Finally, we arrived in Makkah and found the hotel. The driver walked us inside and bid us farewell with Salaams. My husband had to do a little work to get us into the hotel because our group was suppose to meet in Madinah not Makkah.
My husband told the brother at the check-in booth to contact the owner of the hotel. The owner of the hotel is the brother that we bought the Hajj tickets from in Michigan and he is also the leader of our group from Michigan (U.S.A.).
We were suppose to meet our group in Madinah two days ago, but now we are in Makkah. The brother behind the desk and my husband both talked to the owner of the hotel (the leader of our group) and in the end he allowed us to stay in the hotel, Alhamdulillah. We found out that our group just left for Madinah this morning. So, how were they going to meet us two days ago in Madinah when they just left from Makkah this morning?
At last, we got to our room. It was a nice hotel room with three twin beds. The bathroom was very nice. There was an air conditioner that we used only for the fan. There was also a little kitchen area with a mini refrigerator, Masha-Allah. We were anxious to get the Haram so we made ghusl for entering Makkah and then set out for the KABAH!!!
By this time it was around 10:30 pm. We walked out the entrance of the hotel, down the mountain, and up the street following the signs that read "Haram". We kept walking and walking and then suddenly upon us was al- Masjid al-Haram!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I was dumb founded, Subhana-Allah!!! The light brown marble and pale green lighted pillars were amazing!!! It brought tears to my eyes. We speeded up and couldn't seem to get there fast enough. It felt like a two mile walk, but it was well worth it whatever the distance.
Finally, an entrance came upon us. The entrance we were standing in front of was King Abdul Aziz gate. The Hajj books said we were suppose to enter from As-Salam gate [as did the Prophet (SAW) because it is the closest gate to the black stone] so we walked to the left looking for As-Salam gate. It wasn't there so we asked an offical and they told us to go back to the right. We walked and walked and walked around the outer perimeter of the Haram looking for As-Salam gate. We passed Al-Abbas gate, Safa gate and various other gates. I think the gate names are the names of the tribes of the Quresh. Finally, we came to As-Salam gate.
We took off our shoes and stowed them tightly in one of the shoe bins saying, "Fee Aman Allah" to our shoes because the chances of them being there when we returned were very slim. We entered al-Masjid al-Haram from As-Salam gate with our right foot and recited the entrance du'a. There were so many people everywhere, Masha-Allah. We walked across a bridge that was directly over the people making Sa'ee. Then we looked straight ahead and saw from a far distance ... THE KABAH!!!
Your first instinct when you see the Kabah is exactly what is Sunnah. When you first see the Kabah, you point and say, "Bismillah, Allahu Akbar!!!" We walked closer and closer until the Kabah was in plain site. We raised our hands and made the specific du'a for this moment that is derived from the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Look at all the people, Subhana-Allah!!! People everywhere, Masha-Allah! There were people up in the air being carried around the Kabah in wooden boxes. These boxes were just big enough for one person to sit in. Under the boxes were poles sticking out of each corner. Strong black men were running around the Kabah while carrying these boxes of people on their heads.
We had to make Maghrib and Isha so we each located a spot to pray. After we finished praying we set out for the BLACK STONE!!!