Some More Prep

Part 3: A Continuation of my Hajj Experience

Listening to: Mermaid by Yuna

I’m seated on my toilet with a razor in my hand. My armpits and private parts are covered in shaving cream. I am contemplating what I’m about to do. In preparation for the Ihram, father had asked me to have my hair cut to a buzz and my pubic hair shaved. In my life, I only ever had to trim my facial and pubic hairs. At that moment, I was carefully passing the blade between my legs. Shaving my behind was tricky too. It was my first time to do it. All the while, I was regretting the decision of placing minty, spicy, and icy shaving cream all at once.

The following day, we received a call from the fixer advising us to get vaccines. We headed to a run-down building that housed the Bureau of Quarantine. We went inside to a room just the size of my store, holding a few dozen people (all Muslims). The crowd was easily more than the number the small space could hold, with stations too near each other that all were confused which line to stand in. We filled out our forms, carefully writing down our information and medical histories, and waited for our shots. For this year, two vaccines were required: COVID-19 and Influenza.

After the small chaos, mother, father and I went to a little spa that had just opened that day. Mother prepared that we have manicures and pedicures and a light facial. After a light lunch, we headed to a clinical laboratory to have our bloods checked. Once we had the results, we proceeded to Doc, a long-time friend of the family. Mother was alright. But father and I were high on just about everything: cholesterol, fat, uric acid levels... Doc joked that father and I must have had secret dinners of fast food and we didn’t invite mother. She prescribed some medicine and multivitamin pills, a total of six, that we were to take every day while we were abroad. Plus my depression pills Lexapro and Quetiapine, I had to take eight meds daily.

News soon reached my friends and relatives that I was going for Hajj. A former classmate of mine said her husband would be participating as well and that we would surely meet there. A very pesky aunt told me to pray for as many times as possible while I was there, that I should sacrifice sleep and rest for as many times as bodily possible. “A single prayer in the holy lands is ten thousand times more than prayers anywhere.” Some, in typical Filipino fashion, were preparing their lists of things to buy for them—Nivea Creme in tin cans and perfumes only available in Saudi Arabia. And while all of these were happening, I was slowly stacking on things in my travel luggage. 

One constant piece of advice from my relatives who have done the Hajj was footwear. They said I should bring worn slippers, the pair I used most. New footwear, they said, would literally give me pain if I broke the sandals during Hajj. There's going to be a lot of walking. Apart from my most loyal pair of slippers, I was going to bring my laptop, a notebook and pen, a little pouch of hygiene products, first aid kits, and a few clothes. Light as my luggage was, my mother advised that I should still lessen it. We would prepare for the gifts we were going to give to people. Since this was my first Hajj, my list of people was fairly short. I planned to buy three hijabs for my sisters and my sister-in-law, some thobes for my brothers, toys for my nephews and nieces, and as many keffiyahs and tasbeehs for my store regulars.

The Seminar

Days before our flight, mother said that we were to attend our seminar and meet our Sheikh and the rest of the ummah (community of Muslims) joining us.

At the reception of the hotel's rented ballroom space, we filled out our attendance and information. I was number 64. They gave us envelope kits that contained a small booklet of religious supplications and some other informational pieces of paper. The women were given a piece of yellow cloth with the name of our group—"Sheikh ****** Hajj/Pilgrimage 2024," which they were to pin on their headscarves for visibility in large crowds. We entered the big room of close to a hundred people. Father immediately headed towards the sheikh, shaking his hands and kissing his cheeks.

'Sheikh' has several meanings: elder, religious leader, and scholar; a title; a guide to Islam and its doctrines. He is one who has spent his years, usually in Islamic universities outside of the Philippines, studying the language of Arabic, both traditional and modern, and the many doctrines of Islam. Our sheikh had the strongest grip I have ever experienced in handshaking. I almost winced at his pincer like hold. He was a big, brawny-built man, still experiencing great prime at his age of late sixties. But it was juxtaposed by his high-pitched voice and soft smile.  He wore the typical textile patterns of our tribe, clear, ornate, and visible, as he glided from table to table, shaking hands and talking to the rest of the ummah. In typical Muslim fashion, the hall and tables were separated—except for husband and wife or otherwise family, men were seated on one side and the women on the other. Mother chose to be with her barkada friends on the left side while my father and I found a table on the other side. 

It was a motley group, comprising mostly people in their 50s. At 36, I was one of the youngest to participate. There were young married couples. There were men from deep jungle villages and others residing in small islands. It was clear that we were in the presence of one of the great sheikhs of our region. A projector was set up playing YouTube videos of the stages and activities of Hajj, which the Sheikh explained one by one, in detail, and sprinkling both heartwarming and comedic experiences of his many trips to the Holy Lands.

Here are the different activities one must do and achieve for a Muslim to have the title of Hadji:

1. Ihram: a state of purity. It is required for men to wear two unsewn pieces of white cloth. We are not allowed to wear underwear or perfume during Ihram (but using underwear or applying perfume is allowed just before entering the state of Ihram). During this spiritual state, we cannot cut our nails, or have any hair fall off intentionally, or kill animals and insects, or lie, or do evil. 

2. Tawaf - wherein, upon arriving in the Ka'aba, Muslims must circle it seven times. 

3. Sa'i - wherein Muslims walk seven times to and from between the hills of Safa and Marwah.

4. Tahallul - wherein after walking the hills, our sheiks will cut our hair.

5. Arafat - where we must go to Mount Arafat for prayer and reflection.

6. Muzdalifah - wherein we spend the night in Muzdalifah and sleep on the ground. And, collect pebbles for Jamarat.

7. Jamarat - the Stoning of the Shaytan, where we throw pebbles to three pillars representing Satan.

8. The Farewell Tawaf - where we circle the Ka'ba seven times again, bid farewell to the House of Allah on Earth, and ask that we may visit again.

These are the main activities, with some more, which I will introduce as this story progresses. Sheikh explained each step, although at one point he did try to share too much of his experiences. 

Came the day when all paperwork was done, and we studied lightly but entirely the upcoming activities; we were as physically clean as we could get. I rechecked all my clothes and luggage.  Mother received a sudden phone call from our sheikh. And here was the first true challenge of my Hajj experience...

Thank you for reading.

P.S.

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