AlWuqoofu bi Arafah

I am trying my best to study thearabic and also my quran lessons for the coming exam (next week). This time is hard because I am in the midst of packing and things are so messy. *Rimas*. Allah Musta'an.

Anyway in one of the Arabic lessons, we learned about going to umrah and hajj. So we learn vocabs like how to say I am going for umrah next month. Or I arrived at the meeqat place before sunrise. I made tawaf for 7 rounds around the kaabah. I made saei. I shaved off my head after that.

And also another set of vocabs for the hajj manasik.

Naturally thses remind me of my time of umrah and mostly of hajj. I remembered, I only started really reading the hajj rites two weeks before the trip. Mainly this is because I was only informed that I am going two weeks before the date.

In the panic of the two weeks, I thank Allah for the bounty to be chosen. As the days were getting nearer, I think more and more about the day of Arafah. They were emotional thoughts. I always find myself overwhelmed even till now when I see pictures of people raising their hands making dua' in their ihram with glistening eyes full of hope and love for Allah.

Prophet Muhammad sallahu alaihi wasalam said, "Hajj is Arafah". It is the pinnacle of the whole of hajj rituals.

Most of the spiritual preparation I had was focussing on Arafah. I wanted to be one of those that Allah praises in front of the angels and among those that Allah fulfills the dua'. Subhanallah!

The Book of Pilgrimage (Kitab Al-Hajj)
Muslim :: Book 7 : Hadith 3126

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is no day when God sets free more servants from Hell than the Day of 'Arafa. He draws near, then praises them to the angels, saying: What do they want?

I had butterflies in the tummy and got nervous as the days were getting nearer. A day before leaving for Mina, I rested in the hotel and did not travel to Masjidil haram. For your info, those who come from the middle east area will be put in hotels at the outskirts of Makkah. I stayed near Jabal Noor. It is quite a distance. When days are nearing, the organisers did not provide transportation anymore. If you insist of going, you can take the public transport. But Makkah at that time will be crowded and public transports would be difficult not to mention, expensive. So I thought it is wiser that I save my energy for Hajj which will require more energy particularly on the 10th Dzul Hijjah itself.

I remembered the day we were assuming our ihram for hajj. The very morning before we leave for Mina, it was an emotional day for me. I asked Allah again and again that He makes things easy for me. That He envelops me with patience. That He gives me the strength to go all out in this ibadah.


Some people walking towards Arafah from Mina

Upon reaching arafah (we got there in the morning of 9th Dzul Hjjah), I rested and did a little bit of light reading in preparing for the much awaited hour, after dzuhur of the 9th Dzul Hijjah. I read through the dua' in the quran and read a bit more seerah. I go through the list of dua's that I had prepared and have divided according to categories : myself, husband, family, children, friends and so on.

The other pilgrims in my tents were also getting in high spirit I think. Once in a while, someone would stand up and gave inspiring lectures. From my little understanding it would be a seerah on how Prophet Muhammad sallalhu alaihi wasalam would make dua'. Then they would discuss on how high should the hand be raised. And not to waste any single moment during arafah. there should not be any idle talk. Ask. Beg! Implore! Beseech! Beg oh slaves of Allah to your Lord!

It was a nice cloudy day when I was there. As I climbed up the little hill, I felt that there is no one around me. I felt as though it was me alone there, even though my lover was next to me and there were many people there too. As I raise my hand to the sky, I said this is it! the day I was waiting for. Let there be no fatigue today (and the next day too)

Praise to Allah!

I raised my hand and begged him with all the energy I had.

Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers. Al Aaraf 7: 23.

I wrote something about this dua'. HERE.