This and That

Missed Opportunities

Two days before my umrah trip, I received several phone calls. One offered me a fully sponsored spa course that will run during my umrah trip. I'm very interested but I have to decline. Another call is from a university asking me to conduct a training which they require during my umrah trip too. I have contacted them before and have done some follow-up, unfortunately the time they see fit to ask for my service is the time I have to be away and giving me such a short notice. What can I do? I declined them and apologized I can't suggest anyone in such a short notice while I'm busy preparing for my kenduri. Another call is from a company soliciting my training service for their client. The caller wanted a customized course outline and my profile so I stayed up after the kenduri completing the course outline and emailing it to him. He said his client can wait till after I return but when I called to meet him now, it doesn't seem so urgent to him anymore. Hmmmm... people say you'll have some challenges during your umrah. Our umrah trip run quite smoothly so probably these missed opportunities were part of my challenges. Our ustaz also mentioned not to be concerned about having to spend a lot of money to perform our umrah. Allah would give us more rezeki later insyaAllah. I have some project beginning middle of May so till then, I have to be patient.

Lost and Found

I've read and heard about people missing slippers and things while traveling especially in the vans or busses in Mekah or Madinah. A member of our group left his sling bag in the van after we've done our Miqat at Tan'eim. Hubby and I walked to the mosque and then stop to look for our group members. Why aren't they walking with us? We saw them still by the road side and looking at something. We wonder what the commotion there was all about but continued with our umrah. Later we found out one of the guy left his bag in the van. I was sorry for him. I would be quite disturbed if such thing happen to me. Everything important is in my sling bag.

When we saw the guy who lost the bag later, he told us the van driver somehow managed to contact his friend from the name card in the bag and they took a cab to meet the driver at another hotel because the driver didn't know where our hotel is and communication is at minimum. He received the call after he has completed his umrah. Isn't that such a good news :) Hubby also thought he lost his slipper at the mosque and he returned with a very uncomfortable 'selipar jepun' because the straps are twisted. Later when we went to the mosque again, we saw his slipper and he has been looking at the wrong place. And at our hotel cafeteria, people has left things there and we have heard announcements about who lost this and that. There is also one very elderly panicky makcik in our group. Whenever she couldn't find her things she would say, "Habislah dah hilang". I heard her uttered that 2-3 times during our trip including when we reached our hotel in Mekah when she couldn't find her bag. I can't resist saying, "Jangan kalut dulu makcik. Cari dulu." Alhamdulillah during our trip, nobody lost anything.

Children in the Mosque

The Arabs bring their children of any age to the mosque. Even if they have to pray under the scorching sun, they would ignore their baby crying in the baby prams in front of them while praying. Some mothers would carry their baby on their shoulder while praying, put them down for rukuk and sujud and carry the baby again to stop them from crying. Once I got a little distracted while praying because a baby is crawling in front of a saf and then return to the mother. Some would tie their baby's leg with cloth to them so the babies would not venture too far while they are praying. Some children played hide and seek, laughed and giggled, and ran around people who were praying. I prayed beside a mother who carried her toddler on her shoulder once. The little boy took away my specs. I got a little distracted there and quite worried if something happen to my extra pair of eyes but continued with the prayer. After prayer I saw my specs on my sling bag which I put in front of me. The mother was apologetic about the incident.

During one of our travel to Tan'eim with our group, the ladies were talking about this culture of bringing children to the mosque. It is a good culture to acquaint the children with the mosque while they were still very young. They pointed out how in Malaysia mothers didn't go to the mosque because the children is still very little. Even if the children is 10 years old they'll still give excuse the children is still small. One of them is going to educate her daughter-in-laws about bringing children to the mosque when she returns. And one of them touch my knee while saying this is also a lesson for the newly-weds like me. For some reason, our group members called me and hubby "pengantin baru". I don't know who gave them that idea. Probably because we were the youngest couple in the group. Other young people are either singles or married but perform their umrah without their spouse. :) We were among the young people there in comparison with other members of the group. I called some of the ladies 'kak' but they replied back referring to themselves as 'makcik'.

Back to the children issues, I bring this matter up because some mothers didn't pray with the excuse of their baby is crying their hearts out and they can't put them down or something like that. I know it could be heart wrenching but praying is fardhu for every Muslim. Every parents may hope they have a children that will pray for them when they are older or when they have left this world but that may not be the case. I have often heard people say a mother can take care of their 10 children but the 10 children can't take care of their mother. So just put down your babies for a while and pray. They'll cry but they'll be fine.

It's Not Difficult

I remember when I learn how to pray a long time ago, our ustazah told us to be very careful with the actions and to hold ourselves very tight during prayer as iblis and syaitan would be dangling from our dangling body parts if we didn't hold it tight. That ustazah should see how all the other people are praying in the mosque in Mekah and Madinah. I already have a taste of how different Muslims from other countries are in my university mosque. Besides, I subscribe to opinion that Islam is easy and Allah would not burden His ummah till the ibadah becomes so difficult to perform.

Some said be careful of how you read the Qur'an because if you pronounce wrongly it'll give different meaning. With such warning, those who have difficulties reading the Qur'an would abandon it altogether. Have they heard how the Muslims in other countries read the Qur'an. No one has any right to say they are committing sin just because they read the Qur'an differently due to their dialect and language style. I later found a hadith that says Allah gives manifold rewards to those who struggles to read the Qur'an but read them anyway.

Attitudes

Many have commented on the attitudes of the Arabs and I have seen some of it too. Yes some are very selfish because they wanted to perform their ibadah without thinking about the welfare of others. But if you really think about it, some acted that way due to fear. During tawaf or saie if you encounter a group of ladies walking arm in arm pushing everyone aside, they probably fear they would get left behind or lose their group and be around men who are not their mahram. Individually, they are kind people. I remember the lady who fold her sejadah and lend it to me when I fell asleep in the mosque due to my fever, a few who brought or offered me zam-zam water and some who offered biscuits and sweets while iktikaq in the mosque.

What to Pack for Umrah

I use all the clothes I brought. Some I use more than once because it is more comfortable and easier to wash. Hubby did not use all of his clothes I brought so men can bring less clothes than women. I have to wash hubby's singlet more often as he wore them with jubah and sarong. I probably could survive with less clothes too. I just have to make sure I have enough clothes in Madinah. I didn't wash any clothes in Madinah because we only stayed there about three and a half days. In Mekah, I only wash clothes I wanted to wear again. I also bought two jubah there and wore one of them in Mekah and one of them when we flew back.

I have some unworn tudung. It is best to bring tudung that is comfortable and convenient. No ironing necessary. I mostly use the slip on tudungs instead of those that requires brooches and pin. Since you'll be sweating a lot there, I prefer to wear a comfortable sweat absorbent camisole. I bought a few with pockets in front but didn't use the pocket at all so its probably unnecessary unless you travel alone and really need to separate your cash. As for us, hubby and I keep some cash separately as our risk handling measures so it's OK for both of us. Some wore the arm socks all the time. I did not when I don't have to perform umrah. I'm wearing long sleeve blouses and a telekung so that should cover enough. I still bring a pair though just in case it is necessary.

Some also bought the socks that has the openings in front said to be easier when you want to take ablution. I also have those but I prefer normal socks. Besides, I saw some ladies who didn't notice their feet were exposed through the front openings on their socks. There were times I didn't wear my socks like when we went out shopping at night or go down to the shop to have a sandwich but I carry a pair in my bag just in case it is needed. Come to think of it, instead of carrying telekung around when I went for meeting or training, I could carry the arm socks and a pair of socks instead... if I'm wearing a loose clothes that's comfortable for prayer of course. Less bulky and can fit in my handbag.

Do'a

We don't have to follow all the unfamiliar do'a in our Umrah guide book. I brought my Mathurat book. I wish I brought other do'a books I normally use as well because this is when you have all the time in the world to pray, pray and pray.