My new experience as a BLOGGER

Assalammualaikum ,

It was early morning on February 17 year 1991. A baby girl was born in Clinic Amar Johor Bahru and this baby was me. I got my name from my beloved Mom & Dad on that day is Hasnaa Binti Aziz. Eighteen years later, I found myself studying at Politeknik Merlimau Melaka taking diploma in accountancy field. My house at Taman Universiti Skudai Johor Bahru. I'm Working at Toyoplas Manufacturing Sdn Bhd as Account Assistant starting in 2014 until now. Thus , I'm continue my studying degree in finance at UITM Pasir Gudang Johor.

29th Anniversary Celebration Abah & Mama !

Complete Family . Lets CANDID yeahhh !!

I’m the third child from seven siblings and have six sister and only one brother in the family. During the holidays, I spent my free time sitting at home, Surfing internet, holiday with family.Watching television, and sleeping. It had become my hobby, naturally. My mother always cook for me and the rest of the family. For me, the most delicious food is my mother’s cooking.
Yummy !

The blog title describes exactly what my trip to the Holy Haram Land of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawwarah was all about. It was a spiritual journey of a lifetime. It was an awesome, amazing, highly-emotional, spiritually-cleansing and life-changing experience beyond compare (except for Hajj of course). Alhamdulillah! Praises to Allah for giving me the opportunity and means to visit His Holy Haram Land.

No kind of physical and mental training could ever prepare anyone for the journey to the Holy Land. One will be easily overwhelmed physically, psychologically and emotionally by the sheer grandeur, awesomeness and holiness of the place. Not to mention the physical exertion of endless, tireless walking to and from our hotel and two of the grandest, holiest mosques in the whole wide world, Masjidil Haram in Makkah and Masjid An-Nabawi in Madinah. Indeed, Umrah and Hajj are physical forms of ibadah or worship in Islam.

This is my first, which means my compulsory Umrah (wajib). Every Muslim has to perform Umrah and Hajj once in his/her lifetime when he/she fulfills all the criteria to do it, which includes having the means to finance the journey and still able to sustain the dependents left behind at home. One can perform Umrah at any time of the year provided that the Saudi Government give permission, while Hajj can only be performed once a year from 9-13th Dzulhijjah according to Hijrah calender

My calling to perform Umrah actually came a few years ago. Suddenly,
my father offer to follow him go to perform Umrah of 5th March 2015 and I agree to follow him because at that time is sem break.It was a great offering I always remember until forever. Having the opportunity to perform Umrah with my abah, mama, and my two sister because of devotion to Allah Taala (Lillahi Taala) is a privilege by itself.

I started preparing ourselves for the trip of our lifetime. Reading books on how to perform Umrah. Attending Umrah course. Asking friends who have been there to share tips and experience. Browsing websites and blogs on other people's accounts and experiences of their Umrah.

As the departure date approached, I felt uneasy and restless. I got goosebumps worrying about everything. Suddenly, the task at hand felt very daunting. The more I read about how to perform Umrah, the more unprepared I felt. As I said before, Umrah and Hajj are physical forms of ibadah. There are no specific recitations or incantations to memorize during the Umrah. All the supplications or du'as in the books are recommendations only. All one has to do to perform Umrah are to say one's intention to perform Umrah at one of the many Miqats (Qarnul Manazil, Zulhulaifah, Yalamlam, Hudaibiyah, Ji'ranah, Tana'im etc) after wearing the Ihram (2 pieces of unsewn cloths for men; telekung or cloak that only show face and hands for women), to perform the Tawaf (circumambulation around Kaaba 7 times), to perform the Sa'ie (walk to and from between Safa and Marwah 7 times) and to finish off to cut or shave one's hair. It's mandatory to follow that sequence or else your Umrah will be null and void. There are also thirteen forbidden acts one must not do while wearing the Ihram but I am going to skip that part.

As the departure date loomed and final preparation being made, I had mixed feelings about it all. In a way, I was very excited and happy to be chosen by Allah to be His guest at the Holy Haram Land. At the same time, I was scared and worried whether I could perform the task at hand to the best of my ability. I would perform Solah Hajat (praying that my journey would be uneventful) and Solah Taubah (praying that Allah accept my ibadah and forgive my sins) before bed

Finally, the day came when we were meant to fly out to the Holy Land. Feelings of elation, excitement, worry and sadness all jumbled up inside me. Excited to finally have the chance to perform Umrah. Worried about what would be in store for me there.Most of all, elated to be chosen to be His guest.

We arrived at Jeddah Airport at dusk. What a feeling stepping on Saudi Arabia soil (or tarmac) for the first time (hopefully not the last). I was jumping for joy inside. We were told that the immigration process could take up to 8 hours. WHAT? As long as the flight? However, my group were cleared uneventfully within a couple of hours. As fate has it we would be bound together all of our time in the Holy Land.

We hopped on our bus bound for Madinah Al-Munawwarah, literally meant "the radiant city", where our Prophet Muhammad's PBUH mausoleum is located. I can't remember much of the journey from Jeddah to Madinah neither can I remember how long the journey was because I slept almost all the way out of exhaustion and jet-lagged. We were woken up from our slumber when we got near the suburbs of Madinah city. It was around 3 am. As we were alighting from the bus, we were greeted by the call of Adzan from Masjid An-Nabawi. It was the first call. The Adzan is usually called twice for Suboh prayer here in Madinah. It was the most beautiful Adzan call I have ever heard in my life.

I quickly checked in the hotel room and freshened up to get ready for my first Suboh prayer in Holy Land. It was the most solemn and touching prayer I have ever performed. Without realizing it, my eyes teared up and started sobbing. However, I had to do Sujud Sahwi because nobody told me that here one has to recite the Du'a Qunut by yourself, not the Imam. They did tell me that they don't do Dzikir and Du'a but there will always be Solah Jenazah after Fardhu prayers for those who had died here. After prayer I made Sujud Syukur (thankful prostration) to Allah has given me the chance to be His guest in the Holy Land and a safe journey. Then drowned myself with the serenity, magnificence and grandeur of Masjid An-Nabawi.

We stayed in Madinah for 4 days and 4 nights at a 3-star Mawadda Al Safwa Hotel. The highlight of my stay in Madinah was definitely the visit to Prophet Muhammad's SAW mausoleum and Raudhatul Jannah (Garden of Heaven) on the first day. Although I missed the group tour by a whisker, I braved myself and went there with my Adik ONLY. Alhamdulillah Allah made it easy for both of us. Although it was packed like a can of sardine, all of a sudden there was an empty spot in front of me. It baffled me because there were people in front of me but somehow or rather they were heading elsewhere. Subhanallah! So I got to pray in the Raudhah and made my du'a which I have written in a little notebook so that I won't forget or miss anything. It was said that one's du'a will be granted by Allah in Raudhah, Insyaallah! I could still remember the feeling of solemnity and humility which easily made me break into tears (even as I was typing this blog). I spent about 15-20 minutes there. Unselfishly, to give others chance to do the same I gave up my spot to a complete stranger who was like others looking for a spot to pray and she was more than happy to oblige.

It was so peaceful and serene in Madinah that 4 days passed very quickly. Daily walk to and from hotel and Masjid An-Nabawi five times a day made me totally forgot about everything else, work and all. I was surprised that Zamzam water is available in Madinah. I drank all I could every time I have the chance and also brought back to the hotel room in a bottle. Nevertheless, it was too short a stay in Madinah. I went to visit the Rasulullah's SAW mausoleum and tried my luck to enter Raudhah several more times. Unfortunately, I could only get to pray near the Raudhah area because it was so jammed and packed with people, some resorted to step over or maybe even trample other people's head in the mad rush. Yes it was madness there especially for the ladies, I was told. Never mind. It was not meant to be. Insyaallah I will be coming back for a second visit FOR SURE.

Finally the day came when we were supposed to leave Madinah Al-Munawwarah for Makkah Al-Mukarramah to perform Umrah, the ACTUAL reason we come here. I started to have butterflies in my stomach. My legs became jellylike. My heart started to miss a beat. Ya Allah! I am finally going to do Umrah for REAL. Please make my it easy on me and a safe journey to Your Baitullah.

Labbaikallahumma Labbaik

Labbaika Laa Syarikalaka Labbaik

Innalhamda Wan Ni'mata

Laka Wal Mulk

Laa Syarikalak

I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call,

I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call

All the praises and blessings are for You,

All the sovereignty is for You,

And You have no partners with you.

Makkah Al-Mukarramah: "Mecca the Honored" or loosely translated as "The Holy City of Mecca" is our final destination. The distance from Madinah to Makkah is around 400 km which is about 4-5 hours bus ride. Before anyone leaves Madinah, it is sunnah to perform Ziyaratul Wadak, which is saying farewell Salam to our Prophet Muhammad SAW. Being a crybaby, I can't contain my emotions and started to sob. I made a determined promise that I will be back FOR SURE if I am blessed with good health and longevity.

We left Madinah after lunch. We wore our Ihram from the hotel, as I mentioned before these are 2 pieces of white cloths for men and telekung cloak for women. We stopped at Dzulhulaifah or Bir Ali about 10 km from Madinah as Miqat to state our intention to perform Umrah. From then onwards, we were bound to the 13 forbidden rules during Ihram which include no sewn clothes, shoes, socks or hats can be worn by men, women cannot cover their face, cannot cut any hair or nails etc etc. If one breaks any of the rules, one has to pay the Dam (kinda like summon). For Umrah, one has to keep the Ihram for several hours only. I can't imagine how it'd be like during Hajj when one has to keep the Ihram for at least 5 days or maybe more.

We were roused from our sleep by the Mutawwif as we approached the suburbs of Makkah. Again we recited the Talbiyah as we drove along the road to the Holy city. Everyone was very excited when the Zamzam Tower (the biggest clock tower in the world) loomed from the distance. All of us could sense that Masjidil Haram is near. I started to have goosebumps together with butterflies in my stomach. My heart pounded ever so faster and sometimes skipped a beat as we edged closer to Masjidil Haram. Allahu Akbar! Allah is Great!

We arrived at the 2-star Al Ajiyad Hotel, our place of stay for 6 days in Makkah at around 11 pm. We were told to check in our rooms, freshen up, perform ablution, have our supper and congregate at the lobby at midnight to be shown the way to the Masjidil Haram. We were going to perform our first Umrah as a group in the cool of the night. Much to our surprise, the Ibrahim Al-Khalil Street, where our hotel was situated, was still crowded and bustling at this time of night. Such the devotions of Muslims from all over the world.

The walk from our hotel to Masjidil Haram was only about 450 meters but it seemed farther. We walked through the dark, narrow, dusty, crowded streets of Bakkah (old name for Makkah). There were rows of old shops and hotels cordoned off scheduled to be demolished to make way for new buildings. Makkah, as our parents or grandparents knew it, is changing rapidly. Construction is everywhere, even at the entrance of Masjidil Haram. When we looked up to our right, there it was the humongous Zamzam Tower dwarfing every other buildings around it, and sadly to say, even the Grand Mosque of Masjidil Haram. We can't stop progress and development although we know it is a sign that the end of the world is nigh. I continued walking humbly to the gate in awe and in trepidation at the same time. I gathered my physical and mental strength and focused my concentration to the Umrah task I was about to perform for the first time of my life.

The king Abdul aziz Gate No.1

As I walked in the midst of the crowd, through the King Abdul Aziz Gate No.1 (image beside) and down the stairs, I recited the special du'a. Instantly, my gaze was transfixed to the black magical building, beautifully-clad with Kisbah, adorned with golden scriptures from the Quran at the center of the open square. I can't fathom the rush of emotion and the feeling of humility, for there it was in front of me, the building I have been facing towards all my life during prayers 5 times a day, called the Kaaba. It was like a DREAM. As I stared fixedly at the Kaaba reciting the special du'a, I reflected on all the sins I have done in the past. My whole life flashed before me. No one in this world could contain his/her tears when seeing the Kaaba for the very FIRST time even though one has seen images of it many many times on printed or broadcast media. So I did it again, crybaby! I am crying even right NOW when I reminisce the moment.

By the time I was stirred from my trance, I realized that we were separated from the group. I immediately knew that this was another test by Allah. My two sister, and I were left with other travel agent. So I took control of the situation and decided to make sure these the travel agent will never leave my sight. We went to the square to perform Tawaf, circumambulation around Kaaba for 7 times. In retrospect, it's kinda amusing and people might have thought those were my parents and relatives. May Allah bless them!

I did my Tawaf reciting whatever dzikir or du'a that I can remember because I cannot refer to the Umrah booklet as my hands were full, literally. I also recite this du'a taught by my mother "Robbi yassir wala tuassir, Robbi tammim bilkhoir", meaning “O my Lord, make things easier for me, do not make things difficult for me. O My Lord, let my affairs end with goodness". As I said before, Umrah is a physical form of ibadah with no specific recitation. Time and time again during Tawaf, I broke into tears reflecting on all the sins I had done all my life and pleading to Allah to forgive my past, present and future sins and hoping Allah will accept my Umrah and ibadah for as long as I live.

People say doing Tawaf is like being in a big washing machine. The first few rounds are like the wash cycle, when one's soul is being washed and sins are being washed away. Next few rounds are the rinse cycle, when Allah is cleansing one's soul. A few rounds of spin cycle, when one makes a fresh start and does a 360 degree turn of one's life. And then the drying which is when one is done performing Tawaf and contemplates on what one has just accomplished and asks Allah to accept it. Wallahualam! By the time we finished Tawaf, my hands were all sweaty after holding on to Pak Udin all the way. Later when I used my pedometer I found out that the distance covered during Tawaf was 2.5 km or more depending on which radius one takes. But one will never notice the distance because one will be too immersed in it all. Believe me!

After Tawaf I picked a spot behind Maqam Ibrahim close to the Multazam (another place where your du'a will be heard by Allah) to perform Solah Sunnah Tawaf and recite the same du'a from my little notebook which I recited at the Raudhah. I drank the Zamzam water to quench my thirst. I met up with my sister and posse and we proceeded to the Safa Gate to perform the next compulsory act of Umrah, the Sa'ie, which literally means "ritual walking". It must be performed at the Mas'aa which involves walking between Safa and Marwa (450 meters distance) hillocks 7 times, which totals about 3.15 km.

This act is said to commemorate the act of a mother's sacrifice for her son, the story of Siti Hajar mother of Prophet Ismail searching for water after being left by Prophet Ibrahim in a barren, desolate place which is now Makkah. It is also the story of Allah's mercy in answering prayers and also of the origin of Zamzam water. All the while during Sa'ie I pondered and imagined how it was back then for Siti Hajar without the comfort of the sheltered roof from the hot sun and marble flooring from the scorched desert sand.

After completion of walking from Safa to Marwa 7 times, it came to the end of Umrah when we had to cut at least 3 strands of hairs or shave our head called Tahallul. It was 2 am. With that last act, we were free from the forbidden rules of Ihram. It was such a BIG relief like something had been taken off my shoulders. Alhamdulillah I completed my first compulsory Umrah successfully and prayed that Allah accept it from me.

We did a lot of walking while we were there. Walking to the mosque and back to the hotel. Walking during zirayat program. Walking during Umrah. Walking during Tawaf Sunnah. Walking during shopping and exploring the city. We must have clocked 8-10 km per day or even more during the days we performed Umrah. Thus the second word in the title, WALK. No wonder people recommend to go for Hajj when one is still young, strong and healthy. And of course we did a lot of PRAYing, which was the main reason we go to the Holy Haram Land.

Tip: For those who are wearing glasses, you must get used to perform prostration (sujud) during solah with your glasses on because you will never know when somebody is going to step on your glasses in front of you.

As I mentioned before, Makkah is continuously changing fast. I am sure over the next few years if I ever get the chance to perform Umrah again I wouldn't recognize part of the city. The image below clearly shows the magnitude of the development and construction in Makkah. The next image is the futuristic impression of what Makkah will look like in the future. The BIG question is will we be there to witness and experience it?

The day came when we had to leave Makkah Al-Mukarramah. It was a sad Monday for me. We were given instruction regarding the importance of Tawaf Wadak the day before. It is compulsory for everybody (even Makkah residents) to perform Tawaf Widak should one has the intention to leave Makkah for more than 2 marhalah (i.e 91km). There are rules to follow afterwards or else your Tawaf Widak will be null and void and you have committed a sin. For example, you cannot delay your departure apart from waiting for transportation, cannot buy any souvenir or cannot give sadaqah etc.

We left Makkah for Jeddah at around 11 am. We stopped over Corniche shopping complex, had lunch at the Grand Saha Hotel, performed Zuhor and Asar Jamak prayers, rest for a bit and the last act of tourist act. We said our goodbyes to our Mutawwif .Then we were off to the Hajj Terminal for departure.

Herewith random picture during at Holy Haram Land ,