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While in Mina the sisters and I had a lot of time to chat. We heard stories about Hajj and about living in Saudi Arabia. The mother and daughter Afghani women that stayed with us in the tent in Mina went to Makkah and climbed the mountain to see Cave Hirah where the Prophet (SAW) first received revelation of the Quran. They were told a story regarding Cave Hirah. A story about a woman that climbed up to see the cave while on her Hajj journey and took a picture of the cave. When the woman returned home and developed the film there was a BIG RED JINN in the picture standing in the cave, Subhana-Allah!!! I am told that this picture is online somewhere, Allahu Alim!
January 5, 2002 ... the internet address of the picture of the Jinn in the Cave Hirah was emailed to me after posting this Stories and Advice to The Muslim Woman mailing list. Jazak Allah Khair eyes_lorenz@yahoo.com:
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http://www.geocities.com/islaminpictures/Allahinimages.html
Also, I was told about a woman who just had a baby. I forgot the country she was living in, but in this particular country there are tons of jinn and the evil eye is very common. This woman went to the park one day with her baby before her 40 days post partum was up. While in the park somehow the jinn had switched the woman's baby with their (the jinn's) baby. As the baby girl grew older she started eating curtains. The woman was told by scholars that if her daughter lived passed the age of seven then it was her daughter and if the daughter died at the age of seven then it was the daughter of the jinn. On the little girls seventh birth day she died. The woman has been devistated ever since that day and is still looking for her daughter. True story!
* Make sure you practice walking in your bare feet or in socks before attending Hajj. Do this a lot and for long distances on hard concrete or outside on the black top road. Most of your journey is done walking without shoes! It's quite a test on the calves so beef them up before hand.
* Eat a lot of fresh fruit instead of hard meals while on Hajj. Drink a lot of Zum Zum water and walk slowly. Walking too fast will wear you down. Keep a smooth, slow pace. Don't hurry, take your time. This will keep your energy up. Zum Zum water and fresh fruit will keep you from dehydrating, Insha-Allah.
* Keep focused on YOUR rituals. Hajj is a very detailed journey with many du'as that should be memorized BEFORE you go, Insha-Allah. Memorize well ahead of time so the du'as will be easy in your mind, Insha-Allah. Please make sure that you are prepared months before you leave, Insha-Allah. It will save a lot of time if you have memorized the du'a for each ritual, Insha-Allah. Be sure you have daleel (proof) for each and every step as well, Insha-Allah. Don't do ANY ritual unless you have proof from the Quran and AUTHENTIC Sunnah FIRST. You don't want to ruin your ENTIRE Hajj because you fell into a lie against the Prophet (SAW). Get proof FIRST, Insha-Allah.
* Don't take expensive shoes (women) or sandals (men) on the trip. Thank Allah (SWT) if your shoes are in the shoe bin when you return. Take an extra pair of cheap shoes or sandals just in case! Sandals are available everywhere in Saudi Arabia also.
* While you are in Makkah, if you don't like Pakistani food and are tired of eating those grilled chicken sandwiches, remember there is a KFC right outside King Abul Aziz gate. Also, there is a McDonalds and a Baskin Robbins in Aziziah Shamalia (just on the other side of the mountain). Pizza Hut is in Medinah! KFC is in Arafat! The KFC chickens are imported from America and slaughtered by the Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
* Don't forget all the Medinah dates that you can pack. Make sure you get the dark (almost black) ones that taste just like CHOCOLATE!!! When you return from Hajj, everyone will come to visit you expecting a Medinah date and some Zum Zum water!
* The best Hajj gift for brothers and sisters back home are Medinah dates and Zum Zum water so buy a new suitcase while you are there and fill it with dates, Insha-Allah. A new suitcases is very inexpensive.
* Remember to leave from Makkah back to Jeddah so that you can take all the Zum Zum water you want, Insha-Allah. Don't leave from Medinah to Jeddah and expect to take much Zum Zum water. Leave from Makkah to Jeddah and Jeddah to your destination so you can take HUGE liters of Zum Zum water AND have the opportunity to put them UNDER the plane, Insha-Allah. From Jeddah, the airport will seal the water in an air tight bag and put it under the plane so you don't have to take it on board with you, Insha-Allah.
* If you have gifts to buy for children, the best gift is a child's size prayer rug. They are very inexpensive and so cute with pictures of the Kabah on them, Masha-Allah! Also for girls, look for the gold necklaces with the Kabah charm hanging on them. You can get a whole packet of about twenty necklaces for around 10 riyals, Insha-Allah.
* Sisters who wear remember to wear COTTON to keep you from baking, Insha-Allah. If you wear a face veil be sure that your head piece is all ONE piece with a SHEER veil to pull down over your entire face, Insha-Allah. It is not permissable during Hajj to wear the face veil that most of us wear now a days that covers the entire face exposing only the eyes. During Hajj the entire face must be covered OR the entire face must be uncovered. You are not permitted to ONLY expose the eyes. A nice thing SHEER piece that is attached to the top of your head piece is easy to pull down and breathe through.
Please feel free to contact me (SisterAsma@TheMuslimWoman.com) anytime with questions or concerns regarding Hajj, Insha-Allah.
