Part 9: Getting out of Ihram after Hajj is a physically and emotionally jubilant experience. You feel the lightness in your soul after experiencing the highest of highs in Ibadah. By evening, we got ready to return to Mina for the Rami on the 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah. The roads were extremely busy, and several roadblocks were in place to control the crowds, so our group decided to walk back. A lady in our group had swollen knees and couldn’t manage the 20-minute walk from Aziziya to Mina. A broken wheelchair led a few of us to accompany her by cab to Mina. What followed was a huge test! We sat for 45 minutes in standstill traffic, moving only 500 meters before the car had to stop, leaving the seven of us stranded in Aziziya. Placing our complete Tawakkul in Allah, we decided to walk back to Mina using the pedestrian tunnels. It was a challenging trek that took hours, but Hajj being Hajj, small mercies guided us through. We found boys renting wheelchairs who pushed the injured lady through steep parts of the walk. As we proceeded, we realized several bridges were blocked to control crowds. Allah SWT placed amazing volunteers in our path, leading us through open pathways back to our tent. These volunteers had traveled from different places to serve the Hujjaj. Hundreds relied on them to ease their commute during Hajj. الحمد لله على كل حال. The seven of us did our Rami al-Jamarat later than the rest of the group, but الحمد لله, it was less busy. By the time we finished, the shortest way back to our tents had opened. We observed thousands sleeping on the streets in Mina and felt grateful for our comfortable arrangements. The next day was uneventful. We did one last Rami in the peak sun before packing up and bidding farewell to the tent city. It was bittersweet to see the empty cabins that were brimming with life only a short while ago. #hajj #hajj2023

Part 8: Every time I spoke to someone who had done Hajj, I would hear that the most challenging part of Hajj was Tawaf al-Ifadah or the Rami. The reason being, there is a short window of time within which all the pilgrims assembled together at Makkah have to be at these places at once. Unlike Mina, Arafah, and Muzdalifah where you can spread yourself over the expanse, here you have a small area where you are expected to assemble to perform the rituals. I had heard stories of people taking 4 hours to complete the Tawaf and Sa’i, of people being trampled on the way to Rami, of losing their slippers, of being pulled away from their group—you name it. Naturally, this was the biggest hurdle in my mind, and I prayed for ease during this time from the moment I set foot in Makkah. Highly recommend! With the newly constructed multilevel walkway bridges, Rami was an absolute breeze. We were also fortunate that our tents in Mina were only a 10-minute walk away from the Jamarat. The authorities had specific pathways and directions in place to ensure smooth flow. People trying to cut across were making it difficult for themselves and those around them. That patience you adorned yourself with at the beginning of Hajj? Keep it steady now! Ifadah means to “pour forth,” and that’s the picture you should have in your mind. Pilgrims pouring in from Mina like a river flowing through the Haram. Timing is essential here! We went a little later and this made all the difference. Subhanallah, this was the easiest part of my Hajj! We chose to do the Tawaf and Sa’i on the first floor. There were no crowds, it was cooler, and there was even a light breeze flowing through. We finished and were rewarded with the most beautiful recitation of Surah Baqarah at Fajr. I never imagined that my most fulfilling moments would come at such a time. When we stepped out after sunrise, everyone was in a celebratory mood and noticeably emotional and light-hearted. We’d made it!!! Alhamdulillah! Allahu Akbar! We headed to our apartments in Aziziyah to for the best shower and sleep we had had in days.. #hajj #hajj2023 #tawaaf #jamarat

Part 7: The Great Migration The inertia in bringing myself to post this has been unreal. The world today seems so different than it was only a few months ago! As we come towards the best days of the year again, may we all muster the strength and courage to capitalize on the Barakah of this time through our deeds and our prayers. In my last post, we had just spent the night at Muzdalifah, and the busiest day of Hajj awaited us. We prayed Fajr in an unexpectedly huge congregation. As our Ameer called out Allahu Akbar, scores of people joined the lines, and by the time we finished, it seemed as though a hundred people had joined in. There was definitely something special about seeing everyone come together spontaneously while they were tired and broken, only for the sake of Allah SWT. At this point, some groups had started walking straight towards Makkah to do Tawaaf. We set off towards our tents in Mina. The walk back was extremely challenging. We no longer had the advantage of the coolness and darkness of the evening. The summer sun was early, bright, and increasingly warm with each step. Additionally, there was some sort of crowd control in place, which meant at certain points during the walk back, we had to stop, stay still, and wait for a path to open up. It was a clear reminder of the Day of Judgement, everyone looking for water, shade, and relief of some form. My peers, who were more physically fit in comparison to me, broke down from exhaustion. I saw several people collapse from the heat. I refused to check how much longer we had to go or how far we were. My coping mechanism was to focus on the ground, do dhikr, and simply put one foot in front of the other until we arrived at our tents. After this ordeal, our tents in Mina were like comfortable havens. We freshened up and hydrated. The general mood was celebratory with it being Eid and having survived and thrived over the last couple of days. We spoke to our families who seemed to be worlds apart as they celebrated Eid Ul Adha. We weren’t done yet. We had two daunting tasks ahead of us, Jamaraat and Tawaaful Ifadah. #hajj #hajj2023 #muzdalifah

I’ve been putting off continuing the Hajj series I started nearly a year ago. In Sha Allah, I hope to continue it now, after a lot of contemplation. Every other week I would think, it can only get better now, the help of Allah and victory is near. Perhaps my definition of victory is a skewed one. The constant heartbreak is taking a toll on me and those around me. These are times that test your faith. Verily, In the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest. May Allah grant victory to the oppressed.

Like every year, I feel I’m not fully prepared for Ramadan, But like everyone else I have spoken to in the past few days, There is a certain desperation that has come with this year’s Ramadan The yearning to bury ourselves in the sanctity of Quran To seek solace and guidance in the embrace of faith The deep desire to want to throw ourselves broken and needy in front of Allah Begging and pleading To flush out our systems of the toxins that are heavy in the air around us For the world is broken and bruised and bleeding And we’ve all slowly but surely recognized and understood well that Only Allah can bring relief Only Allah has answers Only Allah can bring redemption Ramadan Mubarak May this month be a source of spiritual nourishment and beacon of hope for us all. #ramadankareem #ramadanmubarak #dubai🇦🇪