The last day of the year, in the heart of a South African summer. I’m at work now (sadly), but this time of year brings back fleeting memories of childhood summers gone by: Hours and hours in the back yard playing soccer and cricket; Still more hours and hours on the tennis courts, pushing ourselves … More Summer Daze
Where this blog stands right now If you’ve followed this blog for the last few years, you’ll notice that my focus – since late 2011 – has almost completely been on Hajj-related topics. This was a change from the blog’s first 5 years, wherein the content was a lot more varied. Obviously, the change in … More Second time around
Alhamdullilah – this year’s Hajj will be wrapping up very soon, and for those who didn’t get to go, I hope that the live media coverage has been a source of inspiration for not only the journey of Hajj, but also the intention to want to become better Muslims. Every Hajji has their own unique … More More than just memories
Picture courtesy of Saaleha The days of Hajj are almost upon us, and since the moon wasn’t sighted in South Africa this past Saturday, it means that Dhul Hijjah officially started here on Monday. This contrasts with Makkah, where the month started a day earlier – on Sunday. Every other month of the year, this … More The great Eid debate
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 29 Ambassadors of Hajj Hajj consists of 5 days, but those wanting to exert themselves even more can stay an extra night – taking the total to almost 6 days. Some of our group opted to go back to Aziziah after the 5 days, but my … More Hajj Chronicles Part 30: Farewell
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 28 An unfortunate pattern From Eid day onwards, the atmosphere in the camp on Mina was far more relaxed. We’d passed the climax of Hajj (i.e. Arafah), and now had just a few more days on Mina until it was all over. In a way, it … More Hajj Chronicles Part 29: Back to the Kabah
Wrapping up the Hajj prep series (after the previous Madinah tipsheet and Makkah tipsheet), our final tipsheet focuses on the big event – the biggest 5 days of your life: Hajj. Download: 5 days of Hajj tipsheet Here, the tips cover day 1 on Mina, the all-important day of Arafah, the journey to Muzdalifah, Eid … More Ready for Hajj series: Part 3 (Days of Hajj)
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 27 Why did the Hajji cross the road? The morning after losing my phone, we were back in Aziziah for a few hours. Despite the fact that the main segments of Hajj were over, communication was still important – thus I needed to get a new phone … More Hajj Chronicles Part 28: Boom!
Since most of the Hujjaaj from South Africa are / will be visiting Madinah first, here’s a collection of images from that blessed city to help us visualise the awesome experience they will have. I took 13 of these, and the rest came from various other sources. Feel free to share with others, and if … More Glimpses from Madinah
Following on from the Madinah tipsheet last time, this week’s tipsheet for departing hujjaaj focuses on practical ideas and lessons for Makkah. It includes the road trip from Madinah to Makkah, first sight of the Kabah and first umrah, and a lot of general info about time in Makkah. Like last time, these are extracted … More Ready for Hajj series: Part 2 (Makkah)
slip-sliding away..... 