Me, My Family & The Hajj (part 2)

So there i was in Saudi soaking up the good vibes (and the sunshine Biggrin ) at one of the holiest cities in all of the Muslim world. And im wondering: "What the hell is that SMELL?"

For an enlightened people (supposedly), muslims certainly make one HECK of a mess. The streets walking to the mosque in Makkah literally STINK of garbage. Muslims of a certain national (not mentioning who) would buy food from takeouts (all the streets are lined with them) eat it outside on the street and throw the stuff on the street. Then they'd do their wudu there, even sleep there. And i wouldnt be surprised if they took a leak there too. Infact theres soo much garbage that the government has to hire a 24/7 cleaning crew... and its still not clean.
The really sad thing is around Namaaz time the mosque gets absolutely packed. So people have to pray outside, not only in the courtyard, but in the actually streets leading up to the mosque! lol, thats not the best part. The BEST part is for 2 Jummahs the mosque got sooo packed we had to read in a Shopping Centre (no joke, opposite the Al-Haraam). Sure beats reading in the street... although i admit that was an experience.

One of the things you'll notice when you visit Makkah or Medina is the different ways in which people pray. I saw this one guy doing sajda continiously for 10 mins. Alot of other people would swivel their shahada finger like its a helicopter whilst praying. I even saw one guy on his mobile whilst he was praying. And I was always told to look right infront where i would prostrate and NOT to look around. But it seems these guys were given a different set of instructions.
What really irritated me was the lack of respect some people had whilst there. Im the type of guy who doesnt give a crap what others think of me. Why should i? Im not here to please anyone but my Lord. But when muslims show lack of respect to Islam WHILST being in Gods House THAT REALLY GETS ON MY NERVES!! For example: people who walk into the Al-Haraam with their shoes on! WTF!! Then they'll be like "Yeah man, we on Hajj... keepin it real!"... yeah., keepn it real STUPID! But thats not the worse part. The WORSE part is people who will recite the Quran and then put it on the floor and decide to take a nap??? WTH! Or as one guy did, recite the Quran whilst resting it ontop of his shoes!! (holy mother of jesus and all her wacky nephews!!!).
Maybe right about now, i can see why 'You' would think im being judgemental. And maybe he's right. Maybe i am judging them. But i'll tell you something else, before i judge them. I also judge myself. And ill tell you something else i hold myself against a much higher standard than i do others. So if im being overly critical about others here, imagine how critical i am about myself. Im a complicated man.

The last 5 days of Hajj... omg. They were really tough. I suppose i should have known saving my soul was not going to be easy. I dunno why i dont listen to myself more often.
From Makkah we went to Mina which is basically huge flat land with rows and rows and rows of tents. You're basically sharing a tent with the rest of your group. So 30 or so people per tent. You have about as much room to lie down and thats it. And we had this one guy on the other side of the tent who snored like you WOULDNT BELIEVE!! Like an aeroplane taking off! Glad he wasnt next to me. But i guess the worse part was the fact that your sharing something like 30 toilets (2 of which are European toilets... the others being 'holes in the ground' [as i call them]) between around 300 odd people! And lets just say the state of some of them is..... ew.
So me and bro didnt eat at all (much to my parents worry). We simply drank tea and Zamzam and maybe nibbled some fruit. Speaking of food, being in the middle of the desert there are a handful of guys selling fruits and chappatti etc. Lets just say i wouldnt trust the food... unless you want to be going to the bathroom every hour. I think we were only in Mina for a day and then we went to Arafat.

You cant go on hajj and NOT go to Arafat. Its a must. Its the site where Adam (as) and Eve (as) were re-united and forgiven. Plus they say if your prayer was not granted in Medina or Makkah it will definately be granted at Arafat (thats how important it is!). Again Arafat is nothing more than flat land in the middle of the desert with loads of tents. We did visit the mountain thingy but its not necessary to be there, due the number of people. As long as you're in the boundaries of Arafat your prayers will be acceptd. Which is pretty much what we did there all day. I did pick up the habbit of doing tasbee here... it helpd clear my head and keep me in the present rather than allow it to roam. And then the standinging in the sun reciting our final prayers as the sun sets.

From Arafat that night we went to Muzalifah... which again is a barron waste land... and this time without the tents. Except around hajj time its packed with people. Here you're only doing 2 things. 1) collecting 49 stones [the size of beans]... we collected 52 just incase we missed (as if id miss?) 2) spending the night. Thats right you'll be spending the night out in the open no tent, just you the wilderness and 3/4 million other people roughing it. If you imagine how tramps live then you're on the right lines. Its worse for the guys coz we're still wearing the Ihram (which is basically 2 towels: one covering the top and the other covering everything else). And believe me, it does get cold at night. Again, prob not a good idea to eat or drink anything here coz now you'r sharing really crappy toilets between 500 or more other people. After fajhr the next morning you're back off to Mina, where you'll drop off anything you were carrying with you since Arafat and then go Stone the Devil Biggrin

Was looking forward to this bit. Stoning the Devil. Finally... all those years of playing Kingy would pay off. The Devil was in for a whoopin.

Comments

I think the smell is because of how hot the place is rather than the amount of crap thrown about - buit I could be totally wrong. Hajj time is probably more packed then when I went and I did find the place very clean.

I did however feel for the street cleaners. Very very hot there.

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

You wrote:
I think the smell is because of how hot the place is rather than the amount of crap thrown about - buit I could be totally wrong. Hajj time is probably more packed then when I went and I did find the place very clean.

I did however feel for the street cleaners. Very very hot there.

At hajj time it is VERY packed. And i doubt its coz of the heat.

Imagine one guy, eating a box of chicken and rice and then chucking the box and the chicken bones on the floor. Now imagine thousands of people doing that on the exact same street. Add to that the free charity boxes the Hajj committee dispenses (by the truck loads) at around hajj time which are also being thrown on the floor after being eatn. And you'll get the picture.
These people will then do their wudu here (whats wrong with the wudu area just around the corner?) and later on they'll fall asleep there too. Maybe they act that way when they're back home but does that make it right to do it here?

Back in BLACK

EDIT: Oops forgot to mention something. Just added a new paragraph to the above blog.

Back in BLACK

Which para?

(I am too lazy to read it all again...)

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

You wrote:
Which para?

(I am too lazy to read it all again...)

3rd para

Back in BLACK

When you say taking their shoes into the mosque... do you mean the courtyard?

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

You wrote:
When you say taking their shoes into the mosque... do you mean the courtyard?

Nope, i mean wearing them on their feet whilst walking right in like they own the place.

Back in BLACK

When I was in Saudi, at a roadside mosque (just outside of Jeddah) the toilets were PACKED at Fajr time, so someone took a leak in the wudhu place (it looks a BIT like a urinal, I guess).

Fortunately my hotel was near enough to the Masjid al-Haram so I could go back there if I needed to break my wudhu, cos it's horrible in there (the wudhu areas in Madina are lovely though!)

Don't just do something! Stand there.

I hear they are extending the Prophet (saw)'s mosque. Would that be to the left?

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Seraphim wrote:

Was looking forward to this bit. Stoning the Devil. Finally... all those years of playing Kingy would pay off. The Devil was in for a whoopin.

Lol

SMILE! its charity Wink

Ya'qub wrote:
When I was in Saudi, at a roadside mosque (just outside of Jeddah) the toilets were PACKED at Fajr time, so someone took a leak in the wudhu place (it looks a BIT like a urinal, I guess).

Fortunately my hotel was near enough to the Masjid al-Haram so I could go back there if I needed to break my wudhu, cos it's horrible in there (the wudhu areas in Madina are lovely though!)

Yep, yep. I totally agree. Thats what people are like over there.

Back in BLACK

You wrote:
I hear they are extending the Prophet (saw)'s mosque. Would that be to the left?

I dont think they're extending Masjid Al-Nabi, atleast there was no sign of construction when i was there. They were simply putting up those HUGE umbrella's outside (which protect people from the Sun around Zuhr time). But other than that I dont recall any work being done.

They are however extending the Al-Haraam. And there were construction all over that.

Have I mentioned that the people in charge of the Administration of the Al-Haraam and the Kaabah are 'The Bin Laden Group'?

Back in BLACK

wednesday wrote:
How did you find your tent? Were they labelled? or just went it any?

Were they air conditioned? or was it cold in Saudi?

Were tents segregated?

How was it like travelling with your group? Would you recommend it?

Yes, the tents were numbered with huge labels on the side (as a people we're not that unorganised). And yes they were air-conditioned BUT since those tents stay there all year round when you first switch them on expect sand to be thrown out :doubt: . And yes the tents were segregated. Mom & sis were in the womens tent next to ours. And we'd hand them stuff through the peep hole that every1 used :lol:.

Generally its quite warm in Saudi, especially in the city area. But out in the desert it can get cold. If anyone goes i suggest they take a sleeping bag and some blankets with them.

As you may have noticed Ive neglected to say much about the group. The people in the group were alright (regular folk) mostly decent... one of my old school friends younger brother was part of the group too with his dad... didnt realise until the last few days. Another girl who was in the group was the mate of my best friends sister lol. Its a small world... yet i never run into Beyonce Biggrin

Ive NOT mentioned the actual Group Leader Person Organiser. This is intentional bcoz i WOULDNT recommend them to anyone. They were so bad I could have murdering them at any given point throughout this trip. But couldnt due to being in Ihram most of the time. And this is NOT just me, everyone in the group were p***d at them.

Back in BLACK

Seraphim wrote:
Have I mentioned that the people in charge of the Administration of the Al-Haraam and the Kaabah are 'The Bin Laden Group'?

Knew that already - the group is huge though. It employers many many people. Did you have a logo in the clothing of the street cleaners? BLG too I think.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Its just that here we have come to associate BL with OBL and it is shown as always evil.

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.