Hatem’s Diaries

I just wanted to wish a Eid Udha Mubarak for everyone everywhere in the world. This year I’m not doing peligrimage, but I’m here in my office printing reports, coding, answering the phone… The weather is definetly great in Makkah, about 32-33°C the days and 19-21°C by night. Last night,I even turned off the clim because it become really cold.

I was watching the Saudi 2 tv, live 24/24h following every peligrimage steps, which I find really great ! My friend Sadri was calling every 10 minutes from Muzdalifa, and Mena, and I’m convincent that Hajj of this year is going to be very successful especially with the new Jamarat Bridge which seriously organized the most “dangerous” part of the peligrinage, while it’s a very easy step that I was doing in the last years without any problems at all.

There was just a news title on tv that annoyed me on France24 “The Hajj, A Dangerous Peligrimage?”. They invited a stupid analyst who don’t know absolutely nothing about peligrimage and was giving his opinion on how accident could easily happen between shiite and sunnite, or between Iraqi and Irani, showing Ahmadi Nejad doing peligrimage, and analysing, but the political way. I’m sorry, but you made yourself very stupid by saying things you don’t have any background about it.

People are here to pray and not to worry about your politics at all, Iraqi and Irani pray together here side by side, and I used to pray myself last peligrimage with Shiite from Iran. It’s not a problem at all that we don’t speak the same language, we are all muslims and that’s the most important.

Anyway, Eid mubarak again for everyone, wish you all best !

Today is the second day of Tarwiya, the Hadj of this year is almost over only few are staying until tomorrow but the majority have finished their rituals and going back home or to Medina. Alarabiya and Saudi Tv have diffused many images from Mena, Arafa, Muzdalifa, but I thought about showing you a photo of how 3.360 Million hadj are moving today from Mena to the Haram in the street to do the latest Tawaf. Many prefer walking and really it’s the only days where you wish you didn’t use your car, because it can take hours to go from Mena to the Haram, which took just few minutes in ordinary days. The pict is took at about half the distance, there is about 2km from both sides crowded with cars like that.

The pict is took with my N80, but I have reduced the quality to make it 580Kb because the original pict is 1.38MB - resolution remain unchanged 2048×1536.

Just wanted to wish happy Eid Adha for everyone, today there is only Jamret al Aqaba and Tawaf from Hadj rituals, and the “Tahalol”. The Jamarat bridge have been very well organized this year. Last year I was living about 100m from Jamarat, but this year I didn’t see it yet after changes. Many told me that it was impossible to walk in the opposite side, things that will help considerably to reduce accidents over the bridge, also it’s not allowed at all to take any bags on the bridge. Some friends just finished today’s rituals told me that yesterday was freezing in Muzdalifa and Mena, the same in Arafa by night, even inside sleeping bags grrr. Well, really it was freezing by night even at home. So tomorrow will be the first day of Al-Tachriq, the weather is hot again hopefully until Wednesday.

Today is the first day of Hadj 1427, called “Tarwiya”. Everybody spend the day in Mena and pray there Dhohr, Asr, Maghreb, Isha, and Fajr of Friday. And after that direction to Arafat, which is the most important day of Hadj. Certainly the first day is for praying but also for resting because the distance from Mena to Arafat is the longest one, and then by night you have to go back to Muzdalefa and spend the night there, to go back to Mena the day after. I’m not sure but I think there is about 15km to walk only tomorrow. Of course there is means of transports for organized groups, but it’s faster to walk

I took the pict this morning while going to my office around 9am, the sky is very clear as you can see but it was a little freezing. From that point there is between 2.5 and 3km until the beginning of Mena. The weather next week will be excellent inchallah until Wednesday, and I think it’s going to rain like the previous years.

Just announced officially that Arafa will be on December 29 and the Eid on December 30 inchallah. Best wishes for everybody for the Eid ! The 29 will be a great day here in Makkah because it’s not very common that the Arafa coincide with a Friday, and I’m sure that Hadj will be very special this year, like every year and even better.

Yesterday I was close to the Haram and I see lot of the Tunisians Hadj groups with their guides taking the Tunisian Flag in hand and wearing red tshirts Tunisia and hats. It’s amazing, even hotels decorated with the Tunisian flag, that you’ll feel yourself in Tunis because most of the hotels they take are very close to the Haram in Gaza or direction of the Umra Door.
Continue reading Arafa on 29 and Eid on December 30

Eid Mubarak w koll 3ame wentouma 7ayine eb khir !! Since tonight, after isha prayer in Haram loudspeakers in the street started announcing the Eid “Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, Allah Akbar wa lellah el Hamd”. I’m really happy that the eid came, in the same time very sad that ramadhan is over, and nobody knows if we will see another ramadhan or no.

And by the way I wanted to ask something, why people want that all arab countries agree on the same date for the Eid ? First of all our prophet PBUH explained very well the lunar months, eid and ramadhan, and the hadith is very clear : “صوموا لرؤيته و أفطروا لرؤيته”, then the second hadith from sahih muslim and bukhari “( نَحْنُ أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ لا نَكْتُبُ ولا نَحْسُبُ ، الشهر هكذا وهكذا ) يعني تسعة وعشرون وثلاث”.
Continue reading Happy Eid el Fitr !!

The benefits of the month of fasting are too many to be counted. If one does recognize them and realize their importance, he wishes to have the month of Ramadan to be throughout the whole year.
These blessings are given by Allah to the fasting Muslims, who are to fast with full faith and expectation.
These blessings and benefits of the month of fasting during Ramadan have been grouped and summarized into different categories. They are summarized here without commentary. It should be remembered that all of these blessings were taken directly from Qur’an and Hadith.

The following is a partial list for the blessings and benefits of the month of fasting during Ramadan:
Continue reading 33 Blessings of Fasting

Best wishes for this Ramadhan. May Allah forgive all our sins in the month of Rahma, the month of forgiveness. I have recorded yesterday tarawih live from Haram, but the amr quality wasn’t that good maybe I have to try wav or better compression for a better a quality. Drop me a message if you are interested I can post it anyway.