We finished praying and set out for the black stone. We held tightly to each other as we descended into the huge crowd of people. The Haram was full of people walking in every direction. We finally reached the tawaf circle after stepping over so many people. These people were either just sitting staring at the Kabah or making two rakat of Station Ibrahim.
People were praying everywhere. No matter where we stepped someone was there praying. Men were praying next to women. Women were praying in front of men. People were walking everywhere. People were praying everywhere.
We slowly made our way into the tawaf ring working our way towards the black stone and the Kabah. The closer we got to the black stone, the more we were squeezed and nearly crushed a couple of times. It was getting too tight, and we had Hafsah, so we decided to work our way back out to the outer perimeter the circle and do our tawaf out there.
Each time we got closer to the black stone corner, the pushing really got bad. There was a black line on the ground that told us where the black stone was. In this location the circle came to a dead hault for everyone to wave and say, "Allahu Akbar". From the black stone to Station Ibrahim there was always people just sitting or praying two rakat Station Ibrahim and that held us up also.
In all honesty my face veil was the least of my concerns in that heat and crowd. I pulled it up and I pulled it down. Everyone was concentrating on tawaf not on what he/she was wearing or not wearing. I had to breath so the face veil went up and down at various times. Allah (SWT) knew my intentions, Insha-Allah.
It all seemed like a dream. It didn't seem real. I couldn't believe I was walking around the Kabah and could see it with my own eyes! Subhana-Allah!!!
Watch out!!! Here come those black men carrying the people up high in wooden boxes. The black men have the boxes on their heads and they are running quickly around the Kabah. You better get out of their way or you'll be flat on the floor!
We finished our 7th round and moved behind Station Ibrahim. People were praying everywhere. Men next to women and women in front of men. Everyone was walking everywhere and in every direction. You just had to stand anywhere you could and make your two rakat no matter who was in front of you, behind you, or next to you and no matter who walked in front of you. At one point in my two rakat I had to wait quite some time for people to pass before I could go into sujood.
All this time Hafsah is in her carrier on the front of me, and my backpack full of diapers and baby stuff was on my back, Masha-Allah. Hafsah was sleeping most of the time only to get up for drinking water and to see what was going on, Masha-Allah. I was worried about the heat and her dehydration so I pumped her full of water.
After our two rakat behind Station Ibrahim, we moved to the Zum Zum area. There is a seperate staircase to go downstairs for men and a seperate stair ase to go downstairs for women, so we said, "Fee Aman Allah" and located a marker to meet at when we were finished.
I made my way down the stairs of the women's zum zum section. Women were sitting everywhere making du'a. Finally I reached the faucets and waited my turn in line. My turn finally came and I filled up the steel cup chained to the faucet. I drank the water and poured some on my left aching hand. I don't know what happened to my hand, but it was almost useless, Masha-Allah.
I put some Zum Zum water on my face. Then I took off my hijab and rubbed my head with it as the Hajj book said to do according to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). I gave some water to Hafsah to drink. Then I poured it on her head and face also. I put my hijab back on and worked my way back to the stairs with my socks soaked full of water from the floor.
Up the stairs I went and my husband was there at our meeting spot, Alhamdulillah. By this time it was around 1:00-1:30 am. Time to go for Sa'ee.