The weather was nearly the same in Muzdalifah. It wasn't raining, but the wind was blowing hard. The wind was cold and cut right through your body. I had read previously that Muzdalifah is usually cold and that we are to sleep on the ground so I brought grandma's blanket (hand quilted) and a winter fleece bunting for Hafsah to wear.
Upon our arrival, the brothers picked our spot on the rocky black top road. I set up my sleeping area and put Hafsah's winter bunting on her. I laid her on the cushion part of the child carrier again and covered her with grandma's blanket. She was sleeping, Alhamdulillah. I asked the sisters to watch her so I could go make wudu.
I located the bathrooms not too far away. The bathrooms were just like Arafah and Mina bathrooms. The steel doors and their hinges were falling off on these bathrooms. One sister even got stuck in the stall next to mine and was shouting, "Don't leave me sisters, please help me!" Masha-Allah, la hawla wala quatta illah billah! One brother from the stalls behind shouted, "Do you need help?"
I made my wudu and quickly returned to my daugther who was lying alone in the cutting cold on a rocky black top road that sloped downward. When I came back to the sleeping site everyone was making Salah together over in the men's sleeping area. I wasn't sure which prayer they were praying (Maghrib or Isha) so I stayed in the women's sleeping area and prayed by myself. We were on top of a hill so when I went into prostration I was prostrating downhill AND on a rocky black top road. The tiny rocks cut into my knees each time I went into prostration . I had to struggle to keep my balance when I bowed so the wind wouldn't blow me over and down the hill.
It was nearly 11:00 pm when we reached Muzdalifah and still the buses were rolling in hours later. With the cold guest of wind cutting through our blanket, Hafsah and I cuddle in grandma's blanket folded in half with one side under us and one side covering us which left my backside exposed because I wanted the folded edge to cover Hafsah from the cold. We tossed and turned, dosing off occasionally until around 3:00 am. Buses were still rolling in at 3:00 am.
By now my cough was accompanied by fever and chills. I was really being tested now, Masha-Allah. The men got us up at 3:00 am to take us back to Mina. It's permissable for the elderly and the women to return to Mina before the others. We can't leave without our mahram so the men were going with us. The men said were are walking all the way back to Mina. I took some fever medication and pushed on.
Our leader took us on an adventure. Back and forth, up and down, in between moving and parked buses and cars. The road was long and tough. Because of my asthma, coughing, perhaps an infection in my lungs, and now the fever and chills (not to mention pregnancy, carrying Hafsah in the child carrier on the front of my body, and also carry a loaded backpack on the back of my body) my breathing nearly stopped as we set off walking back to Mina on foot. This was a great test! The group got tired of me having to stop and catch my breathe so they pushed on. The leader was barely in sight as I stopped once again. I just couldn't bare the walk. I grabbed ahold of the fence, breathless and crying, I shouted to my husband, "I am going to die on Hajj. " I told him that we MUST find someone to drive us to Mina or a bus that will pick us up, Insha-Allah. I couldn't go any further on foot, Astagh Ferrullah.
The group was already way head of us. We could barely see them in the distance. Finally, my husband and I got a ride from some Kuwaiti brothers, Masha-Allah. They took us in their van all the way up to the Jamarat area, Masha-Allah. May Allah (SWT) reward those brothers, Ameen!
My husband was determined to find our tent in Mina first, so I could lie down and rest, so we walked back in search of the tent. With no end in sight and Fajr coming in, my husband decided that we must find a place for me and Hafsah to sit while he went to stone for himself, for me, and for Hafsah.
We were in the Malaysian area. We found a spot for me and Hafsah to sit next to a Malaysian prayer area. My husband held Hafsah while I went to make wudu and then we said, "Fee Aman Allah" and located markers so my husband could find us again, Insha-Allah. I spread out grandma's blanket and prayed Fajr. I tried to sleep but Hafsah wasn't interested in sleeping. I kept dosing off because I was so tired. Alhamdulillah, Hafsah was content and hadn't moved each time I woke up.
At one point I had dosed off again and I heard, "Assalamu Alaykum" in my husbands voice. I woke up and there he was. It wasn't long at all. He had returned from stoning, Masha-Allah. It only seemed like a half an hour that he was gone. I asked him if he had stoned. He was done stoning, Subhana-Allah! After praying Fajr, he stoned for himself, for me and for Hafsah. He said that since the Malaysians were shorter than him he was able to easily hit the Jamarats, Masha-Allah.
I folded up grandma's blanket once again, put Hafsah back in the carrier on the front of me and pulled the backpack up on my back again. My husband brought me some cough medicine from the free medical services in the Malaysian area. I took some cough medicine and then we set out on foot to find our tent in Mina.