Continuous Reminders Amongst Chaos

I just returned a week ago from Hajj. I went for three weeks with the Nawawi Foundation. Many of my friends and acquaintances went so it was a memorable journey for many reasons.
Subhanallah it was a beautiful trip, and for many reasons I can't even articulate. I think I should share my thoughts on the trip, mostly for myself - as writing my thoughts down helps me reflect on my experiences better.

Dr. Umar told us before we left that this is a journey we will never forget. He was right in so many different ways. I will never forget this journey because going and leaving my two and a half year old daughter behind was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I will never forget this journey because of all the beautiful people I met, became friends with, shared my experiences with, ate my meals with, shared a tent with, and most importantly, have become bound forever spiritually by making this journey with. I will never forget this journey because I had the esteemed honor of traveling with my close friend and teacher, Dr. Umar. Finally, I will never forget this trip because of all the small reminders Allah sent me throughout the day, every day that I was there. Here is one of them.

Escalators....
There are all types of people on Hajj. What is most amazing about it all is that even though all of us have different circumstances and we all prepare for the journey in different ways - for some it is literally their life's journey, for others it just means taking two weeks off of work - at the end of the day we all are there for the same purpose. Subhanallah though, just being aware of your surroundings and seeing all the different people is a constant reminder to you about all the blessings you have in your life - and all the good things you can learn from others. Something as ordinary as riding on an escalator is something that I have never even thought twice until I saw that it is actually an experience some fear. I saw two women holding each other with death grips while riding on an escalator, and then later that same day, I saw another who couldn't even get on. This was a common occurence in the three weeks I was there.

Of course I always knew that there are people in this world who have never seen an escalator, yet for some reason it never really hit me until that moment. For me, its not the experience of having ridden on an escalator that is important - its what the escalator represents. It represents so much - on a broader level, just technology, electricity, etc. But it also represents more intrinsic things, like the comforts and ease we have in our lives and that I am "rich" enough to actually have seen and ridden on an escalator before. It also opened my eyes to what a sheltered life I have lived this whole time - that I hardly think of the other, of my brothers and sisters around the world who don't have all the same comforts of life as I do.

It was small happenings like this that reminded me constantly of the blessings that I have in my life, the blessings I have living in America. That I was born an American Muslim, and have lived a privileged life, and not from a small village in the third world where I have to work like crazy for every crumb of bread.

I tried really hard every moment I was there to understand it all around me. To appreciate the greatness of being there, of doing Hajj, of being amongst the three million plus guests of Allah. And I usually came out disturbed that I couldn't. Perhaps I am not meant to. Perhaps its not supposed to be that easy. On some level it really is true: true appreciation of the journey I have just made will not surface until the Day of Judgment.

I pray that the lessons I learned - we all learned - on this journey and everything I saw will remain as vivid to me as it was when I was there, as it is right now sitting a week after returning. I also pray that I am able to return as I grow older, so that I can continue to increase my appreciation and understanding of this great journey.