Page 11 - Fifty-fifty Aug 2021 (1)

Hajj, also spelled ḥadjdj or hadj in Islam, is the
The which every adult Muslim must make at least once in
pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia,

his or her lifetime. The hajj is the fifth of the
fundamental Muslim practices and institutions known
Journey as the Five Pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage rite begins
on the 7th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah (the last month of the
Islamic year) and ends on the 12th day. The hajj is
incumbent on all Muslims who are physically and
of the financially able to make the pilgrimage, but only if their
absence will not place hardships on their family.

About two million people perform the hajj each year,
Heart and the rite serves as a unifying force in Islam by
bringing followers of diverse backgrounds together in
religious celebration. Mecca is home to the Ka'bah, built
by the prophet Abraham and his son prophet Ishmael.
Muslims pray in the direction of this sacred building,
by Rito Triumbarto which is found within the Great Mosque of Mecca.

We believe that the Hajj is an exceptional journey that no one can be forced to go on, nor stopped from going there.
For many, Hajj is a mere picnic where we can enjoy every second of it and go to places we only hear about from
stories. The Hajj offered us miracles and this is where my story begins.
Every year, Indonesia (in the pre-covid era) sends 210,000 pilgrims to Mecca – a 0.1% quota of the Muslim
population. The waiting time in 2019 was 10-18 years depending on your region. When I registered myself and my
wife in 2011, we were told that our time to go was in 2018 – seven years of waiting. It didn’t matter, we were not in
a rush anyway.

It was a huge surprise for my wife that I got us registered for the Hajj because we were living from pay check to pay
check. We thought it was impossible to save eighty million rupiah (NZD 8,000) to pay for both of us with our income.
So, one day I prayed especially and asked Allah for more money to go Mecca to fulfil our dreams. The next day, I
went to the bank to open a special Hajj account in spite of our financial state of affairs. Two years later, the figures
in the account had not grown much but I still believed that Allah’s help will be timely. After moving to a new job,
things were going better. With a better salary and more side jobs, I could add more money to the account and 1½
years later, I could afford to register for the Hajj in 2011. That was my first miracle.

Fast forward to 2018, I was working at the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington when the announcement of the Hajj
came. All candidates must follow a strict health regulation and get a health certificate by going to an appointed
health facility in Indonesia which is impossible for us to do while here. So, we had to go back to Indonesia to get the
health examination two months before the date of departure in September 2018. The length of stay for the
Indonesian Hajj contingent is 40 days (30 days in Mecca and 10 days in Medina) but it is quite impossible to get
special leave from the Embassy for more than two months. We tried everything for some kind of dispensation but to
no avail. I was thinking of quitting the job and going to the Hajj anyway, but with our children studying in New
Zealand, that was also a concern for us. Out of the blue, my high school friend called and offered his help because
he knew I was abroad. I took his kind offer and three days later I got a call from an Indonesian doctor who was
willing to do a remote examination by phone and read my lab results from emails. Alhamdulillah (all praise be to
Allah), we got our health certificate and proceeded to register. That was my second miracle.
Mecca’s the temperature is between 31°-38° Celsius. It was scorching hot in September 2018 but I didn’t feel it too
much because the 88 acres-wide Masjidil Haram is fully air conditioned. I could do my pilgrimage in comfort and
sometimes I was even too cold so that I forgot that I was in the middle of a desert! The Hajj rituals only take three
days to finish – that is when 2.5 million people go for the pilgrimage together. We must keep our energy and
stamina ready for that three-day event that will definitely put your physical strength to the test. The Tawaf (the
circumambulation seven times around the Kaaba) can range from 1.4 km to 4.1 km (depending on the crowd and on
which floor it is performed). The Sa’ay (running or walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah) is
approximately 2.8 km. During the Ramy al-Jamarat (stoning of the pillars), for which the pilgrim walks from his tent
in Mina to the Jamarat bridge, you walk through a 1.5 km long tunnel. We felt so insignificantly small among these
millions of people and yet felt so safe to be with our brothers and sisters. That was my third miracle.

My life is still the same but the way I see my time on Earth has changed. I am more focussed on giving rather than
on taking. I want more friends to share laughter and sorrow with. I want my children to miss me when I’m gone. My
Hajj pilgrimage gave me miracles but most of all, it gave me my heart. (/RT)

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