You will see many people using their phones to take their pictures or pictures of Masjid ul haram. Police have confiscated cameras etc in the past from pilgrims & there is general prohibition. I would suggest you limit yourself in taking selfies etc, you are visiting the house of Allah subhanahu ta’alah, focus on your worship & ignore the materialistic approach. You may want to take pictures of the masjid, you can take them but limit your picture taking habit when in the Haram.

It is better to perform Tawaf on the ground floor but due to congestion you can always go to the 1st floor, 2nd floor & the roof. It takes more time to perform tawaf on the floors. It generally takes 20-25 mins to perform Tawaf but during hajj it can increase from 40-45 mins & during Hajj Days (10th-13th Zull hijjan) it can take upto few hours.

Wheel chair

For Sa’iy (the running between Safa & Marwa), again you have basement, ground floor, first floor, 2nd floor & the roof. It is less congested when performing sa’iy on the floors but during hajj days, it will be busy. It takes around 35-45 mins to perfrom sa’iy & during Hajj time, it can increase to an hr or so depending on your stamina.

Yes, you can but be very careful in harming others. There will be thousands of pilgrims & many will try to do the same. Do not cause any harm to anyone, remember you will be in the best place on the face of this universe. While the 1 Prayer is equivalent to 100,000, committing a sin holds great side effect aswell. There are quieter times during the day, you can try to touch the Ka’aba during it. People make Tawaf on regular basis, numbe of people decreases to some extent in the morning after Fajar up to 11am, then after Dhuar & then from 11pm-2am.

You perform Hajj with clear intention & that is ‘You are fulfilling one of the pillars of Islam & you want to perform hajj to please Allah’. During Hajj, you have to start preparing for it. Remember failing to plan is planning to fail. Visit Hajjandumrahguide.com & download the guides, listen & watch lectures on hajj. Do it few times to get used to it. If you are travelling in a group, you should have an Imam travelling with you to provide guidance. Even then, make sure to do your reading.

You will be staying in Mina from 8th Zull hijja – 12th/13th zulhijja. That will be 5-6 days in total. You will be in the state of Ihram from 8th-10th so remains 2-3 days. Keep enough items for 2-3 days. Each day you will walk to throw pebbles, distance can wary from place of tent, European tents tend to have a good 45min-60 mins walk – one way, happy Hajj. Apart from that you will generally be staying in the tent & concentrating in your worship with food provided.

Mina Bag should have…!!!

• Copy of Quran
• Dua book
• A book on Allah’s names so you can use them to make dua,
• 2-3 pairs of clothes
• Undergarments
• Toiletries
• Slippers for toilets
• Pair of trainers/sandals
• Mina Towel
• Sleeping bag (you can also buy it from Saudi)
• Sunglasses
• A hat (2-3)
• Ghutra (Saudi head covering for men, it helps protect you from getting sun stroke)
• Pebble bag
• Food is generally provided by your agent.

Your luggage will be with you in Makkah & Medina. When in Mina–Days of Hajj, your organiser would have allocated a venue for it to be kept safe. You will be able to keep necessary items for your mina use. Please avoid taking gold, extra valuables as although you will be in the best places on the face of this universe, items can get lost/stolen.

You can use it but it should un-scented & use it while not in the state of ihram.

An Important question

Ihram towels: If your first point of residence will be Makkah then you will have to be in the state of Ihram from the time you will be in the plane, generally 45 minutes before landing.

If your first point of residence will be Madina, then you don’t need to be in the state of Ihram, you can either buy Ihram clothes from your country or from Madina. Some people would like to be prepared & get themselves ready by buying from their country.

Yes, you can have 2 pairs & if need be change into the new one.

Vaseline: Ouch – Yes, that will be words if you don’t use Vaseline.

This may sound awkward, but it really is helpful. Use some of it on your  thighs while in the state of Ihram before heading out into the heat. It’ll save you from painful rashes later on. Nutrition bars or any other type of healthy, packaged snacks. Granola/Fruit/Nut bars are also great. Bring at least like a dozen with you and keep one or two on you at all times, just in case. Although when travelling between cities, you will find many food places, its always good to have some Nutrition bars.

Ear Plugs/Eye Shade: The test with your brother/sister in islam becomes testing when they sleep in the same tent as you & snore..!!!

Firstly you should be clear they don’t snore because they  to or like it, they are snoring because Allah has made them like it so accept it, it may happen. Secondly not to have your beauty sleep disturbed, take ear plugs & eye shade inshallah.

Unscented soap/ toiletries: It is essential since you can’t use any scents/fragrances when you’re in ihram. You can use perfume before coming in the state of ihram but not while in the state of Ihram. Once you have made the intention of performing Umrah / Hajj, you are then considered in the state of Ihram.

Comfortable sandals: Very very important, I can’t stress enough. You will be walking a lot & would like to get the best out of hajj, hence prepare. Buy pair of sandals that you will use to walk, use them for a week or so your feet can get used to them.

Dress light, it gets very hot in Saudi Arabia in general, people generally buy Sawb (Saudi dressing) & use it, its cultural & is light. You can always take your own garment but try to be light. You can easily buy from Makkah & Madina. Cost of buying a Sawab ranges from 40-150 SAR, cheaper being of less quality. When you’re in ihram, men can only wear 2 white, un-stitched sheets only, nothing else, no undergarments, nothing. Men can’t cover their heads, Women can wear whatever they want, but they can’t cover their faces or hands.

Yes they do. One of the rules in Saudi Arabia is that anyone entering the country to perform the pilgrimage has to submit their passports with them, once the hajj is completed, documents will be returned. It is their way of making sure everyone entering the country, exits the country. You will have your Hajj ID card given by your travel operator with all necessary information. In case of any incident, that will be the point of contact, they also take fingerprints to identity pilgrims.

Bring a draw string bag. It always helps when visiting the masjid, you can use it to place your slippers & any necessary items. You can carry a side bag aswell to keep money or important items. You will not have your passports. Saudi Hajj Ministry takes it from you when you land in Jeddah/Madina & returns the passport when you are flying back, Amazing…!!!!

Have to say, Mashallah Tabarakallah.

This is crucial. You can buy Sandals (men) for the time you will be in the state of Ihram as majority of your feet needs to be apparent. You can take a pair of trainers for the walk between Mina & Jamara (Place to throw stones). You can buy slippers from Saudi Arabia for general use, it will cost between 10-20 SAR.

Yes. You can take your mobile phone with your self but few points to remember. Carry out a backup, in case you lose your phone. Saudi Sim will probably not work on your phone, you will have to use a network unlocked phone. You can easily buy a phone for 120-200 SAR (Saudi Riyal). So buy a phone from Saudi Arabia & use it locally. Avoid using internet for Social Media, focus in your worship.