Wednesday, January 04, 2006
  Hajj for those who Stay at Home
My article on Hajj and what it means to those who stay at home is up at Beliefnet. I am a bit peeved as they cut what I considered to be the most important part of the story -- my ideas for to connect with Hajj.

So here goes... something different than the usual, pray more, fast more, give more charity, read more Qur'an...

1) Follow along with the Hajj as it is being performed. Set aside some time each day to reflect on the rituals the Hajjis are performing that day. (For those who need help remembering the different components of the Hajj, there are dozens of Hajj manuals that explain what is to be done, when it is being done, and in which location. Michael Wolfe’s virtual tour, click on the link at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/15/story_1516_1.html, is easy to use, with gorgeous photos.) Think about the meaning of the day’s rituals, and how it applies to your life. Look at pictures of people performing those rituals, and imagine yourself doing them along with the Hajjis. What would you be feeling? What du’a (supplications and prayers) would you make?

2) Read a personal memoir of Hajj. There are a variety of personal travel memoirs describing individual Hajj experiences. Wolfe’s autobiographical work, “The Hadj, an American’s Pilgimage to Mecca,” describes in comprehensive detail his trip to Mecca via Morocco. Wolfe also edited the anthology “One Thousand Roads to Mecca,” which features 23 short memoirs by a wide variety of personalities from Ibn Batuta to Muhamad Asad. “Journey of Discovery,” a very intimate account by Shamima Shaikh and Na’eem Jeenah, follows this South African husband and wife on their Hajj and offers the unique perspective of a post-apartheid couple. The provocative “Standing Alone in Mecca” by Asra Nomani is a vivid report of the kind of personal impact Hajj can make on an individual’s life. And Ali Shariati’s reflections on the meaning of Hajj in his book, “Hajj,” is also considered to be among the most uplifting of pilgrimage stories.

3) Watch a documentary about Hajj. In addition to his written memoir, Wolfe produced a documentary about his 1997 Hajj experiences with “Nightline”’s Ted Koppel. Riz Khan filmed two well-known documentaries for CNN in 1998 and 2000 detailing everything about the Hajj. The Discovery Channel also produced a documentary on Hajj, and National Geographic’s, “Inside Mecca,” presents three different personal Hajj stories: one Malaysian, one South African, and one American.

4) Tune into Radio Hajj. With broadcasts following the Hajj rituals, religious shows, discussions of issues, and children’s programming, Radio Hajj is designed to help listeners to keep up to date with events during the Islamic holy month of Dhil-Hijjah. Radio Hajj is available live on the internet at: www.radiohajj.net. There is also Hajj TV through Islamicity, but you have to subscribe.

5) Buddy up with a new Muslim to help them learn about Hajj. Most new converts to Islam have only the fuzziest ideas of what Hajj and Eid ul Adha is all about. Get together with a new Muslim in your community and explain the what, where, who, when and why of Hajj over a leisurly cup of tea. Be sure to bring visual aids! In the process you’re likely to make a new friend, and you might just learn something yourself.

6) Volunteer to give a talk in a local school or library about the Hajj. Most public schools and community libraries are eager to have people of different faiths come in and explain their holidays and rituals. Visual aids and cultural artifacts--prayer rugs, scarves, ihram clothes, Eid cards and clothes--all go over well, especially with children. Explaining Hajj and Eid ul Adha to non-Muslims can help you remember why it is important to yourself.

7) For the younger set… Play the Hajj Fun Game, which introduces Hajj to kids aged 10 and up. I've never played it, so I can't attest to whether it really is fun or not, but it's worth a shot!
 
Comments:
Thought you might want to post a link to The Media Line article re the plight of pilgrims for the Hajj. Here's the link:

http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=12361
 
Ann, the current Iranian president appears to be a half-crazed megalomaniac. Past administrations have been anti-Semitic and anti-American to greater and lesser extents, but this one takes the cake. Sometimes I think he is trying to provoke an attack on his country, except I cannot fathom why he would do that.
 
Thanks so much Ann for you Hajj post you shared wonderful ideas. I'd like to use some of them and I'll post a link back to you.

Peace to you,
Khadija
 
Enjoyed reading the article above , really explains everything in detail, the article is very interesting and effective. Thank you and good luck in the upcoming articles.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

My Photo
Name:
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Progressive Muslim, feminist, mom, writer, mystic, lover of the universe and Doug Schmidt, cellist, theologian and imam.


What I'm reading now



Cane River
An interesting exploration of the gradual whiting of a family through slavery to modern days.

To see an archive of all the books I've read (well the ones I've read and review since I started the blog) with comments, please click here

Causes Worth Supporting

This is just a short list -- a few of my favorites.

English Language Islamic Fiction. We need more of it. Lots more.
Pay a Teacher's Salary in Afghanistan. The Hunger site actually has a lot of worthwhile programs. You can find them all here .
Muslims for Progressive Values. My organization. We can always use donations, of time or money!
Human Rights Campaign for the glbt community
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
The ACLU I'm a card carrying member. Hope you'll become one too.
MoveOn.org. The organization that has done the most, as far as I can tell, to pull the countries progressive side together.
Network of Spiritual Progressives. Working to reclaim religion and morality for the religious left.

Blogs Worth Reading

Wanda Campbell also known as Nochipa A very gifted poet and a gentle, compassionate soul. Nochipa and I are on the same page on sooooo many things
Writeous Sister Aminah Hernandez, she's got some excellent latino pieces and always has good writing info on her blog.
Sister Scorpion aka Leila Montour - Leila is a fount of energy, quirky humor, and bad attitude. She's also a talented poet.
Muhajabah Very interesting commentary here. I don't always agree with her, but her pieces are always thought-provoking.
Georgie Dowdell Georgie is a great writer and a good friend.
Louise Marley Another great writer. I think Louise is one of the best sf writers exploring faith themes.
Ink in My Coffee Devon Ellington (who has numerous aliases) who is also the editor of Circadian Poems. A truly inspiring woman with a seemingly endless supply of energy.
Ethnically Incorrect With a name like that, isn't a given I'm going to enjoy this writer?
Freedom from the Mundane Colin Galbraith, another excellent writer, from Scotland.
The Scruffy Dog Review This is a new e-zine with an ecclectic mix of fiction, poetry, and non-fic, some really enjoyable pieces here.
Ramblings of a Suburban Soccer Mom Lara, another gentle soul, very thoughtful.
Circadian Poems A journal of poetry, new stuff up all the time.
Ye Olde Inkwell Michelle writes romance and is one of my writing buddies.
Muhammad Michael Knight The original punk Muslim writer. Like him or love him, Mike is always coming up with the unexpected.

Recent Posts
Archives

October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
July 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
February 2013
March 2013
April 2013
July 2013


Categories