RIYADH: One of the five pillars of Islam, Hajj is a physically taxing yet spiritually rewarding journey — and completing it is considered a great blessing and honor in the Muslim community. Previous Hujjaj, or Hajj pilgrims, spoke to Arab News about their experiences and offered advice to those embarking on it this year. For Makkah local Hatoon Nabeel, Hajj was a spiritual and unforgettable experience.
“The best part was the services provided to the pilgrims. We did not feel hungry or thirsty,” she said. The trickiest situation she could recall was when they had to vacate the area over safety concerns due to sudden rain.
Nabeel advised comfortable clothes and cool fabrics that allow freer movement in the heat, and said Hajj gave her a sense of purity and new beginnings. “I have a different awareness now that will make my experience more profound (next time). Perhaps I would mingle more with my pilgrim sisters and take a lot of pictures,” she said.
Born and raised in Makkah, Rabab Abbas Matar was assigned to lead one of the field service centers of the Company of Mutawifs for Pilgrims from African Non-Arab Countries. “I inherited the profession of tawaf from my father and from my grandmother,” she told Arab News. “My father, may God have mercy on him, is a tawaf.
He inherited the profession from my grandfather, and I am considered the third generation of tawafs.” Matar has been around Hajj culture all her life. “One of (my) beautiful memories is that my fat.