A Letter after Hajj
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, it has been a couple of days since performing Hajj at the sacred sites in Makkah, Mina, Mt Arafat, and Muzdalifah. Without any iota of doubt, the trip was an incredible experience; one that suits the Yoruba proverb:
“Iroyin, o to afoju ba, eni ba de ibe lo le so.”
Meaning:
“Narration cannot be compared to experience; only those who have experienced can tell.”
I will not describe the details of the trip, as that is difficult. Rather, I will try to put my feelings about the Umrah and Hajj experience into words.
There were so many people in Mecca for Hajj; the stats say about 1.67 million pilgrims were there this year. Being one of so many people is a humbling experience, one that screams, “You are not so special.” The constant recitation of the Talbiyah swiftly counters with feelings of hope and gratitude.
“لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ”
Transliterated as:
“Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk, inna al-ḥamda wa-n-ni‘mata laka wa-l-mulk, lā sharīka lak.”
Meaning:
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am.
Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.
Indeed, all praise, grace, and sovereignty are Yours.
You have no partner.”
At Hajj, I made seven circuits (tawaf) around the Kaaba, drank zamzam water, went back and forth between Mt Al-Safa and Mt Al-Marwah seven times, went to Mt Arafat for prayers, slept in the open at Muzdalifah, and threw stones at the various Jamaraat for three days. When performing a rite, I would think to myself, “I am doing the same thing many others from all corners of the Earth have done for centuries in the same manner. How incredible!!! “ In those days, my heart was tuned for ibaadah like never before and it felt grand, in spite of the physical exertion and stress involved.
At Hajj, I had the opportunity to observe prayers at the Masjid Al-Haram, the mosque which surrounds the Kaaba. Its beauty, size, and the sight of so many people in it made me feel grateful for the opportunity. All my life, I have observed prayers in the direction of the Kaaba; to then observe my prayers while seeing that destination from a close distance was surreal. I had multiple chances to touch the Kaaba at various points during tawaf—it is not like something magical or spiritual happens when you do so—and I was delighted to go that close. Given the size of Masjid Al-Haram, I am grateful for the police and guards who worked there, directing the traffic and taking steps to prevent a potential stampede. May Allah grant them eternal protection as they looked after us.
I found the locals to generally be kind, welcoming, and charitable. In the barely bearable weather, reaching 45 degrees at some point, I would see locals giving away bottles of water, ice cream, dates, food, and other things that could potentially bring relief to the Hujaaj (pilgrims). When I mentioned that my Arabic was weak but that I was learning, some were patient enough to have very brief conversations, listening to me use words in unsuitable contexts. May Allah reward them abundantly for their kind gestures.
I kept a list of every country I came across during Hajj. Given that I only walked around when necessary, it was incredible to see that I came across people from fifty countries—see the list in the appendix. I encountered people from various places such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Canada, China, Palestine, Bosnia, and Italy, to name a few.
I end this letter where I started this journey, Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. Al Madinah was my arrival point in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I spent about three days in the city. Masjid An-Nabawi (The Prophet’s Mosque) is a beautiful piece of architecture, to say the least. I looked forward to observing prayers there, and the sajdah (prostration) on its perfumed rugs was heavenly. While Umrah or Hajj rites cannot be performed in Al Madinah, my stay there was definitely blissful and calm.
Umrah and Hajj were amazing experiences. I will miss the cities: Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah and Makkah Al-Mukarramah. It will take quite some time for the calls “Yala Hajj, Yala Hajj” and the cheers “Hajjiiiiii” to leave my immediate memory. I hope everyone wishing to experience Umrah and Hajj gets their wish in the near future.
Yours Sincerely,
Al-Hajj Habeeb Kehinde Shopeju
Appendix
The Motivation
The first time I came across a letter of this kind was in 2023, and it was that of Brother Malcolm in his piece, “Malcolm X’s Letter From Mecca (April 20, 1964).” That letter was in his book, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, which I would recommend to any Muslim or African. The letter stirred my soul. It made me more excited than I had ever been about going for Hajj. I lack the clout or political or philosophical prowess that Brother Malcolm had at the time of writing his letter. However, I write this letter with the hope that it would somehow become a beacon of light for someone out there, just as that letter from 1964 was to me fifty-nine years later. May Allah grant him goodness in the hereafter and high ranks in Jannah.
List of Countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩
- Belgium 🇧🇪
- Bosnia 🇧🇦
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
- Cameroun 🇨🇲
- Canada 🇨🇦
- Chad 🇹🇩
- China 🇨🇳
- Comoros Island 🇰🇲
- Egypt 🇪🇬
- Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶
- Ethiopia 🇪🇹
- Gambia 🇬🇲
- Ghana 🇬🇭
- Guinea 🇬🇳
- Indonesia 🇮🇩
- Iran 🇮🇷
- Ivory Coast 🇨🇮
- Italy 🇮🇹
- Kenya 🇰🇪
- Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
- Lebanon 🇱🇧
- Liberia 🇱🇷
- Malaysia 🇲🇾
- Mauritania 🇲🇷
- Myanmar 🇲🇲
- Morocco 🇲🇦
- Mozambique 🇲🇿
- Niger 🇳🇪
- Nigeria 🇳🇬
- Oman 🇴🇲
- Pakistan 🇵🇰
- Palestine 🇵🇸
- Philippines 🇵🇭
- Russia 🇷🇺
- Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
- Senegal 🇸🇳
- Sierra Leone 🇸🇱
- Somalia 🇸🇴
- Sudan 🇸🇩
- Suriname 🇸🇷
- Tajikistan 🇹🇯
- Thailand 🇹🇭
- Tunisia 🇹🇳
- Turkey 🇹🇷
- Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
- United Kingdom 🇬🇧
- Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
- Yemen 🇾🇪
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