Witnessing some of my kith and kin prepare for, and embark on Hajj this year, has brought back some very fond memories from the first and only Hajj I performed almost four years ago.
Hajj is indeed an incredible experience. It is as unpredictable as it is tasking, taking its toll on one's physical and emotional faculties, yet teaching valuable lessons. There were times I was really shocked, especially in situations that I could not have imagined becoming a part of, before starting my sacred Hajj journey to please Allah.
No number of Hajj preparatory lectures and literature-reading (albeit a necessary part of preparation for the journey, no one's doubting that) can prepare one for these tense or tasking situations.
Ironically, they end up forming the very core of this journey, leaving you with memories that stay on over the years. That is why, it is extremely important to mind one's personal habits, behavior, character, social etiquette and actions during Hajj, while interacting with fellow Muslims.
1. Happily hand-washing the clothes of a couple of roommates whilst staying in Madinah or Azizia (a residential district in Makkah that is close to Mina, where pilgrims are lodged in houses), if you're going to wash some of your own.
2. Massaging the legs and feet of a roommate in Azizia, who is severaly exhausted after his or her night-long worship and tawaaf in the Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram).
3. Not complaining or making a big deal about consistently losing your shoes, or having a painful cough, throughout the Hajj journey.
4. Being shoved aside quite roughly with a piece of luggage on arriving in your tent at Mina, as a sister pushes you aside to run for the best position in the tent - the one receving the best blast of air from the air conditioner louvres - and continuing to meet and greet her as if nothing happened.
5. Having a sister or brother (especially one who is older in age) ask you to fetch a second cup of tea for them, just as you are about to take your own first sip - even though they have seen you serve the whole tent-load of pilgrims their tea for the last half hour.
6. Doing nothing to change your place in the Mina tent, during the three-day stay, despite having two people, who snore loudly throughout the night, flanking you on either side.
7. Refusing to partake in the gossip that takes place in the shared accommodation in Makkah, Mina and Madinah, at the risk of being labeled rude.
8. Performing ablutions with 5 other people at the same time, under the same tap, in Mina.
9. Being kind to the poor, bent, elderly woman in the overcrowded bathroom in Mina, who cannot wait in line like the rest due to genuine age issues, and decides to "go" right there on the open drain in the bathroom floor; who, as a result, is shouted at by sisters young enough to be her daughters (or even younger), who seem sure that their behavior towards her is justified by her actions.
10. Letting your sisters/brothers go first in the bathroom in Arafah, even though you know that'll leave you with a filthy toilet.
11. Getting off the bus as it leaves Arafah for Muzdalifah, to stay back to wait/look for those elderly people or lone women in your group who have not yet returned to the meeting point.
12. Helping form a circle of "satr" around a Muslim of the same gender, who is witnessing a severe allergic reaction, and needs to "go" amid the boulders on the road side (no time at all to look for a bathroom).
13. Helping an elderly person change into a clean new set of ihram sheets after an accident similar to the one in the previous point.
14. Delaying your Tawaaf Al-Ifaadah by a day because you happened to run into an elderly person with bloodshot eyes, who begs you to help them find their tent in Mina, which they have been unable to find for more than a day. Imagine - roaming around in the tented city of Mina for over a day alone, hopelessly lost because you can not read! Delaying your tawaaf to help a brother/sister out of their crisis - perhaps it might just earn a double reward!
15. Willingly volunteering to become the "Ameer" of a handful of elderly people in your group to take them for Tawaaf Al-Ifaadah and Sa'ee, event though you know it will take twice as long (or more) to get done with it this way.
16. Saving some water from your only remaining bottle for a fellow Muslim to be able to perform ablution before Fajr prayers in Muzdalifah.
17. Sharing your sleeping bag with your spouse, so that a fellow pilgrim who has lost theirs can rest in yours during the night in Muzdalifah.
18. Placing your prayer rug sideways on the floor at Jeddah Airport Hajj Terminal, so that someone can pray next to you on it, even if it means muddying your knees.
All of the above incidents really happened, either with me or with someone I knew, during my memorable Hajj trip back in January 2006. I ask Allah to grant those who are going for Hajj the fortitude, selflessness and patience to take care of fellow pilgrims on this sacred journey.
(This article was originally published on MuslimMatters.org by the writer)