Mohammed Faqih – Top 10 lessons from Hajj
AI: Summary ©
The speakers emphasize the importance of humility, patience, and unity in achieving success in a field, as well as the benefits of learning to be oneself and finding one's way to be oneself. They also emphasize the importance of guidance and avoiding mistakes in the context of the current crisis, and the need for hedging and helping people achieve their dreams. The impact of the pandemic on their business, including their work from home, has been impactful, and they emphasize the importance of protecting everyone's health and working from home to protect their health.
AI: Summary ©
Very little amount of clothes.
Were disheveled, right dusty.
Even people who are very, very particular and high maintenance, they're very particular by their looks. And how did you just do whatever you have to do? You try to you try to shower, you tried to do things, but at some point, it doesn't matter, right? You don't care about how people perceive you and what people think about you and about your status and about your
you don't care, all you care about your because your focus then is what I want to of course, you know, someone might say, Well, I know someone whose entire focus was just getting it over and done with, they just want it to go through.
Generally speaking, most people want to do it right, and they want to get it right. And they're there focus on what they're there for a loss of habitat, and they're not there to impress anyone or to get the attention of anyone or to, they're there to make sure that Allah subhanaw taala accepts their Hajj, they want to make sure that they do it right. By any means necessary, they do their best they can. So people come their radical Salaam in the most humble of states, right, complete humility, they come with the least amount of cloth, you can't tell who is who, you know, one thing I noticed this year is people just were introducing themselves as so and so and so and so just first
name, they, you know, basis. And then it is through conversations or, or
other incidents, that you discover that you could be speaking to someone who is
a high ranking officer in his company, or a CEO of his company, or, you know,
someone with a with high credentials, and, you know, PhD, someone who invented
you know, things and, you know, or a surgeon or, or, or a doctor, you know, people chief surgeon of and his own. So, it's just amazing how people don't come, at least this year, maybe impasse here, they did have people saying, I am Dr. So and so but this year, everybody was didn't even have that title on their name badge. You know, they just had Mr. And Mrs. Right. And then it's through conversations or different incidents that you realize that this person is
because everyone is there, you know, as a servant of Allah subhanho wa Taala. So it's a very humbling experience. And we learned the lesson of humility. As a matter of fact, you feel that enhance, the more humble you feel. The more humility you experience in your field, the more the spiritual experience will be the, you know, more rewarding, you feel that you're closer, you feel like you're that you're able to cry.
You're able to pray.
And you feel like your prayers answered. Right. So halala, one of this this morning, I was looking at
a picture that that went viral on social media.
And they said that it was the president of one of the East African countries, Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire,
who refused to
go through the Royal royal protocols, and he decided to stay with it with that, you know, common people, you know, and he laid down on the ground
in Mozilla, and he slept through the night. So someone just took a picture of him sleeping there.
Displaying humility before last, because when we stand before Allah as we did in alpha,
Allah doesn't care about our status and how much wealth we have and all of that. As a matter of fact, Allah subhanho wa Taala is proud of servants who come to him in that space. And that state and Allah subhanaw taala, according to the Prophet says,
Look at my service at Tony Sharif and lovara. They came to me, you know, they're this dusty the shovel. They're in this very humble state, they are coming to me asking me now You read how Allah what is it that they're asking for?
Right? When you come in this desperate state, right? If anyone wants to come to you, and they're in that state, you will not you will see that they're really desperate for something, and He will give it to them. Right? any decent human being will do that. So imagine allies again, whose most generous, Most Merciful, full of grace of Hannah Montana. So one of the greatest lessons of Hajj is humility.
And, you know, you feel when you show humility and how do you feel that it's okay? You're safe with Allah subhanaw taala. Right. So when you're vulnerable when you're humble before Allah subhanaw taala you feel like you're safe. with Allah, you feel like the last to Allah will take care of you. You don't have to pretend to be anything, you don't have to pretend to be stronger than you really are. Because we're, you know, we're weak, you don't have to pretend to be of.
So you can just be yourself.
You can just keep it real. And this is one of the most beautiful aspects of Hajj
that it allows you to be yourself, your humble self.
So this is one lesson that we get from Hajj.
Another lesson that we get from Hajj is
you see the grace of Allah subhanho wa Taala the beauty of a loss of Hannah to Allah, his love for us as a service.
And the fact that Allah subhanho wa Taala takes care of his guests, because people perform pilgrimage are the guests of Allah Subhana time. So when we go there, not knowing what we're going to do what we're going to encounter, most people think that things may go wrong, you know, and, and if you really think about it, you know, and I was just sharing this earlier, to have two points, something million people move from one place to another isn't very tight. I mean, geographically speaking, it's, and everybody's going to the same place. It's not like you have multiple cities, or multiple destinations or attractions, and people are going to different places. No, everybody's
moving from one place to another, and then from that place to another place, right? And then everybody goes to Mecca, and then you know, fire, you know, so
and again, of course, you know, any any loss of life or any, any incident, any tragic incident is something that we don't expect, or we don't want. But when 2 million people come and they leave with the least amount of casualties are really impressive. And people might say, Well, of course the you know, we've been doing it for a long time, the Saudi government is doing it all the time. They're improving they're doing at the end of the day, no matter how much you prepare for it. If it's not for a loss of Hannah Tana is it would have not been possible. I consider that to be a miracle.
This Miraculous, is miraculous. As a matter of fact, if you just make tawaf like when you look at the Black Swan, I don't know if you saw this video that went through viral people trying to kiss the black stone. I'm like, I don't know how. How you don't have like death and stampedes and
you know, every every Salah before and after every salon. Right? Yet Allah Subhana Allah so merciful, right? Not only that, you see that many people who thought that they couldn't do it. Somehow they they get through it. I've seen people who were a you know, in a in a in a weak physical state, and they thought they may not be able to do it, and they were somehow they found the strength to do it. Right. So when Allah Subhana, Allah allows you to do something and nothing can stop you. So you see, you see,
you see how Allah subhanaw taala takes care of his guests and his servants of Hannah with Allah and welcomes everyone in spite of our deficiencies and shortcomings. Right and everybody's his his faults are covered. I mean, if when you walk into the house,
if your background, and what you have done is exposed. Right? No one will stay there.
But Allah subhanaw taala covers everyone we come to that place, with a history with it with it with a long history of offenses and sins. And Allah subhanaw taala welcomes us in that special place. Not only that he allows us to pray for forgiveness and redemption, and he hears our prayers. And I personally believe that, that by His grace, these prayers will be answered as well. Which brings me to the third lesson of Hajj which is do as are answered.
Right, do I is answered? You know, I was telling the judge how many people will say I want to pray. I don't know if my prayer is accepted. I'll say have Didn't you pray to be able to come to this place and perform Hajj. Wasn't that a wish that you had?
Right? There was a wish and it was something that you prayed for many people pray for for you out of
All these people, along with the other 2.3 million people who made it, you made it. So that means a lot I answered your drop.
Allah answer your drive, and he allows you to come to this special place. What makes you think that he won't answer your drive when you are already in this special place? When you're already in his house? Right? He answered your drought when you are in your own home home in your own house, asking him to allow you the opportunity to make it to Mecca. So now that you are in his house, what makes you think that he will not answer your job, so pray to a loss of habitat and begged him
knowing that he answered that.
So Hannah Houghton, and one of the greatest lessons of Hajj regarding your art is that you get used to, to do
so how are people who don't, who don't know what to do, or how to pray, or what to say in their prayers and supplications, prepare lists of prayers and supplications, and drama and prayers, and they come and they're excited. And and, and it just, it opens up? People who used to say, I don't know how to pray or what to say. All of a sudden, when it's the day of alpha, right? It just comes out.
That energy comes out. Right? And now they start begging and they start asking a lot and people are crying, just and they're fine with it.
And and they show what we're supposed to show when we pray to Allah subhanaw taala and asked him so how about that. So this is the third lesson.
One of the greatest lessons of Hajj. And this is the fourth lesson is, of course, when people ask anyone that went to hedge, what should I have? What should I take with me? What's the most essential elements that I need to be able to get through hedge?
The number one answer most common answer is what?
What is patience sobor. Patience, you need to have plenty of it, you must have plenty of it. And
and this is one of the greatest lessons of hatch.
Right? It is those who are patient who will win at the end will be victorious.
People who lose their patience, lose their edge,
lose the whole thing.
Patience is the key for victory.
The key to victory is patience. The Prophet himself said that in a hadith he says why lm and nostrum are suffering. He said no.
Be certain that victory comes through or with patience.
person that doesn't have patience will not have victory.
Right? If you are patient and steadfast, the longer you hold on, right? The closer you are to victory, people think the longer you hold on,
you know, they see no results. That means you lost No.
Right? The longer you hold on, right, the closer you are to your victory to that moment of victory. And this is one of the lessons that has teaches us, you see a lot of people who lose their patience and then they regret it. Like they realize that the day will come to an end, that journey is going to come to an end you're going to reach your destination. One thing I always tell the judge is somehow a lot. Everyone gets to make it from one place so that most people 99.9% of people make it to their destination from one place to another. yet. Some people do it with their dignity intact, because they were patient. And they they they waited with grace. And they realize that waiting in
and of itself is an act of worship. There's an act of worship, like waiting for worship waiting for the right time in and of itself is
is worship. And this you get to reward people people keep saying what time are we gonna get there? And how long is it going to take doesn't matter?
Does it?
You know, I would like to tell you, it's gonna take half an hour from this place. But I really don't know. Many times we thought or we were hoping for half an hour journey from minute to Mecca. And it took an hour or two the roads were blocked.
They just have to learn to be patient.
So patience is one of the greatest lessons of Hajj and you experience the sweetness of patience because those who stick with the program and are steadfast and patient and wait when they finally get a breakthrough or get to their destination. They're the ones who who who enjoy the most. They're the ones who say, you know, I remember, I don't know of any person
And that stayed until February. in Mozilla, for instance, stayed overnight until fudger. When everyone was tempted to leave after midnight, and they decided to stay that regretted it, they're like, wow, hamdulillah like every person that that was kind of hesitant Should I go with the full experience or should I, I said, you know, sometimes we have these concessions, you can take it if you need it. But if you don't really, really, really need it, and if you have enough strength, and if you can stick with the program, until, and go through the full experience, do it.
Right, especially if this is your first hedge,
and possibly your only hedge, get the full experience. So and then they come later. And they're like, thank you for that advice. Because, you know, Alhamdulillah, I went through the full experience, had I not done that I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. So they enjoyed the, the result of their patience, and they were able to reap the fruits of their patience immediately. It's realized right there, right?
You start making so often you'd like how long is this gonna take, it's very crowded, and then within 45 minutes, right? maybe an hour, you get the result, you're like, I'm done, I reached my destination, right? You begin the night and roselli far, maybe it's a rough night, you don't know, you can't sleep, but then you get used to it, and then find your time you're like Hamdulillah, I made it through the night.
So patience, and the reward of patience is one of the greatest lessons, again, has doesn't necessarily teach you patience, but it actually reinforces patience. It helps you exercise patience, it may even expose your level of patience to you, right, but the greatest lesson is that you see the result of patience.
You know, it doesn't make you a more patient person, but it just shows what your threshold is. And if Allah subhanaw taala bestows patience upon you, and if you can struggle, you know, you may be able to realize that you are more patient than you thought you were.
So, again, some people might say, Well, you know, I'm not a patient person, I don't know if I can make it through, you know, you may be more patient than you think you are. Because patience is very, I don't know if this is this makes any sense to you. But I think patience has elasticity. And it's all the flex I mean, it all depends on how much how how far you want to stretch your patience.
Right? Because there are certain things that that people that we have patience for. And people say how can you have patience to do this? How can you watch something for two hours
and not lose interest? Again, because somehow psychologically, mentally, we, we find interest in it and we find it to be stimulating. Right, and we just stick with it.
The fifth beautiful lesson that we learned from Hajj is that we become used to remembering Allah subhanaw taala mentioning his name.
You know, sometimes we get bored when we repeat a vicar when we say some kind of loss of homeless of Allah. And we lose connection with it. Yet the Hajaj for two or three days while they're in the state of Milan, they say like bacon lahoma bacon, they repeated as many times as they can. And every time they do it, how does it feel? Just amazing, fascinating. It's the same thing is these are the same words.
But somehow, they they, they do them their Miracle on you. So we get used to them remembering Allah subhanho wa Taala and saying like bacon lahoma bacon, a bacon actually Cola, cola bake, you get to purify your tongue. Your tongue gets used to remembering Allah and doing Vicar and you cut down on filthy language. Right, you're more more careful. So you get used to that. And you see the results of what Vicar does to you. You know, people say when people come back from Hajj, everyone looks at them. They're like, there is light on your face. There is like peace. Right?
You feel like the person has changed? No, it's the vicar is the effect of victory.
It's the effect of victory is that the two weeks where the person was cut off from all the garbage that we're exposed to, and that we we have access to? You cut off yourself from that. And then you you focus on Vicar and remembering Allah subhanho wa Taala and it does wonders. You know, one of the one of the scholars, someone asked him, Why is it that the people who get up in the middle of the night and they worship people are always doing victim? Why are they the most peaceful and most pleasant and good looking?
People that there is something about them they have, there's this aura. You know, why did he said because these people, when they remember Allah subhanaw taala they're exposed to the light of Allah azza wa jal. So Allah azza wa jal covers them
shrouds him with his nor Subhana hutan. So that so they, they they radiate like or they reflect that nor the beauty of a loss of Hannah with that, right? Again, it's not something that you can physically explain.
But there is, there is something about a person that just came back from how'd you look at me like
there's something about you.
Right? And again, those who have seen it, they experience it.
The person himself may not even realize it, they may think that I'm the same person, though people say no, there's something about you, you're just, you're a lot calmer,
nicer, you know, the best of you came. This is the effect of Vicar. The Prophet said, a person who remembers Allah mentions the name of a lion always is focused on a loss of habitat. And a person who doesn't do that at all. The difference between the two is like the difference between the living and the dead.
The living in the dead.
Right.
So, this is a number what, how many isn't number five.
Number six,
one of the greatest and beautiful lessons of Hajj is that it is it shows us and and we get it, we get a feel and we get a taste of unity and brotherhood, there is a bond that is created amongst people who perform Hajj together amongst themselves as a small group. And there is a connection that also takes place between them and the larger group that oma when you go there, one of the most overwhelming realities of Hajj is,
you know, that it reminds us of the reality of this, of this body that were part of the Muslim Ummah, the diversity within it. And it reminds us that no matter how you know what language we speak, and how,
you know, how far we may live apart from one another write which brings us together and it reminds us that we have one very, you know, unique destiny, and that we have one focus and one purpose. We have one Lord, one place, one season, one hedge one salon one pillar. So oneness and unity is highly emphasized and something that some some people who, who come from,
you know, who? I don't know, I don't know, if you felt this way, but it had you don't feel lonely, even if you don't know anyone.
Yeah, any, any you feel like, you know, you fit in? I know, there are moments where you feel like, why are people why are people behaving like this, and you don't like how people are behaving. But nonetheless, you know, you feel that you're part of this big family. And the diversity and the the unity is is is
is overwhelming Subhan Allah, when you when you run into people from certain regions.
And they're there for the same for the same reason, you're there for you, you bond and you connect with them. And if you're if you're a person that that, you know, is very sociable and likes to talk to people and engage people, and learn about their stories, you learn a lot of lessons from them. And you feel the connection when you when you run into someone from Burma or someone from China or someone from Uzbekistan, or someone from any of the West African countries. And if you have, if you have a conversation with them, it's just it's a Jeep, you know, you feel like
you have a lot in common with these people, you know, regardless of where they're from, and that's why I don't forget many moments where where I engage someone from,
from,
from a different country. I remember one time having a conversation. I don't know how we Converse, because he didn't speak my language. I didn't speak his language. And we didn't have a common language, but we had sign language, you know, and we had the language of email, you know, Kaabah, Allah brothers, you know, you know, you hug each other you say, send out. His name was Hasson
you know, from China,
Chinese Muslim. They all now
I run into people I'm like, Where are you from?
They're like I said, United States. I'm from America. Where are you from?
They're like, Oh, Tajikistan,
you know, I like your hats.
Just,
it's, it's amazing. We're one of them. You run into people from, you know, I ran into, you know, people from Turkey. I'm like, Oh, I love Turkish people, how are you much alignment. And then like one oh my gosh, and and now hamdulillah Google Translate, you know, the translation app makes it easy, you can just go and like which language they speak, and you can start having a conversation.
And when you have these conversations, there is one thing and I urge you next time you go for camera or you go for Hajj to do this, try to connect with someone from a different country. Right? And do this just try to have a conversation? I bet you, right, there are two themes that will be will come up in that conversation of yours. brotherhood, that we're brothers at the end of the day, we're one Right, right, we have this bond, we're one family, and unity
is gonna come they will either you will bring it all the or they will bring it because they will ask you where are you from? Where are you from? How's everything? You know, I don't like the policies of your country. Yeah, I know, he doesn't represent me. You know, I'm gonna vote him out inshallah Tada. And they say, you know what, at the end of the day doesn't matter. Who is your president? Or who's my president? Or what kind of relationship our our governments have with each other. We're brothers every time.
Every single time this comes up, what one oma at the end of the day.
Somehow, forget, forget
the forget politics, because that's going to divide us. Let's focus on what brings us to get what we have in common. We have this Deen, we have this brotherhood, we have our humanity, we have our love for Allah and His Messenger sallallahu sallam, we have this one common focus, which is Hajj and making it to gender, to *. And I had this kind of conversation, you know, I also goofed around as I was walking, because I personally get bothered when people take selfies. And when we overdo it, you know, I'm guilty of it, but when we overdo it, so there was a group of people taking a picture, or a selfie. And, and I just jumped in into the picture. And they're like, Oh, please stay and they
took the picture. They were so happy. And I'm sure they sent it to other people saying, look, some random guy came and took a picture with us.
I love sad.
And he nobody was offended, said, you know, you You ruined my family picture. You know, they're like, no, we'd like come, you can join us. You know, we had a group picture for our hedge group, group 26. So today, I was looking at the picture. And I wanted to send it to the group. And then I realized that there was this little kid, this little black kid that came and joined us. In the picture. I was like, Where did that kid cover? Does anyone remember where that kid came from? And we're like, no, but that was cute. Let's make him famous.
So
one of the greatest lessons of, of Hajj is
getting used to
using your time wisely.
Because you know, you have a very, very limited amount of time, you only have one week there, you have five days there, you have one day, you have few hours left, and you try to maximize you try to do the best you can do within that given time.
And you realize how much a bad day and how much worship you can do while still not having to skip meals, while still having your open buffet. Right? We had our open buffet, we had our social interactions, our fun. We had our dessert, right? And then you still have plenty of time. You're like, Okay, I need to take advantage of this time. Maybe I should make a drop. Maybe I should read around. One of the most impressive moments was on the flight back from hedge. Right before we landed, I ran into a brother who was reading.
And I said to him, what are you doing? He's like, I'm trying I'm almost done. I'm almost done. I'm about to finish. I said to finish what is the Quran? I only have one use. I said, Is this something that you started? He said, this is something I started when I started my journey two weeks ago. Right on the way there he started reading on the way back he was finishing
the whole plan. This guy's a very busy surgeon, you know, but he found that, you know, he found out that he has now two weeks, 14 days exactly from the time he left his busy life's lifestyle, right to go perform hajj, and he's like, I better finish the opera. And then two weeks he was able to finish it.
Right now this is still I mean hygiene is a very busy thing you know you're doing a lot of things are going from one place to another five daily prayers. You have to leave one hour before the salad to make it inside the house and all of that and in spite of all of that he managed to reach for that.
Do his dick, do his a bad and get it done right? Okay, so somehow Allah, this shows you how much how blessed we are and how much Baraka there is, when it comes to time, for anyone that wants to take advantage of his time, one of the greatest blessings of Hajj are one of the greatest lessons of Hajj is the fact that it shows, it reveals to you that you are spiritually stronger than you thought. And that you can win your battle against shaytaan against the devil. Right?
Where, and one of the greatest celebrations that that judge have is when they actually go to gem Earth and cast the pebbles. That is symbolic. I mean, she thought is not literally there. You know, he's not tied to the wall and the finish, you know, but it's symbolic your rejection, you're you're there to,
to,
to express if you will, or to celebrate your victory over Shetler and to declare it to declare that you are, you know, so one of the greatest, you know, moments is when you stand there and offer and when you go the next day and you cast, the pebbles,
Allah Subhana Allah says in the shade planula Komodo Eduardo, indeed, he's an enemy of yours, so take you as an enemy. Right. And this morning, I was sharing it after fudger that,
in the Hadith, were told the Prophet peace be upon and said that every one of you has an angel and a devil assigned to him or her, when we are born, we this is a fact the process of selling reveal this, this spiritual fact that each and every single one of us has a devil and an angel or an angel and the devil assigned to them. And these are your advisors, one advises you to do to do what is right to do what is good, what is noble, what is righteous. The other one of course wants to get you in trouble, right? Negative thoughts come from him from that, from that side.
Positive thoughts and I you know, and ideas and something that is construct come from the from from the, from the angel,
right. Now, sometimes
the the what the angel inspires us to do, our advices to do is not necessarily as pleasant, and it's sometimes may not be the easiest thing. Or it may not be what we crave or what we desire, or what we are tempted to do. Right? So that at the end of the day, they are not responsible for your action, you're responsible, because they're just advisors, you're the decision maker, you're the boss, you're in charge, unless you fully
put your advisor I mean, you make the devil, your advisor and you put them in charge, and he listened to everything that he says. So Hajj
is a great,
great lesson. You know, when it comes to defeating shavon and declaring victory over SharePoint, one of the greatest because to begin with, you know, has in and of itself is something that you had, you know, that most people put off for a long time, and they're very scared and nervous about and Shetland comes in and tells them and even when they go to Hajj, it's not an easy thing, because a lot of people say, you know, you know, they shared our message with them. He doesn't always come to you and tell you, you know what, quit your house and go home.
Because he knows that you paid you know, about 1314 $100,000. And it's not gonna be an easy decision for you to make. But he will tell you, I think you mess it up.
I think you said something, you know, like Wes, was that he throws doubts. Right? And he keeps struggling with it until you get through through it. So it's it's indeed one of the greatest.
One of the greatest
opportunities for the believer to overcome and defeat shape one, and it also makes you discover how weak shape one is.
Right? Have you ever had like a massive number of people turn away from Gemma rod saying, You know what?
We feel sorry for shape one.
People go do it. And they do it with a lot of passion.
They do it with a lot of passion.
As a matter of fact, there are people who admits when they're there, you know, I realized how much she got me how many times he got me. Right, I realized how much how much how much control I have given the devil
you know, to my life, and today, I'm going to end it
one of the greatest
Had your stories is when one of the projects came back to me and he said to me, I threw my last pack of cigarettes at him. I said at who he's like she thought
after smoking for 30 years, like I'm quitting, that's it. I said, You didn't have to do that you should have not done that. But that was just symbolic. I said it's okay. So as long as you know, and I know a lot, I don't know a lot of people but I know multiple cases, multiple people who actually quit some of their bad habits, you know, including but not limited to smoking, during Hajj
like I can do it. Why Because again, had revealed that you know, that they do have inner strength and power and they can overcome shavon and whatever temptations he brings their way.
Ninth lesson
the one of the greatest purposes for Hajj is to attain taqwa, piety and righteousness. As a matter of fact, on our way to Hajj, what do we say we beg Allah Subhana Allah for that Allah in the SLO confiserie had that. taqwa all I asked you this journey of mine, the Prophet told us this. I asked you in this journey of mine, righteousness and piety. That's what we asked for. And guess what happens? We become more pious in hajj, we become more righteous in height, right? We're much more tolerant, we're much more humble. we're much more spiritual. And
so one of the greatest lessons or one of the greatest benefits from hedges that you actually attain taqwa. And one of the effects of dupois. One of the, one of the one of the manifestations of taqwa is when people come in, they say,
I mistakenly bit my, my,
my nails, or I was, you know, playing with my beard and my hair come color. Is this. Does this nullify my hygiene? Or do I have to? No, no, you're fine. That's step one. Because people are afraid they may be doing something at all. You know, people come and ask questions and inquire because they want to get it right. They are afraid. They know Allah subhanaw taala is watching them. You know, a lot of things people, you know, see, see what otherwise will be a huge temptation for them during Hajj, it doesn't matter. They're like they don't care. Why? Because there is an increase like they're the top one level there's, there's they're they're experiencing this heightened level of
taqwa. So they're like, it doesn't matter. They're not they're not tempted. Right. And maybe if it wasn't for Hajj, you know they would have been at a lower level of taqwa. So Hajj is a great lesson
or a great opportunity to experience the quad Now, last but not least, Hajj Allah subhanaw. taala says
that
Allah Subhana Allah says either to Minato Fatima for the court of law and then Mashallah in Parramatta, Kuru comma Darko, remember Allah?
Right? This is the verses talking about how you Allah says, remember Allah, as he was the one that guided you.
One of the greatest lessons of Hajj is guidance, understanding how guidance works. Because if it wasn't this blessing of guidance, right, if it wasn't for the loss of Hannah to Allah, none of us would have been guided. Right? As a matter of fact,
it just shows that
you know, had you will not will not even take this, I'll just read what someone sent me regarding this point. He said he had his pure guidance from Allah subhanaw taala. Both from the perspective of how and why we do what we do.
How do we know what we should be doing?
How we should be doing it?
How we make the law,
when we should go to our fat, and even with off, where do we start? Where do we end? Right? If Allah didn't guide us, if, if Allah says just go to work and do your own thing, it would have been chaos. Right?
Which way do we go counterclockwise? How many times how many circuits we make, right? That's not something that you figure out on your own. It's not like Okay, you know what, go do say as many times as you can afford until you have a heart attack or until you know, it's not like that. A lawsuit
heroin addict told us exactly what to do. And Allah subhanaw taala guided us through this, and showed us how to do it. Many people in spite of the fact that they read a lot of information, when they go there, they're like, they still feel like they don't know how to do it, until they actually go through it. And then they realize, Wow, it's very simple and meaningful at the same time. It's meaningful, you feel, you know, how does one of these experiences where you actually feel the meaning, you may not be able to understand it, but you feel it. You like, when someone comes to you and says, How many times did you make the offer on the cover? like seven times? Like why seven? I
can't explain to you why, because that's what we were told. But I felt I felt fulfilled.
Right? As a matter of fact, if you do extra ones, you feel wrong. If you do less you feel wrong. When you do the right number of circuits, you feel
accomplished or completed. Right? So it's not necessarily something that you you can rationalize, right? It's pure guidance, no one would have any idea how to do these things, if it wasn't for the guidance of Allah subhanaw taala that was given to us, right? Also, the why, why we stay in modelica why we do Rami, all of these actions are not necessarily something that you can rationalize or something that you can, you can
you can like, use reason for, right?
And a loss of Hana what Allah is, we do it out of submission to Allah subhanaw taala. And when we do that, we, we we, we realize, we come to realize, you know, and we come to gain the fruits of this, so, and if it wasn't for the guidance or loss of habitat, we would have been lost. And this is exactly what Allah says, in the middle of the ayah that talks about Hajj, Allah says, with crew who
were in come to me, let me know. Before that, before Allah subhanaw taala guided you to this, you were amongst those who were lost. He didn't know how and when to do it. And I understand that nowadays, you know, we have like flights, we have a lot of accuracy in terms of, you know, destination, and in terms of arrival time, and schedule, and all of that. In the old days, by the way, right? This was maybe more appreciated because people used to travel through the desert, not knowing if they're going in the right direction or the wrong direction.
Right. And many people don't make it and those who make it, they feel like wow, I would have not been able to even make it to Mecca, physically make it to my destination, let alone make it through the process, and know what to do if it wasn't for the loss of Hannah without the guidance of Allah azza wa jal for which we should thank Allah subhanho wa Taala and be grateful for.
Right.
So
how Hajj is full of
great lessons, these are just general, you know, lessons today and Juma.
The first shift, I shared a moment that I said that I was going to share with with you as well tonight,
one of my this is a personal lesson that I learned
one of
one of the advices and tips that we give the judges
pack wisely
and make it light you know, don't have too many.
And this year, I learned a very valuable lesson that from now on should just have a backpack.
Right? And a roller. That's it
any more than that,
because you need one hand free to be able to hold your cell phone
or shake hands with people. Right? So a backpack and one roll if you must have more than something that you can you know
so so I violated this rule actually made a stop on the way to hedge in Turkey so
well I can't blame it on that I overpacked as usual.
So I ended up with four pieces.
Two small ones and two big ones.
And the two big ones were not necessarily full they were half full. But I figured you know when we go to Hajj you know you buy stuff so you need extra space so
I put one bag inside another right but when I went to Turkey I kind of split them because because I brought more stuff with me and I carried things as gifts for people. So anyways, so I ended up with four pieces of luggage.
And and I know I should have known better but I was dropped off
Do you remember, did I tell you this? Huh? I was dropped off in Isaiah.
I could have insisted. And by the way, when you are picked up from Jeddah airport, this is just for your future tip, when you're picked up, or when you when you are, when you're put on a bus from the terminal engender that bus and the person on that bus and the guide who is with the bus driver, they're responsible to dropping you off to your own hotel. Because sometimes what happens these buses are assigned by the government. But sometimes what happens is they can combine two groups together. Or in my case, there was one large group, Turkish Bajaj there is going to one destination, they added me to that bus because there was a space.
So of course, the driver went all the way to drop them off. I mean, the better thing would have been to drop me off and then drop them off. But anyways, so he went to drop them off in as easy. And so when he dropped them off, I got off as well, I should have not gotten off, I should have stayed in the bus, and made sure my luggage makes it back to the bus because they unloaded everything. And I should have told told the bus driver take me to my hotel. But you know, I felt sorry for the bus driver. And I got excited. I'm in my you know, I know how to, I know my way around here and I have my, my Uber app I wanted to use I'm like, what's the big deal, it's just 20 of the on and I'm gonna
miss it. I've taken a bus all the way to my hotel. I'm just going to take Uber have Uber dropped me off. Big mistake.
Big mistake. So
so the bus could have dropped me and that would have been the end of story. But instead of having a lot a lot, you know, I guess I was asking for a lesson for a good lesson. So I got off for the hijab, and I called for for over instead of loading my luggage, you know, so overcomes that. And I take the Uber.
But the Uber driver couldn't make it because the roads were blocked because it was near February time. He couldn't make it to my hotel.
So he kept going in circles. And then he dropped me off to the, you know, at the closest point to to the Hilton, which was shuhada Hotel.
I'm like, okay, it's not a big deal. But once I started unloading my my bag, my luggage, I realized that I can't walk with poor pieces, all the way to the Fairmont, which is a 10 minute walk. But I can walk with everything.
I'm like, What have I done to myself, and I'm in the ROM and I'm like, I just stood there and started laughing.
I can see what happens when you overburden yourself.
And the lesson and I just stood there and I started reflecting I said oh law, not this be my,
my state on the Day of Judgment. Because this is a journey. I mean, how does that reminder of our journey to Africa, right? So when you have too much baggage,
it slows you down.
When you're carrying too many burdens when you okay? If you light if you you know, you could just make it. But Allah somehow and I remembered verses in the Quran where a lot talks about those people who will come on the Day of Judgment carrying on their shoulders or on their backs, their own burdens and the burdens of other people.
And how that is going to be the cause of their destruction.
And I was sitting there standing there smiling. And I had a moment where I just wanted to cry. Because I remember the day of judgment.
And then this African elderly, this older gentleman with his wife eating ice cream, he looks at me and he's like four, four, y four.
Where do you think you're going? This is hard? Why do you need four pieces of luggage? He's like, because he saw that I
was like you're right. Just spoiled. I laughed.
I mean, he completely ruined that moment for me but but I left like you're right. Why for why do I need for?
I advise people against this. So like Muhammad, Allah is teaching you a lesson tonight. So anyways, I managed to drag myself to the Shahada hotel left three pieces there, took one with me walked to the Fairmont, went prayed for God and after that I went and I got my taxi, paid 40 reow just to go around and to drop off the luggage. So so that was a valuable personal lesson that I got
in the mail last night Alex accept that our deeds and forgive our sins and May Allah subhanaw taala allow you to experience this over and over again as many times as we can.
For those who have not performed
wonthaggi for those who
were planning or are hoping to make hedge, I want you to make your intention for next year shall to make it next year now. Sharma and I'm ready if you want to sign up, I'm reading shabbaton I don't know which company and what package but I'm ready to take names down to start having the conversations. And I think those who prepare themselves ahead of time
are better off
than those who come like last minute. In the old days, by the way, people used to take months to prepare, I mean years to prepare, months to travel. And they spend plenty of time there, and then months to come back, come back. So the impact of their hedge was permanent.
Nowadays, people say, Yeah, I went to hedge and I became No, but I, you know, why is it not affecting me? Why am I not? I don't feel like a Hajji for the rest of my life. That's because it was an express hedge.
You made the decision, you know, a month in advance. Right? It didn't all sink in. I mean, the you know, right. It was quick. Right? We have the means and we have any, you always you also have the idea that I can do this again. It was it was easy. It wasn't a big deal. to them. It was indeed the the journey of a lifetime. I said they had one chance.
Right? And then you came back. I mean, you went there, before you got over your jet lag, you came back and now we have another jet lag to deal with. Right? Some people go and come back like, well, then it feels like a dream, right? It feels like a dream. For some people in the old days, it wasn't a dream. It was an experience, it was a full experience, it was a new life.
They detach from like, you know, because the journey takes about two years is depending on which which part of the world you're traveling from, or it may take a year. So it was the leave one life that that how much time or the hug journey was indeed a turning point in their lives, because they leave one one area or one period of their lives and they start a new one. Right. So so the longer you take to, to, to process to deal with your hedge or to to go through a hedge the better it is. So if if you inshallah, if you have not done start your preparation and your journey now
Don't wait until you know some people wait until Ramadan before Ramadan started now, start doing homework now start talking to people who went with different companies and groups, how was your experience in quiet about that? You know, and, you know, start the process making and planning now. From now inshallah to Allah. May Allah Subhana. Allah make it easy for you.
Now, how many projects do we have from those who performed high this year? I see one.
You know, one couple here. Would you like to share with us anything? any reflections?
What is the highlight of your hedge? What's the greatest moment of your hedge?
Patience With who?
With your hedge partner?
Yeah.
Like what?
Oh, yeah.
There is nothing, nothing is predictable. There. You have. And by the way, this is another lesson I didn't I didn't mention it. We kind of
hammered it without her judge.
Especially here in the West, you know, American European judge, we're used to predictability. We're used to certainty. We're used to, you know, I want to schedule I want to know what time we're leaving, how long it's going to take what time we're going to arrive. It doesn't work like that. They're right. And
you know, you have plenty of time, you're going to make it too out of what time I can tell you, whenever Allah subhanaw taala wills, so you just have to submit you have to let go. And that's By the way, what the baker Lama the baker means to be honest. Because here I am Allah here, here I am, I have all the time I'm here I'm submitting to you. I'm just completed submission. And, and for many American judge, it's very hard for us to let go of that.
Because we were used to again, you know, we want things to be predictable, predictable, we want in a certainty. And and, and that was I think one of the one of the hardest things for people to deal with. You're telling me you don't know what the what time the bus is going to arrive? Yes, we don't know.
That was worse. What do you mean he told me that the bus Yeah, I told you that bus is going to take you to alpha but I didn't think
Tell you what time because I don't know. And I didn't tell you how long it's going to take. And some how, by the way, even our orientation programs like that we do in the masjid or Daraa. Salaam does, right? We always tell people these things, but it doesn't register until you actually go there.
Right.
So, you know what some other groups had to do?
Remember how when we left,
when we left Minar, after we do, we did the last on the 12th day, we went to Utah, Florida, right? We made it to the shoulder hotel, right? Did you know that there were some other hedge groups that could not make it to their hotel. And what they had to do is they had to go in circles for like an hour. Then finally, they went they were dropped off at the
the
bus service like the station of the bus service, and they took the public transportation.
They took public transportation paid for them everything. They took public transportation, dropped them off underneath the hammer, and they took the escalators. Yeah.
But that took another hour from them.
You know, and they had to, again, take public transportation back to the main station, outside Mecca, like in Azizi or whatever. Right. To take their buses to Jeddah. Yeah, so we were fortunate that the police officers, you know, these roadblocks did lead us through
you know, for instance, we were like four buses or five buses following each other, they let the tube the first to go. And then they blocked throat, they're like,
you know, so we had to go in circles for about half an hour, came back again, made an attempt, and it worked.
You know,
there are some people in between. And instead of making that attempt, they were dropped off at that Roadblock, and they walked all the way. So they walked with their luggage and everything for about 20 minutes, and then another 10 minutes without their luggage.
And you have to prepare yourself for a lot of work. So anything you'd like the highlight of your hedge something that you'd like to share with us?
Because Yeah,
indeed, I thought you were gonna say the connection amongst the sisters in the minicamp Mashallah, Allah I heard Alhamdulillah I heard that the sisters were very nice to each other, right.
Alhamdulillah By the way, the bond that is created during Hajj is
is is to me, it's permanent, you know, and,
you know, some hamdulillah these are, these are the people that joined you in this in this great act of worship in this great journey. And we hope that they will come and testify for you on the Day of Judgment.
These, my hedge buddies are very special to me.
And, and, and every year I'm becoming more and more engaged and more
more more concerned about I become more
like I take it seriously, I started to to telling people that I really want this is not just okay, we go to Hajj and I help you, I help you, you know,
take care of this act of worship and then go home and then you're on your own, I want this to continue in Charlottetown I want this one in this connection to continue after Hajj. Right. There is a reason why loss of habitat brought us together in one place in one tent and allowed us to do this and it's a great responsibility and great honor actually and privilege to be there for the most essential part of Hajj you know, while the travel you know, while the company data center is is in charge of doing the
taking care of the logistics, right? And you have security and you have the you know, people who are in charge of buses and other things. You know, these are very essential and important, but the religious leader, right and the shoe that go with the group, they're in charge of the most critical and most essential aspect of this whole experience, which is doing it the right so the fact that Allah Subhana Allah allows me or allowed me to be there helping you go through this process is a gift from Allah subhanaw taala for which I should be very grateful. In each Hajji
matters because each * is going to be either someone that is going to testify for me or against me. So I said to myself from now on Charlotte Allah Oh my judge who are in my in my group on my bus,
they are inshallah to Allah, my, my family for life inshallah Thomas
so you were in group 20
Oh Guru 18 with
Oceana with Bella, Mashallah, you had a great leader. Mashallah, may Allah bless him. Chef Ahmed was the champion of, of program three. I declared him champion of program three.
Spirit. Yes.
No, it wasn't it wasn't that bad. I don't know. How am I right? We didn't feel anything. Yeah, I know. I know. We saw pictures. I mean, we felt it and Mina we felt in the tent. But you know, it created a mess and was Delica and an alpha. But basically, the company sent sent workers there to recover the place and take care of it. Because they had prepared a place for us in alpha and then was delivered. And then when the wind came, it just messed up everything. So they just had to do it again. And it took them a few extra hours. They did it when we went there. We couldn't tell the difference, right. We didn't notice anything. And it was drizzling. There was a little light rain,
which we all got excited about.
Now, people were circulating this picture of the cover of the Kaaba being blown away. And one piece of information that is missing from that is that on that night, or that day, they undo the the the nuts, the ties, because on the following day, when all the Hajaj or an alpha, they actually change it they put the brand new one.
So they have undone it because they were going to take it off the next day. And when the wind came it Bluto you know,
you know, so because people are saying, Is this a sign? It's just calm down? Nothing?
Yeah.
Sure.
Intentionally try to practice patients. So
just to
save
time and deliberately
to stay
here
walk long distances. Yes. Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, in some countries they actually save
right?
Save for
four years, you know, sometimes they save for like 30 years to be able to go to Hajj but they make it a point to save money to put money aside for Hajj. They have a bank account, they have like a saving account for hedge hedge expense. I've never you know, very few people I heard like there was three or four people that came to me and they said that they are doing this here
you know, it's just not you know, and I know people will have plenty if they want to go to Hawaii because people go on vacation they go back home to do things and had it's just it's not a priority because we have we we have this attitude. I don't have to perform Hajj right away. It's once in a lifetime I perform it whenever I you know, I know a lot
about what times
on Fridays
either
in
either
shadow, Mohammed, Madame rasuluh
shadow Mohammed masumoto
Hi yah.
Hi yah last fall.
Hi
Hi.
Low. Mo about
the either illovo.
All
right.
So let me just address this issue.
Well, there are many factors. First of all, unfortunately, hygiene has been commercialized. And everybody's trying to make more money.
And also the American we also drove the prices higher, because we started making all kinds of demands, we want the highest, the best, the quickest,
the most luxurious, the most comfortable. So we, you know, I mean, consider this, we were, we were being driven in brand new 2019 buses, brand new. Right, we stayed in five and six star hotels, we had to open buffets, we have three meals in Mina.
Right? We had, I mean, huh.
So, so that's what we amakhala. So that's what we were having this, this is gonna be costly.
That's not the actual costs,
I think it's gonna go down, eventually, it's gonna go down, it's gonna go a little higher than it's going to go, eventually, it's going to go down.
The Saudi government is creating this, they're trying to cut out the middle man. And they're saying maybe in a matter of, like, five to 10 years, you'll be able to just make your own reservation and get your own visa online, you don't even have to go to the embassy, you apply for it, especially, you know, for you apply for it, you make your own reservation, you choose the best, or the cheapest hotel you can find. And you get your own airline ticket. And you just make it there, and you just go straight. So you're given code, you give him bar code. So as soon as you leave from here, they know that you have left, they monitor you. Right, when you arrive there, they register you that you have
arrived. And then they basically are going to track your movements until you go back.
So you pay directly. So they're trying to cut out, I think that's gonna bring the prices down. But even even,
even with the current average, I mean, you can make it for six or $7,000.
I ran into someone from the United States that that that, you know, went through another country. I mean, because we don't have visa issues you can get in that that was able to manage to make hedge for, huh.
Yeah.
So
yeah, but but again, you're there for hedge, you want to perform a hedge that is accepted, you know, part of hedge. You know, you don't have to pray five times in the huddle.
Again, I know again, I ran into someone in the harem, that prayed every salon in Harlem stayed in Harlem did not have a hotel, just you know, and his entire house costs him less than $2,000. Again, it's a very rough thing and I don't advise you know, people to do that. But what I'm saying it's doable, right, it's doable.
So I urge everyone to to start you know, considering this, put money aside for Hajj, you know, every month, even if it's $50 right.
Until it until you
invest it until you're able to afford it a shot without zarco lalana some hammock alone
in a land in a central corner to the lake.