Well well well.  After an eventful week showing the actions of the Israeli state upon the flotilla of aid to Gaza, what can I say that has not already been said?

So I thought, instead of pointing out the facts again, and re-iterate to the world that the the actions of the Israeli government were reprehensible, immoral, disgraceful and unlawful, I will try to write about the human qualities that people who commit these sorts of atrocities are devoid of.

You see human beings are amazing.  We are amazing because Allah has given us the ability to be compassionate, merciful, tolerant and forgiving.  These fundamental abilities help us get on with others around us, understanding our differences, respecting points of view and therefore, in general, lead a harmonious life on this Earth.

Now I try not to get too political on this blog (!!) but correct me if I’m wrong, isn’t there a devastating humanitarian situation right now in Gaza?  And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that humanitarian nightmare the creation of the Israeli government by imposing a blockade which breaches UN Resolution after Resolution?

So all those human qualities I mentioned earlier, it would seem that Israel do not seem to possess those human qualities – I wonder what that makes them….?

And before I am criticised for being anti-semitic, I would also say the same for those madmen who killed the 94 people in the mosque in Lahore, and also the brainwashed hooligans of the English Defence League who are currently on a summer-long campaign across England, spouting their venom and are undeniably inciting racial and religious hatred.

We have to show these people that this sort of behaviour will no longer be tolerated.  I mean, violence is bad enough, but when it comes down to the slaying of innocent peace activists or civilians who have committed no crime except being there, we as an international community have to draw the line and make clear our condemnation and make clear our disgust at such actions.

And what is more, if such actions are in breach of the rule of law, then steps must be taken that those guilty of breaking it are brought to justice, no matter who they are and what political connections they may have.

And to give an amazing example of what we can achieve when we work together for the greater good of humanity, all you have to do is take a look at the ‘Hope not Hate’ campaign that was ran in East London before this year’s elections to counter the evil of the BNP.

People from different backgrounds and different faiths all worked hand in hand, tirelessly until the last second to make sure that the BNP did not gain a foothold.  And they were duly rewarded with the BNP being trounced  and losing all their seats in the Council and the message loud and clear to the BNP to get out and stay out!!!

This is what we can do when we work together as to force of good to counter evil.

So yes, this is what I wanted to say in this post – that we are humans, not some sort of sub-species and because of our humanity we Hope, not Hate.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Well I actually started this post when the Icelandic volcano first erupted in April, but as usual, me being sidetracked into doing other things together with my built-in laziness meant that this post would have been posted long after the volcanic ash cloud was out of the news headlines and people had long forgotten about it.

But no! Just the other day, 17 May 2010, some of the airports in the north-west of Ireland and, Scotland and northern England were again closed due to aircraft being unable to fly in the drifting volcanic ash cloud.

So apart from the apparent billions which the aviation industry has lost and the momentous travel disruption the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (!!!) has caused to millions of travellers across the world, what else has this event brought us?

Well one could argue that it has once again brought us into thinking along the lines of how limited this human being really is.  It has shown us how little power and control we really have over what is going on around us, and how very little we can do  to regain control in our lives when we are faced with a natural event outside of our control which throws everything up in the air (literally!).

You see, as we have progressed technologically and increased our knowledge of the world around us and pretty much everything we do in our daily lives, we as human beings have become more confident, and maybe even a little arrogant in our own superiority.

We expect the train to be on time, we expect the service in the restaurant to be first class, we expect the broadband to be super-fast  - in short, we expect everything to run like clockwork all the time and have become so engrossed in the world that we have created, we seem to be forgetting how much of a blessing from Allah each and everything is and therefore, we take everything for granted.

So when something like a ‘little ash cloud’ closes down the airspace of Great Britain, something which even the terrorists could not do, we voice complacency and wonder why these million pound planes with no less that Rolls-Royce jet engines, cannot fly through a little volcanic ash…..

For me, its another stark reminder from Allah of a beautiful verse in the Qur’an, found in Surah Rehman, which means ‘The Merciful’.

Anyone who has read Surah Rehman will agree at once that it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of the already beautiful Qur’an.  In it, Allah recounts His favours towards mankind and after each of His reminders comes the unforgettable verse meaning: ‘Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?’

And in Surah Rehman Allah states:

O assembly of jinns and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah)!

Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?

Qur’an [55:33]

As you can see, this verse although revealed over 1400 years ago still has relevance today, and is still up-to-date, just as the rest of the Qur’an.  We are reminded by Allah that everything we do and everything we purport to control is actually a blessing from Allah, and in reality it is not we who are doing, but it is Allah, and in reality it is really not we who are in control, but it is actually Allah.

And the verse is very explicit in its reference to travelling in the heavens.  Even here, Allah is reminding us that we do so because He allows us to, and we can only do as much as he allows us to – not one inch further.   So Rolls-Royce engines or not, it may be that we possess the power, but in grounding those planes, Allah is saying to us that we do not on this occasion have the authority.

Therefore, we may view our position as thus; Allah has given us free reign to live the lives that we live, doing the things that we do, seemingly to be in control, however, in truth, Allah, the Supreme Creator, Sustainer and Provider of all that exists, is actually as it were, ‘pulling the strings’ but in such a way as to make us think that we are actually in control.

It is only when we actually believe in this as a reality, then one starts going down the path of true servitude as a bondsman of Allah.  It is only then  that we start appreciating how truly Great our Creator is because we have now the knowledge that Allah is infinitely powerful and that He could make whatever He wanted to happen in the Universe, but that He has given us this existence, this reality, this opportunity to realise and recognise Him in the deception of the material and technological world around us……

So going back to my original intention for writing this post, I would say it was to illustrate that this control and superiority that we have achieved, has not been due to our greatness but due to the Mercy of Ar-Rahman – The Merciful.  Therefore the assumption that we are in total control is actually a wrong assumption.  And sometimes, when we get a bit arrogant, or when we start making ridiculous claims about our so-called greatness, Allah send just one little ash cloud so that we ask ourselves the question: If we think of ourselves as great and in control, then why is it that we were beaten by just one volcano?

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah)  for those good fellows at the Lancashire Council of Mosques who have been meeting with KFC in trying to sort out once and for all the question of whether the KFC chicken is really halal.

You may or may not have been aware, but there does seem to be a real interest in this from the Muslim community – probably because some of us can’t wait to sink our teeth into that chicken!!!

Well, without any further ado, here is the decision published by the LCM in their latest press release.  As you can see, although the LCM have made some recommendations, they have made a definite decision in the interim.

Please click on the link below.

LCM (1).pdf – Decision

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

So what’s with all this new Halal KFC business?

Is it really Halal – no really, is it?  Cos I really wanna know if I can finally sink my teeth into one of them tasty Zinger Burger Meals and sample the Colonel’s ’secret recipe’ myself!!

Well although its a very promising thing that major burger chains such as KFC are now recognising the demand from Muslim consumers in our area, we still have to make sure that their ‘version’ of Halal is the same as our ‘version’.

Ok, I’m not professing to be some sort of expert on this but I merely intend to pass on the small number of facts that I have gleaned through the virtual bread crumb-storm that has come to pass as a result of KFC making this decision to go Halal!

Now the Halal chicken put out by KFC is certified by a London based body called HFA.  According to their website, they are a ‘not for profit’ organisation launched in 1994 and that they ‘introduced a unique system of identifying halal meat from non-halal, by putting marking or tagging for authenticity of halal on the carcasses, soon after slaughter at the slaughterhouses’.

In their guidance as set out on their website, HFA state that they allow electric water bath stunning of the chickens as the low amperage is not sufficient to kill them but does calm them down, which then gives time for a Muslim slaughterman to slaughter the stunned chicken to halal standards.

Now as far as I’m aware, there is still division between the Scholars and indeed the minds and hearts of the public as to whether this method of slaughter is halal is not.

So the decision to eat chicken from these halal KFC outlets is one you have to make.  A decision which must be backed up by your Taqwa (piety) and reconciled by your own conscious.

Fortunately, there are some people trying to shed some more light on this issue.  The Lancashire Council of Mosques has published in its interim guidance, the scope of the problem and also what efforts they are making on behalf of the Muslim community of Britain in order to clarify this issue once and for all and thereby making the decision to eat halal for us, based on what is truly halal.  Insha-Allah (with the Will of Allah) they will soon reach a decision and advise us in the best possible light.

In the meantime, if you have any further clarification on this issue, then please, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email us at hidayahblog@googlemail.com so that we may be a means of informing the Ummah.

To read the full text of the Lancashire Council of Mosques statement, click on the link below.

Statement to Mosques re KFC 26 02 2010

And Allah knows best – may He guide us all.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Whether you are a Muslim or a non-Muslim, I’m sure everybody’s either heard or read this before; that Islam is a religion which oppresses women.

Or you may have heard or read that Islam doesn’t give women equal rights, etc, etc…..and the list goes on.

One thing in common with all these statements is that they are all untrue!  It is clearly evident from whoever publishes or believes these sorts of comments to be true, that they have obviously not done their research and found out the real position of women in Islam.

Let me tell you how highly Islam regards women, let me tell you what the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught us:

He taught us that that the thing every Muslim strives to attain as the purpose of his or her existence; the pleasure of Allah and a place in Jannah (Paradise), can be attained by being obedient, faithful and respectful to our mothers. Indeed, the Prophet of Islam stated that ‘Jannah lies under the feet of your mother.’

This means that every Muslim, throughout his or her life, is expected to be highly respectful and to honour one’s mother in every single way.  Now have a look at society today, and how it teaches us to ‘talk back’ to our mothers and fathers as a sign of so-called ‘independence’, and look at how Islam exalts the status of being a mother – look at how Islam raises the profile of women!

What about our sisters and daughters- what have they done not to deserve any respect??

Well when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started expounding upon the principles of Islam, he gave daughters and sisters the rights they never had before Islam came to the fore.  Regarding the issue of inheritance, women in general have an Islamic right to one third of their father’s estate.  And furthermore, the other two thirds which may be distributed between their brothers or husbands, bring an obligation upon the husband or brother to provide for their sister/wife out of their portion.  So in reality, the wife/sister/daughter/mother is not only getting her own share of the estate, but also, through the obligations upon the men, a share in their portion as well.

Now how can anyone say that Islam does not provide for women or that Islam ‘oppresses’ women??  Why would Islam give women any share at all if they weren’t expected to spend it in their own way and according to their own whims and fancies?? Just another one of the MANY ways in which Islam has actually exalted the status of womankind through independence and freedom of choice.

Still not convinced?

What about the wives you say – what about their independence?

Well first of all, I would have to say, that all depends upon your definition of independence…..

If you are of the opinion that a woman, who is the Queen of her house, is not independent if she has to stay at home and cook for her husband, but that she is independent if she toils at some cafe serving tea to strangers, then sorry, but I think you need to have a bit of a re-think as to what you define as independence.

Allah has promised any woman who fulfils the rights of her husband and safeguards his honour and property a place in Paradise.  Now of course this works both ways, and Islam also clearly stipulates that the wife also has rights which the husband must fulfil.

But just going back to the part about safeguarding honour and property – how many women these days yearn to have supervision of their own little piece of the pie?  Every woman I think!! Every woman wants to be in control of the house, car, children, etc, etc.  And Islam gives it to them – Islam states that they are the Queens of the Households and must safeguard not only their own honour, but the honour of their husbands, family and property.  So if that is not independence as a by-product of the responsibility conferred upon women Islamically, then I don’t know what is!!!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m, not saying that women should not go out and work full stop.  On the contrary, in this age of high bills and broken families, the woman is sometimes forced to take on work to support herself and her dependents.  However, when that is not the case and the woman does not have income to worry about, then she should fulfil the obligations set by Allah, i.e. to her husband and family, and then go out and work, if needed, and according to the principles of Shariah.

So there you have it, just a small snapshot of the vast mural that is women’s rights as given to them by the way of life of Islam.  And I’m sure that any fair minded person will see, that if the media and other biased parties did their research objectively, then there is no way on this earth that they could ever say that Islam degrades or suppresses women – because that would be an outright lie and the media wouldn’t want to print lies now……………would they…..?

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Here’s another video regarding Palestine.  This one’s about the second Viva Palestina convoy that went to Gaza to deliver much needed humanitarian aid and supplies to the suffering Palestinian people who are suffering as a result of the illegal blockade imposed by Israel.

The incident in the video takes place on the border with Egypt and those are Egyptian police in no less than full riot gear.

May Allah reward all those who took out some of their valuable time and delivered this much needed aid and ease the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza:

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

This week, we have a hard hitting, and thought provoking video relating to the illegal blockade that Israel has put up in Palestine.

And it shows an incident which has happened hundreds of times already in the West Bank – a humanitarian issue which makes us realise how lucky we are to be granted the right to such a basic thing as healthcare.  And it makes us realise that the actions of the Israeli government are still killing innocent civilians on a daily basis.

I apologise in advance for the swearing and to be honest, I refrained from putting up this video for a long time for that very reason, however, the message it contains is of paramount importance and therefore, I thought, the main reason for why this video should be put up on Hidayahblog.

And one more thing, the issue of Palestine is one which has not gone away, and nor will it go away until we do as much as we can to be a means of ending the illegal occupation and blockade of Palestine.  So please, watch this video and take part in as many activities as you can like lobbying your MP, e-mailing the Home Office to accept the findings of the recent Goldstone report and generally learning as much about the issue of Palestine as possible.

Ctrl.Alt.Shift Film Competition Winner: No Way Through from Ctrl.Alt.Shift on Vimeo.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

Contentment.  Happiness.  Success.

It seems that the three words I have mentioned above are interchangeable in what they describe and in what they define.

You could say that if one is successful, then that success will lead to happiness which in turn will lead to contentment in life.  However, if that is the case, then does that mean that only those people in life who are successful are actually happy and therefore, content?  Hmm, maybe we should not let success be the sole criterion for contentment in one’s life…..

The reason for that is because contentment is linked to the heart which is spiritual whereas these days, everyone’s definition of success is most definitely physical and material.  And a person is only truly happy when they are happy on the inside.  That is why the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) said that ‘contentment is not the material wealth, but it is the self-contentment of the heart.’

So why is it that today, when we have wealth, technology, family, friends and every possible, conceivable thing at our disposal, we are still not happy inside?  Why are we still not content in our hearts?  Is it because we are not looking hard enough?  Or is it because we are not looking for it in the right places….?

Maybe that’s more accurate, maybe the things we think will provide us with happiness and contentment are not actually the right things at all…..

A Muslim is always encouraged to look at what Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) say in every aspect of his or her life.  Allah has said in the Qur’an, ‘Verily in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest.’ This tells us that for a Muslim, through recitation of the Qur’an, remembrance of Allah through Zikr, praying salaat and general obedience to Allah, the heart, and therefore, the person will find happiness and he or she will be content in life, no matter what lies in store.

Unfortunately, although we purport to know and believe in this, the Muslims of today are looking for their happiness in things like music, and other non-Islamic activities.  And when they do not find it there, they get worried and start jumping from one thing to the next, unable to concentrate and focus the mind on any particular thing, in the hope that if they keep their mind occupied and do not allow their heart to rest, it will somehow achieve the state of contentment.

What the Believer must realise is that contentment in the heart can only be attained when one accepts the full facts of this life and the Hereafter.  Furthermore, after acceptance of that, we must on a daily basis do the things which enable us to remember the Hereafter and please Allah, and so this is where our acts of worship come into play.

By reminding our hearts and therefore, ourselves by way of these acts of worship, our hearts will in time, become attuned to core Islamic principles such as Jannah (Heaven), Jahannum (Hell), the Akhirah (the Hereafter/life after death), Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgment), etc – in short, our hearts will grow accustomed to and fully believe in the transient nature of this life and the definite eventuality of the permanence of the life to come, which in turn will lead to us inculcating such fundamental Islamic values such as Taqwa (Piety), Khauf-e-Khuda (fear of Allah) which insha-Allah (God-Willing) will lead to a more contented heart…phew!

I hope you followed that!

And if you didn’t then I’ll put it another way – when we wholeheartedly give ourselves to the Master and Creator of all that exists, Allah the Greatest, when we make a permanent place for Him in our hearts, then He will permanently make sure that no matter what life has in store for us, our hearts will always weather the storm and we will be content and happy with what He has given us.

Then no more will we go in search of the ‘next best thing’ to find our peace of mind because we will always have the best prescription – the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and most importantly a direct connection, better than the fastest broadband connection known to man, with our Lord, our Creator, Allah.

Furthermore, once a Believer starts experiencing these seismic changes in the heart, then we will naturally be more inclined to seek it from Allah instead of turning to the base, material pleasures of this world – pleasures which are limited in every respect.  We will then start to believe and yearn for the pleasures promised by Allah in Jannah which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and which no heart has even contemplated.

And better still, we will yearn for the greatest pleasure that a human can ever experience, a pleasure which surpasses all others but will itself be never surpassed – the closeness, the proximity, the sight of our Lord Most High – Allah.

Yes these things may seem far away and unattainable, but as we humans have proved throughout the course of our history, what was impossible today, will be a reality tomorrow.  Therefore, today, surrounded in this world, living this life, these realities may seem an age away, but in actual fact, it takes only the blink of an eye and before we know it, we will be in that other world experiencing all those things first hand, and wishing that we had more time in the previous world so that we could have made better preparations.

And so I write this post, for the pleasure of Allah, and I dedicate this to all my family, the family of mankind, for all those souls who are not content, who keep on asking themselves the difficult questions…..for all those who are kept awake night after night by some problem or another in their life, something which is clear or that niggling ‘itch’ in their hearts which they cannot quite diagnose.  Allah is here, for all of us, and day and night He is calling out to us b y means of His signs, and so we must realise this and run – run to Allah and find that contentment.

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

Continuing now with the second part of my Hajj 2009 recap and also the long-awaited photos that have now been uploaded.

Day 1

So off we went after Fajr Salaah on the first day of Hajj.  Before Fajr, we got up early and made the necessary arrangements to get into the state of Ihraam.  This is done by first performing ghusl (washing the body), praying 2 rakaat nafl salaah (2 cycles of optional prayer) followed by making intention to enter the state of Ihraam to perform the Hajj and supplicating to Allah to accept the Hajj.

After Fajr we walked from Mecca to Mina.  This was the first of our long walks and it was absolutely amazing!  The nearer we got to Mina the bigger and bigger the crowd got until my vision consisted of nothing but people in front of me and people behind me – I felt like I was a little bubble floating in a sea of people!  And the best thing was that everybody was in Ihraam, everybody was wearing the same two pieces of cloth, all walking towards the same destination, all walking with the same purpose – to seek the pleasure of Allah.

The journey from Mecca to Mina took us a good 2 and a half hours going at a nice steady pace.  When  we got to Mina I saw for the first time the spectacle of the white shamiana tents of Mina which was absolutely amazing!  To get an idea of how huge the place is just think about how many tents are needed to accomodate 2-3 million of the world’s Muslims and you’ll get the picture.

As most of you will be aware, it rained heavily on the first day of Hajj and we were lucky enough to have found our tent before the downpour started – alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah)!  Once we were settled, we spent the rest of the day there and preparing for the next day’s journey to Arafaat.

Day 2

And so to Arafaat on this, the ‘day of Hajj’.  We left just after sunrise and began our trek to the plains of Arafaat.  And what a walk – what a sight – what a spectacle!!

Never in my whole life have I experienced something so gratifying, exhilarating, tiring and fundamental as that walk to Arafaat and the stay there.  There was no hesitation, no doubt, no questions as to what to do or where to go – it was as if some part of me which had been sleeping had been awakened and was now guiding the rest of the body as to what to do and how to feel.  Maybe I’m going a bit over the top, but there is something to be said about marching in a crowd of millions, who are all wearing the same as you are, who are all chanting Allah’s Great name, and who are all going to the same place to ask for His Forgiveness.

It was human, it was primal, it was spiritual and it felt natural.  Let’s just hope that Allah accepted the effort from all the Hajjis and that our Duas (supplications) to Him during the walk and on the plains of Arafaat have been accepted by Him.  It is said that on the Day of Arafaat, one should earn the Maarifah (recognition) of Allah Most High.  Truly, only Allah knows who really sought Him on that day and who His true servants are.

After 3 hours we reached Arafaat and promptly got lost in a place that even dwarfed Mina – subhanallah!!  After finding our tent (which took longer than usual!!) we regrouped, refreshed and thereafter spent the rest of the day until Maghrib salaah in Dua, Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and Ibaadah (worship).  May Allah accept each and every one of the prayers of all the Hajjis and forgive the sins of the whole Ummah – Ameen.

After Maghrib, we began the walk back to Muzdalifah.  Once again, we took spirit and energy from the various people we encountered in the crowd.  Take for instance the group from Afghanistan we saw – the average age must have been somewhere in the 70’s but masha-Allah (whatever Allah Wills), they were all walking it with gusto – unbelievable!

We arrived in Muzdalifah at around 10:30 pm and prayed Maghrib and Isha together as is the Sunnah.  Once again, the spectacle of Muzdalifah at night has to be seen to be believed  – absolutely amazing!!  This time there were no tents, so everybody is camped out in the open air; some on the roads, others near their coaches but wherever you look, there was somebody sleeping, praying, resting, picking up stones for the stoning of the Jamaraat (the pillars which are pelted with stones) or making Dua.  Yours truly was pretty wacked by then, so it was lights our for me as soon as I stretched my sleeping bag out on the road we were sleeping on!

Day 3

The next day, after Fajr prayer, we set off for Mina, which was quite close from where we stayed the night in Muzdalifah.  The main thing to do on this day was to pelt the big Jamaraat after the time of Zawaal (around noon).  We used the stones we had collected from Muzdalifah from the night before and alhumdulillah, due to the system that the Saudi government has put in place, it was very easy and absolutely no hassle at all.  After that it was back to Mecca, where I had my head shaved after receving confirmation that the Qurbaani (sacrifice) had been performed on my behalf.

This was followed by a bit of rest in preparation of my Tawaaf-e-Ziyaarah (circumambulation of the Ka’aba).  We decided to delay this as the Haram Sharif in Mecca was jam packed full of people doing their Tawaaf-e-Ziyaarah and Sa’ee (running between Mounts Safaa and Marwa).  In the end, we did it on the top floor and alhumdulillah it only took us an hour followed by an hour for Sa’ee.

Day 4

Back in Mina on the fourth day and the only thing to do for the day was to pelt all 3 Jamaraat, once again using the stones picked up in Muzdalifah.  There are 3 pillars and you have to use 7 stones for each pillar.  Each time you throw a stone, you must ensure that it falls within the pit that the pillars stand in and recite ‘Bismillahi Allahuakbar‘ (In the Name of Allah, Allah is Great) before each throw.

I was told by one of the scholars in our group that with each stone that is thrown, Allah forgives one major sin that would have been the cause of one’s downfall in the Akhirah (Hereafter) – subhanallah!  After that, it was back to Mina for the night and get ready for the final day.

Day 5

The last day of Hajj is the same as the previous day, but after pelting the Jamaraat we headed off back to Mecca to perform the Tawaaf-e-Widaa.  Once again, we were the guests of Allah not only at the Haram Sharif, Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafaat but on the roads and tunnels linking all these places and always part of the crowd, reminding is that we as an Ummah are one, and we as an Ummah should be united.

Alhumdulillah as you can hopefully make out, it truly was a most fantastic physical and spiritual journey.  But on a serious note, however, I must ask all of you to make Dua that Allah accepts all the sacrifices that each and evey Hajji gave, no matter how small and that He forgives us for any wrongdoings that we may have committed whilst at His House.

May Allah accept our Hajj.  Enjoy the pictures:

 http://picasaweb.google.com/z.ayyub/Hajj2009#

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Well what can I say? When people say that Hajj is the journey of a lifetime they’re certainly not exaggerating.  Subhanallah (Allah is Pure) it was an amazing experience and one which I will never forget insha-Allah (God willing).

What I aim to do is to give you my full report with pictures in 2 parts insha-Allah.  I will write a brief summary in this post and the full details with pictures (and possibly video!) in the next post.

So what was Hajj about  – for me?  Alhumdulillah (all Praise is for Allah) I would say that one of the best things about spending times in Mecca and Medina, the two most holiest places in Islam, was that it was intensely spiritual.  Any Muslim knows that our Amaal (good deeds) are more acceptable in the eyes of Allah and bring greater peace to our hearts when there is spirituality in them.  A classic example I can give from my own life is the difference in my Salaah – when I am at work it is rushed and pretty frenetic, however, when in the masjid, I can slow down and concentrate on each posture and on the words of the Qur’an that I am reciting and thereby get more out of my Salaah.

So it follows that the Salaah, Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and recitation of the Holy Qur’an done in the Haram Sharif in Mecca and Medina carries an even greater spiritual benefit not to mention the extra reward.  And it is this spirituality, so lacking in our day-to-day lives, which brings us closer to Allah our Creator.

A lot of the time, I was just content to sit in the Haram Sharif in Mecca and just look at the Ka’aba – the House of Allah built by Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUT), because even looking at the Ka’aba is classed as Ibaadah (worship) for a Muslim and one can earn great reward by just that simple act.  And as I sat there, looking at the House of Allah, it was clear to me how temporal this world really is and how all the things we have which we think make us what we are, are in fact a deception of this world.  Maybe a bit extreme you may think, but this thought was driven home more and more, especially when doing Tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Ka’aba – that act itself, walking around Allah’s House, praising and glorifying Him, asking for my needs in this life, asking for my needs for the life Hereafter (Akhirah) and begging His forgiveness, confirmed the fact that this world and all it contains is just like window dressing, whereas the reality was that my whole existence is as a bonsdman of Allah and that I should spend as much of it as possible in seeking Him and looking to gain His pleasure.

Of course, I would like to think that the whole journey of Hajj and things like doing Tawaaf are the purest forms of doing just that, but as we know Islam teaches the middle way, and that is why if a person led his or her life in accordance with the Sunnah (methodology) of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then he or she can seek and find Allah wherever they are.

And the people! Subhanallah I have never seen so many people in one place in my life – I was gobsmacked! As you will have seen from pictures and from the ones we put up later insha-Allah, at Hajj time the place gets absolutely packed to the rafters and then some!  I can remember walking to Arafaat from Mina and when I looked forward there was nothing but a sea of people as far as the eye can see and the same spectacle when I looked behind me.  Truly, you can sense Allah’s special mercies descending on those days and once again, the reality of life in this world as everybody is dressed in the same garb of two white sheets (Ihraam) signifying our equality in the eyes of Allah and also serving as a reminder that when we go from this world, we will be wrapped in nothing but two white sheets.

Throughout my journey I was blessed in that I had the companionship of some amazing people.  Not only did we have some scholarly celebrities in our group but also some hidden gems – I won’t mention names because not everyone is a brazen show-off like me but you know who you are and I have nothing but the most deepest Duas (prayers) for all your help throughout Hajj – may Allah accept it.

So that about wraps up Part 1.  Insha-Allah Part 2 is on its way very soon, just as soon as I get those pictures uploaded and some more details of my amazing journey.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace