The other Hajj tips

If you are performing Hajj for the first time, you may feel yourself in a whirlwind, swept away by the activities and demanding schedule. Be aware that when I talk about Hajj, I am mainly talking about the actual act of Hajj: the four days that begin with `Arafa and end with the third day […]

If you are performing Hajj for the first time, you may feel yourself in a whirlwind, swept away by the activities and demanding schedule. Be aware that when I talk about Hajj, I am mainly talking about the actual act of Hajj: the four days that begin with `Arafa and end with the third day of Mina.
Catch the moments of spirituality when they embrace you:
What better motivation to do Hajj than reading the hadith: “…the only reward for a righteous Hajj is Jannah [Paradise].” Performing Hajj is a great spiritual experience during which you are deeply connected to Allah (exalted is He).
The reality of the situation is that moments of spirituality are a rizq (divine bounty) from Allah (swt) that will catch you unaware. They will not last for hours on end. They will last for minutes and you better be conscious that they are happening and bask in their beauty. When I am talking about moments of spirituality, I am talking about private moments where you feel deeply connected to Allah (swt) with no barriers at all. They feel as if a door to heaven has opened just for you and you are somehow in the presence of Allah the Great. You lose sense of your body and your surroundings and become only conscious of Him. Those private moments are very special and very beautiful! Subhan Allah (glory be to God) when they happen, you have no doubt that you have been enveloped in Allah’s Mercy and Blessings. You may have already experienced them in your life, and if you did, you have been Blessed indeed!
Be aware of whom you spend your time with:
Subhan Allah the journey of Hajj highlights the hadith: “The example of the righteous companion and the companion of evil is similar to the musk merchant and the blacksmith. The musk merchant will either offer you some for free, sell you some, or you may just merely smell the fragrant smell of musk. As for the blacksmith, he either burns your clothes or you smell the repugnant smell of his shop.”
During no other time in your life will you need to be more cautious about your companions than during Hajj. They have the power to deplete your spirituality or raise it high above the clouds. It’s true that you do not control whom your companions are going to be, but you have control over how you spend your time. This is no time to worry about how people feel about you or what they think of you. If your goal is to have a stronger connection with Allah (swt), then choosing whom you associate with is crucial.
One thing that is common during Hajj is for people to complain about anything and everything. They complain about the trip to Saudi, the airport procedures, the crowds, the time it takes to get somewhere, the food, the unclean bathrooms, the dirt and trash, the rudeness and insensitivity, etc. Make it a point early on to avoid complainers. If the topic of conversation heads in that direction, remove yourself from the group. Empty complaints and a sense of entitlement detract from experiencing the blessings of Hajj.
Be ready to “retreat”:
People talk about going on retreats for various reasons. I believe that for us Muslims, Hajj is our greatest retreat.
Generally, retreats have focused goals in mind. I have come to realise that one subtle goal of Hajj is to focus inward rather than outward: to reflect, think, and hopefully discover new meanings and insights. Have you ever reflected on why it is that the obligatory acts of Hajj do not include staying either at Makkah or Madina? I find it amazing that Hajj does not include visiting the Prophet’s (pbuh) Masjid. Of course most hujjaj (those who make Hajj) make the trip to Madina before or after their Hajj but if you decide not to go to Madina, your Hajj is sound. Notice also that the majority of the obligatory acts of Hajj are performed outside Makkah. True, we are required to visit the Kaabah a couple of times and do the sai`y (walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa), but the rest of the time we reside in the valley of Makkah. We are even required to remain there most of the time. This detachment from places of reverence forces us to focus on our personal relationship with Allah (swt). `Arafa and Mina both do not invoke a sense of reverence in us. It’s our stay there, during the specified time ascribed by Allah (swt), that we cherish and value. It forces us inward rather than outward.
Also during Hajj one may assume that it will include more prayers than the usual, but it does not. Additionally, tawaf (circling the Ka’aba) and sai`y are both rituals that are basically achieved by merely doing the walk whether around the Ka’aba or between Safa and Marwa. You are not obligated to do any specific dhikr and hence, these two rituals become a munajah (private conversation between you and Allah) focused on your world, your needs, and what is significant for you at the time. In fact, the days of `Arafa and Mina are filled with very little obligations and you end with many hours on your hands that compel you to reflect and retreat. That is, if you choose to avoid idle talk. Be ready to focus inward rather than outward.
Be ready to conquer your demons:
Hajj is an exercise of self-discovery. The experience of being able to live without what you are used to is what makes Hajj a powerful journey. You face your weaknesses and your shortcomings at different levels: physical, emotional, and mental. You face your fears – using public restrooms, having no restrooms, getting sick, dealing with uncertainty, dealing with people you don’t like, etc. You are also forced to accept discomfort – walking long distances, maneuovering your way through crowds, sharing rooms and tents with others, and losing your privacy, disliking the food, not being able to shower properly, etc.
What transforms Hajj from a journey filled with rituals to a powerful moving experience is whether you do face your fears and shortcomings. The strength you gain from knowing that you conquered yourself is immeasurable.
Accept your rizq:
As with everything in life, there is what you expect you will do, what actually happens, and what you wish would have happened. It’s the same with Hajj. You will go there with expectations on how you want things to happen: how many times you will pray in the Haram (area surrounding the Ka’aba), how many times you will do tawaf, how many hours you will spend in the Haram, etc. And while there, you may not necessarily achieve everything you set out to do. So do not waste your energy on lamenting what could have been, or should have been. Accept that what opportunities you are given are rizq from Allah (swt) and appreciate them to the fullest.
May you come back with forgiveness, mercy, and an open door to Jannah. Ameen ya rab al `alameen.
Source: http://www.suhaibwebb.com