Delegasi haji ke tanah suci

Alhamdulillah, kami terpilih untuk menjadi tetamu Allah. Rombongan bakal hujjaj dari Al-Maktoum Institute bertolak pada 22 Januari 2004. Berikut kronologi ringkas perjalanan...

22nd January 2004

The delegation departed from Al-Maktoum Institute at 1.00 p.m. on 22 January by a coach to Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Then, the Ryanair flight departed to London Stansted Airport at 5.00 p.m. The delegation arrived there after an hour journey and kept waiting for the group from Dometours International. After a short briefing from Dometours’s officer, all participants began to check in. Then, the delegation prepared to wear their ihram clothes and got ready to depart to Jeddah. Dometours had chartered LTU flight to Jeddah via Cologne and departed at 2.00 a.m. Alhamdulillah, as all the passenger were on their way to perform hajj, the organiser seems manageable to provide halal food on board and lead the duaa’ collectively. The delegation made their intention for umrah while approaching the miqat, just after the announcement from the leader (a scholar). Alhamdulillah Shaikh Zakariyya was accompanying the group and gave a lot of guidance.

23rd and 24th January 2004
The delegation arrived at Jeddah nearly dhuhr time. After prayer, the delegation went through the immigration check and alhamdulillah everything was going smoothly. After Maghrib we queued for the bus that will take us, as the first group to Makkah. After a long journey, we arrived at Makkah and took about two hours to reach the Jawharat Barakat Hotel. After checked in, the delegation got ready for tawaf and saie of umrah.
For the first time in life the delegation stepped into Masjid al-Haram by chanting “Labbaikallahumma labbaik…”. After finishing tawaf, we did Maghrib and Isya’ prayer, and then followed by doing saie. Alhamdulillah, the delegation has completely perfomed the umrah on that morning by doing tahallul.

26th January 2004
On Monday, the delegation participated in sightseeing programme around Makkah, which organised by Dometours. We visited Muzdalifah, Arafah and Mina, and kept recognising the three Jamaraat. We also visited Jabal al-Rahmah and Jabal al-Nur. But we didn’t climb the Hira’ cave as it will take two hours to arrive at the cave and it was nearly Dhuhr time and the group decided not to miss the jamaah prayer at Masjidil Haram. Unfortunately, a participant of the delegation, Dr Maher had accidentally injured his right foot by a moving wheelchair during tawaf. He was sent to a hospital in Makkah to get medical treatment on the next day.

30th January 2004
On Friday morning, we moved to Mina ( al-tarwiyah day) around 1.00 a.m and made niat for hajj by wearing ihram clothes at the hotel. The delegation went there by coach and arrived at Mina at 3.30 a.m. then placed in the provided tents. The delegation was given mattresses, pump-in pillows and blankets. After breakfast, the delegation filled the day with ritual prayers, zikr and reciting Al-Quran. Dometours had organised a lecture from Shaikh Zakariyya after Isyak about Arafah day.

31st January 2004
The delegation moved to Arafah on Saturday morning. In Arafah, we were placed at the provided tents. We kept on zikr and made prayer as much as we could. Some of us went to Jabal Rahmah and Masjid Namirah but we especially the sisters, were not advised to do so because of the crowd and heat.

That night, the delegation had a short meeting to decide whether to go to Makkah and do saie and tawaf on the next morning and then go back to Mina to avoid the crowd or stay at Mina for stoning first and then moved to Makkah for tawaf and saie as the transportation was not provided. Finally, the delegation had decided to choose the second option. The delegation had applied the concept of musyawarah to come with collective decision along the journey. As a result, alhamdulillah, Allah had made our way easier and almost fulfils everyone needs. We moved to Muzdalifah to stay there that night with no tents provided.

1st February 2004
The next morning, Eid Day, the delegation moved to the tents in Mina and got ready for stoning the Jamrah Aqaba. As expected earlier the crowded still busy but alhamdulillah we could perform the stoning although most of us lost their slippers and also ihram cloth! Only brothers went for stoning and also stoned on behalf their mahram. After that, we moved to Makkah and reached there at Dhuhr time. We did our tawaf ifadhah and saie and joined the Dometours group that night to go to Mina by bus. We got an unforgettable experience that night when we got a bus without roof and we enjoyed the night sky of Makkah although the wind was cold! Unfortunately, while nearly approaching Mina, the bus was caught in a very heavy traffic jammed. So we decided to walk to reach Mina to fulfil the ‘mabit’ as the time was already 1.00 a.m. We walked through Al-Muaissem Tunnel and we remembered the Al-Muaissem tragedy that killed thousands of people long time ago. We walked quickly to reach the end of the tunnel and at last we safely arrived at our tent.

2nd, 3rd and 4th February 2004
For the next three days we stayed at Mina and performed the stoning as required. Most of the sisters represented by their mahram in doing the Jamaraat stoning. Some of the delegation mostly sisters did nafar awal and went back to Makkah on the 12th Zulhijjah. The others stayed at Mina until 13th Zulhijjah. We went back to Makkah, performed tawaf wida’ and got ready to go to Madinah that night. We left to Madinah around 2.00 a.m.

4th and 5th February 2004
The journey to Madinah was so long and took us until Dhuhr the next day to arrived at the Al-Madina Tower Hotel in Madinah. The hotel was nicely situated in front of Masjid Nabawi gate. The delegation spent five days in Madinah performing the rituals in the mosque, visit Prophet Tomb, al-Raudhah, and Baqi’ Graves. We also did shopping at the commercial centres surrounding the mosque.

6th February 2004
The delegation had joined Dometours to have ziyaraat to historical places around Madinah such as Uhud Mount, Syuhada’ Uhud Graves, Masjid Qiblatayn and Masjid Quba. Fortunately, Muhammad Habib and his wife had celebrated their wedding anniversary and invited the delegation to have a ‘special Pakistani’ dinner on Saturday night.

7th February 2004
On Sunday night the delegation was invited for another ‘very special dinner’ with a whole roasted lamb as the main dish. Alhamdulillah, El-Awaisi’s family had generously sponsored that special dinner in remembrance of Khalid and his sisters’ grandfather. Just after having the dinner, the delegation went back to the hotel for making final preparation before leaving Madinah on the next day.

8th February 2004
On Monday morning, just after Fajr prayer at Masjid Nabawi the delegation left to Jeddah and arrived there during Dhuhr time. After check in process, the delegation had to wait for the rest of the group from Dometours till Maghrib. Eventually, the delegation was called for boarding and the flight took off at 6.30 p.m.

9th February 2004As the flight was delayed, the delegation arrived at London Stansted Airport at 3.00 a.m. The delegation moved to the local hotel (The Manor House) as arranged by Dometours after getting back the entire luggage. The delegation went back to the airport at 10.00 a.m. for the flight to Glasgow Prestwick, which scheduled to depart on 13.25. Unfortunately, Ryanair short-haul flight did not allow more than 15kg luggage per person include the holy water. That flight took off on time and arrived in Prestwick at 2.35 p.m. Everything went smoothly when the delegation arrived at Prestwick except one of Habib’s luggage, which was missed. After making a report to the Ryanair counter, the delegation got into the coach, which was waiting just outside the building. The delegation left to Dundee and arrived at the Institute at 6.00 p.m. Fortunately, the delegation arrival was delightfully welcomed by Al-Maktoum Institute family.