Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi

The young African was making her rounds in Muzdalifah selling tea and coffee. We were seven Hajis, and had multiple orders. Before leaving, she came back a bit confused. “How much you gave me sir?,” she asked our group leader. “Twenty riyals, that is more than the sixteen riyals you deserve! What more do you want?!” he answered, angrily. “No, I don’t want more!” She gave him back four riyals. “Actually, that is what I thought!.. You over paid me!” 



Now, he felt really guilty, especially with everyone looking at him accusingly. “I know, but I meant to give you more! Keep it, daughter!,” he handed her back the returned money. She smiled and hesitated. “Are you sure? You only owe me sixteen!” When we all answered with one voice, “sure, sure, take it!,” she prayed for us and took the four riyals back.



That was amazing, we, thought. Drivers were charging 100 riyals for every seat in rundown buses to take Hajis a few kilometers down the road. A lady was begging for a discount and promising to pray for the driver. His answer? No need for your prayers! Pay me instead! And this poor girl was returning four riyals she wasn’t sure about.



Of course, not all drivers are the same. Friends told me of one who returned half the agreed fee because he couldn’t take them to their final destination. Half the way, he was diverted by a change in the traffic system — an unfortunate usual practice.



A young Saudi, with a brand-new Ford Explorer, run with us almost all over Makkah to reach our friends’ place. Since he was local, he managed to get us around heavy traffic spots, and to find alternative routes. The half hour he thought it would take to reach our destination turned into triple the time. He didn’t ask for more or leave us half way, or even show his frustration. Instead, he kept us upbeat with his optimistic solutions and sweet smile. We compensated him, but he deserved much more.



Travel brings the best and the worst in people. Haj is but a holy journey into our humanity. I was hesitant about going to Haj this year, for the same reason that kept me away the last decade — limited space — until I received an invitation. A group of close friends were going and I suddenly felt an urge that couldn’t be resisted. They helped me get a permission and organized the whole journey. It was a wonderful experience!



Mixing with crowds is quite a feast of knowledge opportunity. Mixing with millions is an incredible one. You just never know what to expect when you get eye to eye and shoulder to shoulder with people from all over the world. You cry with the same voice, follow the same call and move toward the same goal. All of you, basically, do the same task at the same time. That is just an amazing feeling of unity of purpose and attachment.



I admired the way most security men treated us. They were helpful, kind and understanding. Few, on the other hand, wouldn’t even smile. Hajis, in general, were in a charity mode. An Egyptian was distributing cups of cold water. When done, his smile was shining like the sunny day of Arafat. An old Pakistani has only few dates to give away, so he carefully chose the people he felt more needed them. A little Indonesian was sent by her parents to ask if we would share their food. They were cooking and giving. A boy has only one ice-cream box. The look of sadness when someone asked him for one and he showed his empty box was touching.



My Haj journey was the best kind of journey I did in the last decade. It is hard to express or explain. Maybe you could do better, dear readers. Let’s share our Haj experiences. Here’s your thoughts on Haj without permission.



Illegal Haji is like uninvited guest!



“When Allah makes things easy for us Muslims, why do we have to do it the hard way. By performing Haj in an illegal way, we are making not only Haj difficult for other fellow Muslims, but also disturbing the whole arrangements of the Saudi government, thus giving a chance to wrongly criticizing its Haj management. An illegal Haji is like an uninvited guest!” Maria Khan



Selfishness!



“Muslims are required to perform Haj only once in their lifetime. Those who perform it repeatedly may actually be at sin, because they are crowding other Muslims who have paid their life’s savings, and came from distant parts of the world to perform Haj. Just because they may be financially capable, and healthy, does not give them the right to do so. Why don t Muslims just follow Islam teachings?!” T. Tawfiq



Let it be a pleasant experience!



“I respect someone’s desire to perform Haj every year, but feel it is selfish. He can perform multiple Umrah, but should leave Haj for the people who spend their life savings to come just once. Let’s help them have a pleasant experience.” S.



– Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi can be reached at kbatarfi@gmail.com and be followed at Twitter: @kbatarfi