Category Archives: Hajj 1432

…back and forth…

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…back to early 2007 when the minarets of Masjid Nabawi can be seen just beyond the railing of the overhead bridge from near Masjid Bilal…

…while behind the bridge the massive foundations were being laid for Darul Qiblah…the above taken in May 2007 as referred to here

…then moving forward a few months the concrete shell rises…

…as seen in November 2007…

…when by February 2008 it has all but blocked the minarets as it fast becomes the largest building in the CBD…original post here …

…and now, forward to December 2011…the facade seems to be almost complete…and no signs of the minarets…but signs of the yellow construction fence that contains the area to be prepared for the new replacement bridge, thus releasing more prime land for more hotels…

…this large expanse of asphalt has been a major thorough fare for the Hujjaj trekking back and forth to Haram from the older residential areas south-west of Haram…the minarets just visible between the buildings…back and forth, back and forth as diligent soldiers on patrol against Shaytan and the nafs…back and forth…and it is predominantly the elderly and the poor who are housed in the further away locations…Insha’Allah they gain more rewards for their arduous ‘back and forthing’…they seem to be like the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum who asked permission from our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to move so they would be closer to Masjid Nabawi, but his wise reply was to remain where they were as they were accumulating more rewards for walking back and forth than the convenience of living nearby…

…the pusher in the above photo is loaded with plastic bags of grains and seeds for the pigeons…

…any empty area soon becomes an advantageous place for the poorer sisters to sell these bags to the passing pilgrims to feed the birds…and for the street vendors, who are banned from being closer to Haram due to the congestion and chaos they create when it is so crowded, to ‘set up shop’…meaning park the pick up truck laden with the usual trinkets…or spread a rug…or bash a table together from milk crates and scraps of wood…

…and while many throw the grains, just as many stoop gathering it! I read that some think that collecting the grains and seeds, cooking it and actually eating it they are receiving Barakah! Allahu’Alum!…witnessing the total lack of hygiene by the mainly scruffy itinerant vendors (spot the brother responding to the call of nature in this very area!!!! Truly!) not to mention the mess the pigeons make, one would surely be careful with consuming this  grain which is usually of inferior quality anyway…

…this hut has so far managed to survive the clutches of progress…it is still a hub for fried pakoras and samosas and a ‘tea garden’…a popular place for pilgrims to congregate, drink tea, socialize and rest between their back and forth journeying…

…serious shopping exploits…

…bargaining and finding that special gift to take back to loved ones…

…one of the ‘kitchens’ behind the stalls…

…a group of Kurdish pilgrims on their way to Haram…

…approaching the corner of the Darul Qiblah building, the second on the left…with our Beloved Jabal Uhud in the distance…shining in the pleasant and mild Madinah winter sun…

…as does the Abode of Felicity forever shine in the heart regardless of what any external condition may be present…where, all who have ever been blessed to grace this Sanctuary, desire to invited back and forth…back and forth…coming and going…Insha’Allah…back and forth…until the oscillation finally stops beside the Kawthar with HabibuLlah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, Ameen Ameen Ameen…

~*~

…but the most flabbergasting of ‘back and forths’ was the announcement in today’s daily that today was NOT the 9th of Muharram…but the 8th!!!!!!!!!! no ooopsie sorry…no ooopsssie we have made a mistake…no…nine days into the new year we are abruptly told that the 10th Muharram will be Tuesday and not tomorrow, Monday! For almost a week of the new year we have been a day out! Too bad for those who made the intention to fast, and too bad for those who did fast thinking it was the 9th…and too bad for those supplying Iftar in Haram…because not everyone reads a newspaper…and anyway some newspapers still had today as being the 9th!!! How many times have such ‘back and forth mistakes’ have been hatched in these lands?? Too many! *rant over* AstaghfiruLlah…

…may all Muharram fasting be full of Barakah, Ameen…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…chill and changes…

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…muddy puddles announce the arrival of winter in our City of Light and Radiance…blessings of rain and thunder were bestowed upon Madinatun Nabi…temperatures have suddenly plummeted to the lowest in years…

…after months of searing summer heat the chill has caught many unawares…and what were dust bowls have become murky tracts to negotiate…

…thousands of Hujjaj are still honoured in being neighbours to our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…

…many are flocking to blanket shops where purchases are in bulk…returning to hotels with several of these balanced on their head…

…traders seem jubilant with the sales of warmer garments…amazing how the street vendors are so quick with displaying items to suit the conditions…jackets, gloves, shawls, beanies, hoodies and whacky ear muffs that so many of the brothers are wearing…one dominant design is of silver butterflies on a black background…

…the umbrellas remain open during the night…maybe to retain the warmth generated by the crowds…

…it hardly seems a few moments ago when the fans were spraying mist to cool the pilgrims…

…and many seem to be really feeling the chill…having arrived for a reasonably hot Hajj and not planning or prepared for such cold…

…nationalities seem to arrive in waves…the majority these past few days being Indonesian, Nigerian and many form the Sub Continent…

…the array of shawls creates an ocean of colour…while many seem to have borrowed the hotel blankets to wrap themselves in…sadly the poorer ones are using their Ihram sheets…brothers stand shivering as they wait for their women folk to return from Ziyarah…

…Nigerian sisters appear in distinguishing colours…waves of golden yellow…

…blues and purples…

…the northern courtyard is almost deserted due to the chill…

…the empty expanse was strange after the earlier crowds for Esha…

…a few brave groups of Turkish sisters huddled to offer greetings…

…but the chilly wind and the icy marble made for a rather deserted courtyard…Insha’Allah hearts are never deserted of Salawat upon our Blessed Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, who said: ‘Whoever forgot to ask for prayers upon me has lost his path to Jannah,’ and ‘The person most deserving of me on the Day of Resurrection is the one who asks for prayers upon me the most.’

Our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: ‘When a person recites this supplication,

Laa ilaaha illallahu ma ashadda barda hazhal yawm, allahumma ajirni min zamhareeri jahannam.
There is no deity but Allah, How severe is the cold of today! O Allah! Protect me from the severe cold of Jahannam.

Almighty Allah says to Jahannam: ‘Verily a servant of mine has sought refuge in Me from you, bear testimony that I have granted him salvation from you.’

~*~

…and the changes…plans to expand the Mataf from the capacity of 52,000 to 130,000 at a time are being implemented…

The crown prince made this comment while chairing a meeting of the Supreme Haj Committee at his office in Riyadh. The meeting discussed all aspects of the project, especially how to tackle a temporary reduction of the mataf’s capacity while the project is being implemented.

…as usual not much is publicly announced…some say the Ottoman arcade will go…while this clip (Arabic, but the concept is understood by the visuals) suggests multiple tiers…Allahu ‘alum…bookmark this link to access the latest Mataf developments as they become available…

…meanwhile many Makkans decry ‘unfair compensation’ for properties confiscated for the never ending changes…facilities to 4000 buildings have just recently been terminated as the next phase of demolition begins…visiting Makkans were explaining that tourist and visitor visas will be less for the majority if the coming year, as well as Ummrah traffic being reduced in order to have less pilgrims in Makkah and in Haram while these massive changes take place…Allahu ‘alum…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…post-Hajj snaps…

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…between Asr and Maghrib on the way to meet yet another special sister…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…the alchemical elixir…

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Since, although he is from among us, he doesn’t resemble us. We are entirely like copper, and Muhammad is like the alchemical elixir.

Muhammad broke many idols in the world, so that religious communities were saying, “O our Sustaining Lord!” If it had not been for Muhammad’s efforts, you also would have worshiped idols like your ancestors.

This head of yours has escaped from prostrating to idols, so that you may recognize his claim of gratitude upon the religious community.
If you speak, talk about gratitude for this liberation, so that he may also free you from the inward idol.
Because he freed your head from worship of idols, you should also liberate your heart by means of that power.

And the head of our caravan is Mustafa,
the Prophet, of whom the whole universe is proud.
Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him,
is so high a being that the moon did not dare to see his face and split.
The fragrance of the wind of this spring comes from his blessed hair.
The shining of our imagination comes from his beauty
which reminds us of the newly rising sun.

Be among the community of believers who are blessed by Divine Mercy. Don’t abandon the way of conduct of Muhammad, but be commanded by it.

We learned the skill of being a true man from Allah. We are the heroes of Love and the companions of Muhammad.

Suddenly, there grew a “branch of candy.” And suddenly, there bubbled such a Water of Eternal Life.
Suddenly, there flowed alms to the poor from the king. May there be joy for the soul of Muhammad, and greetings of peace!

He brings all of those who are led astray into the Way out of the desert. May Muhammad be the guide on the Way of Allah forever!

A voice from the lofty ones among the angels came from Heaven to every beggar: O pure spirit of the one who is followed!

O Mercy to all peoples (21:107)

Yet, I have seen the signs of Your Grace and Kindness in the appearance of that incomparable Pearl, O Generous One.

There has never been a beauty like that of a Prophet like Muhammad in this world or the next. May the Glory of Allah help him!

I am the servant of the Qur’an as long as I live.
And I am the soil where the foot of Muhammad stepped.

I bring blessings upon you, O Muhammad, so that the breeze of nearness to Allah may increase. Since, with nearness of the Whole, all parts are allowed to approach.

Just as, during the night of the Ascension, Allah made the greeting of peace with the Light of the Absolute upon Muhammad: “Peace be upon you.”

The spirit that was bound within the form of attributes went to the Divine Essence by means of the light of Muhammad the Chosen. The moment it started going, it said out of joy:

“Blessings be on the joyful spirit of Muhammad the Chosen”

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

…all gems of praise from Rumi’s inspirational pen…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…crash…

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…Madinatun Nabi is treating the new Hujjaj with the best of mild weather for them to relax and crash…

…and crash is what my computer has done…Insha’Allah back to posting when it is ‘revived’…Insha’Allah with no losses…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…Makkan focus…

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…approaching Makkah Al-Mukarramah from Jeddah the eye is focused on the looming tower complex…

…then as the gaze veers left the non-smoking sign dominates the majesty of the remaining distant mountains…

…and then the heart rejoices at seeing Jabal Nur…a magnetic focus that Alhumdulillah makes all man made structures pale into insignificance…

…the new green barriers…

…that can clip together to from an unbroken partition to keep the crowds in check…

…the contrast between Ottoman elegance and cranes symbolic of the modern expansion…

…Arafat Day draws local crowds with the focus on a picnic atmosphere…families arrive with Iftar baskets as the majority are fasting…

…the play of light forms beautiful patterns and reflections…

…a detail of one of the inscribed pillars from the expansion that began in 169 AH and remained for eight hundred and ten years…the Ottoman construction respected the historic significance of these pillars, thus leaving them in place when they constructed the main arched addition…

…the other new feature is the new Wudhu facility surrounding one of the circular vents…

…with the plan to duplicate the same on others…InshaAllah this may prevent the energetic children from using these vents as playground equipment…

…and new water streaming fans are being installed on these shiny silver pillars…

…the annual changing of the Kiswa…fascinating clips detailing the intricate and intriguing procedure here and here…

…the above two photos from this very comprehensive coverage of this years Hajj…

…this, and the image below, are from evening screen shots from the live stream…the brothers perfumed the entire exposed brick work…

…so empty…before the arrival of the new Hujjaj…

…High, wide and handsome…

The largest golden crescent in the world stands aloft in the sky over the Grand Mosque on the top of a huge clock.

Its height is more than half a kilometer above the ground, raising its arms into space to embrace the sky. The crescent sits on the second tallest tower in the world, weighing about 35 tons, and its construction took three months.

The crescent is 22 meters long and 24 meters wide, and has a diameter of 23 meters.

~*~

‘Future development of Makkah to be in tune with its heritage’

*fingers be still*…so no comment…

~*~

“We will employ all kinds of modern technology to make Makkah smarter than any other smart city,” Prince Khaled told a press conference in Mina on Tuesday, the penultimate day of Haj 2011.

…again…*fingers be still*

~*~

…Insha’Allah we all take a moment to fine tune what are the salient aspects of our Deen for us to focus on…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.

…where the Sacrifice and Stoning began…

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…squint the eyes, soften the focus a little…so instead of seeing this small edifice the image becomes the silhouette of a devoted father holding a knife and about to cut the throat of his adored son…because on this rocky outcrop is where Ibrahim Alaihis Salam lay Ismail Alaihis Salam, as instructed by Allah Ta’ala, ready to sacrifice him…

…‘My Son, I have seen myself sacrificing you in a dream. What do you think?’ He said, ‘Father, do as you are commanded, and Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.’ When they had both submitted to Allah, and he laid his son down on his face, We called out to him, ‘Ibrahim you have fulfilled the dream.’ This is how We reward those who do good, it was a test to prove. We ransomed his son with a momentous sacrifice, and We let him be praised by succeeding generations: ‘Peace be upon Ibrahim!’ This is how we reward those who do good: truly he was one of Our faithful servants.
(37:102-111)

…the humble monument to this momentous sacrifice is positioned on the one the mountains that hug the Mina Valley…with the tent city sprawled below…

…as seen from the opposite side of the mountain, from the Aziziyah area…this auspicious place where our forefather stood is within the heavily fortified confines of one of the two royal compounds that dominate the landscape…

…and now the transformed valley, where Ibrahim and Ismail Aaihis Salam walked and stoned the Shaytan…

…

Ibrahim Alaihis Salam and his son Ismail Alaihis Salam would have been dwarfed by the massive imposing mountain ranges clasping the valley of Mina when confronted by this amazing test by Allah Ta’ala. This scene so noble in its symbolism, that it forms part of the religious duties for millions every year for the past thousands of years.

Ibrahim Alaihis Salam was confronted by Shaytan tempting him to disobey the order to sacrifice Ismail Alaihis Salam, when Jibreel Alaihis Salam appeared instructing him to pelt Shaytan, whereupon Ibrahim Alaihis Salam pelted the Shaytan with seven stones making him disappear. The second stoning representing the temptations from Shaytan to Ibrahim’s wife Hagar Alaihas Salam tempting to induce her to stop him from sacrificing their son, and the third stoning represents his temptation of Ismail Alaihis Salam to avoid being sacrificed. Each time Jibreel Alaihis Salam ordering Ibrahim Alaihis Salam to pelt the Shaytan. He was rebuked each time, and the throwing of the stones symbolizes those rebukes.

The stoning of the Jamarat also represents the repudiation of man’s self (literally the “internal despot”, al-Nafs al-Amarah­) and the act of casting aside one’s low desires and wishes.
If one is able to crush the nafs during the stoning of the Jamrah of Aqaba, then one has taken the next step in attaining closeness to Allah Ta’ala, and since between the servant and Allah Ta’ala there is no more than the distance of one step, if one has been able to take this step and make it past one’s own low desires and wishes, then that which follows is the level of closeness to Allah Ta’ala.
During those two or three days after the Eidul Adha when one is in Mina, one must stone the three Jamarat, meaning that one must trample upon his internal despot, the Nafs, the external despot of the Shaytan from the Jinn, and the Shaytan from among the Humans, the enemies of religion and of humanity.
The stoning of the three Jamarat is in essence, the stamping upon the despots and waging war against all of them. When one focuses on them and the hatred for them, then one automatically focuses with complete attention upon one’s self – and rightfully so – while stoning the Jamarat, one must focus entirely upon one’s self.

from a 2006 post

…images from here…with extensive Hajj galleries here and here…

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.