THE HAJJ SEASON 1428
LABBAIK ALLAHUMMA LABBAIK
Allah commands us to go for Hajj if we have the means, and when we are ready to go for Hajj, we say Labbaik, meaning, I am ready to obey Your orders, O Allah.
Allah also commands us in the Holy Qur’an to send blessings and salutations on the Holy Prophet Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam and what a pleasant surprise it is to find a salaat in Part 1 of Dalaail u’l Khairaat with the relevant verse (33:56) and the response of Labbaik as follows:
Surely, Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet.
O you who believe! Send blessings on him
and salute him with a worthy salutation. (33:56)
I am here and ready to obey You O Allah, my Sustainer.
May the blessings of Allah, the Righteous, the Merciful,
and the angels who are close to You (O Allah)
and the Prophets, the Truthful, the martyrs and the pious
and those of Your creation that praise You O Lord of the Worlds,
(may the blessings of all of them)
be on Sayyidina Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah
the Seal of the Prophets, the leader of the Messengers of Allah
and the leader of those who are in reverential awe of Allah,
and a Messenger from the Lord of the Worlds,
a witness who brought glad tidings and who calls people to You
O Allah with Your permission,
who is a shining light,
and many salutations to him as well.
(From here, and some links to the Dala’il Khairat 1,2,3,4,5,6 and Sheikh Nuh Ha Min Kellar’s stunning edition.)
Above photo, Hujjaj gathering at Babul Salam after Asr…..
…while others are fascinated by the continuing work on the courtyard…the metal barriers provide storage space, as all the previous pay lockers have been dismantled for many months. And the industrious cleaner attending to changing the bin liner….their diligence never ceases, SubhanAllah…
….the workmen provide ‘interval entertainment’ in between Salat and Ziyarah….the past few days have seen some spectacular cloud formations with stunning sunsets…sorry no photos as I am usually in the sisters section ready for Maghrib where it is impossible to take photos….
….so close to our Beloved Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…..
…..the skyline resembles an invasion of insect-like aliens….
…as concrete trucks line up, and labourers at the ready to spread the mix over a thick rubber lining…
….pouring load after load throughout the night…..the few unfinished sections appear to be close to completion, especially the way the labourers so energetically embrace the tasks at hand.
And Alhumdulillah, the third phase of the Jamarat Bridge is complete, 50,000 signs in 10 languages have been erected, and more than 9,000 doctors and nurses will be in attendance.
And if you are wanting to do your Hajj in style, for a mere SR130,000 for the few days you will have access to Satellite TV, 10 telephone lines, high speed internet connection, private suites in Mina, Arafat and Musdalifa, 24 hour open buffets and driven in stretch limousines!!!
And such is the dichotomy ….those who cannot afford the expensive permits and their ‘unacceptable’ efforts to perform Hajj, or the rich being so extravagant?
May our collective pleading be answered by Allah Ta’ala, flooding us all with His Mercy, and may our salutations upon our Beloved Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam in turn, flood the heavens, Ameen.
LABBAIK ALLAHUMMA LABBAIK
Surely, Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet.
O you who believe! Send blessings on him
and salute him with a worthy salutation. (33:56)
I am here and ready to obey You O Allah, my Sustainer.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
subhaan Allah madinah is just noor upon noor. those pictures speak a thousand words. imagine living there!
Comment by Abu Ahmed — December 6, 2007 @ 1:45 am
Subhanallah…I never knew that infiltrators and aliens also perform Hajj !
Great pics !I think the time of Hajj really illustrates the beauty of our Deen which truly does encompass every nation.
Wassalam,
m
Comment by umm yusuf — December 6, 2007 @ 2:22 am
May Allah and His Beloved accept,
This lucid light that you reflect,
From that Luminous City that you behold,
Whose heat and dust open vistas foretold,
To make a prayer…one worth countless more,
Than you or I would ever know,
In that esteemed company’s wondrous glow,
That we may once more grace that distant shore.
Comment by naqsh1: ) — December 6, 2007 @ 5:15 am
Salaam Dearest Sister:
As always, your beautiful words and stunning photographs bring us closer to heart of love which is the Ka’ba, and the city in turmoil around it, with its generosity and enterprise and nafs. Here is a post from Darvish entitled Bayazid on Hajj, for all those who could not go: http://darvish.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/bayazid-on-the-hajj/
Comment by Irving — December 6, 2007 @ 8:38 am
Very well written article and the photographs are just fantastic.
Comment by Edward — December 6, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
Assalamualaikum dear sister,
Ameen to all the duas and Jazakiallah khair for once again sharing with us the beautiful images of Bab us Salam as well as the Hujjaj’s. May all our prayers be amplified through their collective prayers on that blessed soil, ameen. Also Jazakiallah khair for the links to the articles on the Dala’il Khayrat.
Comment by ikramuddin — December 6, 2007 @ 10:07 pm
Salaams dear Sister,
Sublime post and a story through pictures. Jazaak Allah for sharing the beneficial links. May Allah’s blessings be showered upon you in the glorious surroundings! Ameen
sf
Comment by sf — December 7, 2007 @ 7:21 am
assalamu alaikum..
Guess i made a big mistake watching the pics with hubby.. now he is singing maudlin songs to get me cry.. n my eldest one keeps askin questions.. he wants to know the name of the bully who broke the diggers hand!! everyones after his own thing.. hope the barakah of this hajj n ibadah shower all of us living far away as well..
assalamu alaikum..
Ummadam
Comment by UmmAdam — December 8, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Assalamu alaikum Dear ALL, I seek your understanding these days for neglecting you and the blog….been a little busy and involved with many of the excited Hujjaj. May their striving and struggling in fulfilling the rites of the pilgrimage to our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala be accepted on the behalf of the entire Ummah, Ameen.
Dear Abu Ahmad, indeed this City of Light is an abundance of Nur upon Nur upon Nur upon Nur as it is overflowing with brothers and sisters uniting from every corner of the globe, SubhanAllah! Mingling with the rainbow of humanity certainly is a beauty beyond description Dear Umm Yusuf.
Ameen Thumma Ameen to the sentiments expressed in this verse Dear Naqsh1.
JazakumuLlahu khairan Dear Irving Darvish for the ink to this moving account. I posted many stories from the esteemed Awliya in the series I did on the Hajj last year. They truly inspire the heart and soul.
Welcome to this humble space Dear Brother Edward and JazakumuLlahu khairan for your kind words. Pity that photos need to be reduced in size for posting, Alhumdulillah for what we do have.
Ameen thumma Ameen Dear Brother Ikramuddin for your always special addition to this space. The link to Sheikh Nuh’s, may Allah Ta’ala increase him in both worlds, beautiful edition of the Dala’il Khayrat was contained in the link to Karima Al-Marwaziyyah, (number 3 above) but I agree I should have made it more prominent. Just holding that book elevates the heart, let alone looking at it or reciting from it. A must for all lovers of the Beloved SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…I will add it to the links.
Dear sf….may the blessings be showered across every nation, every mountain, every valley and all the vast oceans till the Day we are raised up, increasing our love and obedience by the second, Ameen.
Y Umm Adam….it is your presence that makes me CRY…to think that I now have a connection with ones I love so much…I have never wished more than seeing you appear that computer screens could have arms to surround ones so far away. Insha’Allah through Allah Ta’ala’s mercy the Barakat will saturate the whole of His creation…we need to open our hearts to allow it in. Please console little Adam that all diggers are rejoicing in the work they are doing so close to our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — December 8, 2007 @ 11:32 pm
And….I owe many of you emails…Insha’Allah I will have the time and energy to reply SOONISH! Forgive me.
Salam
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — December 8, 2007 @ 11:37 pm