Hajj steps 4: in Mekkah

You have reached Mekkah, and it is time to perform Umrah of Hajj (if you are performing tamattu' Hajj).

Our hotel was about 20mn drive from Mekkah, at the limits of Mina. Our group provided us with mini-bus transports that were going back and forth at regular timing. The pick up point was agreed before hand, right before dropping us in Mekkah, then we went on for the Umrah.
Our Umrah was performed at night, we reached the door # 1 by azan of Maghrib, we were done 2 hrs later.

Al hamdulil'Allah we managed to perform the tawaf in the ground level.

Tawaf - 5th Zul Hijjah . Do not be impressed by the crowd and just be a drop in the Ocean

Outside the Haram at night

Some useful data:
According to the crowd, you should try to make the Tawaf on the ground floor. Just do not get impressed by the crowd and be part of the crowd, a drop in the ocean. Follow the human flow/current. Allah Did not send you there to be scared, so just relax, enjoy these sublime moments, thank Allah to have brought you there and make your Umrah with the most perfection that you can.
If it gets really crowdy due to some undisciplined brothers & sisters, then you have the choice to go to the 2nd or 3rd floor. We actually made our Tawaf of arrival on the ground level, but then, we made the Tawaf Ifadah on the Ground + 3rd level (due to severe crowd).

One Tawaf at ground level (sahan) = 125m, 5mn/turn (15mn/turn during Ifadah)
One Tawaf at 2nd or 3rd level = 600m (12-15mn/turn)
One saii (leg) between Safah & Marwah = 370m
The leg Safah-Marwah & return = 740m (15-20mn time)
Note: the above figures are approximate for the time duration of course as it will depend on your physical condition and the real crowd you will face as it is not the same throughout the day

Tawaf ground level - Perimeter data

Tawaf 3rd floor.

How to remember how many turns you have done?:
Each person has a method to remember how many turns he/she has done. Mine is to rely onto the watch, I know that it takes about 5mn for one turn, thus I notice the time I started, then work from there. It will depend on each individual, some people have a small counter, others use a knot etc. It must be noted that the tawaf on the ground level might be very difficult on the Ifadah day, so going on the 2nd or 3rd level will be longer in distance,but it will be faster in time and you will be more relaxed to make your duas.
Once you finish the 7 tawafs, pray the 2 rakaat behind maqam Ibrahim, drink from Zamzam water while making lots of duas, then head to Safah to start the saii..

Saii between Safah-Marwah :

Safah- Marwah legs. Click for better view

At the end of the saii between Safah and Marwah, you would then exit the Haram via the door at the Marwa, where you would find hairdressers and shave your head.
Your Umrah has now been completed, and you will enjoy (hopefully) in Mekkah some time before the Hajj starts. Make a maximum prayers in the Haram Mosque due to the large rewards Allah Blessed this holy place, each salat is equivalent to 100,000 salat elsewhere...

Tawaf 2nd floor - Beginning and end spot marked by these green Neon lights

Just be one drop in this ocean and make tawakkul onto Allah

Whatever timing between5-7 dhul hijja, the place will just be very full just like here.

What about people with wheel chairs?:

If you have an elderly person with you, or if someone with you is too tired to continue walking, you will have to rent a wheel chair from the Haram (they are situated at the ground level close to the Safah doors).
You will find it cheaper if you rent the wheel chair from outside the Mosque than having to do it inside the Mosque. But there are just circumstances like I faced when my daughter aged 13 could not move anymore after 3 rounds of the tawaf Ifadhah on the Eid Day, and we had to find a wheel chair for her, so it was an experience for us.

Price for a wheel chair + one person to push you for (7 Tawafs + Saii between the Safah & Marwah) = 900 SR - 1200SR. We paid 650 SR because this is all we had in pockets and he agreed!. Of course these prices are not going to be fixed and you will probably hear any pricing, it will be up to you to negotiate with whomever Allah would have Put in your way at that moment.

Note that the wheel chairs are not allowed on the ground level, there is a facility corridor along the 2nd floor just for people with wheel chairs and it is very convenient (but they do not allow anyone else besides the person pushing the wheel chair & the person sitting on the wheel chair). If you are a group of 3 or more, you may then chose to go to the 3rd floor.

The person whom you would have rented to push your person is in business before all, He will then try to make the tawafs in as shortest time as possible and you will have trouble catching up with him. Agree on a place to meet with him at the end of the tawaf before starting the Safah & Marwah saii. 
It will be the same issue again for the Saii between Safah and Marwah, they (push-chair guys) are not going to spend long time for you or the person on the wheel chair to make the recommended duas, so insist that he must give you enough time to make the duas or you won't pay him.

Wheel chair corridor  along the esplanade on the 2nd floor.

Only one person pushing the wheel chairs will be allowed on the corridor.

Note on Naafil (additional) Tawaf:
Once you are done with your Umrah, you should leave the ground level for the people who are still coming and who need space to perform their Tawaf. I heard several lectures where Ulamah are against these additional Tawafs done during Hajj season, because it is impeding the way to the coming pilgrims and because it was not reported that the Prophet (S) made such tawaf during his hajj. So be respectful to the others and give them a chance to make their Umrah at the ground level, and do not be a cause of obstruction to the others.

Once you are done with your Umrah, leave the space to others, do not be a source of obstruction to others

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Hajj steps 3: Going to Mekkah

The time in Madinah comes to an end and it is time to travel to Mekkah. Hopefully, the trip will be done during the day. Your very first stop is only at a short distance, the Meeqat. Our group left the hotel at 09:00 AM and we reached the Meeqat 20mn later. The buses used were comfortable. You will probably be asked to wear the Ihram from the hotel and to take the shower in the hotel, so that you will limit the stop time in the Meeqat. This idea from our group team was very good indeed, the less time you will spend in the Meeqat, the faster you will reach Mekkah, besides the fact that the shower in the hotel is cleaner than the one in Meeqat.


Advices:

• The road to Mekkah will be direction South, you will thus have the afternoon sun (which is the hottest) on the right hand side of the bus. If you have issues with heat, you better chose a seat on the left hand side of the bus (and away from the bus toilets), that could help make your journey more comfortable.
• If you are a tall person like me, the narrow bus seats would be an issue for the knees, you may use Ibuprofen gel and massage your legs/knees before starting the journey. This will provide long lasting pain relief and don't forget that you will need all your strength to perform your Umrah once in Mekkah, so take very good care of your legs/knees. I have chosen a non-perfumed gel Ibuprofen to remove any doubts regarding the perfumes while in Ihram. If you cannot find one, then just put it before starting your Ihram state, you will then be fine.
• Make sure your medicine bag along with drinking water/some food is kept with you inside the bus, once your put your luggage in the bus trunks, you will not be able to find them until you get to your hotel in Mekkah.

Meeqat: Dhu'l-Hulayfah
This meeqat is about 9 kilometers from Madinah (15-20mn drive only) and about 450 kilometers from Mekkah. Dhu'l-Hulayfah is the meeqat for those who live in Madinah and for those who approach Makkah from that direction.

DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE that some people do, thinking that the meeqat is the one very close to Mekkah, you will have to pay blood for this mistake for you and every single person who would have come under your umbrella.

Meeqat Dhul Hulayfah - Madinah

Meeqat Dhul Hulayfah, about 9KM away from Madinah - Click to zoom.

In the meeqat, you will pray your 2 rakaat and make your niyyat for Hajj (Tamttu, Ifrad, Qiran ect.) or Umrah. In our case, we did Hajj Tamattu, so we made niyyat for Umrah to be followed by Hajj. You only say "Labbayka Umrah" for this case, then you start your Talbiyah. Only one person in our group made Ifrad and had to stay with his Ihram all the time untill finishing hajj.

Meeqat name:
This place has several names; Dhul Hulayfah, zul hulayfah, Abaar Ali (Ali wells), Abyaar Ali, Miqat Mosque,  all are indicating the same place.

KEEP A REFERENCE point as soon as you get out of the bus. Even if the place you park seems empty, by the time you would get back, there will be dozens of other buses obstructing the view, and you may end by getting lost. The parking lot is  huge, hundreds of people will be there, several buses would all look the same.

Dhul Hulayfah Bus Parking. Keep a reference point to not get lost.

Agree with the group leader for a place to meet, if the group if good, they will certainly provide small leaders to lead the pilgrims from the meeqat mosque back to the buses.

Dhul Hulayfah Bus Parking. Keep a reference point to not get lost.

Keep always with the group, don't forget to take all the phone numbers of the different people from your group in case you get lost. Our group provided us with Saudi Sim Cards (Mobily), which was very convenient and very helpful, may Allah Reward them high for this.

Dhul Hulayfah Bus Parking. Keep a reference point to not get lost.

Once you get back to the buses, keep on making the talbiyah.

All ready, back to the buses and hit the road to Mekkah

On the road to Mekkah:
The road is straight highway and very well maintained. It should be used for you to make a maximum of Talbiyah, reading Quran, making zikir etc. Depending with the group you would be with, try to take some food with you to calm any hunger until the group provides with food. There are stops on the way where free food boxes are distributed.

Straight highway to Mekkah. These mountains are the same ones that the Prophet (S) saw

Monkeys on the road:
About half way to Mekkah, we were surprised to find a group of Monkeys by the road. The bus stopped for a while just for the people to see this unusual animal waiting for some food from travelers.

Monkeys on the road from Madinah to Mekkah

Monkeys on the road from Madinah to Mekkah

Facilities:
It is important to highlight here that there are limited facilities where you could find (clean) restrooms. The buses stopped in a place for us to pray Dohor and go to toilets, the least word to describe the toilets was that they were completely filthy, and the word is very weak here.
In all cases, TAKE YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE when you go inside, do not use the toilet water taps as they are full of germs and you may end catching the biggest infection of your life, so use your own water bottle (that you would have kept aside for this purpose when you left Madinah). The water taps would probably be empty anyway due to the large amount of people passing by. We were lucky that our buses had toilets inside them, but not anyone would have that luxury while doing their pilgrimage.

Food and water should not really be a problem because you will find free distribution points/stops along the road. Some of these stop places have restaurants where you may also buy your own food, or coffee, then get back to the buses and carry on your way. If you have elderly people with you, you will need to make sure that the buses would stop at the right place, but even if they tell you that they will, chances are that you would end in a place with poor toilets facilities are high, just plan for the worst accordingly and you will avoid having bad surprises.

Journey time:
It took us 7 hrs to reach Mekkah once we left Madinah and this is certainly a very good timing. The buses would generally take about 11-13 hrs to make the same trip, our 4 buses group stopped only twice (once in meeqat, and once for Dohor prayer), so we managed to save on timing. We reached Mekkah around 4PM, still in daylight, then drove a bit to our hotel, which was at the limits of Mekkah and very close to Mina.

More Food & water was gracefully distributed at this stop, about 1hr before reaching Mekkah 

Remember that you are in a state of Ihram, there will be a lot of tests for you, so stay PATIENT all the time.

Important note: some of the food distributed contains packets of nuts/peanuts, although these could be good to boost your energy, they are certainly not good helping you keep your Wudhu, because they generate gas in the abdomen, and you will be passing wind. Just avoid these as much as possible until you reach your hotel and have access to facilities again.

<---Step 2   Step 4--->

Hajj steps 2: In Madinah

Prophet ( Salla Allahu Aleihi Wa Sallam )'s grave:
While in Madinah, you may be taking this opportunity to start by visiting the Prophet ( Salla Allahu Aleihi Wa Sallam ) grave. I do not know of a specific timing where it will not be crowdy, you just have to go and attempt to make your way through, just be part of the crowd and follow the current until you reach the Rawdah.

Where is the tomb of the Prophet (Salla Allahu Aleihi Wa Sallam) located?:
The grave of the Prophet (S) is located underneath the visible green dome:

Madinah - Front esplanade: reflection of Green dome and minarets onto the shiny marble.

Madinah. Another view of the green dome. Did you notice that the left minaret is different from the other ones?

Exit from Rawdah. You cannot enter from this side, it is a one way only, you will need to get to the Rawdah from the inside of the Mosque.

Green Dome.   Under the green dome is the Tomb of our beloved Prophet Muhammed Salla Allahu Aleihi Wa Sallam.  

Where to go?

Once you locate the position of the green dome, enter the Prophet (S) mosque from the closest door to it. You will need to aim at a place called the "Rawdha" which is located right before the grave.
The way to know that you are in the "Rawdha" is by the color of the edges of the carpet, which are green. The rest of the carpet in the Mosque have red edges, so just pay attention to this detail or you may end by praying outside that area thinking you are in the right spot. In the past, the whole carpet had different color, this year, it was only the edges, making it more difficult to differentiate, especially when many people are always there praying.

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) 2. Abu Bakr Siddique3. Umar Al Farooq In front of the sacred tomb of The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), there are three sections of brass screens and all three have holes in them. Look at the picture carefully. If you stand in front of the middle section between the pillars, you'll see a big round hole on your left. This is in front of the face of the Holy Prophet. Adjacent to it is a door that stays closed. Right after it on the right side is a round hole which is in front of the face of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique. On the right of it, there is another round hole which is in front of the face of Hadrat Umar Farooq. Image source: http://www.islamic-travel.ch

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) 2. Abu Bakr Siddique3. Umar Al Farooq
In front of the sacred tomb of The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), there are three sections of brass screens and all three have holes in them. Look at the picture carefully. If you stand in front of the middle section between the pillars, you'll see a big round hole on your left. This is in front of the face of the Holy Prophet. Adjacent to it is a door that stays closed. Right after it on the right side is a round hole which is in front of the face of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique. On the right of it, there is another round hole which is in front of the face of Hadrat Umar Farooq. Image source: http://www.islamic-travel.ch

Image source: quranforkids.com

What about women?

According to my wife, the women are given "ziarat" time (visit time), which is after Subuh, after Dohor, and after Isha prayers.

Women have to visit the tomb of the Prophet (S) in a group according to continent/ language of the hamlah (group) you are with. If you are Asian and travelling with an Arab group (hamlah), then you will still be going with the Arab group, but you have the possibility to join a group from your same mother tongue. You will see security women holding placards of each continent right after the Prayer, you will need to search for the one holding your continent all across the women praying area. The security is known to be very strict, do not play the hero and stick with the group and stay PATIENT, you will have higher chances to enter the Rawdah by doing so.

The door to the grave/Rawdah opens at 7AM for after Subuh ziarah. From Subuh prayer until this time, you are expected to wait patiently until your turn comes. They only allow a certain number of people at a time and the queue moves forward until the previous group leaves the place. They will then allow for another batch of people to enter the Rawdah and so on.

Note: it might take up to 11:30 AM for the last group to enter Rawdah, but yet, the doors to the visit would be opened at 07:00 and closed by 08:30-09:00~ leaving you short time to be among the visitors, so plan your day accordingly.

Other places to visit:

Sunrise on the Baqee graveyard. Graveyard is behind these walls

You may go and visit the Baqee, which is the graveyard next to the the Nabawi Mosque, where a large number of Sahabah kiram (companions) including Usman, Abbas, Imam Hassan, and wives and daughters of the Holy Prophet are buried. This graveyard is close to the tomb of the Holy Prophet (Salla Allahu Aleihi wa Sallam), right after the courtyard of Masjid Nabawi.

Entrance of the Baqee is on that ramp shown on the right hand side of the picture

Walls of the Baqee graveyard. If you exit from the front end of the Mosque, it will be located on your left hand side.

Other places:

Masjid Quba: This is the first mosque in the history of Islam whose foundation stone was laid down by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself on his migration to Madinah. To offer 2 raka'ats of Nafil prayer in it is equal to performing one Umrah as per authentic Hadith. It is highly recommended to visit this Masjid and pray inside it.

Masjid Qiblatain (the 2 Qiblah): This Masjid is known to have two qiblahs, as the Sahabas were praying towards Palestine when the verses on changing Qiblah was revealed, someone told them that the Qiblah had been changed to Mekkah, so the Sahabas shifted to the new Qiblah accordingly without cutting their salat

Shopping:

I personally think that the best timing to perform your shopping should be while being in Madinah. You will find the same articles than in Mekkah anyway, the price is more or less the same, you are less tired and the shops are close by. Once in Mekkah, you will have little time to perform shopping (unless you are there for a long time), and you will be tired from the hajj rituals.

Madinah - Shops by the walls for the Baqee graveyard.

I have seen people running out of money because of shopping, so make duas of the market before entering any shopping place, this will avoid you overspending on items you do not really need, it will be a good test for your nafs to be controlled.

Once you have your nafs under control, take her to the Gold Suk and give her a test:

Gold Suk in Madinah

Best medicine to apply: close your eyes and carry your way

Gold Suk in Madinah...one advise: remember that once we die, we will not take any of our wealth with us...

Food:

Madinah: a place to sit and savor a good shawarma sandwich

Madinah has many places where you could easily find food that suits your taste. All the restaurants are within close vicinity of the Masjid Nabawi, so just take the time to look around for the one you like most. Our group had open buffet for food, we did not face any issue with that, food was plentiful and of good quality al hamdulil'Allah, but I had relatives coming with other groups and their package did not include food, so be careful with whom you chose to perform hajj as this could drain your money very quickly over a short period of time.

Buffet in the hotel in Madinah: the queue could be very long 

Women and men are separated in the restaurant

Food and drinks were not an issue with this group.

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Hajj steps 1: Travelling to Madinah

This entry will capture the main Hajj steps in pictures with some advises / lessons learnt, asking Allah's Help in this task. Hajj is a fantastic journey, I will not go through what is to be said in every step of the Hajj rituals as this could be easily found in several sites that specialises in Hajj, I will just share some comments with pictures of the event so that one would know what to expect.

Important note: the trip to Madinah has nothing to do with Hajj Rituals. Madinah is not part of the Hajj.

Hajj is the 5th Pillar of Islam
If you have been selected to go to Hajj, then remember to thank Allah before all, because He Allowed you to go there and be one of His guests. Many people take hajj for granted, but it is not, so many people have tried to be there all their lives and never managed to make it due to illness, shortage of money etc., so many are still distracted from this pillar and think they will be able to live another year to decide whether or not to go, then the years pass on, and they keep repeating this same mistake each year, until death comes and they still have not performed Hajj. Some live there in Mekkah, and they have not performed Hajj, because they are busy with business. So being able to go there and perform Hajj is a great Blessing from Allah that we should not get distracted on.

Where to land: Jeddah or Madinah?
There are 2 main Airports from where you could land while performing Hajj: Jeddah and Madinah. Remember that Madinah is not obligatory and not part of Hajj rituals, but many tours will offer the visit to the Prophet (S) mosque along with their package.

I have been in both places on separate occasions, my personal advise on this: if you have the choice, then opt for Madinah, because it is faster, simpler, easier and less stressing. Air traffic is less in Madinah, Jeddah airport is huge and during Hajj season, you can be staying inside the plane for several hours waiting for a gate to empty before they disembark you.

Madinah Airport:

Landing in Madinah Airport.

Madinah Airport. Shuttle to the arrival hall

Madinah Airport Hall:

Madinah Airport. Arrival Hall

Madinah Airport. Immigration. Officers were very polite and very friendly , Jazahum Allah Khairan for the help they provided the Pilgrims.

Madinah Airport. Arrival Hall. We will take the buses that are waiting on us outside that back covered walk.

Outside Madinah Airport. Buses getting loaded with passengers. Luggage will follow.

Outside Madinah Airport. Buses and Passengers ready to move to their respective hotels.

Landing in Madinah will also certainly present an advantage if you are traveling with elderly people, because the distance to the hotel from Madinah Airport is certainly going to be shorter than having to make the trip from Jeddah airport to Mekkah.

Some useful timing data:

We landed in Madinah airport at 15:00
We were outside the airport inside our buses at 16:30, thus it only took 1.5 hrs to be outside with the luggage etc. It then took 1 hr to reach the hotel.
Important note: although our group was fortunate enough to have made the trip in such short time, we have friends who flew from US to Jeddah, then connected to another plane from Jeddah to Madinah. Once over Madinah, their plane had to circle the airport for 2hrs before being able to land, so be PATIENT from the minute you leave your home, the journey will be full of unexpected events.

In Madinah:
The Salat in Nabawi Masjid is equivalent to 1,000 prayers, so strive to make a lot of salat inside the Prophet's Masjid.

Masjid Nabawi, front esplanade with fully opened umbrellas -  We can distinguish at the very back the walls of Al Baquee graveyard. The blue sky is just so "blue"

Masjid Nabawi, front esplanade, waiting on the Dohor Azan.

Masjid Nabawi. View of the front entrances and esplanade.

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