Trip For Hajj 2013
Salam my wonderful readers! I have great news to share with you today. Inshallah my husband and I will be going for Hajj this year. We have planned for it for years, and we are so excited that Allah has blessed us to visit his house this year. For my non muslim friends who follow me, click here for an in-depth explanation of Hajj.
I am so excited to make tawaf around the Ka’ba, Saee between Safa and Marwa, camp in Mina and Musdalefeh, and stand in Arafat. This is going to be such a remarkable spiritual journey!
I am so excited to be among the pilgrims who will walk in the footsteps of our beloved prophet Mohammad, to answer Prophet Ibrahim’s call for Hajj centuries ago. Alhamdulilah! 
While I am looking forward to this blessed journey, I am nervous!! High blood pressure kind of nervous!
For one, I am not sure how the expansion of the grand mosque will affect our tawaf around the Ka’ba. I am slightly assured by the Saudi government’s decision to cut Hajj visas by 20% this year from outside Saudi Arabia, and 50% from within Saudi Arabia. Inshallah this will not only ease congestion during tawaf, but also during all the Manasek.
Second, how about that Corona virus that killed 89 people in Saudi Arabia alone!! That’s enough to make anybody nervous. I am hoping that a mask, as well as hand washing, will be sufficient to protect us from that, inshallah.
I am really trying not to think about all the negatives, and focus on the positives of performing Hajj. The bottom line is; nothing will happen if Allah did not will it happen. Whether positive or negative, it is all good. At the moment, this is keeping me going! 
Inshalah, We will be going with Dar Al Salam travel. We heard positive feedback from earlier pilgrims, and so far we are extremely pleased with their service. Their time management is exceptional, and their online forums are informative. I feel like we will be in good hands with them. Inshallah!
Talk to you when I get back inshallah.
Soon to be Hajjeh (a word used to describe someone who performed Hajj)
P.S. My Etsy shop will be closed from Oct. 5-Oct.20, so if you are interested in a Eid (or any other Islamic calligraphy) stencil or decal, place your order soon.