Mina, the land of mercy

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The word 'Mina' is from Arabic 'mannun' or 'tamniyatun' meaning of which is special kindness and soul desire. It was from the meaning of a doa (prayer) of Rasulullah sallalahu alihe oasallam. In that doa Rasulullah sallalahu alihe oasallam said, Maola! this is that mina at which you have done mercy to hazrat Adhom ( alihe oasallam) & to many of your gracious person. According to that do mercy on us. In the book 'Akhbare Makkah' a description from hazrat Abdullah ibne Abbas( Radiallahu anhu) state that hazrat Zibrail ( alihe oasallam) & Adham ( alihe oasallam) went to Arafat & Mujdalefa together to teach Adham ( alihe oasallam) the every main rukon of hajj. They stayed there & after performing kurbani hazrat Zibrail ( alihe oasallam) asked Adham ( alihe oasallam) during taking farewell that do you have any desire ? Then hazrat Adham ( alihe oasallam) said, now only one desire is remaining that is going to zannat. As desire of Adham ( alihe oasallam) was mentioned here the place is named as Mina.

In another description the word is from Arabic 'Uyumnid-dima' meaning of which is the place of blood shed from kurbani. At Mina hajjis perform kurbani. Here is the Mosque, the Masjidul Khaouf which was built by Adham ( alihe oasallam). In the early time of islam, the representatives of Madinah accept islam here at Mina.

Hazrat Ismail ( alihe oasallam) was brought here for kurbani. Here young Ismail ( alihe oasallam) threw pebbles to saitan at three places at which hajjis throw pebbles during hajj.

Reference : book- hajj, kurbani, jehad & tabligh proshongo,author- maolana muhiuddin khan, publisher- madina publications( ph 8802 7114555), page no.19

Main activities of hajj at Muzdalifah on 10th Dh-Hijja night

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Going to Muzdalifah

It is essential to stay at Arafat up to sunset of 9th Dh-Hijja . According to Arabic calendar after sun set of 9th Dh-Hijja the night of 10th Dh-Hijja starts. Most of the hajjis began to move from their tent towards Muzdalifah after ashor salah. They go to boarder of Arafat & stay there until sunset. After sunset the huge mass rush towards pedestrian way & the area become very much crowd y. If you go by walking you have enough time so do not rush to Arafat boarder earlier. Go slow to avoid over crowd. Arafat to Muzdalifah is 5-8 kilometer depending your tent location at Arafat. It is very easy to walk, do not walk very first or very slow. The pedestrian way is very broad. Lot of toilets / wash rooms are available on both side of the road. Take some water & fruit juice with you before start walking. You will be very thirsty during walking but do not drink much water.

It is comparatively difficult to walk maintaining big group of hajjis. So make small group of 2-3 hajjis, not more for easy walking. Take a long stick host one or two small colored flag for your identity with this stick. During walking host it up so that other person of your group can locate you easily. All walking people are on same dress ihram so it is very difficult to identify a person from behind, because all look alike. Many people can not think about it before but when problem occur they feel great tension . So be very careful about this issue. Share your experience for pilgrims.

Stay at Muzdalifah

When you reach to Muzdalifah the first thing to do is perform magrib & esha salah at a time, then take some food & go for sleep by placing mat on the ground, sleep until fazor azan then awake up & perform fazor salah & began to walk toward boarder of Muzdalifah to mina. You have to stay at Muzdalifah area until sunrise.

If you reach the boarder before sunrise stay there do not cross Muzdalifah boarder before sunrise. Muzdalifah to Mina is about 3-4 kilometer depending your location at Muzdalifah. So do not hurry, you are now going to your tent at Mina, use your map to locate your tent & see how to reach there, by which road you can go to your tent. When you enter into mina then find out the road of your tent & walk through that road to reach your tent easily. If you need rest then go to your tent for rest. If no rest required then go directly to jamarat for stone through before that take your breakfast.

Main activities of hajj at Arafat on 9th Dh-Hijja

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Going to arafat

It is sunnah to start going to arafat some time after sunrise on the 9th Dh-Hijja when sun light will spread around mina. But hajj package managers began to carry hajjis to arafat by bus from 8th Dh-Hijja night to avoid traffic jam. Keep your bag at the tent if you have weighty bag because you are coming back to your tent after one day. Carry the sleeping mat, map of mina & arafat, one piece of extra ihram cloth , a towel & your regular medicine if any. Do not carry any weighty food because lot of food are supplied to hajjis at arfat. If you carry weighty things to arafat you will be in trouble when you will come back from arafat to Muzdalifah & Muzdalifah to mina by walking.

Stay at arafat

Stay at arafat on the 9th Dh-Hijja noon to sunset is the most important activity of the hajj, without stay at arafat hajj will not be completed. Normally hajj package managers arrange tent for hajjis at arafat, hajjis can seat & take rest in tent at arafat. Many foods are supplied to hajjis by different donors. Do not eat heavy so that you become ill, bear it mind that you have to walk to Muzdalifah from arafat. Though there is arrangement to go to Muzdalifah from arafat by bus but due to severe traffic jam bus moves very slowly its take long time to reach & hajjis who are in bus feel great tension weather they will be able to reach to Muzdalifah in time, then some hajjis get down from bus & start walking.

Share your experience to stay at arafat.

Main activities of hajj at Mina on 8th Dh-Hijja

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Going to mina

You are going to mina for staying five days at mina, arafat & Muzdalifah. Carry only the essential things. A foam bed & one pillow is given to every hajjis at the tent. Take some dry food & necessary medicine. Take one extra piece of ihram cloth with you. You will be there wearing ihram before hair cutting on the 10th Dh-Hijja . After that you will be in normal dress for next two days, 11th Dh-Hijja & 12th Dh-Hijja till after noon, but it is sunnah to stay at mina till 13th Dh-Hijja after noon .

Stay at mina

Tamuttu hajjis who are staying at Makkah go to mina by wearing ihram at their home/hotel on the 8th Dh-Hijja . Normally hajj package managers carry hajjis to mina by bus on on 7th Dh-Hijja from afternoon to avoid crowd. It is necessary ( sunnah ) to stay at mina on 8th Dh-Hijja day after night. hajjis stay in tent at mina the tents are air conditioned but lot of hajjis are accommodated in every tent so there is a crowded situation. Share your experience of staying at tent at mina.

Food-stuff at mina

All kind of foods are not available at mina as like as Makkah. Over all hygiene & sanitation of mina is not so good. So there is a chance to be ill by food borne diseases. Be careful to eat food & strictly maintain personal hygiene. Share your experience of taking food at tent at mina.

Tent location

All the tents & roads at mina are mostly identical, so it is very difficult to identify own tent when go out from tent for any purpose. Map of mina with road name & tent number is very important tool to locate own tent. Before go to mina card with tent number & address is given to every hajjis. So try to locate your tent in the map, see the road name beside your tent. Make a study about all neighboring road name & how to go from one road to another & how to go jamarat from your tent & how to come back from jamarat. It is also important to locate the bus or taxi station near to your tent & how to go that station to go to Makkah. When you come back from Makkah by bus or taxi at that time the station is not the same from where you go to Makkah . It is another bus station at other location. So make a study about the bus station location & how to come back from there to your tent. Try to find out local bus or taxi route at mina, arafa & Muzdalifah. Many hajjis face problem to come back to own tent.

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