“Long before dawn, everyone is awake, bathed, and dressed in ihram in anticipation of the greatest emotional and physical journey we have pledged to undertake. I have by now seen thousands, hundreds ofthousands,s of people in ihram, but this is different—this is ihram for Hajj!“
“Sporadic bursts of Talbiyah echo through the passages and pierce my heart. I gaze out of the window and see that the ever-growing river of white has already begun ascending the hills to Mina.“
“All I can think of at this point is:”
Ya Rabb, you have brought me…unworthy, ignorant, sinful me…to this place, to this point, on the doorstep of the greatest experience.
Oh Allah, make it easy for us, and we beg of you to accept it from us and accept us!
I am here, my Lord, I am here! “Excerpt from Ayesha Desai’s HajjJournal, November 2010, Dhul-Hijjah 1431
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Hajj is both exciting and stressful. You know that you are making the trip of a lifetime, but it’s also a long and challenging pilgrimage.
In past times, those who made the pilgrimage may have had months or weeks to prepare themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for the journey.
We can’t all be Mansa Musa I of Mali, the arguable richest king in human history (after King Solomon), who, on his journey with his entourage to Mecca, reportedly ordered a mosque to be built each day as he passed each town.
We certainly don’t want to make any mistakes and risk our Hajj not being accepted, but there are so many things to prepare and remember that we may start to panic.
Author K.T. Lynn describes preparing for her experience:
“In order to prepare, I had to push [the] fears away. I read as much as I could on Hajj preparation. We cleared out all of the unscented toiletries in our neighborhood Whites pharmacy. Our dua list grew to scroll like proportions. I even purchased a sparkling new white abaya for the occasion. At long last, we were ready.”
If we want to have a concentrated, inwardly transformational, and life-changing experience we need to remove potential hiccups and distractions.
This means it’s imperative to spend time and focus on choosing the best package for your circumstances.
But what does the perfect Hajj package look like? Certainly, there are as many variables in the circumstances as the number of people attending Hajj.
“The Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is considered the world’s largest human gathering,” notes Statistia.
This is because about a quarter of the global human population self-identifies as Muslims. And in Islam, one of our five religious imperatives is to perform the Hajj at least once in our lifetime.
Financial aspects of Hajj
Understandably, Hajj is an expensive undertaking for many Muslims.
International travel, accommodations, fees, and time off work can amount to spending a significant chunk, or all, of one’s life savings in order to make this spiritual journey.
And while some governments may subsidize the costs for first-time pilgrims, it’s still important to keep finances in mind when planning your Hajj journey.
When considering tour companies and packages, here are a few questions to ask:
• What is the total cost?
• What portion of services will the booking agency provide? Examples of covered services may include visas, flights, airport transfers, travel bookings, accommodations, sleeping arrangements, and meals.
• What level of budget (or luxury) do you need for your hajj experience? Everyone has different needs and desires. Be sure to speak up if you need special accommodations and make sure the agency you book with has packages that are a good fit for you and your family.
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