Hajj 1437H - A beautiful journey...Part 2 - the Journey

Part 2 - the Journey

The departure date for flight KT39B was set on 31 Aug 2016. The journey was for 42 days and we shall be back on 12 Oct 2016. The flight is operated by Saudi Air.

My wife an I had a "small" thanks giving prayers a day before our departure. I thought it was a small gathering of family, friends and neighbours but not realising that we had many... it turns out to be quite a gathering. Alhamdulillah many came to say their prayers and wish for our safety and wellbeing during the journey.

31 August is our National day and so it is a public holiday. We were told to check-in at Tabung Haji Kelana Jaya complex at 6.00 am.  As to avoid the Merdeka day celebration, we decided to leave home at 4.00 am. Since most of our family and neighbours had already met us earlier during the thanks giving prayers, only my children and my mother followed us to Kelana Jaya. The situation at Kelana Jaya as usual, was a bit chaotic but not bad. Tabung Haji who had many years experience in managing pilgrims was always in control.

At Kelana Jaya, the staff from Rayhar were already there to provide assistance to their pilgrims. Even though there are about 400 pilgrims on KT39B, not all are with Rayhar as some are muasasah pilgrims with Tabung Haji. Despite the large number of pilgrims, the check-in was smooth and everything was nicely sorted out. The officials from Tabung Haji kept reminding the male pilgrims to change into ihram attire. This is because we are going straight to Mecca and perform our umrah (for haji tamattu') or hajj ifrat... thus we must be in our ihram attire....

Side note: Unlike the first time we performed the hajj, my children are now grown up. Sobrina is at UIA, Zulaikha is in Australia, Umar is in college in Cheras leaving only Luqman who is in form 1 at home. We only have to make arrangement for Luqman. So we decided that Sobrina will stay at home and commute to UIA everyday, day maid will come daily except on weekend to cook and clean the house, our next door neighbour Kazri and Izan will help to send Luqman to school everyday since they also have a son studying in the same school and Umar will come back home during weekend. Overall Sobrina will be in charged. I banked in some money into Sobrina's account to manage the household...

After a short goodbye and some last words to my children, my mother and family, we proceeded to the check-in area. My wife who did her slipped disc operations 10 ago had to be wheeled chair to the aircraft. Therefore she will be travelling together with other 'disabled' pilgrims to KLIA. Inside the boarding hall, we were given last minute reminders by Tabung Haji about the pilgrimage. Somehow since my wife was on wheelchair, I was separated from her for quite a while in the departure hall only shortly before the departure, I was called by Tabung Haji to meet her who was together with other wheelers.

All pilgrims are given bus number and are called by the bus number to board the bus. However my wife had to traveled in an 'ambulance' since she is considered disabled, thus leaving me traveling alone on the bus to KLIA.

I was always had a mixed feeling during the journey to KLIA. I felt some kind of proud, humble and sad all at the same time. Proud because the VIP treatment given to us as the pilgrims with the police escorted right to the terminal inside KLIA, humble because I am going to fulfil my religious obligation and to seek for forgiveness from Allah and sad as I have to leave my children and family back home.

The flight was on time and it was just like the most flights that I have taken before except on this flight we were reminded that we need to say our niat before we cross the miqat. For pilgrims from south east Asia, the miqat is near Qarnul Manazil...roughly about one hour before arriving to Jeddah... and just before passing the miqat, the cabin crew made the announcement to remind the pilgrims to say their niat... and by now everyone was already in their ihram and must observe the ihram rules...

The flight landed in Jeddah slightly early but we were not allowed to disembark because the terminal was full with other pilgrims who had arrived earlier. So we had to stay in the aircraft until the situation in the terminal eases... After a while we were allowed to disembark using the stairs but my wife and others who were on wheelchairs have to be brought down using the truck lift. We took the bus to the terminal and had to queue to clear the immigration processes... we have to pass through the immigration and after that the ministry of hajj before we were allowed to leave the terminal...

We have to walk for quite a distance to the waiting area reserve for Malaysian pilgrims.... wait for the luagage and bus to take us to Makkah. On the way to the waiting area, I bought sim cards for me and my wife since I need to communicate with our family back home... I bought the sim card from Mobily as I was convinced that it had a good internet coverage as mentioned in their website....but  only to find out later that the service was very poor... you can only do Whatsapp but not Skype or IMO....

The waiting was quite long and the weather was hot...unlike the first time when we were there as at that time was during winter... Tabung Haji ensure all pilgrims are accounted for and once ready ...start calling us to board the bus to Makkah... the journey was rather smooth... no incident... it took about one hour for us to reach our hotel in Makkah... and by the time we arrived it was already at night...

Our hotel name is Ritaj As Safwah.... it is about 350 meters to Masjidil Haram, around Ajyad hills... and the walk to the grand mosque is slightly downhill... after a quick meal and freshen up.... we were gathered to perform our umrah for those who chose to do haji tammattu'... despite being very tired... I must complete the umrah soonest possible as the number of pilgrims in Makkah by that time must be in millions...the place is jammed pack...

I was so eager to set my foot in the grand mosque and look at the Kaabah once again with my own two eyes... it has been more that 10 years since I last saw the Kaabah... I cannot describe my happiness and my humbleness when I saw Kaabah again.... of all the people in the world at that time... Allah invited me to be in His mosque.... tears flow freely from my eyes....

I completed my umrah that night but my wife has to wait a few days until period clears ... by the time she was ready, she was a bit more stronger and able to walk for tawaf on her own but I had to rent a scooter for her to perform her saie between Safa' and Marwah.... we completed the first task of our hajj... and now just wait for the day when the hajj starts.... or called tarwiyah days.... the 5 days for the actual performing the hajj...

We just performed daily prayers at the mosque... read quran and listen to tazkirah and make new friends. (note: we set up a Whatsapp group name Ritaj AsSafwah 2016 and it is very active until today more than 2 year after we came back)... we just enjoy our days there waiting for the next challenge.... Alhamdulillah...