Message to Muslims who attend Speaker Corner engaging with Christian Missionaries!!!

As mentioned in my previous blog that the standards in Speakers Corner to be ‘charitable’ have declined over the last three or four years. Dialogues and discussions have taken a back seat to mocking and insults. With the greatest of respect to those that attend the park, they do not command the English to an apt level or have a greater understanding of the subject matter which they look to defend. This goes for both Muslims and Christians. There are exceptions to the above; brother Hashim, brother Mansur, brother Adnan Rashid, brother Mohammed Hijab, Samsun, Colin and the Christian Sister (with the brown hair) have demonstrated the ability to have polemical discussion without trading insults.

Moving on, we (the Muslim’s) unequivocally condemn the attack of any women, be it in the park or outside. I don’t think I stand alone in this position, nevertheless, it is very important that we condemn that attack on Hatun (Hatun Tash). I note the regular esteemed speakers in the park like Mansur, Sheikh Mohammed and Hashim have already condemned this action.

Before we continue, the behaviour of Hatun, is not in any way, shape or form, a reflection of many millions of Christian’s across the world. Rather, my interaction, with Christian have always been positive. Whilst we disagree vehemently on matters pertaining to the Trinity and Oneness of god; we draw many similarities then differences in humanity. Many Christians are genuine, sincere, god fearing, compassionate and loving people. Nothing which resembles the Christian missionaries in the park unfortunately.

It is very important to understand that the attack on Hatun last week was allegedly committed by a Christian. This should be no surprise, whilst Muslims have been victim of her vile rants and offensive behaviour, it is the ultimate Christian community which have taken the most offence. Like Muslim’s have been held ransom by ISIS, the Christians have been held ransom by DCCI. Many Christian radio stations in the UK refuse to have members of DCCI on their stations. It was only a couple of weeks ago an Eritrean Christian sister called out Hatun and other missionaries for their attacks on Muslims in the parks. If you look at the comments sections on YouTube, many Christian’s have also distanced themselves from Hatun and DCCI.

Hatun Tash- Preaching Christianity or attacking Islam?

Hatun (Christian Missionary) has been a regular at the park for the last five years. She is part of DCCI, a group led by their leader Jay Smith (a known Islamaphobe), whose life mission has been to attack Islam. Jay Smith has been dismantled by several Muslim polemics including Shabir Ali. Like Jay Smith there is nothing genuine about Hatun’s opposition to Islam, rather her position is to mock Islam through a lack of understanding of Islam text through isolated verses of Quran, Hadith and Tafsir. Even when corrected, she will shout from the top of her voice, repeatedly, until you are forced to leave the ‘discussion’. This may be considered a victory, but those with intellectual insight, will free themselves from this conversation.

Freedom of Speech or Freedom of Expression in the Park? Which has the absolute right?

As we all know, Speakers Corner is the epitome of Free of Speech. Hatun has the right to say whatever she likes, irrespective of who she offends, this is an absolute right which is persevered in the park. I have my own view to the contrary but nevertheless let’s not digress. Her actions with respect to the pictures (depicting Allah and his messenger) and the holes in the Quran, are no long covered under free speech, rather her actions manifest under the freedom of expression? We see a double standard here, a couple of years ago, the police banned the Muslim’s from praying in the park, an interpretation of the law was applied and enforced. Yet, when Hatun mocks the Quran for the past couple of weeks, the law enforcement have not applied their interpretation of the law to prevent Hatun from acting on her Freedom of Expression to provoke Muslims.

Can Hatun be relied upon?

Spare the rhetorical nature of the question- the answer is no. I will not bore you with too much information here. The veracity of her attacks on Islam (as vile as they are), hold no weight. She neither can read or speak Arabic; I do not believe she can read the Arabic alphabet (no insult intended). The reality is, the Quranic language is different to what is translated in to English. For this reason, Non-Arab Muslims are strongly recommended to learn the Arabic language. There are other arguments, for example the context and the corpus-linguistics of the Arabic language of that time, which make it impossible for a layman to critique the Quran and it’s supported text unless they have a command of the Arabic language.

Other than being grammatically poor- The reality is, Hatun’s arguments have been dismantled over the years by Muslim da’ees in the park. She has been reduced to insults and provocative behaviour to trigger a reaction. As elementary as this maybe, when your left with no academical argument, the next best thing to do is provoke, to re-enforce a negative stereotype.

Hatun is a vile human being who has nothing but hate for Allah (swt) and his Messenger (pbuh). There is nothing academical in her rants, the fact that she is a Christian and refuses to preach her own faith whilst obsessing about Muslims, just about tells you everything in respect to her own-belief system.

The Solution!!!

If you are not thick skinned or intellectually apt to refute Hatun’s spiel, desist from all conversation or interaction from Christian Missionaries in the park. Our elders in the park (Mansur, Hashim and Adnan) have done the same, we should also follow them in this. Naturally, when they are not receiving a response, they will be forced to stop!!! Please do not harm or attack DCCI as this what they want you to do!!!

This week it is rumoured that Tommy Robinson (a known Islamaphobe) will be looking to attend the park this Sunday to support Hatun. This should not the Muslims as we are aware Jay Smith is bosom buddy’s with Tommy Robinson, Whilst this is considered a victory for Hatun, unfortunately, being linked to a known Islamaphobe only re-enforces the stereotype that Hatun and DCCI are linked with extremist!!

Finally- for the younger generation of Muslims who have a zeal for their religion and want to protect their faith, please do not come with this mob mentality, follow Hatun or attack her. This is not a place to become YouTube famous. Rather spend your time either learning the religion, being more versed in the English language or learning from elders (Hashim, Mansur and Adnan Rashid) in the park by listening quietly in their discussions.

May Allah (swt) guide Hatun!!!

The life and times of Umar (r.a)

This is the second part of a four-part series covering the life of Umar-Ibn-Khattab (r.a) – Umar (r.a) life is one which is relatable for people from different warps of life, be it Muslim or Non-Muslim. This blog will go in to further detail of how influential his life was as a person, believer and a leader. The truth is, the life of Umar (r.a) is so interesting, it can prove a difficult task, in choosing, what should be put in to this blog and what should not. I will try to do justice to Umar (r.a) Inshallah.

Please note- These blogs are bite-size pieces of information regarding the lives of the Sahabas. I strongly recommend reading a Sira (biography) of his life, or maybe listening/attending a lecture to get more information about their lives.

Umar-Ibn-Khattab early life and pre-ignorance-

Umar Ibn Khattab (Umar son of Khattab) born in Mecca to the Banu Hadi Clan. His father’s name was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother, Hantama Bint Hashim. Not much is discussed about his childhood, however, it is known that his father was very harsh with him during his early years. A young Umar would tend to his father’s camel and he was often beaten or forced to work long hours which would lead him to exhaustion.

Growing up in Mecca not many people were literate. However, Umar (r.a) was amongst a few that were literate. He was also an admirer of poetry but there is no mention of whether he was actual a poet himself. Umar (r.a) was also a fond wrestler and was noted to enter many wrestling competitions. Unfortunately, like the others of Quraysh, Umar (r.a) was involved in drinking and other such deviant activities of pre-ignorance.

*Please note that the fitnah which often lingers with Umar (r.a), is that he killed and buried babies alive. This story has not been verified, rather to the contrary, this tradition of killing babies was a frowned practice amongst those of the Banu Hadi clan.

As a young adult he was a merchant. Like many other merchants he applied his trade across different empires. His career as a merchant was not as successful, nevertheless, he was heavily respected amongst his clan and was one of the main leaders of Quraysh.

Umar (r.a) Physical appearance-

Umar (r.a) was very tall, big boned and known for being tall. So much so, he would stand out when he was in populated areas. He was bald, bearded facial hair with an extremely long and thick moustache.

Umar opposition to Islam

After Muhammad (pbuh) had proclaimed himself as the messenger of Allah (swt) and called for his people to worship Allah (swt) alone. People of Quraysh felt insulted and were in opposition to his calling. They believed that these pagan gods were responsible for bringing prosperity and wealth; plus, the idea of moving away from their forefather’s traditions was un-thinkable. Initially the call to Islam was met by mockery, however, with the growing number of people answering the prophets call, the Quraysh’s position changed. Initially the Quraysh tried to reason with him; when reasoning failed, they tried to bribe him, when the bribes did not work, they resorted to violence and persecution.

Like many other’s in Quraysh, Umar (r.a) was heavily opposed to the prophet (pbuh) calling. Umar (r.a) who was heavily feared due to his high status amongst the Quraysh, often was the one who initiated many attacks against the prophet (pbuh) and his followers.

Umar (r.a) embraces Islam- The victory for Islam.

After six years of persecution, Muhammad (pbuh) sent his followers to Abyssinia. The growing hatred for Muhammad (pbuh) had spilled-over and only his blood would satisfy the people of Quraysh. Umar (r.a) decided to take it upon himself to settle this matter by taking the prophet’s life. Umar (r.a) was on route to kill the prophet, when he was met by Nuaim bin Abdullah (who was a Muslim in secret), he asked Umar where he was going with such anger, Umar (r.a) disclosed his plan to him. Nuaim (r.a) then advised him that he should fix his own home first before attempting to kill the prophet (pbuh). Umar (r.a) quizzed him on this and Nuaim (r.a) informed him that his sister and brother-in-law accepted Islam. Umar (r.a) was fuelled with rage went marching to his sister’s house.

Umar (r.a) sister (Fatima bint-al Khattab) and brother-in-law (Saeed ibn Zaid) were learning the Quran from Khabbab (r.a) when Umar shouted and demanded that they open the door; Khabbab (r.a) quickly hid knowing what Umar (r.a) was like. He interrogated his sister and it was then disclosed that they both accepted Islam. A fight broke out between Umar (r.a) and his brother-in-law, which lead to Umar (r.a) beating him up, Fatima came to interjection , Umar (r.a) slapped his sister for her interference. Out of guilt he stopped fighting and asked to see what they were vehemently defending. Umar (r.a) was asked to clean himself first before he could read the Quran. After washing himself he read verses of Surah Ta-Ha, at that point he wept and declared himself a Muslim. Khabbab (r.a) came out of hiding and embraced Umar (r.a) acceptance with joy and disclosed the prophecy of Umar (r.a) of accepting Islam.

It was noted that the prophet (pbuh), a week earlier made supplication to Allah, ‘Oh Allah strengthen Islam by the conversion of either Umar (r.a) or Abu Jahal, the prophet (pbuh) du’ah was accepted by Allah (swt).

Knowing of the impending arrival of Umar (r.a), Hamza (r.a) and a couple of Sahabas were waiting with their swords ready to kill Umar (r.a) in the event he attacked the prophet (pbuh). The prophet (pbuh) patiently waited for Umar (r.a) at Arkam ibn Arkam (r.a) house. Umar (r.a) then embraced Islam in front of the prophet (pbuh), this was considered the first victory of Islam.

Umar (r.a) open declared his faith to the chieftains of Quraysh. They were all shocked as learning of Umar (r.a) embracing Islam. Umar (r.a) set a challenge to any member of Quraysh that had an issues with Islam. Muslim’s were now coming out public professing their belief in Islam and they were now openly praying in front of the Kab’ah.

Migration to Medina

After the constant persecution at the hands of Quraysh, the prophet made plans to migrate to Medina with his followers. When the Quraysh had learnt of the prophet (pbuh) plans to migrate they were looking to attack the Muslims. Umar (r.a) had openly challenged members of the Quraysh should they obstruct the Muslim’s from leaving Mecca. None of the Quraysh accepted Umar’s challenge.

Umar (r.a) had migrated to Medina with 20 other sahabas and stayed in Quba until the prophet’s arrival. It was noted that he used his skills as a merchant to deal with the Jewish settlers who lived in in Medina. During his time in Medina, he was popular amongst the Jews and they were always keen to communicate with Umar (r.a) in comparison to the other companions.

Battles that Umar (r.a) was involved in:

Makkah as mentioned in previous blog was a trade haven in the Najd. The Quraysh were one of most powerful tribes and it was not too long before other tribes and cities within the Najd region learned about Muhammad (pbuh) rebellion. Rumour and gossips had made the rounds and the Quraysh were mocked for not being able to control this situation. The Quraysh chieftains were seething in rage and they had to restore their pride as the most powerful tribe within the Najd region. The attack on Islam was a must!!!

The Quraysh had made their intention to attack the Muslims in Medina which led to the battle of Badr. The might of Quraysh brought their chieftains and their most championed soldiers. During the early battle, the Quraysh lost three key men Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Walid Ibn Utbah and Shaybah ibn Rabi’ah, and the rest of the army were systemically defeated by the prophet (pbuh) and his companions. Umar (r.a) played a crucial role in leading the early Muslims in to victory.

Umar (r.a) was involved in several battles including the battle of Uhud, Battle of the Trenches, Battle of Hunayn, Battle of Khaybar, Battle of Taif and the battle of Tabuk. It would be unnecessary to mention every battle that Umar (r.a) was involved in. For further information regarding these battles, a recommended read would be his Sira (biography) written by Dr Mohammed as-Sallbi.

Death of Muhammed (pbuh)

After the conquest of Mecca and completing the final Hajj with prophet (pbuh), the prophet (pbuh) passed away. Umar (r.a) was overcome with grief and was not in the right state of mind, he began to threaten anyone, who mentioned the prophet’s (pbuh) death. Luckily Abu Bakr (r.a), spoke with a firm voice confirming, that in fact the prophet (pbuh) passed away, and that those who believe in Allah (swt) will know that he is the all-living. Although Umar (r.a) was grief struck, this brought him closure and calmed the fear of Muslims who were in his presence.

Umar (r.a) influence in establish Abu-Bakr as-Siddique (r.a) as the first caliph of Islam:

As mentioned briefly above panic and chaos erupted in Medina after the prophet (pbuh) death. Abu Bakr (r.a) and Umar (r.a) heard that the Ansar were looking to appoint a new caliph amongst them. The Muhaji’roun and the Ansar disputed which group should appoint the new caliph. After hours of dispute Umar (r.a) put forward many strong point’s why Abu Bakr (r.a) should be the Caliph, after delivering his points, Umar (r.a) raised Abu Bakr (r.a) hand and pledged allegiance. The Muhaji’roun and the Ansar quickly rushed to pledge allegiance.

Death of Abu-Bakr (r.a), Umar (r.a) appointed next caliph:

Umar (r.a) was a close advisor to Abu Bakr (r.a) during his two and half years as caliph. He spent most of his time assisting Abu Bakr (r.a). Amongst other things, it was through the assistance of Umar (r.a) that Abu Bakr (r.a) prevented those that memorised the Quran to participate in wars, there were now given the task to assist Zaid Ibn Thabit (r.a) to compile the Quran.

Unfortunately, Abu Bakr (r.a) passed away due to falling ill with fever. On his death bed he appointed Umar (r.a) as the next caliph.

Due to his very strong personality people felt Umar (r.a) would be a harsh ruler. So, Umar (r.a) who was self-conscious about this, did his best to ensure that he reduced his harshness, to make himself approachable to the ummah. As and when required, Umar (r.a) was firm with his followers, but his approach was normally measured by the scale of the issue that he was faced with.

Umar (r.a) as Caliph

Umar (r.a) reign as caliph was to be the longest of the Caliphitul Rashidun. His reign lasted 12 years and those 12 years brought in a great deal of success to Islam. It is narrated that the prophet once had a dream, in which he saw Abu Bakr (r.a) drawing buckets of water out of a well, it was described to have been very laboured; when Umar (r.a) had taken over, he drew water out of the well with great ease and strength, Umar (r.a) continued to do this for a long time. This dream would draw an image of how both Abu Bakr (r.a) and Umar (r.a) leadership would pan out in terms of years spent as caliph.

Expansion:

After Abu-Bakr (r.a) success in unifying the Najd under one religion, the job of expanding the empire became easier. After 12 years of successful military campaigns, Islam had spread from West (Tunisia) to the East (Khorasan aka Afghanistan, covering 25 countries. Islam was now a world power and had finally stamped it’s mark on the world under the leadership of Umar (r.a).

It was reported that an ambassador of the Roman Empire came to Medina bearing gifts. When the emperor had brought gifts for Umar (r.a), a letter was provided with these gifts, referring to him as the King. Umar (r.a) was very quick to address the matter that he was not a king rather he was a servant of the Muslims, who served as their leader. In any case, the gifts were accepted; however, the gifts which were full of gold and other such treasures, were directed to the Bayt-al-mal, for distribution for the ummah. Our Muslim rulers and ‘Kings’ should look at the leadership of Umar (r.a) to remind them how Muslim rulers would

Umar (r.a) – The Genius

Umar (r.a) without a doubt was a visionary and a pioneer. During his leadership, Umar (r.a) created many important institutions (Governments, Governors, Police, Courts, Tax Collector, and Administrations) which have been used as a model in all modern governments. The concept of Common Law in the UK was inspired by the works of Umar (r.a). A system which embellished justice for all its citizens

Umar (r.a) as leader created courts so that both applicants and defendants had a place to have their matters settled in front of a judge. Anyone that had undertaken a civic role were paid by Umar (r.a). Umar (r.a) would pay high salaries to ensure that people who were in those post would not be corruptible. Whilst he himself had reduced his own wages, even though his wage was chosen amongst the people.

Umar was also responsible for creating major roads leading to cities so that people looking for the city would feel assured that they were heading towards the right direction due to the area being built up. This was masterful and something new in Najd at the time.

The people of Qufa (City in Iraq) once requested that Umar (r.a) consent that he allow the citizens to increase the size of their houses. Upon surveying the situation, Umar (r.a) rejected their request, his reasoning was that, should the people increase the size of their houses, the more worldly they would become and ultimately their deen would be compromised.

Rulers today tend to be worse in character than the people they rule and this can be demonstrated by our present rulers. Umar (r.a) was the epitome of how a ruler should conduct himself. Umar was known for his harshness and would hold himself to the highest standard so that he could be held accountable to his people.

Umar (r.a) would spend the nights patrolling the street, visitor’s coming to Medina would be shocked when they found the ruler patrolling the street.

During the year of famine, Umar (r.a) came across a widow and her children who lived on the outskirt of Medina, she was visibly upset by her condition and even more concerned her children’s hunger, she complained about Umar (r.a) without knowing who Umar (r.a) was. He who was consumed by his guilt and the desire to honour his role as leader, personally walked all the way back to the city and personally carried loads of oat, barley and other provisions to the widow’s house. He personally cooked for the family and fed her children. The women later learned that the man was Umar (r.a)

Umar (r.a) visit to Jerusalem and improving Judo-Islamic relations!!

After successfully military expansion in to Jerusalem, Umar (r.a) worked on the Judo-Islamic relationship. Umar (r.a) visited the city and ordered the Temple Mount to be cleaned. This was a huge honour for the Jews as their holy-site was going to be renovated after 600 years. The Byzantines had previously left the Temple Mount in rubbish. Umar (r.a) and Umar (r.a) retained their dignity. He also ordered Jew families to move back to Jerusalem to co-habit with their Christian and Muslim brothers. Umar (r.a) commissioned the building of the mosque in Al-Aqsa and also sanctioned the extension of the prophet’s mosque in Medina and the Haram in Makkah.

Death-

Whilst leading Fajr Salah in Medina, Umar (r.a) was stabbed by his assassin. Umar (r.a) was stabbed several times, the most inflicting wound was to his stomach, Umar (r.a) died from his wounds three days later. Abu Lut-Lut (the assassin) who tried to escape, killed nine others and Injuring three whilst taking his own life. Little is known of his motives due to Lut-Lut taking his life. Uthman Ibn Affan (r.a) was elected the next caliph.

What we learn from Umar (r.a) life.

The life of Umar (r.a) is relatable for any age and generation. Umar (r.a) life teaches us that is never too late to change and it’s never too late to learn and be the best that you can be. From being the biggest enemy of Islam to becoming the immortalised. Umar (r.a) life demonstrates the power of du’ah, how du’ah changed the course of history, Umar (r.a) role in Islam has paved the way for Islam for the last 1400 years and continues to inspire both muslim’s and non-muslins. One last story which ultimately defines Umar (r.a) life is, is his fear of Allah (swt). The prophet (pbuh) once narrated that, one of the sahabas would be destined for hell-fire, the name of the Sahaba was not mentioned; however, the prophet (pbuh) had disclosed the name of the sahaba to Abu Hudaifa (r.a), but he was sworn to secrecy. Knowing that he (Umar r.a) was one of the promised 10 granted paradise, Umar (r.a) would still pester Abu Hudaifa (r.a), if it was him that was destined for hell fire. This story demonstrates to us that we should always try our best to strive for piety and always seek Allah (swt) pleasure. Never live your life as though you are owed something, surely those who seek Allah (swt) favour always strive humility rather than arrogance.

Istanbul – A 5 day journey across the fortress city.

Napoleon once famously stated ‘If the world was a single state, Istanbul would be the capital’. Napoleon’s praise for the city is a reflection of what millions think of this spectacular city today once they have made the visit.

Turkey is strategically based between three continents (Europe, Africa and Arabia & Asia), whilst also sharing the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean and Black sea. History teaches us that Istanbul has been a military and economical fortress for some of the mightiest empires in history. The Roman Empire, Byzantines and the Ottomans have used Istanbul as their hub and have profited hugely from this city in invading other territories. Whosoever, holds the key to the Bosphurus, owns the world. Constantinople (Istanbul) was the second capital of the mighty Roman Empire.

Each empire has left its mark on this great city. The Roman presence over the city is quite evident; the remnants of Roman cobbled roads, temples and churches can be found across city. However, the Ottoman influence in the past 500 years has left its own mark on the city.

The city of Istanbul city sits at the bed of the Bosphurus, with the river separating Istanbul across two continents, Europe and Asia. The only city in the world to be separated by two continents. A 20-minute boat trip from Eminonu Station takes you from Europe Istanbul to Asia Istanbul. A single fair will cost 7 liras which is close to 1 British pounds. The city is also known for the 7 hills which sits within the walls of the city, with each hill representing a famous mosque, university or other historical structure. Very similar to Rome.

Sultan Ahmet Mosque:
Referred to as the Blue mosque. Completed in 16th Century by Sultan Ahmet, the sultan ordered the making of the mosque to reassert Ottoman dominance across the city of Istanbul. The mosque imposes itself across the hills of Istanbul and is considered the most iconic sight of Turkey. The interior design is of carefully designed Islamic art across the ceiling and walls, the walls naturally light up giving it a blue effect. The mosque itself has 5 domes and 6 minarets which covers the outer structure of the mosque. The only other mosque with more minarets is the holy mosque in Makkah. Opposite the Sultan Ahmet sits the Hagia Sophia.

A view of the Blue Mosque from the Astara Bazaar entrance

A view of the Haggia Sophiafrom the gates of the Blue Mosque

This may sound cliché; my hotel was situated within a two-minute walk from the blue mosque. Our route to the blue mosque involved us passing through Arasta Bazaar. The Arasta bazaar is a parade of 40 picturesque shops consisting of Turkish sweet shops, spice stores, traditional Turkish cafes, clothes and souvenirs shops. The Bazar itself was previously a horse stable for Ottoman Horses.

Hagia Sophia:
Upon leaving the Sultan Ahmet Mosque a gate separates you from the court yard which leads to the Hagia Sophia (approximately a two-minute mosque). The residential court yard is used to soak-up some of the breath-taking views of the two mosques whilst also presenting you the opportunity to take some fantastic shots of both mosques. Istanbul is a city covered with mysticism but you can genuinely feel a positive energy between both mosques. Was it a hallucination or the placebo effect in full force?

Top left of the domed ceiling of the Virgin Mary and a Circle Tablet of Allah (SWT) name, several other circled tablets can be found in the main hall

With its four minarets and its huge dome that covers the circumference of the building. The Hagia Sophia demands it presence to its equal, Sultan Ahmet mosque. Much simpler in its design compared to Sultan Ahmet mosque; however, still an amazing sight.

Created in 300 BC, the Hagia Sophia was initially an Eastern-Orthodox church. However, centuries later, the Orthodox church converted to a Cathedral; several centuries later under the rule of the Ottoman’s, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque.

Roof not a Dome?
Up until the 16th century, the Hagia Sophia was a traditional medieval European church. However, the Ottomans converted the roof in to a dome and gave its own Ottoman identity.

Neither a mosque or church…
The founder father of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Attarturk, ordered the Hagia Sophia to be preserved as a museum rather than a place of worship. Christianity, Islam or Secularism take your pick?

Once you enter the grand hall of the mosque, centuries of Christ-o-Islamic history can be felt in every slab, brick, art, colour and architecture which decorates the two-tiered gallery of worship. Several domes are embossed across the ceiling with fine Islamic art; at the foot of the dome, a perfectly drawn picture of the Virgin and Child is drawn. Other such pictures of baby Christ and the Virgin Mary can be found on the second floor. The corner of each pillar is covered by huge round tablets detailing the name of Allah(SWT), Muhammad (PBUH) and his Sahabas (apostles). The colours of all the ceilings were crowned in gold, giving it a strong sense of royalty across the mosque. One could imagine that the sultan and his closes advisors would have been regular visitors during their rule.

The walk way leading to the second floor takes you back a few centuries. Dark walk ways lit with the smallest flames and huge pebbled stones on all fours greeting you to the second floor. The second-tier gallery brings you closer to the art work so that you can really appreciate the artist craftsmanship. Views of the Blue Mosque can be seen through the mini-windows that are perfectly positioned opposite Sultan Ahmet mosque.

Top Kapi Palace Museum:

Top Kapi Castle was the home of the Sultan and head-quarters of the Ottoman government. A lot of the Ottoman Empire and it overseas territories would have been discussed within the confines of these walls. The Castle is beautifully designed from the palace quarters, gardens and court yards. A lot of detail has gone in to designing this grandeur palace. A grand gate guards you from the palace. Before the guarded gates were to detract intruders, now the guarded gates are used to stop people entering who don’t have tickets.

A lot of the palace displays where the Sultan and his governors would spend most of their days. There are also building displaying the history of the Ottomans; art, fine weaponry and Islamic relics.

There is a huge Sufi influence in Turkey and there is no exception to Istanbul. There is a demand for keeping relics. A lot of people buy in to some of the relics on display but I just couldn’t get my head around crying, seeing an alleged staff that belonged to the prophet Musa (PBUH), was it really his staff. Is the staff more important or his word?

The governors room where the Sultan’s advisor’s would have their meetings.

Grand Bazar

Two or Three tram stops from the Sultan Ahmet leads you to the Grand Bazaar. One of the largest and oldest opened markets in the world. The Grand Bazar has over 4000 shops covering across 61 streets. A lot of the architectural design has been preserved and it has the presence of a place which serves its place in history. Everything and anything can be brought in the Grand Bazaar. Rich in colour sulked up in every day Turkish trade, with over 500, 000 visitors a day, the overwhelming nature of the market can easily make you spend hours exploring.

The Prayer Hall stairs and the Ikama’s prayer pulpit

With loads of roads, rows and isles (little and small) within the market, it is very easy to get lost in the Bazaar. Once you are lost it can feel like a mirage, all the shops and isles can look the same, even the most vigilant have fallen victim to loosing themselves within the confines market.

*If you get a chance, try to visit the mosque within the bazaar, am sure there are more than a couple. One mosque I came across, had stairs leaning out in to the market, supporting a small hut with a mic. I saw a man skilfully making his way up the steps, he turned out to be the Muadhim (caller for prayer), he sounded out the Adhaan (call for prayer). There was another small unassuming stair’s next to the Muadhim’s stage, the narrow steps lead to a spacious two-tiered mosque.

One of the many row’s of the Grand Bazaar

Spice Bazar

The Spice Bazar AKA the Egyptian market is adjacent to the Grand Bazaar. Not as big as the grand bazaar. However, the columns carefully shaped arches, each symmetrical to the other really spaces out the market. The coloured chandeliers along with the light, really gives the bazar a radiant feel. Each bazaar has its own character even though the same merchandise is being sold across all shops. Turkish Delight displayed across the back walls covering most colours of the colour spectrum. Whilst the front of the stores is covered by spices, pretty balls of Jasmine and dried coloured flowers. The distinct smell of the bazaar can effortlessly make you hallucinate whilst also making your wallet lighter.

The Turkish Delight on display covering all colour spectrums

Golata Towers

Golata Towers is practically a huge lighthouse currently aged 600-year-old. In all honesty, the brick work and roofing of the tower is spectacular. Sitting at a prominent hill top, Golata Tower imposes itself over the city, at the time it was the tallest structure in Istanbul. The purpose of the towers, was to safeguard the city of incoming threats through land and water. Most definitely worth a visit once you make it to the top. A fantastic panoramic view of the city with a restaurant inside so you can relax whilst taking in the view.

Panoramic View of the city on top of Golata Towers

Taksim Square

Taksim square is the equivalent to Bond Street. If your missing London and are fed up of eating the local food, Taksim Square is the place. A tourist hotspot, all the retail outlets are at your peril and so are all the food chains and fancy hotels. Like most other countries outside of London most recognisable brands are considerably cheaper. I never managed to visit Taksim Square during the night, however, I was told that there are some fantastic roof top restaurants to visit. The Old tram system still runs through the city. Very similar to vintage trams which run through Lisbon. I

Food:

Now there’s a mix response in respect to Turkish food. Some people absolutely love the food and others who did not like it at all. I personally think the food lacked flavour and spices. However, the fresh fish served up well, the prices were extremely fair in accordance to the portion size. I will be sticking to my local Turkish, Istanbul next to Tooting Bec. Fantastic food with great service. Deserves a visit

Meshur Eminonu Balik

Am assuming this must mean open boat fish restaurant. Well in any case, they serve a variety of fresh fish baps, which extremely tasty. I personally requested more onions and doused it with lemons. Worth a visit. Right next to Golata Bridge, not too far from Eminonu Station.

2.Golata Bridge Restaurants

Golata Bridge has several restaurants all which serve good fish dishes. In all honesty you have to be a terrible cook to mess up a fish dish. Nevertheless, all the restaurant on Golata bridge serve the same food. Different name, same food!!

People:
Like with major cities across the world. The people are hit and miss but it would be unfair to say that the people of Istanbul represent the whole of Turkey. Some people were extremely pleasant and others who were not as pleasant.

Sufism:
Turkey is heavily influenced by Sufism; a lot art and design is Sufi inspired. Quite often tour guides will mention that the architecture of mosques and buildings, were artist and engineers inspired by Sufism. Most of the mosques are full of tombs of ‘saints’, Allah (SWT) knows best, avoid the grave worshipping as this is shirk.

Animal Friendly:

If you are an Ailurophile (cat lovers), then Istanbul is the city crying out for you. It is impossible to not spot cats in Istanbul. There are thousands walking, climbing, running and sleeping everywhere. Allhumdulilah all the cats were well fed and are extremely human friendly. The dogs are also equally treated to the same privilege.

Other recommendations:
Suleymeniye Mosque – Beautiful mosque with beautiful overseeing the Grand Bazaar and the Bosphorus River Boat tour.
Rumeli Hisari Fort – First fort which was erected by the Ottomans.
Ortakoy Mosque- A beautiful mosque on the banks of the Bosphurus. A cab journey is required.

Ortakoy Mosque on the Banks of Bosphorus river with the Bosphurus Bridges in the backgroud

Tips:
Keep hold of a wireless mobile charger
Walking Trainers as there is loads of walking involved
Haggle especially with the cabs always bargain 10 liras less. Uber is no longer available

Who is the best Heavyweight in Boxing currently?

Who is the best Heavyweight in Boxing currently?Unless you’re an avid boxing fan, very rarely do boxers or boxing matches whispers it’s way in to small talk. The resurrection of the heavyweight division since 2015 has sparked life and much needed energy in to the division. Majority of the public have been gripped by the level of fights which have been made available since the fall of Wladmir Klitschko that night in Germany 4 years back.

Tyson Fury the huge underdog going in to the fight was given very little chance against a Wladmir Klitschko who had an iron fist over the division for 13 years. Wladmir, has won 23 out of 25 World Title fights, which puts him only second behind Joe Luis in terms of most consecutive world title defences in the heavyweight division, only behind Joe Louis.

Tyson Fury won the fight convincingly pushing his way to a shock unanimous points decision and becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, a turn of events had taken place in Tyson Fury’s personal life, resulting in Fury having to relinquish his four world titles.

AJ (Anthony Joshua) the golden boy of UK and Heavyweight boxing was on the rise. Whilst still only 15 fights a professional, an opportunity had presented itself to Joshua, to claim one of the four world titles. In his own admission a ‘novice’ in the pro-ranks, Joshua accepted the challenge to face world champion, Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title. Although Joshua was a champion in the making, no one at ringside expected Charles Martin to be dispatched within the first round. It was debatable whether AJ broke a sweat but nevertheless he was the IBF champion.

AJ has held the boxing world at ransom after his dramatic win in Wembley in 2016. In what is considered one of the greatest fights of 21th Century AJ went on to beat Wladmir Klitshcko in dramatic style, after both fighters touched the canvas in the earlier rounds, the older fighter (Wladmir) went on to dominate the remainder of the fight. What seemed like a routine Wladmir victory, the fight quickly turned on its head. Wladmir was caught spectacularly with a right upper cut and it was not too long after that AJ was being lofted as the undisputed heavyweight champ in front on 90,000 hysterical fans in Wembley.

Since adding the WBA title. Joshua added the WBO strap to his list of titles by beating Joseph Parker. In a such a short period of time, Joshua has had a string of impressive victories taking on all comers, whilst also making a lot of money from the sport. His spot as the number one heavyweight was not in question. However, a much-anticipated fight with the WBC world champion Deontay Wilder has been mooted several times. For one reason or another the fight has not materialised.

Deontay Wilder

Quite possibly the deadliest puncher in the sports history. Deontay has a staggering 39 KO’s in 41 fights. Not your typical heavyweight; Deontay could easily pass off as a Basketball player, however, should he manage to land the betting odds would normally favour you to remain unconscious. Not gifted as the best boxer, Deontay has the power to knock you out in any round.

Putting all the praise to one-side. Deontay has been criticised for the level of opposition that he has fought. Up until the Luis Ortiz fight, there was not many fights on his record which you could give him praise for. Wilder’s first real test as an elite fighter came against the returning Tyson Fury. Considering Wilder’s impressive power and knockout ratio, Tyson Fury went in to the fight as a huge underdog. Always one to change the script, Fury managed to dominate the fight, however, two knockdowns dented his hopes, ultimately the fight lead to a controversial draw. Majority at ringside had Fury winning the fight.

Deontay Wilder displaying his ferocious power with a devastating first round knockout against Bimerne Stiverne in their rematch.

A rematch has been ordered by the WBC whilst also recommending that Fury should receive the lion’s share of the purse. A purse bid has been ordered for the fight, however, nothing else has been reported.

Tyson Fury:

There is almost something Ali-esque about this man. Charismatic, outspoken and always willing to defy the odds. The other thing that Fury and Ali share, they both beat the most dominant men in the division and never lost their title in the ring.

Fury V Klitschko, 28 November 2015 – Fury defied the odds with a comprehensive win against Wladmir Klitschko.

Since that famous night in Dusseldorf where Tyson Fury dethroned Wladmir Klitschko. Fury’s mental health had taken a dip resulting in him drinking heavily and abusing drugs. The near suicidal Fury had his licence revoked and all his title stripped of him by the sanctioning bodies.

After two and bit years. Fury excited boxing fans by returning to the ring in August. The ‘lineal champ’ was extremely out of shape weighing close to 27 Stones. Tyson Fury fought against a virtual unknown in German-Albanian fighter, Seferi. Considering his two-year layout, a couple of tune-up of this nature were much needed. He despatched his opponent with relative ease. Francesco Panetta was lined up; Fury did not amaze but went the full distance. Although many in attendance were not impressed with the lineal champ but those rounds were hugely important to a man who had not fought actively for two and bit years. Surely Wilder or Joshua would not be next?

Fury did the unimaginable by taking on Deontay Wilder. Dubbed as a huge underdog in the fight, Fury was defying the odds in the fight. He ducked and dived around Wilder’s shots and danced around him throughout most of the fight. Other than the flash knockdown in 9th round and a thunderous knockdown in the 12th round. Up until the ref six count, Fury was unconscious, how he managed to make it before the 10 count is something that will talked back for years to come. Muhammad Ali did something similar when he fought Frazier when he was hit with a peach left hook in the 12th round, Ali miraculously managed to make it to his feet.

Ali v Frazier I, 1971 at Madison Square Garden- Frazier catches Ali with a left in the 12th round in a fight which he dominates

Who is Number One?

Like any fighter competing at that level; Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder all have laid claim to being number one in the division. The number one heavyweight in the division will only be established once all three fighters face one another.

At this stage, I believe Anthony Joshua is currently the number one heavyweight in the division for many reasons. Joshua has accomplished a lot since taking up the sport in 2008. He has become a world champion in less than 20 fights, and defended/unified the heavyweight title within 22 fights, whilst also facing 3 world champions and breaking several box office records. These are staggering numbers considering he has only had 60 fights both amateur and professional.

Joshua has come under a lot of criticism for ducking Wilder or Fury. What people forget that he has fought Martin, Whyte, Molina, Klitschko Brezeale, Parker, Takam, Povetkin. With greatest of respect Wilder or Fury have not fought opponents of that level. Secondly, Wilder became a world champion in January 2015, why didn’t he challenge Klitschko for all the world titles before Fury and Joshua ? That tends to fall under the radar quite often.
This one was very close and I have debated this several times with people. Tyson fury is second at this current stage. Tyson, has many similarities Ali, in terms of out spoken and charismatic personality. Like Ali, Fury has been marred with more controversy outside of the ring than inside. Both Ali and Fury were huge underdogs going in to the biggest fighters of their careers and they have always come out on top.

Deontay Wilder showed the world his heart and his power against Ortiz and Fury. The script could have been different had Fury not managed to make the 10 count. However, history did not favour Wilder that night. I do not think that he can be number one at this point until he beats Fury and Joshua. AJ’s résumé of opponents has been impressive considering he has had close to 65 fights as an amateur and a professional. What he has accomplished as professional is unbelievable. For this reason, I could not consider any heavyweight above Anthony Joshua at this stage.

Malcolm X-  A life which can engage a new generation of thinking Muslims

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*This blog is dedicated to my good friend Aimal Yousafzai Khan, may Allah (swt) keep you steadfast in faith and knowledge.

*A copy of Malcolm X’s Biography can be purchased from Kindle or most bookstores.

Malcolm X in the United Kingdom- Malcolm was invited to Smethwick, Birmingham to champion the right for ethnic’s to buy properties. This particular area in the UK had this problem.

The issue!!

In my observation, the issue with the modern-day Muslim is a concoction of ignorance and a lack of interest. Considering the sensitive times that we live in, one would imagine that the Muslim community should be the most pro-active thinkers in society. The rise in Islamophobia has spiked considerably since 9/11 and other terror-related incidents have further strengthened the negative stereotype of the average law-abiding citizens that wishes to co-exist in this society.

Since the rise of Islamophobia, we are seeing a spike in the number of Islamic-hate preachers rising to prominence, individual’s like Tommy Robinson and groups far-right groups like Britain’s First have manipulated the situation to forward their own agenda. People like Tommy and Britain First have an audience that have genuine concerns about Islam. Unfortunately, the media (narrative creators) have also fuelled the fire in supporting this rhetoric. With the growing popularity of the right-wing fascist, what should young Muslim’s be doing?

The thought process with the average human is, if it’s not on my doorstep, it is not my concern? The question is, why wait for danger when you have every chance of averting it? Considering we (Muslims) call ourselves the standard bearers, we are not as pro-active as we should be in knowing our own responsibility towards our society.

The other issue that we have with the Muslim community, is that we either have people who excel academically or those that solely focus on Islam. Notwithstanding the above, there are Muslims within our community that can balance both, but those brothers and sisters are few and far between.

The wider society lacks emotional intelligence. However, in our communities, there is an endemic issue with the way we deal with one another. As a community, we are very quick to judge a person/situation, rather than taking a step back to observe the situation to find a pragmatic solution. Being judgemental is innate in all humans, however, the degree in which we make these judgments, and the way we manifest our thoughts on those judgements, is essentially the measuring stick of how judgemental we are.

It was not too long ago that I spoke to a well-reputed Sheikh. I had a question for the him. After forwarding my question to the sheikh, he responded back with a question to my question. The Sheikh’s question was quite patronising as it was based on a preconceived judgement of how I look. Had it been someone who looked more Muslim, would the sheikh have answered my question straight away, or would he have asked a patronising question? I guess the latter is neither here or there? I think the greater question is, what does a Muslim look like? Maybe that’s a response for another blog. The crux of this situation Is that our youth have become disenfranchised by the learned within our community because they dress or look a certain way?

Selective Outrage endemic!!!

The last issue that I would like to touch upon is society’s craze for celebrities. Throughout the last decade, celebrities have used social-network as their platform to address socio-political and economic issues. The Kony and the ALS Ice Bucket challenge being two that have struck out for me in recent times.. People were in their numbers sharing their outrage of Peter Kony, and millions were spent nominating five names throwing buckets of Ice Cold water over themselves, in the aid of raising awareness of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Like millions of others, I was unaware of what ALS was. The question is why the selective choice of awareness?

Saying that I don’t doubt any of these celebrity’s intentions but the question remains, why do we need celebs to raise awareness? Should we not be more self-aware, or do these concerns only make sense if a celebrity champions the cause?

We as a community need to be more holistic in our understanding of the world and its problems. The issue that we currently face as an ummah, is that we are not pro-active in our understanding of Islam, yet we want to be ‘bastions’ for our faith when it comes under criticism.

Malcolm X:

Malcolm X was a leading figure in the Civil Rights movement during 1950 to 1960s in America. Malcolm first shot to fame when he was part of the NOI (Nation of Islam), his presence had a rippling effect across the country with loads of black-African/American converting to NOI.

Considering his overreaching influence within the Nation, many within the hierarchy of NOI became envious of Malcolm’s popularity. It was not too long after, Malcolm would be ousted by Elijah Mohammed for violating orders, in respect of speaking about President Kennedy’s death.

The famous ‘chicken’s coming home to roost’ statement was an act of defiance in the eyes of Elijah Mohammed. The Chicken coming home to roost fiasco had very little part to play in Malcolm’s removal, however, this was only a subtext to Malcolm’s removal from the nation. The fear of Elijah’s extra marital affairs was known amongst the hierarchy of the NOI (including Malcolm), if this had become common knowledge amongst his followers, people would have revolted against the NOI. And here lay the issue?

Rags to Riches?

Malcolm was one of 10 children of Earl and Helen Little. Both his parents were activist against white oppression. Whilst Malcolm was 6 his father was allegedly murdered by the black legion (white supremacist group), shortly after his father’s death, Malcolm’s mother was sectioned in a mental institute. Malcolm’s siblings were separated and they were all adopted in to different homes. Malcolm whilst adopted, excelled in school, however, he had dropped out of school at an early age; a race related incident played its part. It was not too long before Malcolm left Lansing Michigan to pursue a life in New York. Malcolm adapted to New York street life and engaged in all sorts of criminal activity, ranging from prostitution to armed robbery etc. Malcolm criminal life ended abruptly when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery and other such demeanours.

Whilst still un-repentant in prison. Malcolm came across a fellow black prisoner who was different from any black man that he had come across. This man never touched alcohol, never smoked and did not engage in worldly matters like the rest. Rather he was eloquent in speech, well informed and extremely disciplined. This man was a member of the NOI and had made a huge impression on Malcolm; it was not too long after that Malcolm embraced the NOI.

A new revamped Malcolm, with a new purpose for life; Malcolm was thirsty for knowledge. The remaining seven years of Malcolm’s time in prison was invested in reading and learning. Malcolm’s eyesight became affected by the vast volume of books he was reading, resulting in Malcolm being prescribed glasses. In addition to reading, Malcolm consciously worked on his writing skills; Malcolm’s writing style was compared to that of a professor.

After Malcolm’s release from prison. An incident had taken place in Brooklyn, in which a fellow NOI brother was assaulted by a police officer and later taken to police custody. Malcolm managed to use people power and his own influence to have his fellow brother released from prison and to be treated at a local hospital for his wounds. Never had the NYPD seen a black man have a co-ordinated influence over a group of black people in this state. Malcolm became a person of interest in New York. It would not take Malcolm too long to leave his mark on the world!

Elijah used Malcolm’s influence to forward his own agenda. Malcolm was up and down the country in lecture halls, radio station and TV studios conveying his views and debating his opinion. Through Malcolm’s efforts, the nation rapidly expanded across the U.S. People within the nation grew envious of Malcolm’s position and it was not to long after that he would be ousted by Elijah Muhammed.

Malcolm was now out in the wilderness with his wife and four children. It had taken years for Malcolm to find something and now he was removed by this ‘divine’ man that he once loved and trusted the most. Any other person, under those circumstances, would have deviated, not Malcolm though. Malcolm went to Hajj (Saudia Arabia) to seek the real Islam. What he found was in stark contrast to the black supremacist Islam that Elijah had falsely preached.

Malcolm’s pilgrimage through the holy lands taught him that Islam has no colour-bias, prejudice or discrimination. These were only Western issues. Malcolm’s conviction of his faith was revived and he was now a believer of the Sunnah. What also helped Malcolm was his travel through Africa. Africa taught Malcolm how rich Africa was in sense of culture, history and religion. Africa was always civilised, the imperialist masters decivilized, a civilised continent. This brought absolute resolve for an absolute man.

Not too long after returning. Malcolm X movement was about black betterment through black efforts. Malcolm was now willing to work with other civil-right’s leaders like Martin Luther King to solve black issues. Prior to this, Malcolm did not engage with other prominent black civil rights leaders, as Elijah had restricted him. Malcolm also accepted that not all whites were part of the problem.

Malcolm X departs:

Elijah was not very happy of Malcolm’s new-found belief in Islam, it wouldn’t be too long before Elijah would try to silence Malcolm forever, in the fear that people would follow Malcolm towards the Sunnah. On 21 February 1965, after 16 attempts of his life in one year, Malcolm was assassinated by members of the NOI.

Malcolm’s Legacy, similarities to Umar (r.a)?

*By no stretch of the imagination would I compare Malcolm X’s life to Umar (R.A), however, it would be crazy not to observe the similarities.

For one, both Malcolm and Umar were involved in jahiliya (ignorance) lifestyle prior to embracing their respective faiths. When Malcolm and Umar (r.a) did finally embrace the faith, they were the best of followers. Their convictions in faith were unshakable and not comprisable, these men rose amongst their peers. Both Malcolm and Umar (r.a) in their respective faiths became influential figures over such a short period of time. Malcolm’s influence lead to millions following him across the USA, and Umar (r.a) influence oversaw 25 countries during his caliphate.

Ultimately Malcolm’s popularity in spreading the truth came at a price. A price which ultimately cost him his life. In one calendar year, 16 attempts were made at Malcolm’s life, one which would eventually bring an end to his life. Both Malcolm and Umar would be martyred.

Malcolm’s death, nearing similarities to Uthman (r.a) death.

Uthman (r.a) was martyred in his own house. The murder of Uthman was writing on the wall. Muhammed (PBUH) prophecised that Uthman (r.a) would be martyred whilst he was a leader. Years from that prophecy, Uthman (r.a) would be martyred by his own people. Uthman could have survived the plot as the whole of Medina would have protected him, however, he refused to divide an Ummah and refused to be the reason of initiating the first fitnah in Islam. The brutal murderers eventually had taken Uthman’s (r.a) whilst he was in his house.

If we were to examine Malcolm’s death you could draw similarities to Uthman’s (r.a) death. Once again, the time, reason and situation for the two deaths are worlds apart. What we can extrapolate from these two great individuals, is that they did not fear their death and their belief (Imaan) was unshakable even from death itself. Malcolm was in the middle of a lecture when three men from the NOI had sprayed several bullets through Malcolm. The impact of the shots resulted in Malcolm being pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. What is fascinating about this situation is that Malcolm could have prevented his own death. However, Malcolm refused to have anyone searched which ultimately resulted in his death.

Those closest to Malcolm realised that he felt that the end was near. A week prior to his death, Malcolm declared himself a dead man on a radio station. Similarly, Uthman (r.a) himself had a dream in which Muhammad (PBUH) had invited him to break bread with him, Umar and Abu-Bakr (r.a). It is evident that both martyrs were relentless in their belief and were not in fear of being murdered.

How many players do you know?

Going back to the beginning, a lot of the role-models in today’s society are people within the entertainment industry. Other than filling their own pockets and providing entertainment, what have they provided for the betterment of society? The question I always ask the brothers who have an interest in football, how many players do you know from your football team and where do they come from? Then pose the next question, how many sahabas do you know and what were their qualities?

This is not a superiority contest of Islamic knowledge, rather it is a way to reflect; as to where we are, and where we need to be.

What is my proposal?

My issue has always been the celebrity craze that we all follow. It would also be a lie to say that am also subject to this as well.

For the mentioned reasons. I would propose that Muslims should make an active engagement in reading. Reading is quintessential to the existence of a Muslim. There is wisdom behind reading; not only does it enhance your understanding but it also reduces our ignorance.

Allhumdulilah, our primary source is the Quran. However, Allah (SWT) also instructs us to learn from our brothers in humanity (people of all faiths and non-faiths). When we learn from our brother’s; it is important to take the good and reject which is bad from them.

The first verses revealed to Muhammed (PBUH) was Iqra (read). Now the word Iqra is mentioned twice in this verse. Allah (SWT) orders Muhammad (PBUH) to seek knowledge from the Quran and man himself. This verse goes back to what I was mentioning earlier in this blog. We as Muslims either go one way or the other. It’s either we lose ourselves in the dunya (world) or we overburden ourselves with the deen.

There is nothing worse than a person who is ignorant. For when an ignorant person is provided with the Haq (truth) he will still appeal to cognitive dissonance or illogical fallacy. A seeker of knowledge will never turn away from the truth.

Brother Malcolm X in the last ten years of his life achieved so much because he wanted to make that change. His life is a lesson that we can all strive for greatness should we make the effort. Granted we may not scale the same heights, but we can make a conscious effort of making that change. If, every one of us, was to make the effort to change, as a community we could achieve great things, whilst also bridging the gap within our communities.

I often hear a lot of Muslims saying, ‘it is too late for me am old now’ or ‘I have sinned too much’. Brothers and Sisters look at the lives of Malcolm X and Umar (r.a), they both found their path’s in their 30’s, surely this is a sign, that too late is never.

To all our younger brothers who are still impressionable. Do not feel like you have failed. Continue to enjoy your life to the fullest but be steadfast in your belief and never stop reading and searching for the truth.

Let’s not resort to violence and forward the media narrative. Let our actions and mouths speak the kindest and wisest of words so that we can change the hearts of those who have ill-feeling towards our faith. The golden years were only successful because the Muslim’s were the best amongst the knowledgeable in all aspects of life. They never limited themselves to one understanding, they could accommodate their understanding across various sects of society to spread the message. Malcolm X is the perfect example of a 20^th century Muslim, who had his fair share of 20th-century struggles and could change it around in all fronts.

Please Share if this has benefitted you or you feel will benefit others.

Part 5: Mission Hajj complete, flue,Horror at Jeddah and Farewell!!!

Day 20 (25 August 2018):

Without a doubt the best sleep I have had since being in Saudi. Although my virus was terrible. Practically the whole of our group was affected.

I managed to go jummah with Muhammad Muridi and the Travel Express worker at Rajhi Masjid. First time I had experienced a car without A/C. The experience was unforgiving but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt like this would make me realise how lucky we really were throughout our time in Saudi.

After Jummah the Travel Express lads invited me for lunch. Myself, Shiraz, Muhammad Muridi, Bashir Snr & Jnr, Mohammed Egyptian, Aasman, Qasim, Umar and the Sheikh indulged on an amazing fish plater. I loved every moment of that dish and was grateful for the invite. The Sheikh left promptly after. Throughout my trimp I used to observe the Sheikh. The way he walked, talked and just the way he conducted himself..

My cold/flue had picked up in the evening. Nevertheless, we had to perform our Ifraad tawaf (Hajj Tawaf). Practically the whole group went to the Haram to compete our final tawaf. I was adamant that my mum follows the rules so I stuck to Group Leader C like a leach. *By this time, I realised that Aasman, our group leader was clearly not interested in leading his group or even helping others. Allhumdulilah, there were 8 of us with the group leader, and we all managed to complete our tawaaf. This was the only time where I could recite all my dua’s and prayers without having to constantly chase mum.

After finally completing our tawaaf everyone embraced one another. I was extremely numb at this point. Not knowing what to do or say. I just went over to my mum and embraced her. I gave her a kiss on the cheeck. I thanked her. If it was not for my mum persistence this would have never happened. I was invited by Allah (SWT) to complete this journey. How fortunate? How Lucky was I? People save up for a lifetime and sell all their lands to complete this journey.

A few tears rolled down my eyes as my throat thickened up. This was obviously in isolation from the group and far from my mother. I was hugely proud of her. All I remember saying to her was, this was a new start and that a pledge was made to Allah (SWT) for change, and we should honour this.

We went Five guys after and it was totally worth it even though I had a terrible sore throat. Never have I tried a better burger or milkshake. I met a young man named Zaim (One Call). He seemed like a pleasant young man so I decided to converse with him. We had a brief 5-minute conversation and then we went our own ways.

We ate our food at the Hyatt Regency which was our meeting point. The place filled up with One Call and Travel Express Guys. Everyone embraced and hugged one another. I pinched myself, this was real, we had completed our Hajj. Q didn’t finish his tawaaf, am not going to specify my reason, but it was funny and he also saw the funny side.

Late night Tea

Bed time.

Day 21 (25 August 2018)

Abdul-Shahid (A family relative from our village in Bangladesh) was contacting me several times as he wanted to meet up. He lived in Jeddah and made his way to Makkah. Unfortunately, his driver was incapable of making it to our compartment even though I sent him my location.

Q, his wife and my mum were planning to go for tawaf in the haram later that night. Considering I was still struggling from my flue, I said that I would not be going.

My mum decided in the eveninng that she was going so I had no choice in the matter. I decided that I would meet with Abdul-Shaheed if he was about. I managed to meet him next to Burger King opposite the Haram. We embraced with a hug. He was totally shocked when he met me. I spoke for a good 30 to 40 minutes where very few words were returned, he was in total shock and did not make for good conversation. We had taken a couple of photos and I decided to head back to the Haram. Only issue, I had no phone to contact my mum.

Q, his wife and mum were looking to go for tawaf in the haram. Considering I was still struggling from the flue and I was still feeling weak, I said that I would not be going.

After searching the Haram for a good half an hour, I managed to bump in to Imran and Amar near the Zam Zam area. Amar was going to perform Sai, so, Imran decided that we should a grab bite to eat in the Clock-Tower. Imran was suffering from home sickness. I was quite shocked as Imran’s body language always suggested otherwise. Imran disclosed some of the trauma that he had suffered whilst he was there. Myself and Imran bonded as I suffered afraction of what he was subjected to for three weeks.

*We also bumped in to Sheikh Suleman Ghani who was aimlessly walking around the food court. I managed to get a photo with him.

Finally, I was able to get hold of my mum and Q’s wife . They met us at the restaurant where me and Imran were seated. I was feeling so unwell and this was visible for everyone to see. Without vocalising my feeelings, I was appealing to mum and Q’s wife logic to call it a night. None of them did. So, I had drugged myself up and threw in a Vitamin C to keep me going. My mum was driving me insane, running around doing the tawaaf. I wanted to say something but I lost the will to raise my voice. In one hand I wanted to do the tawaf’s because I wanted to get all my dua’s in, on the other hand, my body was giving up on me.

Coming close to Fajr at around 3:30pm we finished our final tawaf. Q’s wife still was discontent because she couldn’t pray in the Hateem (Semi-Circle of the Hajj). So enough was enough. I marvelled my way until we were positioned for them to pray 2 nafl in the Hateem. I was having not having No for an answer. At this present time I was not listening to anybody; both women now were in the middle of some of the mess that I was trying to keep them away from for the last 10 day but I was a man on a mission!!!

People were pushing and barging; the force could have had someone seriously injured. I dodged and dived most of it but the women were not as physically apt as me and were struggling. Eventually, after a struggle, we got to the Hateem, but it was cordoned off. Sod’s law.

I then decided we were going to pray right near the haram. Q’s wife and mum panicked, they were afraid of the melee. I stood firm on my decision. I marshalled our way until we were in front of the haram. I let both the women touch the haram and then we prayed 2 nafl. Q’s wife prayed 2 nafl and she made dua, tears were running down her face as she muttered a thank you. My firm decision making in this particular situation paid off.

Fajr was completed and I made everyone wait until I was able to exchange money. Probably a bad decision looking back at it now considering it had taken us three hours to exchange the money. There was only one person working in the exchnage which piled our misery, also women customers were given priority. Say what you want about the Saudi’s, women are given more priority then men.

Day 22 (26 August 2018)

We stayed up for breakfast, I drugged myself with medicine and then I went to sleep. I had a nice-long warm shower and I felt like a new man. I refused any day-outs with the usual’s and mum. I sat in my favourite place and blogged away; Shiraz saw me and leapt at the chance to bug me about one thing or another. I felt like I was in a good place so it was all good.

Q asked me again if I wanted to go Souk Salam with him, his wife and my mother and I totally refused. I wanted to do things at my pace now. The last three weeks had drained me and I was mentally/physically tired.

Rahul and Sameer were going Makkah Mall. They kindly invited me to join them for McDonald’s. It was a good time to hang out with Rahul and Sameer. Both brothers were fantastic. After Baskins and Robins we made our way back to the compartment. Me and Rahul bonded, our family lives were similar, it was nice to relate with him. I bonded well with Amir, Rahul and Samir during that time. Apart from being fantastic people they liked football and enjoyed a bit of banter.

I made it in time for the One Call lecture. Yasin Bhai kindly invited me to his post-hajj lecture. This was my third lecture that I attended. As always, the lectures were very informative and impassioned. Yasin Bhai really struck home with his message. Ever stone was turned in his 45-minute talk. I really gained a lot from his talk and it propelled me to ensure that I had to change when I came back from Hajj.

After the talk, there was still another hour to go before Maghrib. I went outside to warm up in the Saudi heat. My sidekick (Shiraz) was quick to follow with his bottle of water. He was telling me about something or another and I always listened. Abu Eesa, came out with his little entourage that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Shiraz proposed a dare that he would ask Abu Eesa some awkward questions. I

The dare was not really given my approval, he was gone before I could give my consent. I watched the conversation for a couple of minutes before it descended in to a water fight. In all honesty, Abu Eesa saw the funny side and started recording the water fight. I had taken a liking to him. But I was always confused why most of his group members never smiled.

Maghrib came and went. Mum was back and Q had a huge grin. It was nice to see the brother happy. I had an awesome day too. I felt fully energized. My throat infection had calmed down and things were on the up.

I spent time with Q and Mo in the reception area. At around 11:30pm whilst I was blogging, Nottingham aunty and uncle came down stairs dressed up. They informed me that they were going to perform there Ifraad tawaf tonight with a couple that said they were going to take them. After 45 minutes they were still sat with me. It became obvious that they had been stood up. Aunty and Uncle were both in their 60’s or 70’s and their health was not in the best way. I told them to go to bed and that I would inform Travel Express staff so that they could organize someone to assist them tommorow. Just to put their hearts at ease I showed them the message.

To my surprise,the boys in the room were up. I spoke with Sheikh Husayn at length. The more time we spent together the closer we got. He was a cool guy and I felt like I could learn so much from him. After all he was a graduate of the famous Al-Azhar academy.

We both had a herbal hot-drink before we sounded off to sleep.

Goodnight

Day 23 (27 August 2018)

Our last full day in Saudi before our return to good old Blighty. A few things had to be completed before Maghrib including a tawaf at the Haram.

Overall, I had enjoyed almost every single day of my journey. I have met some fantastic people throughout my time here and really look forward to tying these bonds forever once am back. Like millions of the Hujjaj that were reaching the end of their journey, a huge chunk of sadness had consumed my heart. Nevertheless, our trip has reached its natural conclusion. We all had carried illnesses and were suffering fatigue, I think this was Allah (SWT) way of asking us to politely leave.

After breakfast me and mum decided to pack our bags so that we that we did not have to pack last minute. We were extremely organized throughout this trip.

Considering how clumsy I can be and my general laissez-affaire attitude to packing. I would say that I was pleasantly supervised by my efforts. If, one thing I had observed in my recent travels abroad, I work well when am left on my own. Being in my comfort zone makes me complacent.

After packing I went to the reception area and started my blogging. I also had the opportunity to chase Travel Express about the old the aunty and uncle who still had not performed Tawaf. They agreed to having a word with them so that they could arrange something.

Group Louder or pilgrimer?

Fast forward after Asr. Myself and Sheikh Hussayn were getting ready to head off to Makkah. We both agreed to sharing a taxi. This decision was made easier considering my Mother had shared a room with his wife for 10 days and they had also been very close. Shaky Hussayn, had wanted to hire a van to take uncle, however, uncle and aunty were not responsive to the knocks made on their door.

As, I was leaving. I spoke to Bashir Jnr and Abdul Zaman about uncle and aunty. I explained the situation for the third time and stayed super calm and polite. Abdul Zaman immediate response was to ask me why I didn’t take them.

I then realized what a terrible individual he really was. This was his 10^th pilgramage to Hajj and this was his 9^th or 10^th as a voluntary group leader. I did not want to dwell too much on Abdul Zaman throughout my journey as did not want to clutter this blog with negativity. However, a lot of the hujjaj that were part of his group were critical of his role as group leader, including myself. I reserved my opinion for this blog.

Other than taking the register and informing everyone of Sheikh’s arrival. Abdul Zamaan did not really do much for his group. He barely interacted with his group, whenever we went to perform Umrah or Tawaf, he would disappear and complete it on his own.

I never personally had a problem with him. If anything, we managed to get on well. Although I was aware that he was not doing his job appropriately. I would have interjected earlier, however, I did not want to ruin my journey because of someone else’s lack of effort. However, this current situation infuriated me as he was expecting me to do what he was given a free plane/hotel ticket for and most importantly they were both extremely vulnerable. In all honesty, I would have been to help but he was the leader. It was frankly his responsibility to help his group members. There were several other incidents which I personally witnessed, however, this blog is not here to slander people. However, there was a reason, why I was in awe of One Call.

Brother’s in Islam, color does not divide.

Myself, Sheiky Husayn, Mother and Sheikh Husayn’s completed our tawaf. We ended up losing each other. Mum wanted to complete one more tawaf. I couldn’t refuse even though time was not on our side. Ultimately this was her trip and I wanted her to get as much closure from this trip as possible. The family has suffered and the only situation to our problems was calling to Allah.

The normal hustle and bustle of tawaf was something you embrace whilst your here. I do not think you can ever get used to some of the behaviors in the Haram but ultimately you stay have to stay calm. Why people push, shove and punch always bothered me. The room for walking space was very little. Quite often your reduced to mini-steps which made life more difficult.

As we were making our way through the third tawaf, a brother (Black African) had gently put his hand in front of me, when I looked on my right, I saw that the brother was protecting an amputee performing tawaf using only his hand. I grabbed the brothers hand to support him for this great deed so that we can aid the amputee brother. By the fifth round we had another brother (Caucasian brother) join us in our cause. We managed to go through the 7 rounds. All three of us embraced in a hug before we left. This one action ultimately representated our religion. We were all equal in race, color and creed for the greater good of pleasing our maker. The love and brotherhood was encapsulated in those few seconds and then we went our own way. I could now leave the Haram content.

We prayed Magrib. I had my hand across my mothers shoulder whilst admiring our last view of the Kabah. I gave her a kiss and I asked her if she was content. She gave me a smile and that was all i needed to see.

May Allah accept our Hajj and help us to stay on the right path and continue to be at his mercy.

We did our final bits of shopping in the clock tower and made our way back before Esha. Myself and mother were very happy in what we achieved so we were both buzzing.

Q came with a huge smile for dinner. I was happy to see him happy. This was our last dinner together. He told me about his last experience in the Haram. By a stroke of luck he found uncle in the haram who had lost wife. Q had helped uncle found his wife and had also helped them complete all the necessary tawafs. Q was sharing the humorous side of the story, however, the subtext to this story was very concerning. Travel Express, lack of interest for these two vulnerable adults was a concern. The moral standard I always apply is, what would you do if that was your family member?

Packing time, Amin to the rescue.

The last bit of packing from our last bit of shopping had rendered my suitcase fully packed. Amin decided to help me put in the last bit of gift’s in to my luggage. I was grateful. Packed and ready now.

Last tea with Q (sob sob)

I went downstairs to meet Q for my last tea with Q. We both reflected on our journey and what we had learnt? and what we would be taking back. I gifted Q a tasbih, I realized that he preferred a particular type, so I bought him a similar one. He was taken back. But he was worthy of that gift.

Bedtime

Day 24 (28 August 2018)

Fajr prayers. I got used to Sheikh’s voice and unique recitation. I was going to miss his recitation and I was really going to miss seeing most of the brothers from both groups.

We had our final breakfast. I spent a bit of time messing around with Shiraz and shared a few conversations with the One-Call brothers. Me and Q went out to the shops to buy extra luggage. Q decided to buy me one of the fold-up prayer mats and paid for my shape-up. I really insisted that I didn’t want a shape-up as I was extremely fussy with my hair.

We packed our bags and made our way downstairs saying our last goodbyes to one another, exchanging numbers and taking the last selfies. A cake was brought by the hotel owners for our group. The Sheikh was not too impressed. I realized very quickly how to react based on the Sheikh’s reaction. He was not too impressed about a lot of things so I never really said or acted in anyway that would cause a reaction from him. Thank god he never tried the cake.

We all left for the coach. We waited a good half-an-hour before the coach had taken off. By that time I needed the toilet. I found out that the toilet’s in the coach were not working. It had taken us an hour and bit to arrive at Jeddah Airport. However, the coaches arrived too early so we were asked to wait. I asked Abdul Zamaan if I could quick use the toilet, he responded with a no, so I let him know that I was leaving, and I stood firm with this decision. He reminded me that I was doing this at my own cost.

Now that I left the coach in desperateness. I was even more desperate to find a toilet. Luckily, I saw Yasin Bhai, we embraced, I quickly told him of my predicament. Without a blink or a thought, he directed me to the toilet and showed me that there was a place to perform salah. Yasin Bhai was a blessing, whenever I was in a bad place, the brother always popped up with that huge embracing smile. May Allah reward his sincerity and may he always be kept on the righteous path.

After returning. Yasin bhai enquired where Abdul Zaman was. I said he is sitting on the coach. He was shocked, he quickly urged me to get him out of the coach so that he can provide our travel documents to the authority otherwise we would be stuck here. Abdul Zaman was too busy on his mobile tending to his meat and poultry business. On a side note, his organic poultry meat looked good. I think Egyptian Mohammed (travel express) informed him that he should provide documents. Everyone in all the coaches and performed the salah.

The Horror at Jeddah.

45 Minutes later we arrived at Jeddah departures. It was nothing that I have ever been exposed previously. It was absolute bedlam. It had taken me a good 15 minutes to find my suitcase, another 10 minutes to find a trolley and another 6 to 7 minutes to get hold of two bottles of Zam Zam. I also had taken time to help Yasin Bhai and his group so that they could get their Zam Zam. There was not as many men in their group plus Yasin bhai helped me out so much. This is the least I could do. We still had another 4 and half hours before our flight? What could go wrong.

I sat on my flight annoyed and flustered. I lost my hand luggage with my thobe, 4 kgs of Ajwa dates, 100 pounds of tasbih and one or two other gifts. Amir and myself had a confrontation with a bunch of Egyptians’ who jumped the cue; much to everyone’s annoyance the Saudi officials did nothing, I was not registered to board the plane after 3 hours of waiting in a cue at check-ins, I then went to the Saudi customer service desk in which they did not speak to us and literally threw the ticket at me and Egyptian Mohammed. Security had taken an hour and half to get through. The staff were too busy on YouTube, having conversations and walking away from the desk for no apparent reason; none of their behaviours made sense to me. Amir’s Mother-in-law collapsed and was in no position to make her way to the gate. I then lost my luggage after sharing a few kind words with Saudi Security, after they unnecessarily searched me 4 times to flex their ‘muscles’.

*On the funny side. During our fight with the Egyptian’s, Amir’s mother-in-law put herself in front line to fight them. She was a courageous woman and one that you need not pick a fight with. Amir had to move her away but she really was insistent on fighting this battle.

Allhumdulilah, I was on the plane and nothing really could be done about my luggage. The rest is in Allah’s hand. I slept through Most of the flight. I really needed sleep so I was happy.

Seeing my Baj:

At 7:45am after three weeks. The biggest benefit was seeing my sister after tìhree weeks. How much I remembered her, prayed for her, missed her, wept tears for her and now finally we were united. I embraced her and I didn’t want to let go. Inshallah, hopefully, I can take her to Hajj one day. May Allah (SWT) bless and preserve our relationship.

Part 4: Hajj

Day 13 (19 August 2018)

We all had our showers and applied as much Oud on our Ihrams (Non-stitched Cloth) as possible.

We were packed and made our way downstairs after completing Fajr Salah. We waited for our coaches to arrive.

I always loved the breeze of hot air when I wore my Ihram. It was always a nice feeling early in the morning.

I always felt like I was travelling a truckload where ever we were relocating. Maybe it was the body resisting this move, nevertheless, we were now set and on our way.

I was now barefooted and in my Ihram. My disdain for feet is no secret and now am having to travel/sleep barefooted for the next five days.

Off we set from Aziziyah too Mina. All thoughts were crossing my mind during this time. I ended up thinking myself to sleep. Once I woke, after 10 minutes, my eyes were embraced by a sea of white domes (camps) covering as far as my eyes could go. We dipped in and out of roads and underpasses. Eventually, we travelled over a flyover which led us to our camp (Camp 39).

As we disembarked off our coach. I spent a couple of minutes examining the area. The entrance of camp 39 was on one side and on the other side was a huge wall, a wall that reminded me of the one in Gaza, which closes itself from Israel. By the grace of God, ours was not that bad, compared to what our brothers and sisters in Palestine usually wake up to.

As I entered the entrance of the camp, there were two guards who watched all the pilgrims enter. There was a fountain on the left (which I was shocked by) and red carpets on the floor which mapped out our pathway. The Travel Express staff had those post signs every 5 yards. Virtually impossible to get lost.

As we entered, I had a quick look for Q, to see where he was; luckily, he saw me first and quickly flapped his hands to direct me towards the mattress that he saved for me. The camp was fairly spacious, it was separated into two parts, with mattresses across each other. There was also huge metal air vent which went across the camp, and two A/C’s bridged at the top of both entrances. The women’s camp was across ours. As I was entering, the Mauritian aunty had requested that I check over her husband. She was still very worried about him. It was extremely sweet to see an old couple that were still genuinely in love with each other.

After juggling about with my space, I managed to put my luggage behind my mattress. On either side of me; I had a Bengali brother and a Nigerian brother sleeping next to me. On the opposite side was, Q and this Mauritian brother with his 5-year-old child. A nice but shy young boy who was extremely content with being with his father. Normally kids of that age are extremely needy for their mothers.

As I lay down for an hour. Breakfast was served. I shot up in excitement as I had not eaten anything since last night. Everyone was handed a box for breakfast by Omar (group leader), as we eagerly unwrapped the box. We were provided with 4 slices of bread, two slices of tri-angular cheese, honey, salted olives, a cookie and milk. After the shock of what we had been served. I did the best I could to fill myself up. The food that was served, was a huge shock to the system. Thereafter was nothing was a surprise to me.

After Maghrib, I quickly left our camp and went in search for The One Call guys. I managed to locate them and quickly popped in to say Hello.

*Omar, whilst handing out the food, in his loud boisterous voice, jokingly mocked those who had complained about the breakfast in our previous hotels. I couldn’t stop myself laughing. It was true what he said.

As I lay down, there was absolute silence in our camp, you could almost hear a pin drop. It really hit home, where we were and this was a massive shock for me. Although I was extremely uncomfortable with my surroundings; I truly embraced the indiscriminate nature of our religion. What a placed to be truly humbled, wearing the most basic of clothes, having every form of luxury taken away from us, eating basic food and most importantly being surrounded by people from different colours and cultures. This was definitely soul nourishing.

After a couple of hours. Q woke me up so that I could perform my wudu. We both went to the Wudu area which was absolutely packed and we waited 20 minutes in the searing heat. I tried to cover my head, after a couple of minutes, the haram police were raising their voices about why we were covering ourselves. I think a polite naseeha (advice,) would have been more than sufficient. We also had a quick time to examine the toilets. I managed to find two English toilets. Sorted!! The wudhu water was hot which didn’t help.

The camp became bearable now. After Esha we had dinner. Suddenly, strong winds pounded our camp. It had taken us all off guard. As the winds got stronger, people grew worried. The camps AC was vigorously moving side to side, and some of the hinges holding the dome structure, unhinged. We could hear loads of Arab’s speaking with urgency; outside and there were loads of hajj organisers running around. I surveyed the situation from the outside and was taken back by the winds and the flying sand which covered the air and changed the colour of the sky to a yellowish-grey. This was my first time witnessing a sand-storm. In all honesty, it was bad but not bad enough, considering people were charging their phones outside and having a cup of tea.

Omar came into the camp, warning the brothers that were close to the door, that they should keep their distance from the AC, due to the conditions outside. He then looked at us all, and goes ‘why is everyone scared? This is the best place to die, let’s all die together and go to Jannah. This was all said in his strong Somali/Arab accent. I was in hysterics.

Me and Q also managed our night time tea in all the bedlam.

Thought of the day:

You are truly content with life when you have nothing- Mohammed Ali

Day 14 (20 August 2018)

Q wakes me up for Fajr. He manages to find a new Wudhu place (Ablution Place), this one was a bit closer to the camp and far quieter and cleaner compared to the other place. It still had taken us 35 minutes to brush our teeth and complete our wudhu.

Q was pretty chuffed with himself, he managed to have a shower in the infamous shower cubicles. His theory was, if you are going to the toilet, you might as well have a shower. I think we all found our ways in accepting our environment, this was Q’s way.

Nothing of note happened today.

I started growing a bit of a rapport with F (kid opposite me). I was shocked at how attached he was to his father. I also noted that his strict routine in terms of eating, playing and sleeping. I spoke about my observation Q and he explained to me that he was autistic. However, F’s autism was not that severe. He was a very smart and intelligent child. I played with him as much as I could and I managed to win his trust (a little) by bribing him Oreos. I still failed to win him over.

Shiraz aka Dennis the Menace:

Shiraz was a young teenage boy who was part of our group. Young, extremely intelligent, witty and handsome (mashallah). Oh, and I totally forgot to mention, very mischievous and super hyperactive.

He was messing around the whole day and he essentially lightened the mood in the camp. The Travel-Express hujjaj were a pleasant bunch, however, they were not exactly the liveliest, so having a mischievous teenager really helped me. Although a lot of people in the camp grew frustrated with him.

During the evenings Sheikh would provide a mini-talk after Maghrib and Esha. Although most of the talks were beneficial it became difficult to understand what he was saying due to his low-pitched voice. AE (a celeb imam), who also leads another Travel Express group, would provide talks on his mic. His talks were motivating, beneficial and he had an extremely soothing voice which helped. Quite often I would zone-out of Sheikh’s talks and listen to AE’s lectures. I found out a lot of brothers were also doing the same.

In the evening, I sat with the One-Call boys for an hour or two. The unity and brotherhood in that camp was amazing. It was food for the soul spending time with those brothers. I have always found it easy mixing with Bengali’s and this experience of Hajj re-enforced that. There was a brother from Sheffield (Mohammed Farimudus) who was always good to see. He was a lovely northerner who was always cheerful and also shared an interest in boxing. Our conversations would go on for hours.

After late night tea with Q. I spent an hour of that night writing up the last of my dua’s for anyone that I could remember. I was fully focused on ensuring that I had to make the most of this day by any means necessary. Surprisingly, there were no nerves. I was probably a bit numb. I guess that was expected considering the magnitude of the event.

Day 15 (21 August 2018)

After Fajr we were awake. The big day was here!!!! Everyone was super-focused. There was an energy in the room. It seemed like the days, week, months and years of preparation all lead us to this day and this was our day of ultimate repentance and forgiveness. On this day, Allah (SWT) would be the closest to else in the earthly realms, and he would listen to all our dua’s on this particular day. If we were sincere and righteous in our actions, Allah would accept all our dua’s.

We boarded our coaches. Labaik Allahuma Labaik, Labaik, Lasharika la-ka Labaik, In-al-Humda, Wanyamata, La-ka-wal mulk, La Sharika Lak. This Chorused around the coach.

The plains of Arafat were amongst us as we made that 25-minute journey from Mina to Arafah. Whilst on the coach, I also saw many of the Hujjaj were walking to the plains of Arafah. Yet we had people moaning about the material things within the camp and coaches. I hope people were taking note!!

We reached our destination. As we entered the gates, we were surrounded around camps, with loads of trees and shade. This was not what I Imagined at all. I was expecting what I usually saw in pictures, videos and live footage on Islam Channel. I expected to be on the desert plains of Arafat with millions of pilgrims’ and being close to the erected pillar where prophet Adam (A.s) and Bibi Hawa first met.

Am sure there was some wisdom behind this, nevertheless, I was still taken back. We were told to go inside the canopy as we would be observing the majority of Arafat in the canopy. The Sheikh explained that praying within the vicinity of Arafat is what Allah ordains, there is no farz in praying in the area’s that we are accustomed to seeing on T.V.

We were all told to rest up until Zuhr and then we would have up until Maghrib to make our duas. After the usual breakfast that was provided to us. We managed to get some much-needed rest.

Praise before you request!!!

After Zuhr, I was finding it difficult to stay awake, I was feeling extremely drowsy. So, I spent a lot of time praising Allah (SWT) and thanking him for everything that he has given me up until the point. I recited many of the most relevant duas by glorifying the Almighty. Praise before you request.

*I met brother Barber Ahmed a day before (Local Tooting lad and most importantly famous for his famous extradition trial to the U.S), he gave me some ideas on how to manage my time in Arafat effectively so that helped me quite a bit.

I then found out the brother at the back were awake the whole time because of the A/C. So, I quickly had taken advantage of this and started reciting and making my duas there. I also told a lot of other brothers to take advantage of the A/C.

My duas had started and they lasted two and a half hours. I genuinely felt content reading most of them and was now happy to relax a little whilst also remembering Allah (SWT).

When the sun had gone down and the weather was a bit cooler. We all slowly made our way outside to the camp yard. There were moments of tears, where I let my heart out to Allah (SWT), and I made loads of duas. All the dua’s that one could ask for. Every time I felt I had covered all my duas, I stopped and asked again, and again, and again. This lasted for another half hour. Myself and Q just reflected on the moment. This is the most content and inner peace that I had ever experienced in my life.

It was quite the scene, seeing so many people face towards one direction in this botanical garden. The sky had four gradients (Pink, Orange, Blue and fade of Lilac), the place felt like it had illuminated. I remember scouting the area and seeing loads of brothers visibly breaking down. I remember embracing Brother Amir and Brother Rahul towards the end. What a fantastic moment that was.

After dinner, we quickly packed our bags and rushed to our coaches. We were now on our way to Muzdalifah. The coach was packed with mattresses and bags. Yet we all chorused Labaik throughout the half hour journey. I lost my voice after that and I really needed sleep.

Day 16 & 17 (21-22 August 2018)

Muzdalifah, heated beds and Calais Fences:

As myself and mum arrived, the surrounding lands were totally empty, in my mind I thought this was amazing. I saw Q, Khalida and his mum; they saved us seats. As we were putting our stuff down a Moroccan woman decided to throw her stuff on top of our and insisted that men should not be allowed to sleep here. My logic and my impulse told me to hold my ground. Considering, the noise she was creating and where we were. This was clearly a test, so I refrained, myself and Q found space further down the mountainside, right behind the Sheikh. Late night banter is out of the agenda.

When we first arrived (half hour) it was totally empty and now the place was totally packed. A sea of people dressed in white littered all over the floor. As I lay down, after buying some cold drinks, we laid down and it was the best feeling in the world. Q was uncomfortable because the floor was so hot. I didn’t care I needed sleep and I was happy sleeping anywhere at this stage.

As I was about to fall asleep. The men started raising their voices. The women who initially stole our sleeping area decided to move behind us. The men were incensed and refused to sleep near women. I watched a bit of the commotion until Sheikh interjected. The ruling is, sleep wherever you can subject to your Mahram being with you. The women left. Nevertheless, Karma best dish of the day.

5 hours later I woke up. My throat was throbbing like crazy. Q was still awake. I stayed up as I was in no fit position to sleep. I made Wudhu and was awaiting Fajr. Myself and Q decided that we should leave straight after Fajr. So, we moved all our bags to our women’s side which was at the foot of the entrance. After salah we literally ran to the front of the women’s side, however, a cue had already built up. The entrance I chose to leave from, my mum and the others didn’t use. I managed to find my way out, however, the whole of my group including my mum and Q’s family were stuck inside.

It was now a full 3 and a half hours after Fajr. The whole of our group was still stuck inside the cage. I was stuck with a bunch of maniacs who had no idea of being cordial and patient. Some Canadian-Somalian brothers decided to lock the gates on us and people were acting like animals to get out of the . However, as I was at the front, I brokered deals to get some of the elderly or the ones in poor health out. People realised I was just and fair and Alhamdulillah so they all listened. Nevertheless, once that door opened people stampeded out, rationality went out of the window. One woman had fallen so I quickly decided to pick her up because there was a strong possibility the heard would have trampled over here. Picking her up came at a cost. I lost my neck rest.

The reason for such terrible a queue was two-fold. Terrible organisation by the authorities and there are only being 4 coaches for over 20, 000 people. Plus there was an accident.

Some of the pilgrims were angry, in protest, they jumped over the 7-foot fence. It was a spectacle seeing a man climbing over the fence with the Ihram. I saw sisters doing it with their abayas.

As I was outside, I had taken it upon myself to look after the old women from our group. They were feeling faint so I just entertained them with conversation, motivated them and used the spray bottle to keep them awake.

Magic Spray.

Whoever reads this blog and you have done well to get this far. PLEASE by yourself a big bottle of water spray when you’re completing your hajj. My bottle spray, benefited loads of people in Arafat and in Muzdalifah. It kept everyone hydrated and cool when the heat started rising.

Finally at around 9:30am our group was let out on the understanding that they walked back to Mina. Considering the amount of time that was spent locked up everyone agreed to walk. After speaking to Rahul on the phone, I assured him that Bashir Snr will be making sure the four elderly women would be coming back by transport. In doing so, we were left behind.

After walking 500 metres to catch up with the group. I saw Shiekh Hussain Al-Azhari standing in the middle of the road with Mohamad-Muridi (Travel Express staff) with 100 kgs of equipment. We decided to help him on our 3-mile journey back as we could not leave him stranded with all that equipment to carry.

We had regular breaks for many reasons. Firstly, we had been wearing our Ihrams, the equipment was heavy, we were carrying our hand luggage, and there was stop/start human traffic. Along the way my mum found a Pakistani family that was lost and we found other elderly members of the group that were stranded due to poor health. By the end of our journey there was an entourage of us returning to the camp.

For some weird reason I still had a lot of energy. Nevertheless, I headed straight to the toilets to have a shower and change into my Ihram. In that time I had my shower (5-6 minutes), we were informed that we would be leaving for Jamarat, pelting stones at the shaytaan. No rest for the wicked.

Jamarat (Throwing of the stones at Shaytaan?)

We all made our way to Jamarat. The expected walk was meant to be only 2 miles. The walk was an in incline, by the time we managed to make our way up to the pelting walls, we were all tired. We went through at least four tunnels. Every so often we would be hit by the wind of the giant turbines or the kind officials/pilgrims that sprayed water on us. I was walking around with my own spray doing the same.

Quick fact about Jamarat. Jamarat is an important part of the Hajj. Pilgrims are required to pelt the shaytaan. However, the pelting of Shaytaan is heavily misunderstood. The objective of the pelting is aimed at throwing stones, which conflicts with your naffs. So, anything from backbiting, lies or foul language etc. It is hugely important that once we throw these stones we should make a conscious effort to abstain from committing the same sins.

The locks have gone:

Brother Amir and Brother Rahul brought their own shavers. After seeing the wild job of these illegal barbers, some of the brothers lost more blood than hair. Brother Amir kindly shaved my hair and I was now free from long hair. I had a quick shower and finally, I could change into my normal clothes. Three days of Ihram was uncomfortable and it does wear you out plus it makes the Mina experience much easier.

Everyone had recognised my cut and I got loads of nods of approval. I think people thought I was going to bottle out of cutting my hair. Little did they know, I really did not care about my hair. I simply followed the rules and trimmed my hair for my comfortability purposes.

I checked up on the Mauritian uncle. He was a bit down that he couldn’t jamarat due to his heart condition. I did my best to make him feel better but nothing was working.

Exhaustion, the Rothschild and Racism:

I was super exhausted but so relieved. Now we could finally rest for a little while. I managed to get some sleep for two or three hours. By Maghrib I was a new man. I was revitalised and full of energy.

The camp was in good spirits. After Esha my throat went. After dinner, I sat with the one call boys. Brother Maz managed to provide me with some sugar-coated Ginger, I had a couple and it did relieve me for a while.

As I was about to fall asleep. Q asked me to accompany for a cup of tea and collect some stones. I didn’t want to go but me and Q were good friends. Ever the good Samaritan, he saw the beast incarnate, he invited him to join us. The beast incarnate brought a fourth person with us, Faysal.

Am not going to bore you with the details of the next three hours. He lectured us with racism and conspiracy theories. I use the word ‘lecture’ as it literally was a monologue. He manged to bring in a conversation about women of Jeddah and their figures. Everyone looked at their cups of tea’s and decided to call it a night. My voice was totally gone and so was my level of shock.

On the plus side, I found Krispy Kremes and Hardees right next to my camp.

Day 18 (23 August 2018)

Last full day at the camp.

Shiraz is right next to my bed early in the morning (permanent fixture). He was on my case. The Bengali man next to me was irritated by him. He would always ask me in Bengali what was wrong with Shiraz. I used to always tell him that he was just a bit hyper than the usual kid because he was home schooled, there was nothing else to it. As much as it irritated me at times, I remembered his innocence and that ultimately he was responsible for making the camp as lively as possible. Shiraz was a lovely kid all the less.

Nothing much to report today other than Shiraz showing Q where all the drinks were kept. This was fantastic news for us. Just for the record, the weather averaged between 45 to 50 degrees. At certain times during the day you could not risk wearing your flops, in the fear that you might burn your foot.

Q’s wife asked for a Coke. Q told Shiraz to bring one for her. Typical, Shiraz, bought a whole crate back. We hid them in the water barrel filled with ice.

At Zuhr, Jamarat was confirmed, shortly after Asr. I thought I would be going on my own to Jamarat, as I thought mum would be too tired.

I saw Amin reading the Quran, however, it was on his lap. I politely reminded him that you should not rest the Quran on your thighs. I also explained that I was corrected in respect to this matter recently myself. After Zuhr, he decided to ask the Sheikh the same question. The Sheikh responded the same. When he asked that question, everyone who heard me advising him, were visibly confused why he would ask such a question? Logic would only dictate that a holy book is not suited to be positioned near someone’s low posterior. I have my reservation as to why he asked the Sheikh.

An hour or two before Jamarat. I really gave myself a serious massage. I soaked in as much Vaseline on my foot. Jamarat went well. I was entrusted to look after Shiraz by his mum. My mum came again and I was super proud of her.

The Jamarat experience was amazing. Every so often, Shiraz would squint a gush of water in our faces. His aim was never to re-energise us, he got a kick out of wetting people. Myself, Rahul and Amir did a rendition of You Never Walk Alone for like 10 seconds. The nicest part of being in Jamarat was bumping in to so many brothers from different parts of the world. I remember seeing brothers, from France, Japan, Niger, Kyrgyzstan, USA etc.. All under one melting point for one reason.

We arrived soon just after Maghrib. The mood in the camp was amazing.
The old Mauritian uncle was gleaming with happiness. I asked him why he was so happy. Finally he was able to complete the Jamarat, so I gave him a huge hug. For him this was a moment of happiness and redemption.

F still after four days was stuck with his dad in the camp. The father saw my efforts with his child and felt comfortable leaving him with me. On two occasions, he sat on my mattress and gave me a hug. Considering his reserved nature, I was quite privileged. After four days of hard work it finally payed off.

I chilled with the One Call guys for an hour and half.

At the end of Esha. A couple of the officials came in to our camp and gave us a warming message. Shiraz used this to cause mischief in the other camp. In all fairness me and Q egged him on to water a couple of people from AE’s group. As always Shiraz went too far and the lads from AE’s retaliated back. As humorous as it was, the Sheikh kept looking towards my direction as Shiraz was having his battle from my mattress. I tried to control but to little avail. I was just praying the Sheikh doesnt pull me up on it.

The food became unbearable. So, I decided to take Amir, Rahul and Sameer the Hardees near the camp. The night before, myself and Rahul had a halal wager. If, I was able to find a Hardees close to the camp, he would wheelchair me to Jamarat. As the whole camp watched us, we indulged in the burgers, and the happiness was evident for everyone to see.

Bedtime!!!!

Day 19 (24 August 2018)

Breakfast for the last time. I don’t think I will be missing it. Jamarat was confirmed for around 10:30am

We packed our stuff away. The Bengali brother next to me, who was in his 40’s, was like my father when I was in camp. Always watching over my shoulder, checking if I wanted any of the extras, and having a bit of a go at me because of my clumsiness. He checked if I had remembered everything.

Bless him, he was lovely. I didn’t have the heart to say anything to him. As I knew he had good intentions, he was just a bit old school.

Since I was packed and after doing a bit of reading and praying. I decided to nap.

After an hour of napping, a debate was taking place. Quite possibly the worse debate, which madhab is right. Both individuals (both young and educated), were getting personal and raising their voices about matters in deen. I decided to intervene and moderate. Although it was pointless and un-needed conversation. The conversation got no-where..

The issues today, is that everyone has an opinion, and the other is always trying to refute the others opinion. Trying to find middle ground and being able to work on the basic’s goes out the window. The four imams were great scholars of their times, they did their best to preserve the sunnah, and most importantly they were never refuted in the last 1300 years. Suddenly, we have a new wave of young zealots, who feel that they can criticize these great scholars. May Allah (SWT) may have mercy on them.

The last jamarat was super chilled. Today we all decided to wet Shiraz. He was drenched by the time we reached the camp. These memories would stay with me forever.

The Jamarat served a huge purpose. Am not going to disclose all the details of my personal flaws but I did make a lot of dua to ensure that I do not fall foul of these sins going forward, Throwing the stones was not the only purpose, making dua to change was the goal of any hujjaj whilst performing this ritual at the Jamarat.

We quickly picked our bags and left for the coach. Everyone eagerly awaited the return to the compartment.

I closed my eyes and sunk in to the mattress. Not like I thought about a bed in Mina; I really appreciated the mattress and the ability to spread my hands and legs, without having to worry about the person on the right and left of me. I ended up napping for 10 minutes. I was trying to fathom whether I slept out of comfort or exhaustion.

After I awoke, I applied my facial and hit the showers. With the cool air rippling through my skin and after my long-warm shower; I felt like a new man. After reaching our compartment ,the fought of staying for the 13th night in Mina went out of the window.

*Staying on the 13th night is hugely rewarding. They say by the 13th night, Mina becomes a ghost town. Literally everyone leave on the 12th night. May Allah (SWT) reward those who stayed on the 13th night.

Part 3 (Aziziyah compartments)

Day 9 (15 August 2018)

Off we set to Aziziyah. We prayed and showered quickly whilst also completing our usual last-minute skirmishes in the room, in the hope that we have not forgotten anything. Thankfully, the breakfast banquet was open and was still made available to us. The window for eating our breakfast was half hour, we had to be at the basement of the hotel at 07:30 am sharp, for us catch our coach.

09:45 am in the morning and we are still at the basement. I think me and mum started getting used to this. To be fair, I was always patient during matters like this. Mum was good for the most part, however, she did grow a bit impatient, every so often. She was not to blame. I texted one of the other guys in another group who were also on the same package as us, and they had informed me that they reached the reception at 9:30am, so that did slightly bother me. But not enough to trigger any annoyance.

Bus was finally here, HOWEVER, the communications leader, informed us that our coach would not be arriving at the anticipated place of pick up, due to traffic. We were now required to go on a detour for us to board our coach. I was helping Q, so I had taken the unconventional route of using the lifts. Surprisingly we were left behind by the Travel Express Team. We were told to wait. Mum quietly had a go at me for helping Q. The guy had 25 bottles, a folded-up wheel-chair and three hand luggage’s, how could I not help!!!

I couldn’t really fault mum for her slight annoyance. So, I had taken on board what she said.

One Call to the rescue…

All in all, my observation of Travel Express so far, is that the Bashir family and the group leaders were super friendly. Travel Express stuck to their word in most matters and somethings were just not in their control, so they should be not held to ransom in those particulars However, the team had communication issues and quite often we all fell victim to this. This particular situation that I will discus (briefly) demonstrates my observation very clearly.

As we were waiting for Travel Express to collect us, I bumped in to Yasin Bhai (One Call leader), he enquired what we were doing. When I explained the situation, he confidently asked me to follow him and he assured me that he would get me on the coach, as he was staying in the same compartment as us (which was re-assuring).

Yasin Bhai was right. We were now on the coach to Azziziyah. Yasin Bhai, won a place in my heart, at that particular moment. On top of helping me, he had an embracing smile and a warming character. May Allah reward him abundantly.

We arrived at the compartment and were welcomed with roses, a red carpet and a grand entrance at the reception (for the first time in Saudi I felt like a Hajji). We had drinks as we entered, local coffee, chocolates, cakes and other celebratory finger foods. Whilst basking in the aura of celebration for a good 20 minutes. I noticed a very angry looking Yasin Bhai storming up the compartment to confront Bashir Snr. A few heated words were exchanged. The crux of the argument was that, Yasin Bhai was annoyed that his group were left in the coach, whilst we were enjoying all the luxuries of VIP guests. I totally understood where Yasin Bhai was coming from. His pilgrims should not settle for second best and they should have had the luxury to settle in to the compartment just as we did.

For the first time me and mum would be separated from our usual arrangements. I was over the moon that I was getting my own space. She didn’t massively irritate me up until this point, however, I needed to have my own breathing time. Now the only issue that I faced, is being with roomed with a boring and reserved bunch. A few faces came to mind.

Luckily, I was blessed with three other guys who didn’t fit the ‘miserable git’ criteria that I was anticipating. We went up to our rooms and were blessed to find a nice and cosey room with three pin plugs ports. The shower was decent as well (nothing like Swiss Hotel), but thumbs up all around.

Sunnah Police and my hair….

After connecting with Amin (room-mate), we covered a whole host of topics; football, his life experience and his path to religion. Amin, asked me about my hair and why I didn’t shave it, and then went on to mentioned how I disrespected the prophet (PBUH). I gave him a subtle but sharp response that I was aware with what I was doing and that people need not spend too much time worrying about my hair rather they should focus their own time on ibadah

What really triggered his response, was that Amin asked me whether I had chance to kiss the Hajj-e-Aswad (Stone from heaven). Very innocently I responded that I avoided kissing the stone as you would be required to perform a high degree of sin to kiss the stone. He had told me that he had kissed it and helped others. He was a bit embarrassed telling me considering the information that I had disclosed. But who was I to judge but his alternate response would suggest otherwise!!

At around 4pm Yasin Bhai did a quick tour guide for his group of the local area. I found this extremely beneficial. Once again, One call was winning more brownie points and Travel Express reputation was slowly dropping in my view. Yassin Bhai invited me to his Hajj seminars that he was holding leading up to Hajj.

An Ummah divided?

Three groups in one compartment with one Musallah, yet all three groups did not pray behind one Imam. Am hoping that this is an one-off incident. Considering we are all from the doctrine of the Sunnah, I was shocked how divided the three groups were over basic prayers.

Sheikh’s lecture will be taking place tomorrow at 4 after Asr.

Dinner Time:

The Buffet lunch was not considering the luxuries that were afforded to us in the grandeurs of the Swissotel. We were with Q and his family. Today was pretty chilled out. Mum was ill the whole day, so she was under strict instructions to relax until the next two days, so that she can recover for Jummah.

Very quickly, I found myself a safe-haven, in the compartment’s reception. This place was my get-a-way for a number of reasons. One, I was not stuck in the confinements of my room and most importantly, the Wi-Fi reception only worked down stair in the reception area.

Me and Q chilled late in to the evening. I stayed a bit longer to ensure that my blogging was coming along in accordance to my daily schedule and I was still scribbling away with my dua book too.

Thought of the day:

Worry about your own Ibadah- Mohammed Ali

Day 10 (16 August 2018)

Fajr was prayed in the confines of my room after suffering from the sheer exhaustion from Makkah to Aziziyah. I think the exhaustion was a concoction of mum being ill and all the moving around since we arrived in the country.

Breakfast in the morning as usual. However, Q’s wife is nowhere to be seen. I kind of realized that there was an issue. Worry and exhaustion was written all over his face. His mother always looked lost all the time, bless her.

Mum came down and she looked like she went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. I attempted to get her to eat much as possible. I realized that a visit to the pharmacy was high on my to-do list.

Very quiet day, other than a quick venture out to the pharmacy after Zuhr, to get mother on the mend. In all honestly I was slightly worried. I would rather her do my head in than be bugged down with this flue and plus I didn’t want her struggling for Hajj.

An expert of the Urdu language? or what pressure can make you speak

Whilst everyone else was feasting with KFC, Burger and McDonald’s. I was eating the local cuisines. Unfortunately, I was not spoiled for choice, so the afghan food around the corner would do just fine. Also mums illness confined me, to not wanting to go, plus my Hajj experience was to abstain from worldly stuff. So, I guess this was good prep.

I went to the Afghan shop which had a surprisingly orderly cue. A lot of the customers were from the Mother/father land. Where our compartment was based, there were a lot of pilgrimers from India/Pakistan. Both governments had worked together to buy compartments in the whole area to ensure their pilgrims had a set location in Azizyah. This is about the only time I have ever heard of Indo-Pak Unity.

As my turn came to order, I realized that English was totally foreign to this guy. So, I was left with no option, except for speaking Urdu. To be fair, it was extremely coherent and understandable to the Afghan brother, so I guess my spoken Urdu is not bad at all. To be fair, all those years of Star Plus and Indian movies, one should have mastered the language. But in all honesty linguistics have never been my plus point.

I also dropped my clothes to the launderettes in that time. Price was 8 pounds which was not too bad. However, as a western foreigner, I always knew the prices were bumped up a bit. So, negotiating with my Bengali brother came to no avail.

I had food with mother in her room. All the women she was sharing her room with were out. Mum had looked so much better after taking her anti-biotic’s. We had food and somehow, I was content and now I could focus on going to the mall this evening. Even though there was not a plan to do so.

Sheikh’s lecture:

We all made our way down to the prayer area in the compartment. Sheikh gave an extreme and thorough account of what to expect from the hajj experience and how to make this process as spiritually engaging as possible. Am someone that learns through demonstrations, Sheikh’s oral delivery was first class, considering how quiet he was.

All in all. The lecture was amazing. As each day past in Saudi, the more increasingly I looked forward to Hajj.

The Beast in Carnate?

Q was having a terrible day with his wife. She refused to meet him and stayed in the room the whole day. I proposed that we should have our late night-tea once everyone was asleep just to get his mind of things.

Tea time at 12am. As we made our way to the café (which oversaw the reception on the ground floor), we realized that brother Wahid was sitting there, he looked very depressed, so I stupidly brought it to Q’s attention. Q decided to invite him. Wahid did not refuse the invitation.

Am going to cut this story short. This guy turned out to be a pretty horrid individual. He was unhappy with the compartment and everything within its surroundings. Both, myself and Q, regretted the moment we had even prompted him about his issues. He was willing to throw the kitchen sink if he had the chance. The language which was used and the threats which were proposed, were very explicit and one’s that I wish not to disclose, for this blog. Considering, where we were, and the purpose of our visit, I really could not sympathies with him. May Allah have mercy on hi

Goodnight

Thought of the day:

‘Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else’, Charles Spurgeon.

Day 11 (17 August 2018)

After breakfast, I gave it a couple of hours before applying my facial. Brother Hussain-al Azhari, was looking in shock/ amusement whilst I was applying the dark red, strawberry flavoured mixture across my face. He jolted a few steps back when I offered him the pot. One would have assumed that I was offering him drugs. I laughed at his reaction and so did he.

*Hussain Al-Azhari, was a very knowledgeable man. After all he was a student from the famous Al-Azhar institute in Egypt. I would often spend the evenings picking his brain in terms of Islam and the current political situation in Egypt. It was most beneficial being around Sheikh Hussain.

Great news…endemic issues with the showers in our compartment. After hearing the guys mentioning the issue, I quickly decided that I would see if Q’s showers were working, so that I could make full use of washing off the face mask and ultimately being ready for Jummah. Luckily, Q had knocked on my door to inform me that I should use his shower. The shpwer stopped working after I used it. SODS LAW!!!

Taken Part 3, Saudi Arabia?

After completing my shower. I made my way to the reception, in the hope that I would be able meet some brother’s so that I could go to the local mosque for Jummah. However, the brothers at reception, notified me that the local mosque would be packed and that are only option would be, to pray outside. With the current level of heat, jummah was not an option, plus I would probably not be fit enough for hajj, in terms of sun-burn.

I met brother Q. He told me that he was going to pray Jummah with his wife. I left him to it, I don’t think his wife would have believed me even if I did tell her.

Luckily, I met a couple of the One Call boys. They made plans to pray Jummah at the Al-Rajhi mosque (second biggest Mosque in Makkah), I kindly asked if I could join them. The brothers were kind enough to take me along with them. The One Call boys were extremely kind and a heart-warming bunch. They were all Bengali and this just re-enforced everything that I have always known about the Bengali community at large.

Ranjhi Mosque was lovely. The sermon was in Arabic so it was difficult to grasp. However, I knew the Sheikhs dua was revolved around the Hajj and it was moving, this really touched me, and it really made me feel extremely lucky that I was one of the chosen ones to undertake such a beautiful journey amongst a religion of 1.8 billion followers.

As we left the mosque. Shumon and Abdul Hannan decided that we should grab a bite to eat at Makkah Mall. We made our way to Makkah Mall and ate till our hearts were content. I got to know Shumon and Abdul Hannan a bit better during the next couple of hours which was good.

*Abdul Hannan, was my sister-in-law’s, younger brothers best mate and Shumon was someone I met in Hajj. Very nice brother who had the unfortunate illness of constantly spewing verbal diarrhea. But in all honesty, from what I gathered, he was a lovely guy. A bit of a diva like-myself in terms of making sure we were looking prim and proper but you cant shoot someone down for wanting to look the part.

Shumon met my mother one breakfast. I Introduced him to my Mother and the first thing he said was, I don’t like Paki’s. Luckily my mother was not well and her hearing impacted because of it. Nevertheless, I knew he was not being malicious and I saw the humor in his reckless humor.

At 2:30pm we decided to leave the Mall. As per the usual routine, we looked for a cab and it was bizarrely unusual not to find someone at this time. *In the middle-east, people tend to avoid shopping during the day due to the heat, a so the locals tend to prefer come out in the evening. Eventually, we found a cab driver (not licensed) but everyone seemed content to jump in, after all, he was only charging 15 Riyals for the journey. Which was a total bargain on our side.

The driver was an Arab and that too, a super friendly one. Something was not sitting right with this guy. He was a chatter box, but a chatter box in all the right ways. We ended up talking about religion and politics and this brother had a very unorthodox view compared to most Arabs that lived here. He was against MBS (Mohammed Bin Salman-Crown Prince) and he was not too fond of Ibn Tayimmah’s doctrine of Islam which is being practiced in his country. Strangest thing he was not as Shia. He was clearly discontent and extremely unhappy with current situation in the country.

One thing lead to another, the driver, literally decided to give us a tour of the whole of Makkah. He covered the mountain that Ibrahim once used to sacrifice his son, Mina, Muzdalifah, Sheikh Sudais’s and Shuraim’s house, mount Hira and Thur, where Khadija (r.a) was buried and where the Ethiopians were defeated when they attempted to conquer Makkah. With things like this you can only take with a pinch of salt. What is real and what is not? Only god knows, nevertheless, it was interesting.

With that being said. I was slightly worried by this mans over hospitality and that I was going to run late for Sheikh’s Hajj seminar. The ever joking Shumon echoed the same feelings, a couple of times he grew concerned about our conversations with the taxi driver and gave me an anxious tap on my leg. To some degree I shared his concern, I wanted to complete my hajj and see my family again. On the other hand, I was laughing as worry was struck all over his face.

We all stood resolute and firm in that we wanted to go back to the compartment. He drove us back without charging us a Riyal. As we were leaving he offered to take us to a Spa. I was not sure what to make of my one and half hour car journey? Fear, humour, love, respect or awkwardness. Maybe all five feelings were right?

I return back to the compartment and am greeted with groups of people frantically telling me that my mum was looking for me and apparently she was none too impressed. Q was laughing. I think he got a kick out of my mum’s reaction and my irritation.

I looked for mum and reversed the whole situation. I demanded that people should feel sorry for me, as I went through hell and back, after my strange cab journey. My mum and others could not stop laughing. So, I successfully won.

Sheikh’s lecture went as planned. Nothing went wrong and I was more motivated about Hajj.

Hair Episode, Missing Dua book and Clothes Pandemonium:

After the lecture. I couldn’t find my book. In search of my dua book, I became a frantic. Two months of writing duas and preparing myself for the day Arafat, all for it to go missing. I felt extremely numb and lost. I spoke to my mother about my misfortune. She was no use and clearly did not find the right words to cheer me up. The feeling of being numb and sad quickly escalated to anger.

To let of some steam. Me and Q went to the laundry service to collect my clothes. Q, had never seen me angry. Five minutes later, we are at the laundrette, and they have given me only half my clothes. Considering how resistant he was to reduce his inflated price, I expected a bit more in terms of service. So, I literally hounded him in my father tongue. Luckily, I located my clothes in other people’s laundry. I felt better now since I managed to get my clothes back.

Dinner in the camps was going to be served in 10 minutes so we rushed our way to the lifts so that I could put my clothes away. As I was making my way to the lift, a brother stopped me in the reception area and sent me his greetings, which I replied with a huge smile. He was insistent in stopping me so I gathered it was of importance. Without introducing himself, he went straight for the jugular ‘Brother you hair, why is it like that?’

I turned around and gave him my nonchalant look. His lips creased and an awkward smile appeared on his face. I asked him, what Islamic institute did he study in? What degree of scholarly work is he involved in? The last question I asked was, whether he was interested in learning my name? Obviously, there was no response. A couple of people started sniggering from my response. I felt sorry for him but today was not the right day for a lecture.

I explained to him, that I was frustrated with people being more concerned about my hair then their own hajj?

I went to my room and found the book waiting on my bed for me.

The dynamics of the day changed. I was now happy Alhamdulillah. Tomorrow is another day!!!!

Day 12 (18 August 2018)

Breakfast with the usual suspects.

The mixture of happiness, excitement and tenseness. I could not really fathom the feeling. But in every which way you look at it, I considered it a good thing.

I was super calm. Myself and mum decided that we should go Makkah Mall and Souk Salam for the last bits for our Hajj trip.

We went Souk Salam to have a quick look around the markets. Both me and mum were shocked at the huge price comparison between Makkah and Souk Salam. Another a couple of visits would be required after Hajj.

We then went to Makkah Mall. We picked up small bits and pieces and went to the food hall. Mum saw the old Mauritian couple so we sat with them. I was joking about with mum on the table and uncle politely got up and left. When he was a safe distance from the table she burst in to tears. Her husband was upset when he saw the relationship between me and my Mother. Two of his three children have left Islam and he was clearly cut up as it opened wounds.

It made me wonder. How much of a great relationship me and Mother have? Granted we are always bickering like an old married couple but we have such a great relationship (Allhumdulilah). Am not sure who should take credit? My Mother nurturing us or my ability to maintain the relationship as an adult? Allah knows best. But am grateful for this blessed relationship. I think, one day when she goes, a huge part of me will go too.

The rest of the day was spent packing our necessities. I was slightly nervous but the big day was fast approaching in six hours or so.

Hajj Part 2: Ummrah and Makkah

Day 5 (11 August 2018)

Labyk-allah-huma-labayk (am here my lord am here)

We are preparing for our Ummrah so I changed in to my Ehram (Two un-stitched garments).

The first trip of our eternal journey starts today. We leave for Makkah at 7:30 am in the morning and we should arrive at 4:30pm. Throughout this trip, me and my mother have been extremely punctual when instructed by our group leaders.

We managed to have breakfast and arrived at the foyer at 7:10am (irritatingly). Only to be told by the travel coordinator (Mohammed Bashir jnr) that we would be travelling by cab. *We were non- the wiser, that there was a problem. So, at this stage, I was kind of glad that I would be travelling by car, as we would be facilitated with more leg space and would also have the privilege to arrive in Makkah before the rest of our group.

Unfortunately, this privilege of travelling by car would be short lived. We learnt that The Ministry of Hajj had rejected our visas to Makkah, and therefore we would have to visit the Ministry of Hajj office (opposite Dajjal palace) to have our visas approved. Nine others shared the same fate, however, a couple of the Hujjaj reacted to the news in a negative way. Long story short we eventually had our visas approved at 10:30am and set off for Makkah.

Patience are a virtue, otherwise the Shaytaan will destroy you?

The virtues of this holy pilgrimage are heavily based on patience. Having patience is the foundation of conquering all spiritual conquest. The sahabas and the prophets’ struggles were heavily based on subscribing themselves to a high degree of patience.

We eventually arrived at 6pm. However, the 9-hour journey was turmoiled with struggle and obstacles. Firstly, we had three stops and each stop lasted approximately 25 minutes. The Meccan securities were being total ass-holes and they were disrespecting the pilgrims with non-sensicle questions about our visas. Secondly, the two pilgrims who were in the car, did not really master the art of listening and I felt like my English was poor as they never understood anything I said and they would always talk over me. They also had the gall to blame us for not having our visas even though we were all in the same boat. Thirdly, my Mother decided to patronize my ability to stay organized and finally I almost got in to fight outside the haram as we were going to perform our Umrah. This was the cherry on top of the icing. I wanted to really blow up there and then.

Just for the record, I embraced all the obstacles and overcame all the challenges, to the best of my ability. I did get annoyed towards the end, but the essential thing is that I never lost temper and never acted in a manner which would void my umrah. May Allah (SWT) accept all my struggles and also accept my umrah.

We finally arrived at our hotel. I quickly left the cab and zoomed for the hotel room. This was due to a number of reasons which I have stated above. Allhumudulilah, what a site I was gifted with. 17 floors up and we had an uninterrupted window view of the Haram. Myself and mum must have done something very virtuous in life, for us to be blessed with such a view. I don’t think in our wildest dreams did we envisage that we would have such a breath-taking view. Am not the most comfortable with heights, however, those fears were in the back of my mind.

Our Hajj Umrah (The first real test)

After tearing ourselves away from our room view. Myself and mum made our way to the haram. We were swallowed by the swarm of pilgrims that had arrived at the haram. Magribh, was always the busiest time for prayer. There must have been at least 1 million pilgrims in the Haram at one go.

Going back to the Umrah. Like a bunch of chicken locked up in a cage, we managed to labour through or way in to the entrance. Getting in to the Haram was never easy. An altercation had taken place between me and this man. Typical, it had to be a Pakistani; him and his wife were pushing through a crowd in which there was no space to maneuver. I saw him first, trying to push through on my right side, when he had no luck, he tried to push through me until I reminded him that he should show some sabr. After failing to push through me. He then went to the left and decided to push through my mum. Naturally being protective and fearful of losing my mum before the start of our Umrah, I put my arm in front of the women. Her husband reaction was to push me with all his might; at that particular moment I saw the red mist and stepped towards him but luckily I moved as quick as I stepped forwards. The fear of my Umrah not being accepted weighed heavily upon me and that’s why I voided any further altercation.

Mum was proud that I refrained from any altercations. On my way down to the haram area, to my surprise, I bumped in to Imran Scars (A Tooting lad). I shouted out to him, we quickly embraced and we were quickly separated by the Haram security. A certain level of excitement and happiness had been infused since meeting Scars. There is also something when you meet one of your own in foreign lands.

We made our way through our tawaf (Seven rounds around the Kabah). That was physically demanding and soul torturing. Getting through the tawaf and looking after mum was my main objective.

Allhumdulilah, we finished our tawaf and it was time for Esha. Soon as the Kiyaam was made, like a tidal wave, both of us were pushed in to Marwa and Safwah section of the Haram. Me and mum quickly made a point of access for after Esha. This was our only chance of meeting. The sheer volume of people and the way things move in Salah is quite incredible. Imagine being in Westfield for new-years sales, times it by 50, that’s the nearest I can get to describe the scene.

We were advised by some very kind brothers from Sheffield that we should use the second floor for Sai but mum was insistent to complete the Sai in its origins. Although this irritated me, I did understand. After the first turn, I managed to lose mum at the green lights (Brisk walking for men only), a group of Indonesians swarmed the green light area and I lost sight of mum. I frantically looked for her to no avail. I eventually found her on her third round. I was ecstatic to find her and we then completed our Umrah.

*Looking for someone in the Haram without a mobile phone, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Impossible!!!!

I had taken her back to the hotel and cut my hair (Not shaved my hair). After showering and changing my clothes. We went to get some food from the old place that we used to eat from. We made our way back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

Day 5 finally over.

Thought of the day

Whatever you pray for the Most, Allah (SWT) will bring in front of you as your test. In my case, emotional intelligence and patience.

Day 6 (12 August 2018)

Both myself and mum woke up at 6:30am, we both missed Fajr, due to the physical and emotional strains of the previous day. We happily prayed our salah in front of our window view of the Haram. By Allah (SWT), some of the sweetest moments in my life have already been taken, overlooking the Holy Haram.

After praying salah, I went to sleep for an hour or two, and then woke up for 8:30am. After I woke up, I still did not feel as spiritually engaged, as one should feel when preparing for such an important journey. Something was missing and I really needed to trigger the fire of spirituality in to me.

The magic Mufti!!

After pondering for a couple of hours. I decided that a Mufti Menk YouTube video would do the trick. I watched a video which basically covered the reasons for Hajj and the spirituality of the Hajj journey. The video was an hour and half and it was extremely beneficial for me as it detailed how and what I should do to fine-tune myself for the journey of a lifetime. For the first time in the trip, I felt like the journey had a purpose, and that purpose would drive me to work with a spiritual momentum.

We had breakfast at the hotel. The hotel buffet was super amazing and I was taken back by the wide variety of food which was at our peril. The presentation was world-class, with foods from all across the continent, a vast array of colours, with carefully decorated pieces of fruits and vegetables, scored carefully in to an image of a flower or an animal. Obviously, I held myself back from gawping with my mouth wide open, rather I had adopted the nonchalant approach, which enabled me to act as normal as possible.

We both ate conservatively but nonetheless we did eat comfortably allhumdulilah. We were held in good company by uncle from Nottingham and Q’s family. Plan of action was to spend most of our time in the Haram.

*Uncle was an elderly gentleman of South African- Indian descent. A very warming man standing 6ft 4, with a huge heart, and a man who only spoke kind words. He was accompanied by his wife.

Q, Qadeer

Over the last few days I have spent lot of time with Q. We have the same kind of humor and we were both extremely laid back. Q is a good 12 year older than me but that did not stop the growth of our friendship

I have felt very sorry for him (not like I was taking pity). He has disclosed his life to me and it was difficult holding back tears . Q’s father suffered from mental health and was extremely abusive towards his mother, two of his sisters suffered from both physical and mental health issues. He is currently living in Cardiff with his two children and wife, whilst his mum lives with the other two in London.

What I have observed so far from this trip. Q is stuck between two women and is finding difficult to find middle ground between the two. On the dinner table his wife has thrown several comments about her mother-in-law. It’s not too difficult to realise that she clearly does not get along with her It’s not my place to judgement so I will comment no further but It was uncomfortable.

The reality of marriage has dawned on me. Both Q and his wife have given me their opinions on marriage and nothing seems to be tickling my fancy. Nevertheless, their views are clearly based on their own marriage issues. They both make some valid points in their own perspectives.

Myself, mum and Q’s family spent time strolling the shopping center within the hotel. Loads of the best branded shops with the top fast-food chains. Myself and mum had the grilled chicken and rice, something we had previously enjoyed on our previous trip to Makkah. The local restaurants in the malls are far much cheaper and provide better value for money. It would be wise if you are looking to travel to Makkah.

Thought of the day

The Hajj journey is done purely for the sake of Allah (SWT), the Hajj which is accepted by Allah (SWT), is the one which is supplicated in his name first. Try to spend enough time doing Ibadah rather than engaging in the market environments, which is seemingly unavoidable in Makkah.

Day 7 (13 August 2018)

Mum wakes up at 3:00am to get up for Fajr. She was adamant that we pray in the Haram and more important get a decent praying spot. Mum was panicking (for no reason) and threatened to leave me. So, I quickly wore whatever I found and ran out to the mosque. The heat was still so intense at 3am in the morning. I felt like I was coming down with a fever so I quickly found a spot and calmed myself down. We spent a good hour an half before Fajr salah making whatever supplication we could. The fever managed to ease.

Breakfast in the morning. The usual indulgence without over indulging (If you pardon the pun). I told mum that we should get the shopping out of the way so that we can focus our time as much on Ibadah as possible. Mum was of the same view.

We set off after Zuhr salah. Mum made her way through every jewellery shop in the hotel complexes. The heels of my feet were becoming heavy and I felt like I was losing a centre meter of my height with each step I was taking. Finally, I found an Islamic book-shop, so, I told mum that I would be sitting in there till she needed me. I finally found a book on Imam Ghazali, a very thought provoking book that I would invest in before I leave Makkah.

The majority of her shopping was done so we decided to grab some food. We went to the old food mall that we usually visited and shared a half chicken with rice. We made our way back, mum was really happy, she was ecstatic that I supported her throughout her shopping experience.

I was happy that she was happy. But it’s funny, you go shopping with a woman without complaining, all of a sudden you become the best son in the world.

I think Q was missing my company or he was looking for a break, maybe a bit both. So, he dropped me a call and requested that we pay a visit to the haram together to pray Magribh and Esha. We met with his family and we left for the haram. As usual, there was a lot of tension between his mother and wife.

A chord was struck in my heart

Somehow, I lost Q and everyone else. I met one of the One Call boys, brother Samaad. In between prayers and reading Quran. Brother Samaad, explained how he got in to the deen. His experience was after his father passed away, he became very strict with his prayers. One story that stuck with me, was how he attempts to be the best muslim possible in order for him to take his parents to Jannah. I pondered all night on this matter and wished to do the same for both my parents. You never know what Allah (SWT) has planned for you or your parents, so it’s crucial that we uphold ourselves in the best possible way in front our maker

*Brother Samaad was an endearing brother. Something drew me towards him and I was blessed to have this conversation with him. May Allah (SWT) reward the brother, make him successful in the hereafter.

A Pakistani brother was watching me during my time with Samaad. Curiosity got the better of him (as is the case). He decided to ask me where am from, so I politely answered that am from the UK, I knew where this conversation was going, so a smile crept up on my face. The brother poked on the question further about my ethnicity, till he was satisfied with my response, am of Bangldeshi/Pakistani origins. The brother was amazed and enquired further which town/village she was from. Upon my response, things quickly escalated, he wanted to meet my mother, and he wouldn’t stop bothering me about it. Considering the fruitful conversation that I was engaged in, it was evident to Samaad that I was visibly irritated by the brother’s harassment. He politely intervened and the brother got the message. The question is, why on earth why would I introduce my mother to a total of stranger?

Day 8 (14 August 2018)

Our last full day at the Swissotel. Myself and mum were discussing how sad it was going to be knowing that we were going to be losing one of the most breath-taking views in the world. After mulling over our sadness, we decided to get ready for Fajr. Fajr, completed as usual with another wave of people joining the millions that were already here.

Breakfast- me and mum have decided our plan of action. Buy quick so we have as much time as possible for Ibadah. Between Zuhr and Asr we shopped. I bought a couple of prayer mats and a couple of gifts from the mall.

I realized street shops we charging extortionate prices for basic items so I decided that it was better to get extorted by the malls within the hotel. We bought loads of prayer mats and gifts. Only the Ouds left now.

Maneuvering around the Haram had become increasingly difficult by each given day since we arrived. We made our way back to the hotel after a spot a of lunch at Mcdonald’s. Considering the fascination of the Big Mac in the U.K, it only made sense to order one. We struggled to find any seats so we were content with the floor. Good thing about mum, she’s not your typical women in that sense, she is happy to sit anywhere.

Finally, we made our way to the hotel and at the reception, where there was a swarm of people gathered around a table. From far, two Pakistani flags were being waved around. As I approached the crowd, people were gathered around two massive cakes canvassed with the Pakistan flags printed on the white smooth Icing layer. The cake was huge a huge square, am sure it could have fed 300 to 400 people.

I was shocked that a country that has a total disregard for its Pakistani migrant workers, are somehow embracing Pakistani independence. Extremely hypocritical in my personal observation.

Magrib and Esha was prayed with the usual suspects. We managed to get a tawaf in between both salah’s. Myself and Q decided that we should go for a night stroll and grab a cup of tea once we packed our luggage. We were knackered but a much-needed tea was required.

How are plans went to flames?

I think women have this intuition that men are up to something. Khalida (Q’s wife) decided that Q’s should fill up at 25 bottles of Zam Zam. Don’t get me wrong. I support the idea that you should drink as much Zam-Zam as possible. But am not sure how much man hours would be spent filling up the bottles, and the thought of carrying them back, lets not start on that. I feel like Q’s wife on a personal retribution mission . To be fair he never complained but torture was written all over his face.

*My respect for Q had scaled to new heights. I respect people who have the ability to recognize their fault’s and act on rectifying them. Am not going bog to you down with his problems. Without the marriage aspect of things there are many similarities between myself and Q. I think that’s why we connected so well.

*At 11:10pm- Q had broken the news to me of his new diverted trip to collect Zam Zam. A What’s App Message was sent on the group that our luggage could be messed up in transit, as there were up to four or five other groups that would be departing at the same time. We changed our plans very quickly and made a dash to find our luggage. My luggage had still not been collected, however, we went on a wild goose chase looking for Q’s luggage for an hour. After frantically looking for his luggage, up and down 17 flights of floors for an hour, we managed to locate his luggage, Khalida had taken them in in to her room.

Day over…..tommorow, Aziziyah.

My Hajj Blog Part 1 (Post Blog and Medinah)

My Hajj Blogg 2018
-By Hajj Mohammed X

In the name of Allah (SWT) the most beneficent and most merciful.

This blog is my travel and journey through the holy land in order for me to fulfil one of the five pillars of Islam. The experiences are my experiences and should be read with subjectivity. This is in no way, shape form or manner a deterrent from you performing Hajj. In fact, I strongly recommend that you perform the Hajj as soon as you can. There is no such achievement a muslim can achieve then performing Hajj. Allah (SWT) elevates your status and Imaan, it is now your job to preserve and maintain what Allah has provided you with.

A quick mention to Shah Bhai (Zaytun Travels) who never got a mention in the blog. Your support did not get unoticed. May Allah (SWT) Reward you for your help and support.

I want to thank my mother. Who I owe my life to. Without my mum this Hajj would have never come in to fruition. Both myself and mother have hugely benefited from this journey of a lifetime!!

29 November 2018
Alhamdulillah it’s been three months since I have come back from Hajj. There is not one day that I don’t think about my Hajj experience. Each and every day was special and it provided me with something new.

The physical hajj was performed five days but the real hajj started when I landed back at Heathrow Airport. There have been many obstacles and challenges that I have faced since I have arrived. But with my sincere belief in Allah (SWT), I have been doing my level best to deal with these obstacles in the most appropriate way without engaging in fitna. It’s not always easy but when has life ever been easy.
The two things which I have taken back from my Hajj; Never have expectation and every day is a happy day. I will break this down for you so that it makes sense.

Never have expectation:
In life we all fall in to the trap of setting up expectation and when those expectations are shattered, we lose hope and as a result we become bitter. Whether it is at home, work, friends, social life or with family. Just remember the good that you do is written by Allah (SWT), and when you do that good, you do it for the sake Allah (SWT), never expect your efforts to be reciprocated back. If, they do return the efforts, consider it a bonus and a blessing from Allah (SWT).

With the greatest of respect’s, you will find this more with your family members. Since my father left my house, majority of my family members have made very little effort to visit my house or see if am dead or alive. I grew frustrated and I then chose to isolate myself from the family. When I visit my family now, I visit them to maintain family ties, but I have no expectation for them to fulfill the same. Their deeds are left with Allah (SWT) and so are mine.

Muslims are also told to worship God and be good to parents and the relatives – Surah An Nisah (4:36)

Be Happy:
Happiness is a cure to physical and mental illness. Being positive and avoiding negativity is crucial to our existence. If, you are not in control of a situation, you should never work yourself up to the extent where you start losing sleep over it. People are normally controlled by things in which they have no control over. They grow frustrated and the rest takes over. I have fallen victim of this throughout my life; Allah ordains everything in your life, all you can do is pray and be happy for whatever Allah provides you with. Equally, you have to ‘tie your camel’ and you have to work for everything, but essentially, whatever Allah (SWT) has in store for you, is nothing that you can’t handle. Pray and have Qadr with whatever Allah (SWT) provides you with.

El Hajj:
In terms of going forward. I have a title in which Allah has blessed me with, El Hajj. The title ‘El Hajj’ is not a just a glorified title. In every sense of that title, I have to live up to the responsibility for the rest of my life. I would encourage my family and friends to remind me of my title if I sway as a human being. Like any human, I am flawed, however; I do wish to ponder and reflect so that I can improve, day by day. Ultimately, we should always achieve something new each day.

Swearing:
One of my biggest weaknesses was swearing. Majority of us are guilty of swearing. Allah (SWT) does not like those who use profanities. I promised myself during my Jamarat trips that I would reduce the use of foul language and profanities. By the grace of Allah (SWT) my swearing has been reduced and I have reaped the benefits as my souls feels lighter

Reading:
As humans, we have no right to stay ignorant. If you have the time to read Facebook or Instagram meme’s then we have no reason for not keeping ourselves informed. Reading is the cure to ignorance and we should make a conscious effort of keeping ourselves informed. The first verses which were revealed to our beloved prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), was Iqra (read). We should all be encouraged, to read the Quran and Hadith and literature that will be of benefit to us. *From both Muslims and non-Muslims bretherin.

The purpose of this journey was not to strip the engine but to add to the areas which required me to grow. Striking the right balance between deen and dunya is key. I wish to do so going forwards in my journey. Forever how long it last.

Day 1 (7 August 2018):
Finally, boarded the plane.
The last 24 hours have provided me with some numb moments. Moments in which I have found it difficult to contain myself. Whilst there is meant to be an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness; there is an emptiness which lingers with me and it has not been easy to shake off.

The root cause of my emptiness is factored by a couple of issues. Firstly, the fear of my Hajj not being accepted by Allah (SWT) always dawns on me; Secondly, having my Mother travelling with me is always concern for a few reasons (which I will mention in a separate paragraph); Thirdly, leaving my sister (Yaz) on her own during this time was not the most ideal situation. In all honesty, the last nine years, have provided many down’s rather than up’s.

Nevertheless, the Hajj journey is one of the most challenging but yet most rewarding that a Muslim will experience in his lifetime. What I do often remind myself, is that Allah has yet again bestowed his mercy upon me and my mother and invited us back to his sanctuary again. I also will be following in the footsteps of our greatest example to mankind, Muhammad (PBUH).

Malcolm X’s journey to the sacred land was one of the most insightful descriptions that I have read of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. I often gain a high degree of inspiration from Malcolm’s life and his experiences. He will be in the back of my mind whilst am performing my Hajj.
Parents:

I wish not to dwell on this matter for too long, however, I have a degree of frustration that I try to contain because of people very close to me. I know these individual’s love me unconditionally, however, their decision-making, has driven me crazy at times and I have not managed to fully shake these frustrations off.

In terms of Hajj, my main concern is mums health. Am sure she will be fine; however, the concerns are always there. You often hear of these ‘near death’ hajj experiences.

My Hajj experience is not one in which I set myself the expectation to change overnight and neither would I prefer to do that. I believe change should be organic. Although, there is one characteristic, I wish Allah (SWT) will bestow upon me and that is emotional intelligence. I believe emotional intelligence is something I could really strengthen. I really commend those who can master their emotions and abstain from unnecessary drama. Madame Nilly, is a lady that I really respect, in terms of someone mastering emotional intelligence.

In the absence of having no contact with my friends and family, this blog, will serve as my companion for the next three weeks. So, whoever takes the time to read this, you will be living my Hajj with me.

Landed at Medina airport @ 20:00 (Local time)
Typical middle-eastern weather, 30 degrees in the night, hot air, nothing can really prepare you for it, other than getting yourself out there. The weather is unforgiving only god knows what tomorrow will be like. After a 35-minute ride from the airport, we finally arrived. There it was in all its glory; Medina Al-Monowara, the mosque illuminated the sky with its bright lights and the famous green dome as it’s centre piece. I couldn’t help but creep a smile at this magnificent site.

Hotel is lovely but the WIFI is much to be desired for. Wifi in our room is restricted to the sitting area, which is a pain. I enjoy watching cartoons to help me sleep, I guess it’s a silent sleep tonight. Sob Sob.
We finally found our luggage at 1:30am. Bed time

Day 2 (8 August 2018)
Mum was meant to wake us up for Fajr at 4:30am, but yet we are praying Fajr at 6am. What a fantastic start to our spiritual journey of a life time. In all fairness we slept at 2:30am. After quickly praying Salah, strict instructions to mum, not to wake me up until breakfast is served, which is at 8 am in the Morning.

Surprise, Surprise. Mum has woken me up at least four to five times before 8am. Each time I was awoken; the worry and panic was felt in every breath taken. I forced myself up and we made our way down to the Breakfast place at 8:20am. Another surprise, we are the only ones, there.

Although very irritated by the lack of mother not listening to strict instructions, I managed to explain to her in a calm and collected voice that, sleep was essential to me; without sleep I would be able unable to operate, and without me being be physical/mentally able, she would be unable to do much. Hopefully, this explanation will be well received for the rest of our trip.

Just before Zuhr salah. I had a shower, sprayed and gelled my hair, put on my thobe, and embarked on my first day in the searing heat.

After praying salah. I made a start on my duas and I managed to cover mine and dads. This exercise had taken me up to Asr. Am not sure if there is a concern. How many sins do I have in respect to all my respected duas? Or is it just the case of me being a slow writer?

The Rawdah massacre (with-out the massacre):
After Magribh I decided to have a quick gander around the Al-Monowara masjid. I decided that I would visit the prophets grave and send my salutations. So far, this was not the wisest decision I made during this trip. Very quickly things turned nasty. To get to the prophet’s grave, you have to pass through the Rawdah (Strip of earth that will ascend to heaven on the day of judgement). They say praying on Rawdah is beneficial, however, it is not an obligation to pray on the Rawdah strip. Unfortunately, the masses, who are ill informed about the importance of the Rawdah, will do anything humanly possible to pray there. Quite often acts of violence, will erupt with; pushing, shoving, punches and kicks.

The issue with waiting in the Rawdah que, is that there are vast number of the Hujjaj who understand the importance of being cordial. The behavior of people in the Radwah strip is likened to that of Wilder Beast running in the Savanah. Am sure Attenborough’s voice-over would have been perfect at the particular stage.
*PLEASE do not feel deterred from visiting the Rawdah and praying 2 Nafl. Just be appropriate with your timings.
Not to get side-tracked. I was protecting a brother who was suffocated in the midst of the pandemonium which had broken out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t speak the same language as him, but It was written all over his face, that he was struggling whilst also being traumatized by the sheer idiocy of the violence surrounding him. My hand was crushed for a couple of seconds, with my body being dragged 5 meters without my will; one leg being stretched towards Makkah and the other to Riyadh. I sighed out of relief when I managed to get through the Rawdah.

Salam to the greatest!!!
I managed to give my Salam to the prophet (Pbuh) and his companions Umar and Abu Bakr (R.A). A very subdued moment where all emotions had run through me. The process lasted a couple of seconds and I quickly moved on. I didn’t want to humiliate myself by being physically assisted by the mosque security. Unfortunately, there are other pilgrims who tend to cry profusely at the foot-step of his tomb, whilst quickly having their senses being whacked in to them by the security staff.

Five years ago, I felt as though the security were a bit harsh in the way they dealt with pilgrims. In all honesty, they deal with this nonsensical behaviour on a day-to-day basis.

Dinner was ok. A buffet system. I ate a little and retreated upstairs to my room.
Mother has gone to the Rawdah. I am unable to go as am physically shattered plus am not allowed in the women’s section. I have given her strict instructions about ways in which she can ‘try’ to keep herself safe. I doubt she will listen, nevertheless, we live in hope.
Goodnight.

Day 3 (9 August 2018)
Tahajjud prayers at 4:24 am and the Mosque is still heaving, although, the weather was the calmest since I arrived in Saudia. I ended up staying in the haram until 6am in the Moving. Long sleeps are reminding me of a distant memory. We are due to meet at 8am sharp, as we are due to go for ziarat.

Breakfast was not great. Ziarat was bland, we literally saw the sites for 15 minutes, and made our way back to the coach. Our group leader, Abdul Zaman gave zero information about the ziarat sights. I was personally well read on the Ziarat sites, but there were some who really did not know much. I was quite shocked how laid back our group leader was about this. That lasted for two hours so I suppose it was good procrastination.

My own Ziarat in Medina and mission Ajwa (date) buying:
We arrived back for Zuhr. Considering that we were meant to leave for Makkah after Jummah (tommorow), I decided that it was very important that I had to buy dates and see a couple of local ziarat sights (Ali & Abu-Bakr R.A houses) and the place where Abu Bakr had taken baaya to become first caliph of the Islamic empire.

*The place of Abu Bakr’s (R.A) baaya is literally opposite nabawi masjid. The Saudi government have made the place a garden of peace; with loads of trees surrounding the garden, green grass, nicely trimmed bushes and a fountain fixated in the middle. Considering we are surrounded by desert, I found one of the Most peaceful and yet Most cool places in Medina.

I also had the chance to visit the area in which we resided in our previous visit to Medina in 2013. I realized how the surrounding areas of our previous hotel was relatively run-down compared to where we are currently residing. I noted there is a high degree of tranquility and peace which is immersed in this area. Am just hoping it’s not just nostalgia from our first stay.

I managed to also find the date bazaar. This bazaar is not usually found by tourist so I feel like this is a huge accomplishment on my behalf. Everyone else seems to be buying it in tourist hot-spots set at extortionate prices. I did try to suggest venturing slightly outside but I don’t think people have taken my suggestion seriously. I think because I look in a certain way, people tend to disregard me? Am not really bothered it’s just a running thought…

On the plus side, my Bengali connections, in any country that I visit, tends to always have its benefits. It was through my spoken Bengali which enabled me to find the date bazaar. My moto in life, if you have an asset, use it to the best of your ability, and you may reap the rewards.

Today has been a lonely day for me, knowing that we are not going Makkah until Saturday due to issues with ministry of Hajj, has set me back a little. As much as I love Medina, there really is nothing to do here, plus I have not really vibed with any of the group members yet.

A lot of the lads are from the same local area; a group of lads came with their mates and the others are accompanied by their fathers, so they have made their own group. *Please note, all the above individuals have all been extremely pleasant and polite. Having Baj here would have been great and she would have compensated for Most other companies. The miserable cow!!!

Plans for tomorrow:
Ever the optimist I decided to suggest an idea to mum. She was all on-board for the idea. We decided to visit the, hop on and hop off bus tour. Can you believe that!!! Medina has the world-famous bus tour company, but honestly, which tourist are they appealing to? There are only Muslim’s in this region. LMAO!!!
Am also tour guiding a Bengali family in our group. I will take them through my local Medina ziarat sites. They look enthusiastic and excited I also want to reciprocate the same energy. At least they will have a great memory of Medina.

Thought of the day:
Multiculturalism – We are unfortunately based 13 floors up, which means we are always the last to reach our rooms. From the ground floor to the 13th, we are surrounded in a confined space, with brothers and sisters from different parts of the world. From the white to black, brown to yellow, straight hair to afro. We are here united under one banner Color, culture, caste and creed take a back seat. Subhanallah, how lucky are we.

Day 4 (10 August 2018)
5:30am and I have been unable to pray Fajr in the mosque so we prayed in our rooms. Mum has managed to blame me, obviously, she is not accountable. Typical mum’s eh. On a side note, my mum’s panicky behaviour does really work me up. I have been doing well to control myself so far.

There is a slight tenseness at breakfast. I think we both have annoyed each other a bit we are both making a conscious effort not to let our tongues lash out. Small talk is currently working lol. I had taken it upon myself to be positive in this matter by suggesting that we must enquire a bit More about the city tour. Plus, it would be a Moment that both Mother and son would always cherish.

My gripe with my Mother on this matter, was that she never did enough to keep us stimulated. Both me and Yaz missed out on our youth, when it came to holidays and participating in fun activities, that young people normally do. Now that me and Yaz frequently go out, my mother is extremely keen to participate in all our outings.
We enquired about the city tour bus and both decided that we should read jumah and then venture out straight after Asr.

The gap in between the morning and jumah was spent visiting the outskirts of Jannatul Baki (apostles heavenly grave). There was a Bengali cleaner, who was extremely kind, he decided to show us where Uthman Ibn Affan (R.a) was buried and where Fatima (R.A) graves were. In that time, we saw a high volume of shia’s whaling at the grave and also enquiring about whether they could collect some mud from Fatima’s (r.a) grave. A bit of a stupid question which only required a similar response, considering we are in Salaf central.

As we were leaving, there was a growing number of Shia’s entering the Baki area. The police and army presence was increasing. With three or four indestructible riot transports being stationed just in case of any chaos.

Jummah to Asr, not much to report. Other than the fact that the Bengali family were joining us on the city tour to Madinah.

After Asr, we made our way to the Medina bus tour station (which is opposite the main gates of the Mosque). To our surprise the Bengali family had joined us. The tour was something different, both for the city and for me and my Mother. All the historical sights, are place we have already seen, but it was always nice to revisit.

From the last time I visited. I appreciated the sights more as I have done extensive research about the deen.

Arrange Marriage in Medina??
On our trip, there was a bunch of girls who used the tour bus. They were openly making eye contact through our first interaction. Obviously being in such a holy site, I subtly avoided eye contact, but she made herself known to me, by positioning herself in eye view of me. It was hard not to see her but I did abstain from looking. Long story short, she managed to sit with mum and decided to introduce herself. Before I knew it, she had taken selfies with mum and exchanged contact details and Snapchat. Snap!! My mum and Snap. Turns out she does actually have access to latest technology.

The Bengali family were making a joke of the situation. They were offering to buy dates for me so that we could progress with the nikkah, I laughed sheepishly and went along with the joke. Questions then circled about marriage, which am not going to bore you with.

After Magribh, we set out to the date market and I showed them a few ziarat sights close to the prophet’s Mosque. Qadeer the Bengali brother, a married man, with two kids who accompanied his Mother and wife. He had taken the opportunity to find the perfect time to provide me with marriage advice. Number one rule; your wife will never live with your Mother, so start planning a life without mum.

Qadeer is a good, sincere and light-hearted brother. However, his life story was very sad and his current situation is a constant battle between balancing two lives. I felt for him and his predicaments. I will make dua for Qadeer, another name in the dua book.

Tomorrow Makkah!!!