Some of the group had gone to the haraam after packing to spend a few hours in reflection and ibadat before the Hajj truly commenced.

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1 Tuesday 18 th January 2005 Today was spent in preparation for our journey to Arafah and the for the next three days we will be on the move from Arafah to Muzdalliffah, muzdalliffah to mina, and then travelling between Mecca and mina. The group spent time packing their bags, since we were only allowed to take the rucksack provided to us by EHM at the seminar in London. This was used by a majority of the people as their hand luggage when we left from London to Saudi Arabia due to its portable and convenient nature. This was the only luggage we were allowed to take and one did not really need a lot to take since we would be in our Ehram most of the time. After an early breakfast, the packing commenced and you could see the buzz on all floors as people tried to pack their bags. EHM had provided us with a checklist of necessary items to pack in the bags. This proved to be a vital list of things to take as a lot of us were confused as to how much we would need, particularly the first timers. This list was brilliant and we all stuck to it. Had we not, we would all have overpacked unnecessary items and would have had to bear the weight of the rucksack for the next 3 days!! Some of the group had gone to the haraam after packing to spend a few hours in reflection and ibadat before the Hajj truly commenced. We had our usual afternoon programme with Yasin and the final majlis from Dr. Dungersi before being served lunch. We were told by Ahmed uncle to do our Ghusl in advance and wear our Ehram, to be ready to leave by 8.00pm in the evening. We were all prepared and went down to the lobby, all dressed in our Ehram!. The sight was exhilarating and everyone was on a buzz looking forward to the next couple of days. The lobby area in a matter of minutes got transformed into a crowd of white! We headed to the Haraam to say our Namaaz and then met up near Gate 62, EHM gate to do our niyyah together for the wearing of our Ehram and to become Muhrim. The niyyah was lead by Ahmed Uncle after which the 25 things prohibited whilst in Ehram were in force The group left Makkah by two coaches for Arafat and arrived at our accommodation for the night at around midnight. EHM has special contacts and is able to secure special air-conditioned cabins for its hujjaj and has been able to do so for the last 5 years. We were very lucky to have got those cabins, as the normal accommodation is open tents. There were 13 cabins, 6 for the gents and 7 for the ladies, fully equipped with comfortable mattresses, pillows and blankets. Wednesday 19 th January 2005 On the strike of midnight we had entered Arafah. On arrival, after settling in to our tents, at 12.15a.m the volunteers knocked on our cabins and informed us that we were going to have majlis to commemorate the death of H. Muslim ibne Akil in 10 minutes. We all got ourselves together and headed to the open space allocated for prayers (very close to our accommodation), with its boundary built by waist height walls and its open floor covered with carpets. The special majlis was recited by Mawllan Kalbe Abbas. After the majlis, we were informed of our programme for the next day, after which we all reverted back to our accommodation, some for some tea and nick nacks, whilst others retired for a long day ahead of us. Some of us after the hot brew of tea, decided to go back to the make shift open mosque to pray Namaaz e- Shab, whilst others sat in contemplation for tomorrow.

2 The air at night was surprisingly calming and soothing to the mind and soul. It was the perfect open plain for reflection and contemplation. Time no longer mattered and one transported themselves into their entire life in preparation for the day of Arafah. We all prayed Subh Namaaz in Jamaat before having breakfast of cereals and tea. The ones who were stayed up all night too had the chance to get a few hours sleep before the wukoof (compulsory stay) of Arafah began. The wokoof for arafah did not start until Zohr time, thus we had some time to unwind and re-focus our thoughts for the day. Whilst some of the group were sleeping, the volunteers, with the help of some of the group members, started preparing sabeel of juice for all the hujjaj who would pass by our camp. Some of the group members, then went to the street, with buckets of sabeel to serve to the passing hujjajs and people. This is a tradition set by the EHM every year to serve Sabeel e Hussain to all hujjaj. The other uniqueness of EHM is that its medical team goes into the heart of the Arafah plains amongst the others camps and provides free medical facilities to all the hujjaj for the entire day. As Zohr time approached, the open space mosque was filled by the other hujjajs, so Ahmed uncle and some of the volunteers made arrangements for our own separate area for prayers and aamaal. Our accommodation was in the shape of a rectangle with a lager open courtyard in between, hence carpets were laid inside the open space. After offering our zohar prayers in our own open air mosque, we carried out the Amaal of Arafah, with the eloquent and beautiful recitation of Dua E Arafah as taught by Imam Hussein by Sajjad Tejani and the informative commentary provided by Dr. Dungersi at various intervals. This was followed by a beautiful Dua recited by Riyaz Esmail in English. This was a dua by Imam Zainul abideen for our parents and also for our children. It was an extremely emotional and touching dua. Following this, the group were then left to do their own personal amaals and reflections. Whilst everyone was engrossed in their thoughts and ibadah, the volunteers served us lunch where we were seated, consisting of Kebab rolls, egg rolls, fruits and carton drinks as well as the continuous supply of chevro and other snacks. Most of us spent the entire day in the open sky praying and seeking forgiveness, since the weather was perfect as there was cloud cover, thus not making it necessary to spend time indoors to avoid heat and sun stroke. This was a blessing and allowed everyone to do their idabah as recommended under the open skies! The day was just perfect with everyone sitting and in their own reflection and contemplation. The place was filled with tranquillity and calmness coupled with emotions and tears as we recalled our sins and sought forgiveness. We also remembered our families, friends, and all those who had asked us to remember them. Dear Diary I prayed for all your readers, and everyone who had asked me to remember them. Today, was a very emotional day, I could not keep back the tears anymore as I continued to pray for everyone and for my forgiveness. At around 5.30ish we were reminded to have some tea and snacks, of chevro, ghantia, crisps, and array of Indian nick naks, since we had to leave Arafah as soon as Maghrib time approached to head for Muzdallifah, since it is highly recommended to offer Maghrib and Eisha prayers at Muzdalifah with rest of the muslim Ummah, for this is the only time that the whole ummah regardless of sect offer the evening prayers together. As Maghrib time approached, we boarded our two buses and headed for Muzdaliffah. This is the place were will be spending our night to collect the ammunition to conquer our internal evils, and devils, for we will be collecting pebbles to stone the Jamaraat (shaitaan) in Mina the next day.

3 We arrived at Muzdallifah by 7.00 p.m to the absolute delight of Ahmed Uncle and the Volunteers. This was infact the earliest time that EHM group have ever arrived in muzdaliffah for usually, it is very difficult to obtain busses in the immense traffic of people. After securing an area for our group, we settled down with our rucsacks and sleeping bags so as to mark our boundary as this place would be filled up in matters of minutes. This is the plain of Muzdallifah, when the entire hujjaj (all 2.5 million of them) would spend the night in preparation to go to Mina the next day. How true was their advice, as in matters of minutes, we had groups surrounding us on both sides, trying to find a place to rest for the night. After offering maghrib and Eisha salaah, we started collecting our pebbles. Ahmed uncle was there to guide us all the way as to how many to choose and what sort, for this is crucial in how successfully you can stone the jamaraat. We need a minimum of 49 pebbles, but we were advised by Ahmed uncle to collect 70 pebbles, just in case we drop some or miss our shaytans, I meant the jamarat! Once we had collected our pebbles, some made their way to their sleeping bags, whilst others were engrossed in ibadah, for it is narrated that to stay awake on this night is highly recommended. The plains of muszdalifah are very rocky, rough and uneven. One had to clear some stones under them in order to lay out musallos or even sleeping bags. After a few hours of rest, the group headed for mina at around 12 midnight. The abled men amongst us were dropped off at the border of Muzdaliifah and Mina as one cannot enter Mina until sunrise. The Women, elderly, and less able were however taken into mina before sunrise to carry out the first obligation of stoning the largest shaytaan. This is also usually done after sunrise but due to risks involved with it, women, elderly and less able are allowed to carry out this wajibaat before sunrise when the crowd is significantly reduced. The gents in the meantime scouted for a quite place to rest near the border where they would wait till sunrise before walking into mina. Naseen uncle Sheni and kaka found a secluded spot on a footbridge where the group pitched their sleeping bags under the open skies to rest for the night. As the night grew, the temperature dropped. It would be fair to say that it was literally freezing!. We had been warned of this by Ahmed Uncle but had never expected it to be so cold and the purchase of the heavy thick ehram certainly came in handy at this stage! As the morning drew, we prayed our fajr salaah in the bitter cold, with all of us shivering after having carried out wadhoo with cold water it certainly woke up all our senses! We started warming ourselves up by walking towards the border of mina and got to our camp within a couple of hours. Thursday, 20 th January 2005 Today was our first day in Mina. Alhamdulillah, the ladies, elderly and less abled had no problems with the first jamaraat and all were able to successfully complete this first act. For the men who were accompanying the volunteers for qurbani (16 of us), we were taken to carry out the jamaraat as soon as we arrived to Mina, so that we could proceed to qurbani in time. The rest of the men were taken after zohar.

4 This year, the jamaraah have been extended to a huge width of 25 meters, the size of a luxury coach, thus easing the huge problem of crowding that we have always had in the past. With the grace of allah, it was so much easier to carry out the stoning this year for even Ahmed uncle and the volunteers said that is has alhamdulilah been the easiest Haj that they have ever known. How lucky we were. Alhamdulillah. At about 3.00pm, we rang ahmed uncle, who was at the camp in mina to inform him that the qurbani was completed at that the men could now proceed for halaq, the ladies could do taqseer, and come out of their ehraam. Joyous shouts of EID MUBARAK, HAJ QABOOL could be heard throughout the camp, whilst the 16 of us were heading back to the camp for our halaq after going for qurbani. What an experience the qurbani was, that I can not even put pen to paper!!! It is an experience I shall cherish for a lifetime. Dear diary, if only you were able to be there with me would you know what I mean for I truly felt like I had experienced haj Back at the camp, everyone was served chicken bhiryani for lunch, after which we all headed for showers and then relaxed till the next morning. Being a Thursday, we had program of Yasin, dua kumayl, and ziarete waritha followed by a lovely dinner of chicken nuggets. Tonight we visited Masjide Khif, which is where the prophet set up camp on his last hajj and where all the ambiyaah have layed foot. We set out with Nazir uncle through the alleyways of mina, forming a human train, with all of us interlinking, to ensure that no one got lost amongst the millions in mina. It certainly reminded us of our school day excursions!!! And for the Arabs, it was quite a sight!! We prayed our two rakaat namaaz there before heading back via a detour to Dunkin Donuts, the usual treat from Nazir uncle to all those who accompany him Yum Yum! Thankyou Nazir uncle. After returning to our camp, some collapsed on their mattreeses whilst the others set up baraza outside of donuts and tea! It was truly an eid to remember! FRIDAY Today was day 2 in Mina. After fajr, we all set out as one big group to stone all three jamaraats, staring with the smallest to the largest. As soon as the sun rose, the army of EHM armed with artillery, with male soldiers forming a ring of protection around the ladies and elderly, headed to stone the shaytaans. Alhamdulillah, we are able to stone all three jamaraat within a record 20 minutes in total with no casualties reported! It is because we left so early that this was feasible as the rush escalates by the hour and this was of course tremendously helped by the fact that the jamaraats have been greatly expanded to make hitting a lot easier. On returning to the campsite, we all had breakfast of cereal, tea, biscuits etc.. and immediately left for Makkah to complete our hajj-e-tamattu. Alhamdulillah the entire gruoup was in Makkah by around 11 o clock, though the traffic in between Makkah and Mina is un imaginable, and traffic jams of several hours are a normal occurrence.

5 Ahmed uncle informed us that we had till 7 o clock in the evening to complete our wajibaat individually, for he wanted to leave for mina by 8.00pm so as to be there by midnight. Being the day of Juma, the rush in the haram was incredible but alhamdulilah, the majority of us were able to complete all our wajibaats, including the final tawaafun nisaa, by maghrib time, though some had decided to complete their tawaaf un nisaa the following day. Followed by a dinner of keema & naan, we proceeded to mina by bus, for our well needed rest.