Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

My Haj Experience — The Journey Back Home

Rasha-al-Raisi
Rasha-al-Raisi
minus
plus

Once the three days of pelting ritual were over, we were left with the last ritual to perform before going home: Tawaf Al-Wada’a (Farewell Tawaf).


There is no certain timing set for this Tawaf, as long as you do it before departing Mecca. The group decided to leave it till our last day, just hours before our flight. Having two more days in hand, we were back to our flat in Mecca to pack and do some shopping (of course!).


Shopping in Mecca during Haj isn’t a brilliant experience for many reasons: a) The shops are filled with Hajjis like us. b) There are not enough taxis for all, so normal citizens volunteer happily to drop you and charge extortionate amount of money for very short distances (the only time they’d seem to forget that we’re the guests of the most merciful).


Our final day arrived and we went to the Tawaf right after the Fajr prayers, as our flight was scheduled at 12 pm. By the time we left around 9 am the place was packed. The doors of the mosque were locked, to control the numbers of people getting in and out.


We left to the airport in Jeddah immediately, which took an hour to reach. The airport designated for Haj departures was in open air with little shade and a few benches to sit. Our flight was delayed (not a real surprise. I rarely heard of flights departing from here on time).


The Saudi airlines were not sure when exactly we’ll be flying. We were told that they were having problems with the “wheels of the plane”. We reached 6 pm without any further notice.


Some men from our group lost their temper and offered to change the wheels themselves, how hard could that be? The airlines didn’t appreciate the offer and said that it was a problem with the AC, who said anything about wheels? We were starving as the last meal we had was breakfast and there were no restaurants around.


At 9 pm the airlines offered us one of its empty indoors waiting areas to stay in until further notice and a pre-packaged meal. The ambiguous technical problem was sorted out round 2 am the next day. On our way to the plane, we were handed copies of the Quran as a souvenir from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. They were distributed by chirpy men with long beards.


Another drama was awaiting us on the plane. The locals planned for men to sit in front and women at the back, just like the Haj buses. But the expats rebelled and called for families to be reunited again. There were shouts and almost fist fights with men screaming: “Haj is over! I want to sit with my wife!”.


Obviously, everyone was exhausted and nobody was thinking straight. We were delayed for another hour (and family were reunited again for some).


The AC was still hot and we reached Dubai three hours later. Our bags were lost and we’d missed our connecting flight to Muscat. We checked-in in a hotel and stayed for a night till we got the bags back and booked another flight home. The first few days at home were spent resting and at the clinic, as we were all suffering from the Haj flu.


Looking back at my Haj journey, I realise that it was a challenging experience both emotionally and physically. It left me with wisdom and stories that would last a life time. Hats down to those who perform Haj on yearly bases. Your courage and perseverance are truly admirable.


Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon