MECCA: THERE it was. The black structure, decisively, was all that mattered in the world at that moment.
As I stood in front of it — yet again, having visited the house of Allah on my two previous umrah trips — everything else seemed to matter little. The troubles of the world, your possessions, the intricate ornaments of Masjidil Haram, the soothing marble floor.
They all melted away as soon as the eyes gazed upon the Kaabah.
It was a fairly warm Tuesday night when I arrived with the rest of the Malaysian media entourage.
By midnight, we set out for Masjidil Haram to complete our umrah after having recited our niat (intention) in Bir Ali, on the way from Madinah.
For some, tears were free-flowing; being there was overwhelming for most. It wasn’t my first time, but the significance still evoked a myriad of emotions.
It’s easy to imagine why: since small, a Muslim far away has been facing this very black structure to pray and now, he gets to do so right in front of it.
There are recommended doa (prayers) once there to perform the tawaf, but many a scholar prescribes praying on your own, in your own language and at your own pace, as you walk seven times around the Kaabah.
In ihram mode, one has to be ritually clean in ablution at all times while performing this ritual. Upon completion, a prayer is performed.
Off we went to perform the saie, which was walking seven times to and from the Safa and Marwah hills.
The men were encouraged to jog when passing through an area in the middle marked by green lights.
The story of saie, on its own, is nothing short of intriguing.
It was here that Nabi Ibrahim was commanded to leave his wife, Siti Hajar, and their baby, Nabi Ismail, as a test.
Right there in the desert, Siti Hajar soon ran out of provisions and had to leave Ismail on the ground at Safa hill, while she scurried off to look for water or help.
It was between the two hills, on the valley, that she would run so she could get to Marwah Hill quickly. From up there, she could check on Ismail. She ran seven times back and forth.
By the time she returned to where Ismail was, there was a gush of water coming out of the ground.
“Zam Zam! (Stay, Stay!)” so exclaimed Siti Hajar.
Thus its name.
Muslims believe that Ismail had scraped the ground, and from this, sprung out the water which had not dried up since.
The lessons from this are aplenty: having absolute faith in Allah’s will is paramount for a Muslim as demonstrated by Ibrahim, when he was commanded to leave his wife and infant son in the desert.
Another is to remind Muslims of the extent a mother will go through to protect her children.
Her absolute faith in Allah is also a pertinent lesson.
After completing the saie, one must perform the tahalul, which requires the shedding of at least three strands of hair. Then, the umrah is complete. It makes up roughly half the haj process.
Haj rites require one to be in ihram for about three days, abstaining from forbidden activities until its completion.
There are different types of haj, and most Malaysian pilgrims perform the Tamattuk haj. My haj has really begun. May Allah grant us a mabrur haj. Amin.