And Call on people to perform Haj

It is certainly the wish of every Muslim to perform Haj (Pilgrimage) as it one of the five pillars of Islam. It is also a unique form of worship that involves spiritual and physical activity. Haj as many scholars refer to is an International conference where millions of people from 100s of countries and nationalities come together.
Well I was among the lucky people chosen by Almighty Allah to perform Haj last year (1428/2007). It was a last minute thought and it was actually after the deadline for visa application. As you know every country has a quota of Haj visas that gets granted every year and so you got to apply early to get your visa. Alhamdulilah my visa was facilitated and off I set to Saudi Arabia. The moment we touched down in Jeddah and I entered the so called Pilgrims City at the airport I realized am in for an experience. The pilgrims’ city is a huge part of the airport at Jeddah designed to house all the people coming for Haj. Every country got a a portion assigned. You see flags, you hear different languages, you see people of different colors, etc.
It is amazing when you are in the Holy Mosque in Mecca and Medina or in Arafat and you look to your right and you see a strong young man from Nigeria, to your left you see a young humble lady from Lebanon, in front of you an Indonesian man leading a group of 15+ ladies, and suddenly you feel someone holding your shoulders trying to lean on you; you turn around and find an old man in his 80s from Afghanistan. I am talking here about hundreds of Thousands or even millions; statistics say 3 million plus people perform Haj. All these people dressed similarly, facing same direction praying to Allah in deferent languages and with different emotions and feelings. Even though it gets crowded at times to the extend that you cant walk but you actually gets moved by the flow of the crowd yet you don’t hear voices raised nor people getting angry at each other. Everyone is busy asking for forgiveness and relief. At times you may start loosing your temper but the moment you look and you see the Ka'aba at the center of the holy mosque (it is said to be the center of the globe) you forget about worthless Duniya (vanishing life). I could see people smiling and happy in the crowds, they are happy for this golden opportunity and pleased that their sins are being forgiven. I could also see people crying and losing their voices regretting the past years of their age wasted in worthless worldly actions and pleading for forgiveness. You see mothers praying for the children to be lead in the right direction and you see young people praying for their parents.
I must not forget to mention the tremendous effort and resources put forward by the Saudi authorities. Imagine the logistics required to cater for more than three million people at the same place and time. These people like to be transported, they need food and drinks, they need medical attention, they need toilets and bath rooms, they need security and safety measures, they need communications, etc. A big five goes to the Saudi agencies represented by the Ministry of Haj, Health, Police and National Guard, Communications, Transportation, and the list goes on. There is off course always room for improvement so hopefully next year Inshallah we will give them two thumbs up. Lastly I would say if you can afford to go for Haj don’t hesitate and do it especially if you are still young and energetic because believe me it requires some strength.
May Allah accept our Haj and good deeds.