Assalaamu alaikum,
Haroon was a wonderful person I met by the will of Allah on Hajj.
Here is his Hajj reflection and perhaps an inspiring story to all of us about the will of Allah and our need to invoke Allah with pure intention:
Asalaamu Alaikum Hujjaj,
Haroon was a wonderful person I met by the will of Allah on Hajj.
Here is his Hajj reflection and perhaps an inspiring story to all of us about the will of Allah and our need to invoke Allah with pure intention:
Asalaamu Alaikum Hujjaj,
I pray that this message finds you all in the best of health and iman, bi ithnillah.
I think this Hajj Reflections email chain is a great idea. I know many of us have so many experiences that we would like to share with others, but somehow we just can't find the words to express what we witnessed. In other words, we're speechless. After taking part in an incredible event like Hajj, anyone would remain speechless. However, I think it is time that we put some of our experiences to words so that we may share them with others and help elevate one another's imaan, insha'allah. Maybe by the end of this email chain we could compile these reflections into a book and have it published for all to read. So I look forward to reading everyone's reflections soon.
There are so many memories that I would like to share with you all, but one in particular stands out in my mind. It made me realize that we are all truly Allah's guests during Hajj and that when Allah wills for something to happen, he opens the doors for us in a manner which we could perceive not due to our handicap: reason and logic .
In order to share my experience, I must first share with you the story of my beloved friend and brother Abdal Muhsin. Abdal Muhsin and I were roommates in college and have been friends ever since. I have been through a lot together with him in life, both in times of struggle and joy. So when we were discussing Hajj this past summer, we both decided to make the niyat. However, Abdal Muhsin had planned to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in Mecca and upon his return he was starting a new job. So he knew it would be difficult to make Hajj this year. In addition, his employer was not giving him the permission to travel during the Hajj time period. He could not afford to quit his job and even if he did, it was very difficult to find a Hajj package because they were all almost sold out. So he realized that it may not have been in his destiny to go to Hajj this year. Upon returning from Mecca after Ramadan, he told me that he prayed at the Multazim for Allah to bring him back to Mecca for Hajj. Knowing very well that his employer would not give him the time off, nor did he have a package or a Hajj visa, it was unlikely that he would be going to Hajj this year. I left for Hajj on December 20 knowing very well that Abdal Muhsin would not be making Hajj with us this year. However, Allah had plans of His own. For when He invites His servant to His home, nothing can come in the way. Not even human reasoning or logic because Allah opens the doors.
Abdal Muhsin was sitting in his office in DC on Tuesday afternoon, December 26 - the 6th of Dhul Hijjah. He called a Muslim travel agent to see if they would refund a ticket he had purchased for Jordan that he never used. While talking to the agent, he was looking at his passport and realized that the Visa he used to travel to Saudi Arabia for Ramadan was still valid. It was a business visa that one of his family friends in Jeddah had sponsored him on and the Visa was valid for multiple entries for one year. He then asked the travel agent if there were any flights leaving for Jeddah from Dulles Airport on Wednesday. The agent started laughing and said that there are flights but they are all full. He then asked the agent to say Bismillah and look to see if anything is available for a very specific departure and arrival date. Subhanallah, the agent said that there was one seat left on a Saudi Arabian flight leaving from Washington direct to Jeddah on Wednesday evening, the EXACT departure date he had requested. Abdal Muhsin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Fortunately, he was off from work on Monday January 1 for the New Year's holiday. He had also requested Friday off ahead of time and it had been approved. All he need to do was to take Thursday off. So he approached his manager and asked him for the day off on Thursday, and his manager immediately approved. He then asked the travel agent if there was a return ticket from Jeddah on Monday afternoon. To his surprise, again, there was only ONE seat available and Abdal Muhsin purchased the roundtrip ticket for $1500. For a last minute ticket, that is incredibly cheap. It was truly a miricle that he found a ticket first of all, and secondly, the the ticket he found was for the EXACT dates and times that he wanted. He then called his family friends in Jeddah to inform them of his arrival, and left on Wednesday after work for the airport.
When he got to the airport, the ticket counter told him that the flight was full and that this ticket he purchased should have never been issued to him. However, since it was the airlines mistake, they upgraded him to First Class!!! He arrived in Jeddah at the main terminal on Thursday December 28 - the 8th of Dhul Hijjah. So he did not have to wait in the Hajj terminal. His family friends picked him up from the airport, and despite not having a Hajj visa, they were able to get him into Mecca. At the same time we were performing our Tawaaf-e-Qudoom, Abdal Muhsin was somewhere in our midst doing the same. Just imagine, only two days earlier, the brother had given up ALL hope of going to Hajj and now here he was, IN Mecca, performing Hajj. Subhaallah. Because when Allah wills, He can make the impossible possible.
That night, Muhsin came to Mina alone looking for his brother Abdal Bare'e, who was an organizer for the Dar-ElSalaam group. He was hoping his brother would be able to provide him with some basic food and accomadations. He was unable to find his brother and slept on the street with other Hajjis. In the morning he went to Arafah, and then spent the night in Muzdalifah. All the time he was still looking for his brother because remember, Abdal Muhsin didn't have a package like the rest of us. So he had no food, water, or shelter provided the way we did. He had also left his family friends in Jeddah, so there was nothing they could do. Abdal Muhsin endured very much hardship and difficulty in these few days of Hajj, but insha'allah he will be rewarded for it. On Saturday the 10th of Dhul Hijja - Eid Day he walked back to Mina and completed his Jamarat. He searched for his brother, but didn't find him or the Dar ElSalaam tents. On Sunday he walked back to Mecca and performed his Tawaaf-el-Efadah and then walked back to Mina. Finally, on Monday the 12th of Dhul Hijja he found his brother Abdal Bare'e a little after Fajr in the Jamarat area. And Abdal Muhsin did not know that I was also in the Dar ElSalaam tents. When Abdal Bare'e informed him of this, they both came looking for me.
It was a little after Shurooq and I was sitting with the brothers in our tent in Mina. I see two men walk in and one of them I recognize as Abdal Bare'e. Even though I am fully aware that the other man is my beloved brother Abdal Muhsin, my mind refuses to accept it because I know that it would be impossible for him to be here with us. After a long pause, I realize that this man is in fact Abdal Muhsin. I jumped up from the floor, yelled Allahu Akbar, and greeted the brother. I could not believe my eyes. It was at that moment I realized the power of Du'a. Despite all reason and logic, Allah accepted Abdal Muhsin's prayer at the Multazim in Ramadan and brought him to Hajj. The niyat that we both made during the summer had been accepted and here we were standing next to each other in Mina. I truly realized that we must never lose hope and keep our faith firmly in our Lord. Because no matter how difficult it may seem, how impossible it may be, nothing is difficult for Allah. And at that very minute, Imam Magid's words came to my mind. We are all truly guests of Allah and each and everyone of us is very special because we have been honored by Allah in that he invited us to His house to make Hajj. If it wasn't for His will and for His invitation, none of us would have been standing at Arafah. I was only able to spend an hour with Abdal Muhsin because he was leaving for Makkah to perform Tawaaf-e-Wida. And later that afternoon he had a flight back to Washington. The next day, Tuesday January 2nd, the 13th of Dhul Hijjah, one week after calling the travel agent, Abdal Muhsin was sitting back in his office at work having performed the Hajj.
Therefore, it is truly a blessing that we were invited to make Hajj this year. It has truly been an honor meeting all of you and spending time with you all. You were all guests of Allah and I look forward to keeping in touch with all of you via this email and insha'allah by phone or in person. I apologize for rambling on and maybe putting some of you to sleep, but I just felt that this experience was worth sharing. I just pray that this story makes us all realize the power of Dua and that anything is possible despite what our minds and logic may tell us. May Allah reunite us once again in this life and if not, then definitely in the Hereafter in Jannat. Ameen.
W'salam,
Haroon
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