Hajj 2016: A Travel Steps for You

Performing Hajj 2016 Muslims from all across the globe build up at Mekkah through the month of Dhu al-Hijjah to do Hajj as a mark of harmony, faith, and unity as taught by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in his last pilgrimage. Being one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a compulsion that every mature Muslim, whether male or female must perform it at least once in a lifetime. The hopeful should however be bodily fit and monetarily sound.

If you are also about to fly to this Holy land this year for Hajj, below mentioned points could assist you considerably.

The perfect Hajj and Umrah Travel Group

Perfect timing to Travel to Makkah and Madinah as a part of Hajj ceremony is itself a sacred do that takes you closer to the Almighty and helps you seek HIS blessings. However, most think to do this significant ritual only in the later days of their life. In fact, the best time for anyone to do this sacred ritual is the youth when he or she is in the pink of health and is capable of bearing the hardships as required during Hajj or Umrah.

image source :globalhajj

Hajj Compulsory obligations

The state of Ihram – It refers to wearing two piece white cloth by males, an normal dress for females provided that it fulfill the conditions of dressing for women as stated in Islam. Acquiring this state tends the pilgrim into a state of ritual purity and forbids activities like smoking, shaving, showering, nail cutting, and coitus.

Tawa’f – Walking around Ka’ba counterclockwise seven times. Pilgrims kiss the Black Stone (Hajr Al Aswad) at the start of each round. Those who cannot reach the stone can point their hand toward the stone.

Say – It involves running or walking between the Safa and Marwa hills seven times after Tawaf. The hills are located close to Ka’ba and completely enclosed by the Masjid Al-Haram.

Stoning the devil – Pilgrims throw seven stones at the largest pillar Jamrat Al- Aqabah in Mina as a part of the symbolic Ramy al-Jamarat ritual. They collect these stones from Muzdalifah a night before where they play and sleep in the open sky. In the fourth and fifth day of the Hajj, they return to Mina to stone all the three pillars.

Qurbani – Sacrificing of Animals takes place on the 10th day of the month. Muslim all over the world perform similar acts in parallel as a part of Eid-Al-Adha.

Shaving off head – This is done after sacrificing the animal. While some get their heads shaved off completely, others just get them trimmed (Halak).

Things to avoid

 Besides these important things, the pilgrims need to take care of general guidelines to ensure successful Hajj, these include as below:

Men should lower their gaze for men whenever they come across women during any of the Hajj rituals.

Every woman should travel with a Mehram (males whom she cannot marry), and avoid flirting with non-Mehrams

Greet every one of the same gender with a Salam as it encourages brotherhood and fraternity

Make sure to help elders whenever you come across any

Set a generic ringtone on your phone instead of a musical one