Hajj Tips

Are you going to the Hajj? Ma sha’Allah! Whether this is your first time or your tenth, these pointers will help, insha'Allah.

TIPS FOR A HAPPY HAJJ
This article is does not give religious fatawa, just practical advice to make your Hajj easier and more enjoyable. When the mechanics go smoothly, there's more time to concentrate on the spirit.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GO?

Go with an organized group. Although some young men go alone, and some families camp out on the pavement, these are not the ideal ways to comfort and peace of mind. Remember that when there was choice of ways of doing things, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) always chose the easiest.
(NOTE: The Saudi government has announced that noone will be allowed to camp out on the pavement during the 2001 Hajj.)

All groups offer a guide, or mutawa, transportation, and accommodations. Other services vary. Ask:
   Is the accommodation in Mina? (If not, you have to hang
      around Mina until midnight each night before going back
      to Makkah.)
   How many people will share each room or tent?
   How many will share each bathroom?
   What type of toilets will there be? (Western, Arabian, or
      both?)
   What shower facilities there will be?
   Which meals are provided? What kind of food will be
      served?
   Will there be lectures, classes, or workshops?
      In which language(s)?
   Are the buses air-conditioned?
   Will you have a tent in Arafat?
      Air conditioning?
      Toilets?
      How close will you be to the mosque?

Some groups provide hotel accommodations. These range from the new luxury hotels down to the simplest, most old fashioned types. Many groups put ladies in one hotel room, men in another. Some expect some guests to sleep on mats on the floor.

Some groups put you up in tents. A so-called tent may be an actual cloth tent, or it may be a tin shanty with a carpeted, cement, or bare earth floor.

Some groups provide apartments. With others, you sleep in schools.

Note, too, that some groups are for non-smokers only.

Food service also varies. The most expensive groups feed you in first-class restaurants. Others cook for you. Still others expect you to find your own food.