PracticalGuidetoperformingHajj

PreparedbyRaziMohiuddin
razi@mcasfba.org
Compliedbasedonexperiencein1997itmaybeold,butstillrelevant.

WhenIwenttoHajjin1997,Ihadatonofquestionsaboutthereligiousandthepracticalaspectsof
performingHajj.Onthereligiousside,Iwasabletogetmostofmyanswers.Onthepracticalside,it
wasverydifficulttogetanswers.Questionslike:DoesmyATMcardworkthere?Whatisthebest
timetoperformTawaf?WhatisthebestwaytocallmyyoungkidsbackinUS?Whatkindsofslippers
arebest?etc.etc.

Aftermyexperiencein1997,IwrotethispracticalguideandIhavesinceupdateditbasedon
commentsfromothers.Thisguidedoesnotdealwiththereligiousaspects,butonlywithpractical
ones.Pleaseforgivemeifanyoftheseitemsviolateanyofthereligiousbeliefsmyintentionisnotto
contradictanyofthebeliefs.

TravelAgent:ThetravelagentIselectedwasDarusSalaaminNewYork.DarusSalaamisoneofthe
largestHajjtouroperatorinUSandtookover700peoplein1997.AnumberofresellerssellDarus
Salaampackages.ThemainreasonIselectedDarusSalaamisbecausemosttouroperatorstake30to
50peopleintheirentiregroupandtheytravelinonebusbecausethatisalltheycanmanage.If
onebusbreaksdown,thentheentiregroupisstuck.InthecaseofDarusSalaam,ifonebusgets
stuck,theyhave12to13otherbuseswheretheycanaccommodatetheoverflow.Thisactually
happenedtousonebusgotstuckinArafatandtheywereabletoaccommodateeveryoneinthe
otherbuseswithoutanyproblem.TherewerecertainproblemswithDarusSalaamlikeeveryone
else,butIbelievetheyhavebeencorrectedthesebasedontheexperiencemysistershadacoupleof
yearslateraswellasotherfriends.Iwilldiscusstheselaterinthisdocument.

Keepinmindthattheissueisnotaboutusingnewbusesoroldbuses.WhathappensinArafatisthat
busesbringyoutothetents.Thentheyhavetoparksomewhere.Iftheydonotfindaproperparking
space,thepolicewillmakethemdriveoutofArafat.Becauseofthetraffic,theywillneverbeableto
makeitbackintimeforyoutoleaveArafat.InthecaseofDarusSalaam,theyhadabigcordonedoff
areawheretheyparkedthebusesabout1inchapartfromeachother,andhadtentsforusatthesame
time.DarusSalaamiswellconnectedinSaudiArabiaandtheycanmovearoundtheremuchmore
easilythanothers.

Youneedtowatchforafewthingsthattravelagentsdo:

Sometravelagentscheckyououtofthehotelduringthe2dayspriortoHajjand3daysafterHajj
fromthe8
th
tothe12
th
andtheymakeyousleepintentsinMina.Theykeepyoursuitcasesintrucksor
tents.Thiscreatesaproblemwithsimplethingslikeshowersyouwillhavetodealwiththepoor
qualityshowersinMina.Thereasonwhytheydothat,istheysandwichothertravelerstoarrivein
Meccaexactly2daysbeforeHajj,andleave3daysafter,sotheygetdoubledutyfromtherooms.
Thesetravelersusuallyaretheoneswhopayahigheramount.

SometravelagentssellpackagesforgroupsthatarefromtheIndianSubcontinentorfromtheMiddle
East.Keepinmindthatthefacilitiesthattheyprovidewillreflectthestandardsofthosecountries
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page1of9
nothingwrongwiththem,justthatafterlivinginUSformanyyears,yougetaccustomedtocertain
facilities.Forexample,sometravelagentsputyouintofacilitieswhicharelikedormswhichmeans
thatyouaresharingbathroomswitheveryoneonthefloor.Similarly,youmightfindyourselfusing
bathroomswhereyouhavetosquatinsteadofsit.Ifyouareusedtothesetypesoffacilities,theyare
actuallybetter.Butifyouarenotandespeciallyforolderpeoplethesemightbeaproblem.Just
beawareofwhatyouaregetting.

Forpackagesthatputyou4toaroomwhichiswhatItook,youwillgetastandardroomwithtwo
rollawaybeds.Theamountofspacetostandinthatroomisverylittlebutthatsthebestyoucan
do.SinceyouwillspendmostofyourtimeoutsidetheroomintheHaram,thisshouldnotbeanissue.
Justbeawareofwhatyouaregetting.

Youalsoneedtodetermineifthepackageisputtingyouinanapartmentorinahotel.Hotelshave
certainamenitiesthatapartmentsdonot.Forexample,thereisdailymaidservice.Thereisasafety
depositbox,thereareshuttlestheyprovidetogotoHaram,etc.etc.Apartmentsdonothavethese
facilities.DarusSalaamputusinhotelsduringtheentirestayexceptfromthe8
th
tothe12
th
where
theymovedourstufftoapartmentsoutsideofMinaintheAziziahneighborhood.Whileyouspent
mostofthetimeintentsinMina,youhadaplacetogobacktoduringthedaytimetowashup,etc.
Theseapartmentswerethreestorieshighwithnoelevators.Itwasdifficultforourinlawstoclimbthe
stairs.AskyourtravelagentaboutthespecificsofwhatistohappenduringthedaysyouareinMina
andArafatwherewillyourluggagebe,willyouhaveaplacenearHaram,orwillthetentsinMinaand
Arafatbeit?Nothingwrongwithanyoftheseitemsjustmakesureyoufindoutandknowwhatto
expect.

Clothes:Formen,Isuggesttakingliterallytwopairsofpantsandtwoshirts.Youcanbuyathobefor
SR20orsoandyoucanbuypajamaswithpocketsforSR10toSR15.Isuggestbuying3or4ofthese
whenyougettoSaudiArabia.Youwillbemostcomfortablewiththeseclothes.Andyoucangetthem
washedeasilyoreventhrowthemawayafteruse.Also,therearetwootheradvantageswiththese.
First,youwillnotbeclearlyidentifiedassomeonefromAmericaorWesterncountrieswhichisa
clearattractionforbeggarswhocomewithsomesobstoryinsideHaramandaskyouformoney.
Second,youcanprotectthemoneyyouarecarryingbyputtingitinthepajamapocketwhichis
underneathyourthobe.

TherearesomelaundrystoresinMeccaandMedinaalthoughtheytendtobeinsmalllanesabout3or
4blocksawayfromtheHaram.Asyoucanimagine,therealestatenearHaramisveryexpensiveso
thesetypesofstoresarefartheraway.Theywillwashandgiveyoutheclothesnextdayorintwo
days.Ofcourseyoucanusetheexpensivehotellaundryaswellifyoulike.

Tawaf:TheabsolutebesttimetodoTawafisbetween8:30AMto10:30AMinMecca.Why?The
reasonistwofold.First,mostpeoplecometoattendmultipleprayersintheHaram.Forexample,
theycomeforZuhrandstaytillMaghrib.OrcomeforMaghribandstaypastIsha.Ortheycomefor
IshaandstaypastMidnight.OrcomeatTahajudandstaypastFajr.Mostpeopleleaveafteralittle
whileafterFajrtogotosleep.Second,theopenarea(Sahanorpatio)aroundtheKabaaisaplace
wherepeoplesitdownduringtheeveningandnight,butnotwhenthesunisout.Whenthesun
comesout,everyonegoestoashadedarealeavingmuchmoreopenspace.Wewereabletowalk
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page2of9
withourarmsstretchedduringthemorninghourswhiledoingTawafitisatimethathasthefewest
numberofpeopleintheHaramandtheleastamountofcongestion.

Onourfirstnight,wedroveintoMeccafromMedinaonthenightofthe8
th
atabout2AMafterbeing
inthebusfor12hours(normallyitisa3hourdrive)wewereexhausted.Wethenwentforourinitial
Tawaf.At2AM,therewerepeoplesittingintheopenarea.Iliterallyhadtoclimboverpeopleto
completethetawafbecauseoftherush.Sofindoutfromyourtravelagentwhenyouaregoingtoget
toMecca.Anythingatnightwillbeveryverycrowded.PersuadethemtoarriveinMeccaearly
morningatorrightafterFajrifpossible.

MostpeoplealsostartTawaf*exactly*fromthelineandendexactlyonthelinecreatingatraffic
jam.YouwillfinditeasierifyoujointhepeoplecirclingtheKabaaaboutaquartercirclebefore,and
leaveaboutaquartercircleafteraroundMuqameIbrahim.Thiswillmakeiteasierforyoutoenter
andexitratherthanfightingthecrowd.

Money:TherearemanybanksinMeccaandMedinaandeachoneofthemhasanATMmachinethat
acceptsCirrusandPluscards.MostATMcardsinUSarecompatiblewithCirrusandPlusjustlookin
thebackofyourATMcard.YoucantakeoutaboutSR1,500atatime.Yourbankwillchargeabout$4
foreachwithdrawalfromaforeignbank.However,inspiteofthisfee,thisisthebestthingyoucan
do.TakeafewhundreddollarsincashandtakeyourATMcardandyourVisacard.Noneedtocarrya
lotofcash.Also,keepthemoneyandthecardsinthesafedepositboxinthehotelandthentakeout
SR100orsoeachdayforyourexpenditures.Also,theexchangerateyouwillgetatanATMwillbeat
anyrateyoucangetatthelocalmoneyexchanger.

Phone:Ifyouaregoingtooccasionallycallout,thebestwayistouseacallingcenter.Therearemany
locatedaroundMeccaandMedina.YoupaythemaboutSR8perminutetoUStheymayhave
gottencheapernowwithcompetition.

ThesecondoptionismorepracticalgetaGSMcellphonethatcanacceptprepaidcards.Makesure
yourGSMphoneisSIMunlockedmostphonessoldinUSarenotSIMunlockedbecausetheygive
themtoyoufreeorasubstantialdiscount.Ifyouhavehadaphoneforlongerthan2years,youcan
usuallyaskyourcarriertoSIMunlockyourphone.Alternatively,justbuythecheapestGSMphone.
Makesureitworksunder800MHzand1900MHzfrequencies.

Security:SaudiArabiaisaverysafeplace,buttherearepeoplewhotrytotakeadvantageofyou.
InvariablyyouwillmeetpeoplewithsobstorieslikeIcameherefrom<blank>andsomeonestolemy
walletandIdonothaveanymoneytoeat/stay/goback.OtherfavoritestoryisIlostmy
wife/husband/son/daughter/etc.Thestoriesarefrompeoplewhogenuinelylookneedy,buttheyare
usuallypartofanorganizedringthatisbroughtfromthirdworldcountriesespeciallytopreyonrich
travelers.Pleasedonotfallfortheselines.Saysorryandmoveon.Ifyoudogivetosomeone,then
expecttobeapproachedby5to10othersbecausetheyknowyouareasucker.Onetimeone
personapproachedmeontheroadinalatemodelMercedeswithlicenseplatesfromOmanandhe
hadhisentirefamilyinthecar.Hegavemeastorythathelostallofhismoneyandheneedsfood.I
volunteeredtotakehisfamilytoarestaurantandpayforhismeal,atwhichtimehedroveaway.The
clothesyouweargiveyouawaythenicelookingDockers,withpoloshirtsareasuregiveaway.One
timeastoreowneraskedmewhereinUSIlived.WhenIaskedhimhowheknewIlivedinUS,hesaid
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page3of9
itiseasytwothingsgiveusupveryeasily.First,peoplewholiveinUStypicallyalwayswalkaround
asahusbandwifepairmoreoftenthanpeoplefromothercountries.Second,peoplefromotherparts
oftheworldespeciallytheIndiansubcontinentandmanyMiddleEastcountriesdonotcomeuntil
theyareretired.Assuch,ifyouareyoungerthan60yearsold,theycanusuallytellwhereyouare
comingfrom.Sobecarefultheothersideknowswhotogoafter.

Food:ThebestfoodisfromstreetvendorsinSaudiArabia.SaudiArabiaisaverycleanplace,soyou
caneatfromstreetvendorswithoutgettingsickoffoodpoisoning.OurfamilypreferredtheTazaj
ChickenitislikeKFC,exceptitisbaked,notfried.TherearealsoplentyofIndian/Pakistani
restaurantsthatwillserveyourfavoriteoilladencurryifyoudesire,forverylittlemoney.Mostplaces
areopen24hours.TheHiltonIntercontinentalisthenearesthoteltotheHaramnearBabeAbdul
Aziz(gate1),andithasawholefloordedicatedtoallkindsoffastfoodrestaurantsincludingPizzaHut,
McDonalds,TazakChicken,BurgerKing,etc.

Medicines:Donotforgettotaketwomedicinesforsure:First,acoldmedicineandsecond,
somethingforsorethroat.Sincetherearepeoplefromeverycountryandregionandyouareinclose
proximitywiththem,youinvariablycatchacoldandhaveasorethroat.IhavegottensickeverytimeI
havegonetoUmrahorHajjandIknoweveryoneelsehasaswellunfortunately.Sobeprepared.
Sorethroatisthemostcommonthing.TakeChlorosepticsprayandsomethinglikeSudafed.Alsotake
somethingfordiarrheasuchasImmodium.Finally,takesomethinglikeTylenol,MotrinorAdvil.

GettingLost:Therearetwothingsyoushouldalwaysdo.Youshoulddesignatesomeplacetomeetif
yougetlost.Second,youshoulddesignatearelativeinUSorinsomeotherplacewhereyouwillcallin
caseyoucannotconnectupthere.Thisrarelyhappens,butitisalwaysgoodtoplanfortheworstand
expectthebest.Infact,makesurethatyouselectsomeonewhosenumbersyoubothhave
memorized.Inmycase,Imemorizedmyparentsnumberandmywifememorizedherparents
numberandwetoldourparentstogetintouchwitheachotherwhenoneofthemcalls.

Khurbani:SaudiArabiahasplanswhereyoucanbuycouponsforKhurbani.YoupaySR100toSR120
foragoat.Theywillslaughteranddistributethemeat.Thereishoweveroneproblemwiththisfrom
thefiqhipointofviewyouactuallydonotknowwhenitisgoingtobeslaughteredandthesunnais
toshaveyourhairafteryouslaughterthegoat.Ifyoudonotknowwhenyourgoatisgoingtobe
slaughtered,thenitwillofcoursebedifficulttodecidewhentoshave.Wedecidedtoslaughterusing
acouponandjustpickedanapproximatetimegivenonthecoupon.Wehopewediditright.Our
otherfriendswenttotheslaughterhouseinMinaandregretteditbecausetheyhadtowalkinIhram
overgoatbodiesstacked7to8bodieshigh.Youcanbuythecouponatmanybanks.

Slippers:Itook20plasticgrocerybags.Takeoutyourslippersandputtheminthegrocerybagand
thenkeepitintherack.Thechanceofsomeonetakingyourslippersbymistakegetsreduced
exponentiallyifyouputtheminplasticgrocerybagsotherwisetheyalllooksimilar.Youcanalso
wrapthegrocerybagaroundyourpalmifyouwanttocarryityourself.Takeslippersthatdonothave
anydesignonthemontheportionthattouchesthebottomofthefoot.Otherwise,youwillwalkso
muchthatthedesignwillbeetchedonyourfeet.Ialsorecommendtakingthesandaltypeplasticones
theyhaveastrapgoingthroughthefront,notthescissorstypethatmeetsinbetweenyourtoes.

PracticalGuidetoHajj Page4of9
Ihram:MosttravelagentsgiveyouIhramcloths.Iftheydonot,youcanbutitthereforverycheap.
YoucanalsogetabeltfromthereevenatJeddahairport.OnetrickintyingIhramwrapitaround
yourselffairlytight,andthenfoldabout3to4inchesoutsideallaroundthewaist.Thiswillmakethe
Ihrameventighter.Thenputthebeltonthatfoldedportion.

Medina:Ifyouhaveachoice,gotoMedinafirst.YouavoidhavingtowearIhramintheplaneorin
NewYork.YouwillalsogetusedtoSaudiArabiabeforegoingtoMecca.Youwillnoticethepeopleof
MedinaaredifferentthanthepeopleofMeccathisalsoappliestothepeoplefromthesub
continent.

Mina:Dependingonthetravelagentyoupickandthepackageyoupick,youwillbeaskedtocheckout
ofyourhotelandmovetoMinaonthe8
th
ofDhulHajjandyouwillstaytheretillthe12
th
.Ifyou
boughtanexpensivepackage(over$4,000),youwillbeabletoretainyourroomandgobacktoyour
roomforshowers,etc.Yourtravelagentwillaskyoutotakeabackpackorsmallbagandleavethe
suitcaseinthehotelwiththeconciergeorinalockedloungearea.Youmaynothaveaccesstothis
luggagefor5daysfromthe8
th
tothe12
th
.

Minaisavalleysurroundedbyhillsonbothsides.Therearetunnelscrossingoneofthesidesandthis
takesyouintoAziziahneighborhoodofMecca.Sometravelagentsplaceyouinapartmentsinthis
neighborhood.Ifyouneedsomething,youcangothroughthetunnelintotheneighborhoodthere
areplentyofstores,etc.IbelievetherearetwotunnelsintoAziziahfromMina.Theoneclosesttothe
Jamaratistheshortestandtheonethathasthemoststores.

InMinaandArafat,youwillhavetodealwithportapottiesforyourtoiletsregardlessofwhichtour
operatoryouselect.Pleasebepreparedforthisexperienceincludingtakingyourownrolloftoilet
paper.

Arafat:TypicallymosttravelagentstakeyoutoArafatrightaftermidnightofthe8
th
.Typicallyyougo
andsleepthereuntilFajr.Takeabackpackwithyouwithmedicines,waterbottle,andasleepingmat.
IfyougowithDarusSalaaam,theywillprovideyouwithdryfoodlikebread,etc.anddrinks.Notsure
aboutothertravelagents.Also,theseplaceshavebecomecommercializedsotherearestreet
vendorssellingthingslikefruits,tea,etc.aroundMinaandArafat.

OneofthekeythingsyouneedtodiscusswithyourtravelagentbeforegoingtoArafatistomakesure
whattimeyouaregoingtothrowstonesattheJamarat.Onthe10
th
,youthrowstonesbetweenFajr
andZuhr.Onthe11
th
and12
th
youthrowstonesbetweenZuhrandMaghrib.Howeverthereistoo
muchrush.SotravelagentshavetakenaFatwathatyoucanthrowstonesbeforeFajronthefirstday,
andbeforeZuhronthe2
nd
and3
rd
days.

Ifyouarelikemeandwanttodoitwithintheappropriatetime,thenyoushouldtalkoverwiththe
travelagentbeforeyougotoArafat.

InArafat,thetravelagentwillsplityouintotwogroupsthegroupthatwilldobeforeFajrandthe
groupthatwilldoafterFajr.Theywillbeloadedindifferentbuses.Ifyouboardthewrongbus,then
youarestuck,becauseallofthebuseswillgetlostfromeachotheroncetheyleaveArafatyouwill
notbeabletofindthemuntilyoureturnbacktoMinaafterthrowingstones.
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page5of9

So,about45minutesbeforeMaghribinArafat,yourtravelagentwillstartboardingthebuses.About
5secondsaftertheMaghribAdhanhappens,yourbusesbegintoroll.Soyouneedtobeonthebus45
minutesbeforeMaghribandmakesureyouareontherightbusthatwillwaitatMazdalifauntilFajr.

Muzdalifa:Youneedtopickup49stonesfromhere.7forthefirstday.21fortheseconddayand21
forthethirdday.RememberthatifyoupickedbusthatisgoingtothrowstonesbeforeFajr,thebuses
willstartmovingfromMuzdalifaabout5secondsafterMidnightandyouwillfindyourselfthrowing
stonesat2AMinthemorning.IfyouintendtostaytillFajr,picktherightbusfromArafatitselfyou
willnotseetheotherbusesinyourgroupinMuzdalifa.

Yoursoftmatthatyouboughtfromherewillcomeinveryhandyhere.ThisiswhereyouprayMaghrib
andIshatogether.Andyouneedsomethingsofttoprayon.Otherwiseyouwillbeprayingonbare
groundfilledwithpebbles.

Jamarat:Therearethreethingstorememberwhenthrowingstones:

1. Downstairsisbetterthanupstairs:Contrarytopopularopinion,downstairsissaferthan
upstairs.Illtellyouwhy.Ifupstairsgetscrowded,whathappens?Youhavenowheretogo
onthesidesexceptjumpofftheramp.Duringsomeyears,thatsexactlywhathappened.
Peoplegotcrushedonthesidesoftherampandwereliterallypushedofftheramp.Go
downstairsandhavepeaceofmind.Itturnsoutthatdownstairsisverycrowdedabout40feet
aroundtheJamarat,butopenfartheraway.Assuch,youcancomeonthesides.

2. ThrowingfromfartherisOK:Mostpeoplethinktheyhavetogoveryclosetothrowstones.
Problemistwofold.First,thestonesfromthepeopleinthebackwillhityouinsteadofthe
Jamarat.Second,thecloseryougettoJamarat,theharderitistogetoutbecausethecrowd
ispushingyouin.Also,donotbechargedupjustrelaxandtrytothrowthestoneshigherso
theyformanarchnotinastraightflightpath.Ifyougetcaughtupinthecrowd,donotbend
orsquat.Standupstraightandstayonyourfeet.Ifyouhaveolderpeoplewithyou,Isuggest
youtakeoneofthematatimeandthrowstones,comeout,andtakethenextperson.Thisis
betterthantakingagrouptwoareeasiertomanagethanagroup.

3. Goingfromfrontisbetterthangoingfromback:Itisamazinghowthepsychologyofpeople
works.Mostpeoplecomefromtheback,throwstones,turnaroundandgobackcreatinga
tremendoustrafficjampeoplemovinginoppositedirectionnexttoeachother.Common
sensewouldindicatethatyouwalkinonedirection,throwstonesandcontinuetowalkinthe
samedirectionandexit.Butunfortunately,thisisnothowitworks.Insteadwhatformsisa
crowdaroundtheJamaratshapedlikeaheartoranappleasshownbelow.

Soyoumightaswelltakeadvantageofthispsychology.Insteadoffollowingthecrowd,go
aroundthecrowdtothetopoftheheart,throwstones,turnaroundandcontinuewalking
forward.Thearrowsshowthetypicaltrafficpatternsdonotfollowthesearrowsinstead
followthelineshownasrecommendedroute.Ihavemarkedthebestspottothrowstones
fromatthetopoftheheart.
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page6of9

4. Thirddayisthemostdangerous:Why?EveryonewantstothrowthestonesassoonasZuhr
starts,anddoTawafalwidaandleavetown.Soeveryoneisinahurry.Youbetterbecareful
onthisday.Takeextraprecautionanddonotgetcaughtinthewaveofpeoplemovingtowards
theJamarat.InsteadwaittillAsrtimeandthenapproachJamaratfromthesides,nottheback
takealongercircularrouteinsteadofthestraightroad.Also,thisisthedaytoavoidthe
upstairsrampevenifyouuseditonthefirstandsecondday.Thisiswhenthemostaccidents
occur.Also,thisisthedaywhenmostpeopleassumetheyknowwhattheyaredoingandhave
lettheirguardsdown.

Itemstotake:SomeideasforyoutoconsiderespeciallywhenyouaregoingtoMinaandArafat:
Ziplocbags:Theseareveryhandyespeciallyforcarryingmoney.Whenyouwalkaround,you
sweatandtakeZamZamshowers.HavingmoneyinZiplocbagsprotectsthem.Samewith
puttingyourpassportsandothermaterialsinZiplocbags.
Documents:Keepaphotocopyofdocumentswithyouandgiveanotherphotocopyto
someoneinUSthatcanfaxittoyouifyouneedthem.
PowerBarsorCookies:InMinaandArafat,youwillfindfoodbeingsoldallovertheplaceas
wellasgiventoyoubythetravelagent.However,itisalwaysagoodideatocarryacoupleof
powerbarsandaboxofcookies.
GlucoseTablets:CostcosellsabottleofGlucoseTabletsinitsPharmacy.Thisisgreatwhen
youneedthatextradoseofenergyanddonothaveanythingtoeatnearbyordonotfeellike
eatingsomethingthatdoesnotlookveryappetizing.
Mat:OneofthethingsthatgetsusedinMinaandArafatisasleepingmat.ThebestthingI
havefoundistheAerobicsmatmadeoffoamthatyoucangetinanysportinggoodsstores.It
issmall,compactanddoesnotweightoomuch.Thebettertravelagentsprovidecarpetabove
theground.Youcanputyourmataboveit.Buysomethingthatisnottoobulky.Ifyoucanroll
itupintoadiameterof6inches,thatwouldbethebest.CostPlussellsaYogaMatthatyou
mightfinduseful.
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page7of9
Backpack:YoushouldtakeabackpackorschoolbagtousewhengoingtoMinaandArafat.
ThiscancontainsomeclothesafteryouaredonetakingofftheIhram,aswellasmedicines,
sleepingmat,waterbottleandthingslikethat.

CopiesofPassport,etc.:
Makecopiesofyourpassport,ticketsandscanthem.ThenmailthemtoyourselfatyourYahoo,
GoogleorHotmailaccounts.

Checklistofthingstodoandtake:

Overall:
Meetfriendsandfamilyandaskforforgiveness
Payalldebts
Preparewill
Makeduaforus.

Dontforgettotake:
Passport
Tickets
Carrypassportphotocopies
Somecashin$100bills
SendcopiesofpassporttoarelativeinUS
TakeextraPassportPhotosincaseyouloosepassport
BankDraftforUnitedAgents(checkwithyourtravelagent)

Medicines:(youcanalsobuyinSaudiArabia,butsafertotakefromhere)
Everyonewillgetacoldandsorethroattherebecauseyouarewithsomanypeople,soabsolutely
taketheitemsinboldbelow:
AntibioticssuchasAmoxicillin,Erythromycin,etc.
Sudafedcold
Chlorosepticspraysorethroat
KeriLotionorLubridermFragranceFree(yourfeetwillthankyou)
Otherpersonalmedicines

optionalmedicines:
GlucoseTablets(yougettheminCostco)toreenergizeyouwhenyouneedto.
GatoradepowderalternativetoGlucosetablets.
Immodiumfordiarrhea
PeptoBismolforupsetstomach
Neosporinforcuts,bruises,etc.
Tylenol/Advil
Vaselinechappedfeet
44DCoughMedicine

PracticalGuidetoHajj Page8of9
OtherMiscellaneousItems:(youcanalsobuyinSaudiArabia,butsafertotakefromhere)
SafetyPinstoholdIhram
Plastic/ZiplocBagsforpickingupstonesinMuzdaliffa
GroceryBagstocarrySlippersandSandals
ZipLocBagstostorepassportcopiesetc.toprotectfromsweat
SlippersorSandals2or3pairs.
ATMCard
MasterCard/Visa
IhramBelt

ThingsforMina/Arafat/Muzdalifa:
Backpackorsomethingyoucancarrycomfortably
Matorsomethingsoftsoyoucanliedowncomfortably.PerhapstheAerobicsmatthatcanbe
rolledup.
SprayBottletokeepyoucool
WaterBottle
DoveunscentedsoapsoyoucantakeashowerwheninIhram
PowerBarsorcookiesjustincaseyougetlost
ToiletRollsforArafat/Minajustincase
RazorbladeshaverorshavingbladesforHeadShaving
Scissorstocuthair
Sunglasses,Eyeglassesholderstring
Quran,DuaBooks,etc.
Medicines(includingGlucosetablets,Headache,Cold,etc.)
Umbrella(dependingonweatherHajjduringJan/Febmaynotneedit)
Extraslippers/sandals
PutafewextraRiyals(20to30)inyourbagjustincase

Suggestyoupackthebackpackfromhereitselfandputitpackedinthesuitcase.

Bookssomegoodbookstotakewithyou.
HowtoperformHajjsmallbooklet
HajjAtoZ
DuaBooks

Ifyoufindanymistakes,orupdatestothesetips,ornewideas,pleaseemailthemtomeandIll
incorporatethemhere.
PracticalGuidetoHajj Page9of9