My Hajj in Videos

 Seventh stop-Back to Makkah and Ziarat (holy sightseeing) tour

Upon our return to Makkah, we did another set of Tawaf and then our farewell Tawaf (Tawaf ul Nisa or Tawaf ul Wida). The rest of the time was spent in optional Umrah, doing supplications and guided tour of the holy sites around Makkah that included a trip to Jabal ul Rehmat (mountain of mercy) in Arafat, said to be the place where Adam and Eve met forty years after being expelled from Paradise. We then proceeded to Masjid AlKheef, where Abraham is believed to have taken Ishmael for the sacrifice and the five elite prophets (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad) received their elite status from the Almighty. The last stop was Jannat ul Mua’lla, an ancient cemetery where many of the nobles are buried, including Khadija (Prophet Muhammad’s first wife), his uncle and supporter-in-chief, Abu Talib and his parents and grand parents.

We had many Hajj classes throughout the journey, lead by our Imam, giving us ample opportunities to reflect upon what this whole experience means to us, how it has transformed our lives and how we will act different upon our return. After all, we now have the title of a Hajji that does not confer upon us reasons to boast but rather additional responsibilities to behave properly, teaching us to be humble and patient and striving to be the very best we can be- the best husbands, best wives, best parents, best children, best neighbors, best co-workers and above all the best we can be as humans.

We all returned with a burning desire to go back one day. The journey was not only inspirational, it was highly addictive. This is the closet I feel I will ever come to my creator in this life.

I wish and pray for everyone to experience what we experienced. Amen.