true, we were to leave for Makkah. My mother and I were in total panic - I went back to my hotel room and saw all the other luggage was gone; only mine remained.
I was not in ihram, so I threw one into my school bag quickly. I threw everything else in my suitcase and ran. One of our suitcases was majorly ripped - we were going to replace it on Sunday, but did not have the chance. So in complete disarray, we boarded the bus.
I was so pissed off. Everything had gone relatively smoothly so far, but this ruined everything. I would have to make ihraam in a stall somewhere rather than a comfy hotel room. One of the main reasons why I wanted to go to Madinah first was so that I would be able to shower and put on the ihraam in the hotel, and just make the intention later. I was able to handle every other hardship, but this broke my spirit.
I had a cramped spot on the bus. I really just did not want to talk to anyone, fearing that I would explode if I were to speak. Things only got worse at Abyar Ali (Dhul-Hulaifah) where I found my ihraam too thin and too small. This was not how I hoped it would begin at all.
But it did begin, and I tried building my confidence back by reciting talbiya. I couldn't. I sat dejected for over 12 hours in that bus. Reaching the hotel finally was a bit of a relief. I fell asleep after Zuhr.
After Maghrib, we prepared ourselves for Umrah. I was in a proper ihraam finally, so I felt a little better. We waited a few hours, thus missing Isha at Haram. But we made our 'umrah, and once I had my head shaved, I felt much better.
After another day in Makkah spent mostly on recuperating from the journey, we went to Mina. Hajj had now officially begun. In Mina, I saw a few people I knew, but they either do not know me, or didn't see me. The tents are quite interesting. It's not at all like what I expected, it somehow feels like Raiwindh.
An 'alim from Calgary, running a madrassah in Hope, BC, is here. I was happy to see this, and even more surprised to see Maulana Asim. The BC maulana gave a talk after Maghrib in Urdu, it was quite powerful, though not what I expected.
We came to Arafat on the second day. Still no sign of any friends. I made quite a bit of du'a there, but on leaving, I regret not doing more. Whether I would ever be there again, only Allah SWT knows. We had a whole bunch of fried chicken for lunch, which really seemed like a bad idea considering what I heard about Muzdalifah and washroom lineups. Well, here I am in Muzdalifah, and things haven't been so bad. I went in line before 3:00 am, and only needed to wait about 30 minutes or so - possibly less than in a similar lineup in Arafah. I managed to sleep despite the fact that I had sisters on three sides, with my head laying half in the dirt.
There's this guy next to me who has been trying to bother me by pointing out that it should say "Surah al-Mulk" rather than "Surah Mulk" on the cover of this book I have with me. He then told me I prayed my tahajjud in the wrong direction - that I should have prayed towards the sign that says "QIBLA". He was clearly wrong, though; the sign itself was an arrow, thus Qibla is perpendicular to the direction he told me. It seems as if it's the job of some people in Hajj to test the patience of others.
On Friday (Jan 14th), we were told that we would be leaving Madinah for Makkah on Sunday (the 16th). That worked, I could spend more time in 'ibadah, and still fit in some shopping time. I spent most of Saturday in Masjid Nabawi, since Sunday was to be my last day. After Isha, I came back to the hotel. The Safa Travel guy was waiting in the lobby, and asked me : "Where have you been? The bus is waiting!" He said we had to leave right away. I thought he was joking. But it was true, we were to leave for Makkah. My mother and I were in total panic - I went back to my hotel room and saw all the other luggage was gone; only mine remained.
I was not in ihram, so I threw one into my school bag quickly. I threw everything else in my suitcase and ran. One of our suitcases was majorly ripped - we were going to replace it on Sunday, but did not have the chance. So in complete disarray, we boarded the bus.
I was so pissed off. Everything had gone relatively smoothly so far, but this ruined everything. I would have to make ihraam in a stall somewhere rather than a comfy hotel room. One of the main reasons why I wanted to go to Madinah first was so that I would be able to shower and put on the ihraam in the hotel, and just make the intention later. I was able to handle every other hardship, but this broke my spirit.
I had a cramped spot on the bus. I really just did not want to talk to anyone, fearing that I would explode if I were to speak. Things only got worse at Abyar Ali (Dhul-Hulaifah) where I found my ihraam too thin and too small. This was not how I hoped it would begin at all.
But it did begin, and I tried building my confidence back by reciting talbiya. I couldn't. I sat dejected for over 12 hours in that bus. Reaching the hotel finally was a bit of a relief. I fell asleep after Zuhr.
After Maghrib, we prepared ourselves for Umrah. I was in a proper ihraam finally, so I felt a little better. We waited a few hours, thus missing Isha at Haram. But we made our 'umrah, and once I had my head shaved, I felt much better.
After another day in Makkah spent mostly on recuperating from the journey, we went to Mina. Hajj had now officially begun. In Mina, I saw a few people I knew, but they either do not know me, or didn't see me. The tents are quite interesting. It's not at all like what I expected, it somehow feels like Raiwindh.
An 'alim from Calgary, running a madrassah in Hope, BC, is here. I was happy to see this, and even more surprised to see Maulana Asim. The BC maulana gave a talk after Maghrib in Urdu, it was quite powerful, though not what I expected.
We came to Arafat on the second day. Still no sign of any friends. I made quite a bit of du'a there, but on leaving, I regret not doing more. Whether I would ever be there again, only Allah SWT knows. We had a whole bunch of fried chicken for lunch, which really seemed like a bad idea considering what I heard about Muzdalifah and washroom lineups. Well, here I am in Muzdalifah, and things haven't been so bad. I went in line before 3:00 am, and only needed to wait about 30 minutes or so - possibly less than in a similar lineup in Arafah. I managed to sleep despite the fact that I had sisters on three sides, with my head laying half in the dirt.
There's this guy next to me who has been trying to bother me by pointing out that it should say "Surah al-Mulk" rather than "Surah Mulk" on the cover of this book I have with me. He then told me I prayed my tahajjud in the wrong direction - that I should have prayed towards the sign that says "QIBLA". He was clearly wrong, though; the sign itself was an arrow, thus Qibla is perpendicular to the direction he told me. It seems as if it's the job of some people in Hajj to test the patience of others.
January 11, 2005
Finally in Madinah
At about 4:30pm, we got in line for the Madinah flight. My mother and I were separated at the lineup; and I didn't see her for a few hours until we reached Madinah.
We took a taxi here after retrieving our luggage. Showering felt quite good. In retrospect, we should have waited for the rest of our group at the airport; we would have saved over 40 riyals. The rest of my group showed up at our hotel less than 2 hours later.
It's quite cold here. I went to Masjid Nabawi, but got kicked out shortly afterwards as it was closing. Though I was extremely hungry and didn't know where my mother was after we were kicked out of the masjid, I just collapsed on the bed and was fast asleep. I didn't notice the others come in. Eventually my mother found the hotel, and we slept until 3 am, waking up with the adhan for tahajjud.
Masjid Nabawi is more beautiful than I remember it, having last been here during Ramadan 1999-2000. Maulana Bukhari's seminar at ICQ helped me appreciate some of the details. We haven't been able to visit the grave of Rasulullah SAW yet because of major crowds.
The hotel isn't great, but Allah SWT has given me patience. I've been working on increasing my khushoo' in salaah.
Incidentally, my notebook (that my whole family scoured the whole house looking for on the day we left Montreal) has been found, as I expected. It was blue, not yellow, which is why it was never found. The Haj journey really begins much before the actual rites of Hajj.
So the journey has really begun.
We took a taxi here after retrieving our luggage. Showering felt quite good. In retrospect, we should have waited for the rest of our group at the airport; we would have saved over 40 riyals. The rest of my group showed up at our hotel less than 2 hours later.
It's quite cold here. I went to Masjid Nabawi, but got kicked out shortly afterwards as it was closing. Though I was extremely hungry and didn't know where my mother was after we were kicked out of the masjid, I just collapsed on the bed and was fast asleep. I didn't notice the others come in. Eventually my mother found the hotel, and we slept until 3 am, waking up with the adhan for tahajjud.
Masjid Nabawi is more beautiful than I remember it, having last been here during Ramadan 1999-2000. Maulana Bukhari's seminar at ICQ helped me appreciate some of the details. We haven't been able to visit the grave of Rasulullah SAW yet because of major crowds.
The hotel isn't great, but Allah SWT has given me patience. I've been working on increasing my khushoo' in salaah.
Incidentally, my notebook (that my whole family scoured the whole house looking for on the day we left Montreal) has been found, as I expected. It was blue, not yellow, which is why it was never found. The Haj journey really begins much before the actual rites of Hajj.
So the journey has really begun.
January 10, 2005
Still stuck in Jeddah
After Fajr (which was performed amid great confusion regarding the start time), we noticed that we've only been carrying three suitcases instead of four. Our baggage tags are also missing. A Saudi Airlines dude helped us tremendously in locating it. Was the special treatment because were Canadian? Maybe, Allah knows. Normally, they're never that polite. Anyway, after many more hours of running around, it was found alhamdolillah. We had a nice breakfast of daal/roti and some chai. Eventually, I got to sleep finally in the American Haj Union office until Zuhr, and between Zuhr and Asr. Also, we finally met with the Safa Travel guy.
Jeddah
Jeddah airport... everywhere we passed through, airport staff looked at our passports and panicked, seeing that we're from Canada. As we are going to Madinah first, we are not in ihraam, but it seems like everyone else is. This, in addition to the fact that we don't speak Arabic, and the fact that we are not with our group, has lead to much confusion and discomfort... but I'm comfortable that we were doing the right thing.
Once we finally made it to the Haj terminal and past Gate 10, things started making sense. But past that gate, we encountered more people panicking at the fact that we were Canadians. One airport dude took our suitcases, saying they would be returned 5 minutes later. 3 hours later, we enlisted two guys from the American Haj Union to scour the whole airport to find them for us. Eventually, they were found, but only after a great deal of stress.
One thing amazes me though; the system here seems to run so haphasardly and chaotically, but they get things done. Anyway, I waited in line for about an hour and a half to get my flight ticket to Madinah. A Bengali/Saudi looking man pushed past me in the short line, and took well over an hour to be served. Fortunately, some British tablighi/deobandi-looking people showed up behind me, and we discussed the struggles and privileges of Hajj. One said:
"If you manage to keep your composure while everyone else has lost their temper ... you probably haven't understood the problem." I love British Muslims. Insha-Allah, our community will reach that level someday.
After all the waiting in that line for the Madinah flight ticket, I discovered I wasn't in the right place. We eventually found the American Hajj Union office, which seemingly due to failures on the Safa Travel side, wasn't the bastion of relief I hoped it would be. Ah well. After many hours of waiting, we finally got booked on a flight to Madinah - not worth the cost, mind you - but it won't be until 6pm on the 10th...which meant another 15 hours here. In that time, I called home, and wrote all this. We had to wait around a bit to clear up the boarding pass issue, but alhamdolillah it seems to be moving in the right direction.
I have some Zambians to my left, they just gave me a Toblerone bar. My mother made some good khidmat of this Chilean indo-pak family that would have otherwise been very confused. Amid all the chaos, the real spirit of Hajj is starting to shine through.
Once we finally made it to the Haj terminal and past Gate 10, things started making sense. But past that gate, we encountered more people panicking at the fact that we were Canadians. One airport dude took our suitcases, saying they would be returned 5 minutes later. 3 hours later, we enlisted two guys from the American Haj Union to scour the whole airport to find them for us. Eventually, they were found, but only after a great deal of stress.
One thing amazes me though; the system here seems to run so haphasardly and chaotically, but they get things done. Anyway, I waited in line for about an hour and a half to get my flight ticket to Madinah. A Bengali/Saudi looking man pushed past me in the short line, and took well over an hour to be served. Fortunately, some British tablighi/deobandi-looking people showed up behind me, and we discussed the struggles and privileges of Hajj. One said:
"If you manage to keep your composure while everyone else has lost their temper ... you probably haven't understood the problem." I love British Muslims. Insha-Allah, our community will reach that level someday.
After all the waiting in that line for the Madinah flight ticket, I discovered I wasn't in the right place. We eventually found the American Hajj Union office, which seemingly due to failures on the Safa Travel side, wasn't the bastion of relief I hoped it would be. Ah well. After many hours of waiting, we finally got booked on a flight to Madinah - not worth the cost, mind you - but it won't be until 6pm on the 10th...which meant another 15 hours here. In that time, I called home, and wrote all this. We had to wait around a bit to clear up the boarding pass issue, but alhamdolillah it seems to be moving in the right direction.
I have some Zambians to my left, they just gave me a Toblerone bar. My mother made some good khidmat of this Chilean indo-pak family that would have otherwise been very confused. Amid all the chaos, the real spirit of Hajj is starting to shine through.
Cairo
Cairo Airport has been heavily renovated since last I was here, but it's still a major hassle. Alhamdolillah, we did not experience any significant delays; we spent about 4 hours there in total. The flight from Vienna to Cairo crossed over some beautiful mountain scenery, and the food on the flight was excellent. Cairo Airport still had the same "we-keep-your-passport" policy for all those hours, people were impolite, and we couldn't complete a phone call. Allah is with the patient. I lost 20$ Canadian on those smelly Egyptian pounds.
January 09, 2005
Vienna
I'm in Vienna. A friend of my brother (and brother of an old friend) was next to us on the flight from TO to here. He seems like a really good guy. He doesn't eat cheese or meat or eggs or anything. He works for the UN and was on his way to Kosovo.
I'm in the Vienna airport interfaith room. Nice to see a tashahud symbol to indicate the room, and it's nice to find some musallas and mushafs here. Vienna is followed by Cairo, a place I hoped to avoid. I haven't slept at all yet.
"Dieser andachtsraum steht allen menschen zur anbetung oder sur stillen besinnung offen. Mogen allé, die hier einkehren frieden finden und gestarkt ihren weg weitergehen."
"This is a room of prayer and meditation. May all those who use this room find their peace and leave encouraged to procede (sic) their journey." -Vienna, June 6th 1988.
I'm in the Vienna airport interfaith room. Nice to see a tashahud symbol to indicate the room, and it's nice to find some musallas and mushafs here. Vienna is followed by Cairo, a place I hoped to avoid. I haven't slept at all yet.
"Dieser andachtsraum steht allen menschen zur anbetung oder sur stillen besinnung offen. Mogen allé, die hier einkehren frieden finden und gestarkt ihren weg weitergehen."
"This is a room of prayer and meditation. May all those who use this room find their peace and leave encouraged to procede (sic) their journey." -Vienna, June 6th 1988.
January 08, 2005
Waiting in TO airport
...met a few other soon-to-haajis. I lead Maghrib in the TO airport as an Israeli guy watched intently. He wanted to take a picture of my mother praying, for some reason.
Being at this airport with so many other Muslims preparing for Hajj is interesting. It's really sinking in now that my journey has begun.
Being at this airport with so many other Muslims preparing for Hajj is interesting. It's really sinking in now that my journey has begun.
December 24, 2004
Making a list ...
I heard on the radio that some guy is making a list, and checking it twice. Anyway, as per the suggestion by brother Muhammad al-Shareef, insha-Allah I will make a list of 50 things to do during Hajj. I'll fill it up over time...
1. Say salaam to people of countries I never heard of.
2. Meet someone from Vanuatu.
3. Sit down with a foreign scholar, and listen to whatever wisdom he will impart.
4. Learn some new surahs of the Quran.
5. Keep my gaze lowered.
6. Learn about the many virtues of Hajj, and convey the message to others.
7. Keep a journal of my experiences.
8. Write my January article for Muslim Link.
9. Offer water to others.
10. Discuss the lives of Rasulullah SAW and Sahabah with strangers from different countries.
Insha-Allah more to come ...
1. Say salaam to people of countries I never heard of.
2. Meet someone from Vanuatu.
3. Sit down with a foreign scholar, and listen to whatever wisdom he will impart.
4. Learn some new surahs of the Quran.
5. Keep my gaze lowered.
6. Learn about the many virtues of Hajj, and convey the message to others.
7. Keep a journal of my experiences.
8. Write my January article for Muslim Link.
9. Offer water to others.
10. Discuss the lives of Rasulullah SAW and Sahabah with strangers from different countries.
Insha-Allah more to come ...
December 13, 2004
Death of a Teacher
I was just informed that my former English and Drama teacher passed away on the first of this month, after struggling with cancer for some time. Through her influence, I went from being a shy, introverted child to someone capable of standing before hundreds of people to tell meaningless jokes. I used to be unable to speak in front of anyone older than myself, and she had me doing somersaults in front of nearly a thousand.
It has been nearly seven years since I left high school, but the effects that Linda McKenty had on me and hundreds of other students live on. She did her part as a teacher, hopefully the truth came to her before death.
It has been nearly seven years since I left high school, but the effects that Linda McKenty had on me and hundreds of other students live on. She did her part as a teacher, hopefully the truth came to her before death.
November 30, 2004
President Bush's visit
Having way too much work to do (and getting the day off of work so that I could get that work done) prevented me from attending any Bush protests. I just followed the events through CBC's website, and it turns out nothing particularly interesting happened. A few threats of gassing the protesters, but nothing serious. I was able to catch sight of several helicopters patrolling the area, and police sirens could be heard every so often. Nothing too interesting, unfortunately.
All in all, I guess politically it was a success for Canada; I think most of the political dignitaries managed to hide their inferiority complex quite well. The prevalence of left-wing political leanings was apparent, and for the most part I think Ottawa did a decent of job of showing the president that he was not particularly welcome by the masses, but we'll tolerate it in the interests of our own country.
In it's worldwide insignificance, Canada will continue to prosper and be safe. Good USA-Canada relations has important implications on the economy, so they should be kept intact, but differences of foreign policy should remain as differences. Let us agree to disagree, and move on with our lives.
All in all, I guess politically it was a success for Canada; I think most of the political dignitaries managed to hide their inferiority complex quite well. The prevalence of left-wing political leanings was apparent, and for the most part I think Ottawa did a decent of job of showing the president that he was not particularly welcome by the masses, but we'll tolerate it in the interests of our own country.
In it's worldwide insignificance, Canada will continue to prosper and be safe. Good USA-Canada relations has important implications on the economy, so they should be kept intact, but differences of foreign policy should remain as differences. Let us agree to disagree, and move on with our lives.
November 27, 2004
The Iron Ring
"...or in the dealings with my own Soul before my Maker."
A short excerpt from the Obligation taken at the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, written by Rudyard Kipling in 1923. One of the closing comments in the Iron Ring ceremony was to pray hard, and to never lose grip of the spiritual side of ourselves. Four spheres of life were spoken of: one's social and family life, one's recreational life, one's professional life, and one's spiritual life. And the speaker called for balance in all aspects.
The Obligation, and all that went with it were very much in line with Islamic tenets and beliefs. Above all else, it symbolized the accountability those of the Engineering profession have to their world. The decisions we will make will have a heavy impact on society as a whole.
Another interesting point to note. Among the scripted dialogue in the ceremony was an exchange in which the speaker asked the individual speaking on behalf of the candidates "What do you know?" The candidate replies by saying something like "Nothing, except that I know nothing." The speaker then states that that is a solid foundation upon which to build.
This is very similar to an exchange that the Imam conducting the Traditional Halaqah Series cited when speaking of his graduation from the madrasah. To acknowledge that we have barely scraped the surface of knowledge with our education is a solid foundation upon which to further ones lifelong education. There is so much to learn, and arrogance in knowledge is one of the first signs of ignorance.
On another note ... the Fudge Overboard at Red Lobster was so good...especially with that extra strawberry sauce...
A short excerpt from the Obligation taken at the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, written by Rudyard Kipling in 1923. One of the closing comments in the Iron Ring ceremony was to pray hard, and to never lose grip of the spiritual side of ourselves. Four spheres of life were spoken of: one's social and family life, one's recreational life, one's professional life, and one's spiritual life. And the speaker called for balance in all aspects.
The Obligation, and all that went with it were very much in line with Islamic tenets and beliefs. Above all else, it symbolized the accountability those of the Engineering profession have to their world. The decisions we will make will have a heavy impact on society as a whole.
Another interesting point to note. Among the scripted dialogue in the ceremony was an exchange in which the speaker asked the individual speaking on behalf of the candidates "What do you know?" The candidate replies by saying something like "Nothing, except that I know nothing." The speaker then states that that is a solid foundation upon which to build.
This is very similar to an exchange that the Imam conducting the Traditional Halaqah Series cited when speaking of his graduation from the madrasah. To acknowledge that we have barely scraped the surface of knowledge with our education is a solid foundation upon which to further ones lifelong education. There is so much to learn, and arrogance in knowledge is one of the first signs of ignorance.
On another note ... the Fudge Overboard at Red Lobster was so good...especially with that extra strawberry sauce...
November 25, 2004
On second thought ...
I guess I will start early, since tomorrow has some relevance.
Tomorrow is my Iron Ring ceremony, a tradition throughout the country to recognize the responsibilities of being considered an Engineer. I've always found this to be a pretty neat tradition, but it is to my dismay that the event usually ends up becoming just another platform for engineers and engineering students to get drunk.
Ethics matter, and they can seriously take a person much further than his or her grades. Getting out of university successfully means your grades were good enough, not that you necessarily know everything you need to know. And amid all the books and books of formulas and theories and block diagrams, there is a one credit course regarding ethics that most students consider useless.
The Iron Ring should be about the ethics. One course will not teach a person ethics; 10 ethics courses won't either, for that matter. But in whatever way, it still needs to be emphasized.
True Islam will teach a person ethics; not by the study of books, but through awareness of ones accountability. To remain conscious of our accountability for our actions is the first step towards becoming ethical people.
We'll see what happens.
Tomorrow is my Iron Ring ceremony, a tradition throughout the country to recognize the responsibilities of being considered an Engineer. I've always found this to be a pretty neat tradition, but it is to my dismay that the event usually ends up becoming just another platform for engineers and engineering students to get drunk.
Ethics matter, and they can seriously take a person much further than his or her grades. Getting out of university successfully means your grades were good enough, not that you necessarily know everything you need to know. And amid all the books and books of formulas and theories and block diagrams, there is a one credit course regarding ethics that most students consider useless.
The Iron Ring should be about the ethics. One course will not teach a person ethics; 10 ethics courses won't either, for that matter. But in whatever way, it still needs to be emphasized.
True Islam will teach a person ethics; not by the study of books, but through awareness of ones accountability. To remain conscious of our accountability for our actions is the first step towards becoming ethical people.
We'll see what happens.
So, what happens here?
So, I signed up for a blog for the first time ...
The things that get me talking are religion, technology, academics, and to a much lesser degree, politics. But right now, I should be studying, so I'll put off any first takes until another time.
The things that get me talking are religion, technology, academics, and to a much lesser degree, politics. But right now, I should be studying, so I'll put off any first takes until another time.
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