ON the 12th of Dhul Hijja, I awoke in Mina to find a text message from my wife stating that one of my best friends back home had passed away. This friend was Feroz Ganie, my neighbor and the Ameer of Al-Kauthar Durban. A brother who just a few weeks before Haj told me he wanted to join me on Haj this year. A friend who a few weeks ago was discussing with me our plans for the future and I remember telling him these words, “You are still young,”. One car accident later, everything changed. This year, my first Haj, was truely a reminder to me about the mortality of mankind. Besides losing one of my best friends, everyday in Makkah or Madina there would be several janazahs after each Salah, a constant reminder of how many people were dying daily in the Holy Land, could we be next? I remember while making my Tawaf (circumambulation of the Kab'a), I saw a woman and her child crying as if they had just lost someone close to them, soon after that there was a call for “Salah Alaa Tifli” (funeral prayer for a child), and I could not help but wonder if the two were linked. Even if not, a child had just passed away during the Haj. The Jamarat are a place were many people have lost their lives in the past, although the new building makes it easier to navigate. During the Haj, I saw and experienced many things which led me to constantly think of death and live each moment as if it were my last. Especially during the stoning of the Jamarat and the final Tawaf, it felt like it could be my last, and I was one stone's throw away from the afterlife. Alhamdolillah, the conditions surrounding the Jamarat have greatly improved and as a result have drasticly reduced the chances of stampedes and death. I found myself constantly reminded of the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “Stay in this world as if you were stranger or a traveller”. Being a traveller in Saudi Arabia, I found myself deriving the following lessons from this Hadith: n While travelling I enjoyed everything I could, from the good food to the good company, but I never let my heart get attached to it knowing that it was temporary and soon I would be returning home. Likewise, we should enjoy the halal in this world, be it our families or halal forms of fun, but never let our hearts get attached to it so much that we can't be seperated from it, because soon we will be leaving it and returning to the Paradise, Allah willing. n During the Haj, we all were constantly worried about doing as much ibadah as possible because our journey would soon be over and we would be returning to our homes. Likewise, we should be concerned with doing as much ibadah as possible while in this world before we return home to paradise. n When travelling, we are careful not to spend our money on anything besides necessities and gifts to take home to remind us and our loved ones of our journey. Similarly, in this world besides necessities, it is important to invest our money in things we can take home to paradise (charity, Da'wa efforts, etc) so that we do not regret wasting our money after we leave this world. n While on Haj, we experience many hardships yet bear them with patience knowing that it is all part of travelling (Safar = Suffer) and soon we will return to the comfort of our homes and talk fondly about those difficult moments as good memories. Well in this world, we face many hardships and trials, if we bear them with patience and are rewarded for that in the Hereafter, then we can relax in our homes in paradise and talk fondly about those hardships and how they were all worth it. So my first Haj trip taught me an important lesson regarding the mortality of man and our lives as travellers in this world. May Allah help us reach home to paradise safely, Ameen!
