~The Hajj of Kings and Queens~

Me and my bro headed to the Haram did tawaful wada’ and tawaful ifaada in one go because we were leaving the next day or so- we did it on the roof and although the route is longer I swear it didn’t feel like it took a second longer doing  than doing tawaf in the courtyard!! It went by so quick!

I made all my dua’s at all the different sides of the Blessed House of Allah,

Refilled zamzam and when that was over, it was finished!

Hajj drew to an end! On the way out gave charity like crazy just in case there was anything I did wrong in my trip I’d give sadaqa as a form of purification.

May Allah accept! Returned the hotel and rested up.

We collected to Umm AR’s room for a final talk, a good-bye to Makkah and Hajj you’ve been beautiful talk.

It was so amazing, being with all the girls together, so full of emotions so full of gratitude.

We listened to Umm AR tell us, now that you’ve had this incredible experience there is no way you can return and be the same person.

Improve on something and everything- there’s always room for improvement.

Improve your relations with your family, improve your hijab, your clothes can get looser, your scarf can cover better, make up? There’s no need for it.

You just can’t return and be the same person.

The sign of an accepted Hajj is that there is a change!

Improve your Salah your relationship with Allah, with the Quran with your Messenger sallalahualayhiwasalam.

You have no idea how blessed you are to have experienced this!

How many people have gone through their lives without being granted this opportunity?

And not just that we’ve had the Lutf of Allah encompass us from the very beginning!

There is no denying it! We have been carried on the wings of angels the whole way!

Lutf everywhere and in everything.

I wish you had experienced Hajj 17 years ago! We were in and amongst masses of people men and women together, there was no privacy, you had to raise a curtain between you and those neighbouring you because they were non-Muhrams and there was nothing you could do other than that. You had to carry your food with you everywhere; this food service you get was never like this before. SubhanAllah, but we had to endure it for the sake of Who? For the sake of Allah!

But your hajj and all this Lutf of Allah- you have had the Hajj of Kings and Queens!

You have been so incredibly blessed in everything!

Thank Allah!

Alhamdulilah.!

Thank Him for everything!

Alhamdulilahi rabbil alameen!

That touched my heart!

SubhanAllah!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

That speech was the best thing I ever listened to subhanAllah.

It was such a serene moment.

SubhanAllah.

Full scale Jihad in Makkkah!

She told us that after Tawaful Wada’ there would be no shopping! You just can’t be shopping after saying bye to the Ka’ba!

So I was like yeah hey no sweat!

We went to the food court after and bought some food and... There it was.

The beautiful scarf.

:/

It stared at me,

I stared back.

It stared some more.

It was beautiful!

I really wanted it!

A lot! Ahhhh!!!

But I couldn’t have it!

Sigh! I’m not even a shopper! I knew that because I wasn’t allowed to have it that I wanted it!

Bloody nafs pops it’s ugly head up outta nowhere at such an inappropriate time!

I’m telling you it this was some serious jihad!

I kept trying to calmly de-convince myself.

It was really hard, but I managed to restrain myself enough and not buy it!

Alhamdulilah! I won the battle, I didn’t buy it.

Everyone gets tested on Hajj!

At this stage I’m like wow, not bad! I mean I really haven’t had anything majorly crazy happen to me but I know that everyone gets tested on hajj. 

Praise be to Allah!

We all started packing now and preparing for the buses to come take us to the airport.

I packed then I went back to the Ka’ba for a final goodbye. Honestly it was surreal being there let alone leaving!

SubhanAllah.

I stood on the roof and admired the Ka’ba.

I gave my dua’s one last shot.

O Allah accept them all!

I gazed at the Ka’ba and it was now in its new cloth.

The most radiant black I’ve ever seen with the most dazzling gold thread I’ve ever seen.

So deeply woven and intricate

Incredibly beautiful to look at.

Really like the best job in the world is one of three.

1. Cleaning the Masjid an Nabawi

2. Cleaning the Masjid al Haraam

3. Sewing the Kiswa.

That’s it. Don’t tell me Bill Gates is living the life!

These guys are living the life!

It would be my absolute dream come true- I’d donate my freedom - to be a weaver of the kiswa!

As I stood there the call for salatul Dhuhr came and I stood in line with as many women around me as possible – totally awkard about men adjacent but behind me lol. I Prostrated to Allah on the cool tiles for the last time in God knows how long or if ever again...

*sigh*

I gave my taslim, gazed at the beauty of the Ka’ba one last time then walked backwards till I lost sight of its beauty and then bolted back to the hotel!

Lol. If I missed my bus it’d be worth it.

We gathered in umm ARs room, and waited for the call, the buses still hadn’t arrived.

We eventually got the call and we made our way down stairs to the foyer.

Most of the group had left and it was just me umm AR Mona her mum and my brother comes out out of nowhere and says lets go they’re downstairs! He starts walking away.

I turn to Umm AR and I know she’s always telling us to go with our Muhrams, so I told her umm AR I’m going with my brother- even though I wanted to go with her lol- and she gave me the ok, so I turn back and try to follow my brother.

Don’t ask me how I lost sight of him within the space of a one sentence statement to Umm AR.

But I did.

I walked fast maybe I’d catch him before he goes down in the elevator.

But as I arrived at the elevator I saw the door close and he wasn’t there!

I was like umm ok then?! Thanks for waiting bro!

I pushed the button and waited nervously for the next elevator to come.

It was a long wait.

I was like strange, umm AR should be here by now...

She didn’t come.

The elevator came, I got in, the door closed, I pushed basement, and it went down in 5 seconds.

I get out.

Look around.

No one is here.

Not my brother, not the tour group.

No one.

I was alone.

I got scared.

I mean it’s not every day you lose sight of every single person of your tour group in Makkah in a bus port at the basement of a hotel!

I started calling Nena, Patrina. No answer.

I thought Ok maybe umm AR would arrive any minute.

She must she was only just behind me a little while ago.

I look at everyone that comes out the elevators.

She’s not there.

Panic, panic panic!

I started calling Nena again, no answer.

Patrina, no answer.

My brother, no answer.

Umm Ar, no answer.

I messaged umm AR, no answer.

I stood there really scared and nervous. Time was going by and buses have to leave they can’t just hang around in the bus port.

Eventually I get through to Nena!

NENA WHERE ARE YOU GUYS I CANT SEE ANYONE!

She tells me that I have to cross the street and turn left and the bus is there.

Right now I’m seeing like 10’s of buses!

I cross the street and all I see is buses!

I turn left wherever that’s supposed to lead me to and I can’t see any one!

All I see is buses!

I started shaking.

I was so scared.

I walked back to the elevators and just stood there, like a zombie, I felt like everyone was staring at me.

I almost cried.

Then Nena called me back and told me to wait there and that some of the brothers will come get me.

I waited really nervously.

I eventually saw two brothers come and they collected me.

I walked back with them and my brother too pops out of nowhere and joins us lol I tell you the bus was not across the road to the left! Lol it was like to the right across the road then to the left!

Khair.

This was my test!

I got on the bus and Umm AR was really nervous herself! She told me the bus driver almost left without me because the Saudi police were abusing the driver behind him! Buses aren’t allowed to stay long otherwise they get told off by the police.

I was so upset.

It was really such a pickle to be in. But this was my Hajj test.

Alhamdulilah it passed.

*Phew*

Allah Kareem.

They didn’t leave without me, the bus driver waited even though it was a crazy situation it passed!

Alhamdulilah!

We made our way to Aziziya picked up our excess baggage and our 10L Hajji Zamzam 10L containers *win*.

The Big Weigh in! – Again!

We headed out to the airport and started checking in.

Just before we entered the departure zone I was browsing around and believe me when I tell you the scarf that I didn’t buy in Makkah that I wanted so much was in a rack in the airport!

I couldn’t believe my eyes!

It was right there on a rack in the airport!

I *so* bought it!

I was so happy! :D I knew that was Allah’s reward for me because I didn’t buy it in Makkah : )

We sealed our Zamzam containers and headed into the departure zone.

Now let’s put it this way, the weigh in TO Makkah is very different to the weigh in FROM Makkah!

I mean we had luggage that was heavy!

And not enough kilo allowance for all of it!

So when we were in Makkah all the girls recited YaSin 40x plus so that Allah can make it easy for us to pass through.

I wish I had taken a zillion more things with me!

When we were checking in the guys at the counter didn’t even turn the weighing machine on!

They were casually talking to each other in Bangali and probably couldn’t care less if we were carrying the Kiswa with us.

Lutf of Allah? Check!