Shaker Tour 2007 » Saudi Arabia

Post Hajj Issue

fahadshaikh — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:01:08 +0000

I got back a couple days ago and I must say, it was pretty easy. Everything alhamudaullah went really smooth and the location of our tent was right in the middle of Mina. At first my bro and I thought we got the short end of the stick in terms of tents. But after seeing Riff’s and Momin’s we were pretty satisfied hahahaha. We had our own personal bathrooms and kitchen while they had to use public facilities the whole time. After a couple days the smell is UNBEARABLE at those public toilets so I must give those two props for battling it out.

What can I say about Hajj? It is indeed an eye opener. People from all over the world were there in Mina (town right outside Makkah): Russians, Americans, Canadians, Kazaks, Bosians, Brazilians seriously everyone. I don’t think there is a single place in the world that is occupied for only 3 days of the year and has a population of 3-4 million in that short period. It is truly unbelievable. To organize that many people in such a short time is amazing and I must give the Saudi government respect for their work. There are still a lot of improvements they can make, but this year they did a good job compared to the previous ones.

Below are the top ten things I liked and disliked about my experience.

Likes

1) Seeing Riff and Momin was lots of fun. Especially when I found out the uncles in their tent were calling Momin a “Dandy” and a “Cute Butterfly.” You can tell it was bothering Momin which made it even better.

2) I ran into a friend of mine I haven’t seen in 8 years. He somehow managed to spot me out of a huge crowd. For those of you who have gone for Hajj you will understand that the chances of this are close to nothing. It was indeed fate.

3) I prayed like no tomorrow. I had enough time to ask for everything I always wanted and pray for everyone I know. I even prayed for some facial hair.

4) I saw Pakistanis joking around with Indians, Iranians eating out of the same plates as Iraqis, and Saudis not being so arrogant. Hajj brings out the best of people.

5) There were loads of people my age in our tent, mostly Canadians.

6) There was a House of Donuts shop right in Mina. I single handedly cleaned that store out. MMmmmmmmmm donuts.

7) I saw a guy pooing on the streets right in front of me. I have included this in my Likes section because for some reason I could not keep my eyes off of him.

8) We saw a group holding the Canadian flag. Out of excitement we shouted out Tim Hortons WHATTTT. You would think we would get some love back, but they were more scared than amused.

9) We saw a sign out of a restaurant that said “ Eat Al-Baik so you have strength to stone the devil”

10) My dad looks like Mahatma Ghandi in his Ihram (Pilgrimage Clothes)

Dislikes

1) The place got pretty dirty fast. There was trash all over the place; they need to educate people on littering and personal hygiene.

2) Had one long bus ride. Took us 6 hrs to travel 9 kilometers.

3) There were way too many kids in our tent and for some reason they all loved slapping me across my bald head. God finally got my revenge when one of the little girls tripped and cut herself. I had a really evil smirk on my face when it happened.

4) Ok this will gross some of you out so if you want to skip number 4 I won’t mind at all. So a couple of us were talking and we so happened to be outside the bathroom stalls. Anyways this huge Saudi guy comes out of the bathroom with a huge smile on his face holding a tub full of Vaseline in his hand (wallah no joke). Sadly that is not the disturbing part. After he walked away one of the guys I was with starts gagging out of no where and we turned around and see a tissue FRESHLY wiped strategically placed on the side of the toilet. The guy didn’t even have the decency to put it in the toilet. I was shocked for the rest of the day.

5) My mattress in our tent was right beside the entrance so people would walk all over me while I was sleeping.

6) I had to go to the bathroom everyday, and after experiencing the horror of #4 above it was really scary.

7) Some guy tried stealing my camera while I was shouting my order at the House of Donuts guy. I felt someone’s hand on my pocket and quickly walked away and gave the camera to my bro.

8) There were so many people who came illegally for Hajj. They were all over the streets and would slow down vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

9) There were only 4 showers for 100 people in our tent. I took a total of one shower in 6 days. I smelled like roses.

10) I can’t think of a tenth one.

Below are some pictures of my Hajj:

After getting back I went to a restaurant and got food poisoning from the lamb chops. I have never thrown up that much in my life. It felt good.

In other news the passport office lost my brothers passport so he is stuck here for a couple days.

Pre-Hajj Issue

fahadshaikh — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 16:05:15 +0000

Alhumduallah I have been given the opportunity to do my Hajj this year. For those of you unfamiliar with Hajj, it is in basic terms, a pilgrimage for Muslims, the 5^th pillar of Islam, and most importantly a symbol of piety, unity, and a love for Allah.

I can’t really explain what is going on in my head right now. I have visited Makkah before, but for some reason I have never been this eager and drawn to the city. Umrah (visit to Makkah) in the past was just something I did, not something I really cared to do. But in the past year I have reflected on my upbringing in Saudi Arabia and have come to realize that I did not take advantage of my opportunity as a Muslim living so close to the birthplace of our religion. It is a pity, for there are so many others who would do anything for the opportunity I have wasted. I feel ashamed yet relieved at the same time. Relieved that finally for the first time in my life I truly have a personal desire to go back to the city and come closer to God. And what better time is there than Hajj?

I have picked the above picture because in my eyes it symbolizes the experience of Hajj. The tranquil nature of the man lost in the chaotic setting of the pilgrimage. He is alone in the midst of other fellow Muslims, connecting with Allah. His old age symbolizes a reflection of his long life: what he wish he did, what he is content with, what he can still do. Everything is going through his mind at that moment, yet he is still at peace.

For my Non-Muslim friends and guests, you can learn more about the Hajj from wikipedia or other sites online. If anyone knows a good site please post it on the blog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj

On a lighter note I have attached visuals below to educate you on things NOT to do during Hajj (or ever).

I leave tommorow so I just wanted to say bye and Ill be sure to remember all of you in my duas. Salam,

Home: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

fahadshaikh — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 02:12:21 +0000

Im home and so much has already happened. Today my brother got attacked by some pyscho at a Shawerma (donair) place. The guy was speaking in Arabic and Faraz said “mafi arabi” (no arabic). In his broken english he told him to step outside because he had a message for him. Faraz refused so the guy starts lecturing him about his long hair HARAM HARAM (Wrong Wrong). Faraz is like, “its ok man” and he pats him on the back, the guy goes BALLISTIC as Faraz touches him. He starts pushing him and swears in Arabic “YOU FILTHY ANIMAL, YOU CANT EAT WITH US, GO OUTSIDE.” Everyone in the restaurant tells him to calm down. He pleads his case calling Faraz a filthy animal and starts pulling Faraz’s hair. A guy comes to pull the pyscho off but he pushes him down and starts yelling again. What a pyscho. Anyways, Faraz got away unhurt.

My luggage for some reason didnt make it so Ive been wearing my brothers clothes for the past couple days. Today morning I finally got it and my baggage lock was broken. Nothing I can think of was stolen so i dunno if someone was trying to be funny or if it broke while being moved around. Very sketchy indeed.

Ive been here for three days and all 9 meals have either been at some dinner party or at a restaurant. I guess its dawat season.

The compound I live in is quite interesting. As shown above there is graffiti on the outer walls, all 26 villas are more or less occupied by Pakistanis and there are pigeons and pigeon shit EVERYWHERE. Home is home.

Next Post: Pre-Hajj Issue