Hajj Tips - The hajj is an important pillar of Islam and you have to perform it with full knowledge and awareness about any situation may be faced during your hajj. Here you will be guided about the problems and occasions which may be faced by you during the journey or during your hajj prayer. Here is a complete list of hajj tips sorted in the different categories and subheadings to facilitate the readers to find their required thing quickly.
 

Before starting the trip

1. Check your luggage it must have all the things which are listed below in the respective heading of luggage check.

2. Take a mobile phone with longer battery timing as there may be not a time to charge you’re mobile again and again, or there may be no place to charge your mobile phone after leaving hotel for long journeys like in Arafah and Muzdalifah.

3. Make sure that your network allows you the roaming otherwise activate it. On the other hand buy a new SIM from Mecca.

4. Keep both your national and Saudi currency in your wallet or purse so that you can use both of them when needed.

5. Make some extra photo copies of your all documents so that you may use them if asked by someone.

6. Let you agent check all of your documentations before leaving your home to your journey.

7. Give the responsibility of your house to someone so that he/she may act as the caretaker behind you to cope with any mishap.

8. Learn some of the Arabic before starting your journey so that it may help you to explain the problems to your hajj mates and in reading the directional sign-boards.

Tips about what to do after reaching Mecca

1. After reaching Mecca, one thing that should be kept in mind that you are here to persuade the Allah and actions must be done in accordance with the Islam and guidance about hajj.

2. Gather complete knowledge about every part of Hajj so that you already know about the actions how to perform them, and so on.

3. Join a group who have proper grip on every aspect of hajj, and who can guide you about every problem in your hajj rituals correctly from Islamic point of view.

4. But the best is that you read the books for hajj guides which can explains all the aspects of hajj Rituals involving during hajj, before hajj and after hajj. This is because due to shortage of time you may not be able to find a perfect group having proper command on the hajj.

Tips about clothing in Hajj

1. This year hajj is coming in hot summer and you have to face high temperature, so keep a pair of neat and clean slippers/sandals so that it will help you in long walking.

2. The sandal must be comfortable and of long life as you have to travel a lot on your feet.

3. Take a wet hand towel and place it on your head under your cap to lessen the heat of summer in your journey.

4. Pack a spare ihram with you as if your ihram gets dirty you may replace it with your next one.

Tips about luggage packing for hajj

1. keep your luggage light don’t put unessential things in it, as you have to travel a lot on your foot, so keep it as light as you can lift for long.

2. Pack a small handy bag in your luggage so that you can carry it around in your journey; make sure its size so that you can put some of things in it, like your passport, some cash, dua book, pocket size Qur’an etc.

3. Pack a hand-Fan with your luggage for use in times of need.

4. Pack some common medicines with your luggage to deal with fever, dehydration, headache and some other common things.

5. Pack Vaseline with your luggage to moisturize your hands, face etc.

6. Place a prayer mat within your baggage so that you can offer prayer easily in places having no rugs, and can also share it with others.

7. Pack some of medicine to deal with the skin cuts and hurts with extra and long walking.

8. You can take a light umbrella and sun glasses to keep yourself in shade.

9. Women must have to pack a scissor in their luggage so that you can cut your hairs at the end of hajj easily.

10. Pack some squeezy bottles like ketchup bottles to fill the Zamzam water in it and use it for Wadhu despite queuing up in long lines.

Tips for Duas in Hajj

1. Learn all the relevant Duas for hajj before starting your journey, you can find all the Duas from here.

2. Make dua from the deep heart don’t just move your lips after reading it from books.

3. Lists down all the Duas in a note book which are requested by your relatives and family members, along with their respective names and Duas, make sure not to forget this dairy during your journey.

4. Make a dua from the depth of your heart for the oppressed Muslims of the world in Palestine, Kashmir, Burma, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, and other countries.

5. Make a dua for the unity of all the Muslims in to one single ummat-e-wahada under one state.

Tips to maintain your focus during Hajj

1. Maintain your focus during your hajj journey towards your main reason due to which you are there, don’t get involved in too much shopping, it can be done after hajj

2. Use your phone in essential conditions, and solely focus to achieve the objective for which you are there, so that Allah may please from your act.

3. Don’t think about your home, business, children’s as Allah is there to protect them, from mishaps and other things be stick to your objective and do not pay any attention on the whispers of ‘Shitaan’

4. Take the journey of hajj as the most important journey of your life, completely submit yourself to Allah and follow all the steps to please him.

5. Make your diet small and less as the bathrooms are not free so don’t waste your time for bathrooms, eat less and give maximum time to your ‘ibaadah it is also a Sunnah.

6. Try to recite talbiyah (reciting labbaik) all the way long in your journey, this will remind you the purpose of your presence and helps you in not losing your focus.

Tips related to Health and habits

1. Make a habit of long walking before going to hajj and start practicing of walking 2 or 3 months before going on to hajj.

2. Make a habit of early sleep and early wake-up for night prayers, before going to hajj.

3. Keep some of the vitamins and common medicines to deal with the case of disease.

4. Carry some energy drinks with you to fulfill the need of energy after long walking to avoid any swear tiring.

5. Select and eat the food which is less in amount and have great amount of calories to fulfill the energy, like cereal bars, etc. don’t forget to use dates in your travel as it is one of the high energy source.

6. Drink water as much as it is possible as the temperature is high enough.

7. Take a good sleep to maintain your energy level for the next day.

Hajj tips for social behavior

1. Always welcome others with a smiling face.

2. Sit with a group of Hujjaj from other countries and ask about the practices of Islam in their countries and cities.

3. Never say a ‘NO’ to help, help other and don’t criticize him for doing things.

4. Try to fulfill the rights of others before you as you will be liable of what you have done to others not what others have done to you in front of Allah.

5. Talk to others sincerely and give them guidance as best as possible.

6. Keep some extra changes in your pockets someone near you might need that.

7. Keep a packet of candies along with you, and give it to children you find during your journey to please them and have them enjoy their journey.

8. Point out the shy people near you and try to help them and habitually ask them about things like food, drink, dua books etc

9. You can also give small dua books to different needy people, as these resources are not available in some countries like Africa.

10. Discuss the lives of sahaba in free time and try to follow them in different aspects of life.

11. Help the poor in the crowd by any mean as you can understand better as per reality.

12. Help the disable Hajjis, e.g. you can throw stones on the behalf of them.

13. Ask about the health of other hajjis near you and many others.

14. You can take some inexpensive gifts along with you for the friends you find in your journey.

15. You can help people in the slaughter house in getting the slaughter coupons

Other important tips

1. Don’t waste your time in collecting pebbles at Muqam-e-Arafah, use your time in ibaadah pebbles are available in Muzdalifah.

2. Put an MP3/Mp4 player with books so that when you became tired of reading books you can listen to recorded things in MP3 that will help you to increase and uplift your Eman.

3. Don’t go in to long queues to get fast foods from outlets, instead use your time in ibaadah and use cereal bars and other breakfast biscuits to fulfill your hunger.

4. Use Miswak during your journey.

5. Pack the liquid soaps (without perfumes) in your luggage as they are easy to use again and again, solid soaps have problem of repacking after use.

6. If this helps you make a dua for the author of this article and for all the Muslim ummah of the world.