NMP is over a year old and

grateful for all your support

ASSALAAMUALAIKUM,
Brothers and Sisters.
The New Muslim Project is
more than 15 months old.
From conception to its
fully functional present
form, NMP has been
blessed with boundless
enthusiasm and
commitment from our
volunteers and the
exceptional generosity of
our donors and sponsors.
The cost of setting up
NMP was $13,400 and it
costs $34,000 a year to run
our ofce and services.
We would therefore like to
acknowledge the numerous
individuals and
organisations that continue
to support us. Specically,
we would like to thank our
incredibly generous sponsor
who has already
contributed over $33,000
with the faith that this was a
much-needed resource,
FIANZ for a donation of
$5,000, and a very kind
family which has been there
for our community on
many an occasion for their
gift of $3,750.
There are no words to
express our sincere and
warm gratitude and
appreciation for such an
incredible group of
supporters. May Allah (swt)
bless you all and reward
you now and in the
hereafter.
As we entered our second
year, NMP was able to take
part in Muslim-based
events such as Auckland Eid
Day at ASB Showgrounds,
and Islam Awareness
Weeks Open Day
(pictured).
Both these events
allowed us to assume our
position as a bridge of
understanding between
the diverse faiths that
make up Auckland. We
were also able to better
introduce ourselves to
other Muslim groups
within the community, as
well as converts who were
in search of a support
organisation like NMP.
Through these two events
alone, we were able to
provide our expertise in the
conversion of at least seven
new converts,
alhamdulillah.

Sincerely,
New Muslim Project Team




NMP was able to
help several converts
go on their hajj
much to their delight,
as this happy
photograph shows.

More photos inside

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IN THIS ISSUE

This is a Hajj special
and features several
stories on that topic.

You can also see our
barbecue photos, read
about an interfaith
discussion we ran, and
lots more besides.

NMP is becoming more
active all the time!
NEW MUSLI M PROJECT NEWS
Seven converts were
able to perform hajj
with assistance from
NMP. Before their trip,
they were invited to a
hajj orientation,
interacted in a forum
and even sent in live
updates through NMPs
facebook page while on
their pilgrimage. Here
are some of their
photos.
Hadith

There are three signs of iman (faith) told to us by our Prophet.
One is loss of interest in the transitory world.
The second is longing for the abode of eternity (akhirah).
The third is preparation for death before it comes.

(al-Bayhaqi)
Origins of
Pilgrimage
HAJJ is the fth pillar of Islam. It
is compulsory for every Muslim to
make pilgrimage to Makkah once
in their lifetime if they are
nancially and physically capable
of it. It is so important that a
Muslim whose hajj is accepted
returns with all his sins erased.
The pilgrimage is not something
that was introduced in the 7th
century CE with the arrival of the
Prophet Muhammad (saw), but
was a tradition that stretched back
to 2000BCE near the estimated
time of the Prophet Ibrahim (as).
The history of hajj can be
traced back to when Allah (swt)
commanded Ibrahim (as) to leave
his wife Hagar and his son Ismail
(as) alone in the desert. Looking
for food and water, Hagar walked
between two hills,
Safa and Marwa,
to no avail.
Ismail, still a
baby, began to
cry from thirst
and beat his heels
to the ground,
from which the
spring of
Zamzam
appeared
miraculously.
A wandering
tribe found the
two by the newly
formed well, and
settled in the
area, creating the
foundations of what would later
become the city of Makkah.
Years later, Ismail (as) and
Ibrahim (as) were instructed by
Allah (swt) to build the
foundations of the Kabah, and
call people from across the world
to seek it out for pilgrimage.
Over the years, as the message
of Allah was forgotten, Makkah
remained a symbolic pilgrimage
destination for people across and
beyond the Arabian peninsula, but
pagan beliefs led to the erection of
idols around the Kabah. In the
8th year of Hijra in 630CE, after
the Prophet Muhammad (saw)
reclaimed Makkah, he cleared the
holy site of all idols, returning it to
its original purpose.
The Kabah has undergone
many stages of construction and
renovation, and today stands 13
metres high. Its base measures 11
by 13 metres. It is in many ways
the centre of the Muslim world,
and is the focal point for the
direction of supplication for
Muslims everywhere.
During the rituals of hajj,
pilgrims walk between Safa and
Marwa, and drink from the well
of Zamzam, retracing the steps of
Hagar and Prophet Ismail (as).
They perform tawaf, circling the
Kabah, and offer prayers in every
direction encircling it.
Throughout hajj, a Muslim must
refrain from misconduct,
argument and sexual intercourse.
This symbolises the dedication
required to undertake hajj.
The overwhelming spiritual and
social experience felt by many of
those who partake in hajj can be
powerful enough to change lives.
The American civil rights activist
Malcolm X described in his
autobiography the profound
personal impact visiting Makkah
and performing hajj had on his
views and ideology.
There were tens of thousands
of pilgrims, from all over the
world. They were of all colours,
from blue-eyed blondes to black-
skinned
Africans. But
we were all
participating
in the same
ritual,
displaying a
spirit of unity
and
brotherhood
that my
experiences in
America had
led me to
believe never
could exist
between the
white and the
non-white. America needs to
understand Islam, because this is
the one religion that erases from
its society the race problem. You
may be shocked by these words
coming from me. But on this
pilgrimage, what I have seen, and
experienced, has forced me to
rearrange much of my thought
patterns previously held.

We have rendered the
house a focal point for
the people, and a safe
sanctuary. You may use
Ibrahims shrine as a
house of prayer. We
commissioned Ibrahim
and Ismail: You shall
purify My house for
those who visit, those
who live there, and
those who bow and
prostrate.

Surat Al-Baqarah,
verse 125







By David Wallace

IT IS NOW about a year since I
converted to Islam. In that time,
I have undergone many trials. I
have had physical trials including
two painful and long-lasting
injuries. I have had emotional
trials including the end of my
marriage. I have had one terrible
near-death experience.
Occasionally, when these trials
arrive, I wonder why. Why am I
being made to suffer when I am
trying hard to be a good Muslim
and to serve my Creator
faithfully? Then I remind myself
that our earthly life is nothing
more than a test. The nature of
our time in the hereafter depends
on how we perform in this test.
Moreover, Allah (swt) has
custom-made the content of the
test for each and every one of us.
The more difficult the test, the
greater the reward if we do well.
A high place in Jannah will never
be an easy thing to earn; but
wouldnt we all rather have the
opportunity to earn such a thing,
than have an easy life here on
Earth?
We know that we will face many
trials throughout our lives. Every
trial is a blessing from Allah (swt)
and an opportunity to prove
ourselves to Him. But how many
of us rejoice when these trials
arrive? When Allah (swt) sends
someone a trial, He is showing
His faith in that person. He only
sends us trials that He knows we
can handle. We should strive to
recognise these opportunities, use
them to show our faith in Him;
and thank Him for this special
and valuable type of blessing.
So now, when a good thing
happens to me, I say
Alhamdulillah. When a bad thing
happens to me, I say
Alhamdulillah twice, because I
know that Allah (swt) has just
given me one more opportunity
to earn my reward in the life to
come.
Dealing with Trials A Converts Perspective
Interfaith
Discussion

!JESUS in Christianity and Islam
was the topic for an NMP-organised
interfaith discussion held on Friday,
29 November in Auckland.
About 100 people came to hear
the Reverend Dr Keith Rowe put
the Christian side of it across, while
Sheikh Nori Abdul Aziz Ben Fayed
spoke for Muslims. It was a
stimulating evening.
NMP gains
exposure
at Auckland
Eid Day
AS RAMADAN came to a close,
the Auckland Muslim
community prepared to get
together at ASB Showgrounds to
celebrate the third annual
Auckland Eid Day Eid al-Fitr
festival. This year, the event
attracted more than 10,000
Muslims and quite a few non-
Muslims.
As a family-based event,
Auckland Eid Day works to
create an atmosphere of
fun, happiness, diversity
and unity, where Muslims
and others come together
to share this special day of
celebration. Throughout
the day, Auckland Eid Day
offers a wide variety of
games, food stalls,
educational displays, and a
collection of stage shows
presenting diverse cultural
performances, joyful
Islamic anasheed and guest
speakers appealing to all
family members from
children to adults.
Supported by Al-Manar
Trust and funded by
community businesses,
Muslim organisations
across Auckland have
joined the initiative to
represent the many causes,
groups and foundations that
make up this vibrant community.
This was the rst time that New
Muslim Project took part in the
event.
Although it has been about a
year, were still new, said Mazin
Al-Salim, NMP Manager, We
have constantly received
questions like, Who are you?
What does the NMP really do?
How come nobody knew about it
among the wider community?
Many brothers and sisters who
came to meet us in the ofce
indicated they had no idea that
such a project existed. So a
gathering like Auckland Eid Day
was the perfect opportunity to
inform others of the project and
its services.
Throughout the day the NMP
stall received countless visitors
who were able to learn more
about the project and its many
services. Converts who had been
introduced to the project earlier
were also happy to see its
presence in such a large
gathering of Muslims. The NMP
stall was also the perfect location
for non-Muslims who attended
the event. There, they were able
to openly ask questions about
Islam and receive resources of
further reading or information.
The exposure we received
from Auckland Eid Day helped
us link with other groups within
the community like a PR exercise
and helped us better prepare our
stall at Islamic Awareness Weeks
Open Day soon after, added
brother Mazin. These events
lead to a signicant increase in
the number of people visiting the
NMP ofce to ask questions,
express interest in Islam or
simply requesting to come make
shahada at the ofce to become
Muslims.
Sister Johara Lunah was one of
the many visitors NMP received
at our stall. She approached the
stall in search of support and on
the brink of conversion.
I was given support with great
care and affection at the stall,
she said.
I was invited to go into the
ofce after Eid and because of
their help, I did. With them I was
able to say my shahada and
become Muslim ofcially. I truly
believe that the project helps
many reverts like me. They take
away our doubts and give us
condence. I am happy to have
met them at the stall
when I did.
Auckland Eid Days
main goal is to make
sure all Muslims across
Auckland are united
and come together on
this special day. That
includes our convert
brothers and sisters,
said Hady Osman,
Auckland Eid Day
Project Manager. For
many of them, this may
be the rst time
celebrating Eid an
occasion that could still
be new or unfamiliar to
them. It is our
responsibility to make
sure that we are able to
share with our new
brothers and sisters that
spirit of celebration and
festivity within the
Islamic way.
The NMP hopes to
continue taking part in such
events, not only strengthening its
position as an organisation, but
also acting to represent converts
across Auckland.
To follow NMP involvement in
such events, like our Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/
NewMuslimProjectNZ.

Islam Awareness Week Open Day
was another event at which NMP
was present.
If you would like to become a
buddy to a new Muslim, or feel
you or someone you know needs
a buddy, please email
buddy@newmuslimproject.co.nz
Grateful
Convert
Performs
Hajj
Words and photos
by Huda Julie
Webb-Pullman

IN LATE SEPTEMBER I
received a phone call offering me
a trip to hajj leaving in seven
days! Initial excitement was
quickly followed by a reality
check how much would it cost?
$8000, I was told.
I dont have $8,000. I dont
even have $1,000, I replied.
Thats okay it will be paid
for you. Do you have a passport
with at least six months validity?
Yes, I replied, a new one!
Are you t to travel, and for
performing hajj, and can you get
meningitis and u vaccinations
tomorrow, and a medical
certicate declaring these?
Yes, Im sure I can.
As a new Muslim, the
opportunity to perform hajj was
something I had thought a lot
about in the year and a half since
reverting to Islam.
But I could not see how I would
ever be able to do it the cost
represents a years income for
me, a years living costs working
in Gaza how could I justify
sacricing a years work for Gaza,
for hajj?
I would have to do hajj one day,
but that day seemed like it would
have to wait a very long time.
Then suddenly, due to the
incredible generosity of an
unknown benefactor, here I was,
on my way to hajj. Well, if the
visa came through after an
initially anxious few days, I
decided to stop worrying and
leave it in the hands of Allah
and the visa arrived at the check-
in counter of Auckland airport
only hours before the ight. My
rst lesson of hajj had been
taught, and learnt be patient
and trust in Allah!
It was a lesson that was to be
repeated many times in the next
month, and one I still have not
mastered, but have improved my
marks, insha Allah.

Madinah

Our rst stop was Madinah. It
was my rst real confrontation
with the ummah and I use that
word deliberately!
It is no accident that hajj is
described as the womens jihad!
From the moment we tried to
enter Al-Masjid al-Nabawi we
discovered why. To call it a battle
is only a small exaggeration
imagine about a million women
from almost every country all
trying to enter the same building
to pray at the same time.
Naive new Muslims such as us
tried to weave our way politely
through the heaving mass of
female humanity only to be
shoved, pushed, poked, prodded,
stamped on and even thrown out
of the way by what seemed like
battalions of women, arms linked
in battle formation, torpedoing
through the crowds. Multiply this
by a hundred, and you might get
a sense of what it was like trying
to get to rawda the running of
the bulls in Pamplona seems a
picnic by comparison!
But even in the midst of this
seemingly chaotic mayhem, there
were pockets of stillness, sanity,
peace, consideration, friendliness
and humour.
My second lesson of hajj the
ummah is comprised of humans
in all shapes and shades, degrees
of good and bad, generosity and
self-interest, piety and laughter
it is our attitude that determines
how we deal with it.
A wonderful Australian woman
who helped me to rawda
expressed it best, when she told
her companion who was
complaining about being pushed
and shoved, Toughen up! How
many bruises have you got?
Two, her companion replied.
Not enough to complain
about! declared her mate,
launching herself back into the
fray, dragging me along with her.
When we got to the green
carpet, she steered me to a space,
and stood by protecting me while
I prayed my two rakahs and
supplicated, then I did the same
for her. We moved on and
amazingly another space opened,
and I got to pray a second time in
front of the next tomb and
again in front of the third,
without the need for protection.
As I left an amazing feeling
came over me, tears came out of
my eye, and I felt as if I was a
hundred feet tall, oating in the
air above the rawda, and a huge
smile burst across my face.

Makkah

Madinah was like a kindergarten
preparing you for the school of
Makkah. Going there, you had
got a little used to being amongst
huge numbers of people, to being
pushed and shoved, to exercising
and extending your patience and
tolerance, to focusing on what is
important and letting the rest
zone out and fall by the way. You
had been taught a lot of lessons
and thought you had learned
most of them, and even
graduated. Well, think again!
Makkah was about to challenge
any complacency! Umrah! Tawaf !
Sai! Even going to the Kabah
late at night, as we did for our
umrah, did not escape the
crowds. Arriving at about
midnight in a group of eight, we
attempted to circumambulate in
the lower inner circle, as some
members of our
group were
determined to
kiss the black
stone, or at least
touch it.
Following the
example of many
others, we held
onto each others
clothing in order
not to become separated but we
made the mistake of trying to
walk abreast, rather than one
behind the other. This
immediately resulted in others
bursting through our links, and
desperate attempts to rejoin.
As we went further and further
in towards the Kabah, the crowd
became denser, the temperature
hotter, the crush more unbearable,
especially as we approached the
green light at each round, and
more people joined.
I began to panic and, letting go
of my companions, tried to get to
the outside where it was less
crowded but no-one would let
me through. I thought I was
going to be crushed and could
think only of escape; I couldnt
breathe and feared I would have
a fatal asthma attack eventually
a man helped me out to the edge
and gave me a drink of water,
and I continued the tawaf on my
own, on the outer edge.
The rest of the week before
going to Mina for hajj proper was
spent as much as possible in Al-
Haram or in the courtyard,
either praying or doing tawaf.
This was usually for fajr, maghrib
and isha because it was just too
hot for the 30-minute walk to the
mosque in the middle of the day.
Sometimes it was so crowded I
couldnt get inside, sometimes so
crowded I could only get a foot
inside the courtyard. Many
people prayed in the streets
surrounding the masjid.
While praying fard or just on
my own, I met people from many
countries: Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka,
Somalia, China, Tunisia, other
places I had never heard of.
Sometimes we communicated in
English, sometimes by gestures,
often they spoke in their language
and I in mine,
and nobody
minded. We
seemed to
understand
each other!
I was the
recipient of
many random
acts of
kindness, and
hopefully gave as many, or more,
than I received. Sometimes it was
a drink of water, making a space
so someone could pray next to
you, sharing your prayer rug,
taking up less space, giving up the
chair you had managed to nd.
One woman from Malaysia
gave me $500 riyals (about US
$150) because I was working in
Gaza I told her I would use it
to pay my translator and she said,
No, it is for YOU.
For every 10 selsh acts (and
there were many) there was at
least one to counteract it, for
every 10 refusals to make space
for you there was always at least
one who would let you in. Just
when you were about to give up,
it would happen in one way or
another the lesson of patience
and trust in Allah (swt) reinforced
over and over again.
I was not always a good
student, but that was another
lesson soon to be learnt: Allahs
innite capacity for forgiveness
and mercy.

Mina

Sardines in a can have more
room than we did in our tent, I
swear! There was not even a
centimetre of space between our
mattresses (but at least we had
mattresses!) and I would often
wake with my neighbour half in
my bed, while I bulged out the
side of the tent. This was
probably the hardest thing for me
when I am hot and/or sick, I
hate people touching me, and it
drove me CRAZY! I tried to be
nice about it, I snapped about it,
but I couldnt stop it ultimately
I just had to ask Allah (swt) for
forgiveness for it, and help to
overcome it. Still a work in
progress!
Going to the toilet was almost a
mission impossible you had to
pre-plan and go at least 30
minutes before you needed to, to
make sure you made it in time.
Showers were above the toilets,
and women often also did their
laundry in there, so you could
have very long waits.
But the bottom line for me was,
we had tents, with air conditioning,
and we had thick mattresses, and
we had toilets and showers, even
if not enough of them unlike
the pilgrims of previous
centuries, whose hajj probably
not even ONE of us would have
survived. For all the whingeing
about conditions at Mina, we had
it better than 90% of pilgrims
throughout history have had it
for which I, for one, was very
grateful!
Yes, it was tough, yes it was
uncomfortable, yes, we were
forced into close proximity
with all the snorts, burps,
farts and other bodily
functions of people we may
ordinarily never have given
more than the time of day let
alone shared such intimate
space with but it helped us
all learn our fourth lesson
our fundamental sameness
despite our supercial
differences, and hopefully a
bit more tolerance.
Hajj

If Madinah was kindergarten,
and Makkah was school, then
hajj was most denitely the
institute of higher learning. All
our lessons of the previous two
weeks in patience, trust in Allah
(swt), our common humanity,
transcending suffering through
prayer and faith, tolerance
towards our fellow man and
woman, would be put to the test,
and into practice.
Not only these, but also our
own interpersonal behaviours
such as gossip and backbiting
the hardest thing NOT to do
living in such close quarters with
a million other women. Talk
about jihad! It was to be a jihad
with ourselves.
But the reality was actually a
million times easier than I
imagined or feared. From the
intensely personal and deeply
spiritual experience of praising,
praying and supplicating for an
entire day on Arafat, barely
noticing the scorching heat, to
passing the night at Muzdalifah
with more praising and
supplications without noticing
the discomfort of lying on the
ground on thin squabs, then
collecting stones and leaving at
dawn for the rejoicing in Allahs
favours and stoning the pillar at
Jamarat, where, as at rawda, a
gap opened miraculously as I
approached.
The next two days passed in
daily trips to Jamarat, each one
seemingly shorter and quicker
than the day before despite
being over 4km each way, much
of it under the midday sun.
Each day with calmness and
serenity, and a stronger sense of
conviction of the rightness of it
all, and feeling closer to Allah
(swt).
Arriving back in Makkah, I
was dreading the tawaf al-
ifadhah because of my
memories of my umrah tawaf
and the knowledge that there
would be even more people
there now.
I joined one of our group and
his elderly mother and we went
to the rst oor of the mosque,
and walked a long, slow and
relaxed tawaf on the outer edge.
On top of the nal stoning at
Jamarat and the trip back to
Makkah, this left us utterly
exhausted, but we couldnt even
nd a taxi. The walk or
stagger back to the hotel 1.4
km away was like being in a state
of suspended animation, just
putting one foot in front of the
other, trusting that eventually we
would get there.
When the time came to do my
farewell tawaf, I felt as if I was
walking on air. I went right into
the middle, I touched three walls
of the Kabah as spaces opened
up in front of me, and gave
thanks, thanks, and more thanks
for the amazing gifts I have been
given by my Islam teacher Dr
Attallah who gently led me to
my shahada, by the kind sponsor
who made it possible for me to
perform hajj, and most of all by
Allah (swt) who has rewarded
me with so many blessings.
And as if that was not enough,
when we went to check in for
our ight back, I had been
upgraded to business class!
Alhamdulillah!
NMP was represented
at the recent inaugural
Muslim World Forum
(organised by the
Ministry of Ethnic
Affairs and sponsored
by FIANZ and others)
by NMP Manager
Mazin al-Salim, seen
here with NMP
volunteer David
Blocksidge and his
wife Mazlinah.
Tips for a
Great Hajj
Words and photos by
David Blocksidge

RECENTLY another convert
and myself were attending a
nikkah. We sat around the table
with other friends eating the
delicious Malay food and the
conversation got around to the
topic of hajj.
The other convert and I were
blessed to have been given the
opportunity by Allah (swt) to go
from Auckland with our wives on
our pilgrimage in 2013. Our
friends had not yet undertaken
their pilgrimage and they felt that
our informal chat about it was
informative in a way that a
structured lecture cannot be.
They asked me to put my
thoughts down on paper. Insha
Allah this will encourage other
brothers and sisters to undertake
their own pilgrimage.
My wife Mazlinah and I had
attended a short series of lectures
at an Auckland mosque on the
topic of hajj. They were excellent
and I would encourage everyone
to attend such lectures. They gave
a good outline of what to expect,
and the rituals required of
pilgrims to perform hajj
successfully.
Check with the organisers to
ensure that lectures are being
given in a language you
understand, or that a full
translation will be given
simultaneously. Check, too, that
appropriate arrangements have
been made for sisters to attend
my wife was the other side of a
curtain so she could not see the
speakers or the little
demonstrations. The
arrangements for translation were
also far from satisfactory,
especially on the sisters side.
Do not expect to remember
everything you are told at this
point. It is unnecessary. When
you are on hajj you will receive
almost daily briefings from the
leaders of the group you are
travelling with. On that subject,
pick a reputable agent to go with;
ask around among your hajji
friends and discuss the service
they received from the group they
went with.
On hajj itself, we carried with
us everywhere an excellent
booklet called Hajj of Change: A
Guide to Performing Hajj,
Umrah and Ziyaarah. It detailed
everything we needed to know to
perform the rituals of hajj. See if
you can get a copy. Keeping
yourself well informed about
what you should be doing at each
step provides confidence and
peace of mind that your hajj will
be performed correctly and will
therefore be accepted (hajj
mabrur), insha Allah.
Hajj is an experience that
almost defies description. It is
huge by any measure. Masjid Al-
Nabawi the mosque of our
Prophet (saw) in Madina can
accommodate three-quarters of a
million worshippers under cover.
Each year, in excess of three
million pilgrims are visiting the
same sites at about the same time
so you can expect massive crowds
everywhere you go. The mosques
in Madina and Makkah are so
big that during prayers, an
appointed person near the
middle of the mosques repeats
the Imams words Allahu akbar
during prayers so people near the
back can know for sure when to
prostrate and so on.
So many people from every
corner of the planet means that
you can also expect to come
home with a bug of one kind or
another. I had a hacking cough
that I called Muzdalifah virus
because I was okay until I spent
the obligatory night in that place.
I prefer the description of
another returned hajji, who aptly
named it camel cough. My
wife had conjunctivitis in one eye.
As they say in the ads, consult a
doctor if symptoms persist.
We were warned beforehand
that we could expect to see
surprising or even shocking sights
and this turned out to be true.
At Masjid al-Haram, some
women insisted on taking wudhu
at the mens outdoor wudhu
station just outside the mosque,
unwilling to go downstairs to
their own area.
Women beggars entered our
men-only tent at Mina more than
once, and beggars generally are a
problem. We were told, and I feel
it is sound advice, not to give to
these professional beggars but
to give instead to the mosque
cleaners, hotel staff and others
who work for a pittance in
Madina and Makkah. Ten Saudi
riyal (roughly three New Zealand
dollars) buys their food for one
day, for example.
At Mina one night near our
tents, a fight broke out between
two groups of Sunni and Shia
brothers. Whether their hajj was
accepted only Allah (swt) knows.
But the oddest moment I had
was when we met an Indonesian
couple at a lift in a shopping mall
next to Masjid al-Haram. The
man spoke to his wife, saying that
I must be a tourist. Maybe he
forgot that Makkah is a city only
Muslims can enter. Or maybe he
couldnt get over a Muslim in
jeans and tee shirt.
It reminded me of Imam Afroz
Alis trick question: What is
Muslim dress? The answer, of
course, is that there is none.
Muslim dress is anything thats
loose-fitting and covers the awrat.
A word you hear constantly in
the context of hajj is sabr
patience. You need lots of it to
cope with the crowds; half-hour
queues for toilets, wudhu and
showers; travel hiccups; constant
delays and hold-ups. Allow plenty
of time for everything.
Most people are doing the best
they can in the circumstances but
moving three million people
around for a single purpose is a
logistical nightmare so show some
compassion for the officials, many
of whom are part-time and do
another job the rest of the year.
That said, I must confess to
losing my cool with the airline
check-in clerk who yet again
seated my wife and I far apart.
Despite checking in
simultaneously as husband and
wife, that airline (Emirates)
managed to seat us separately on
every single leg of the journey.
We negotiated each time with
fellow passengers to swap seats so
we could be together. This
happens a lot and is ironic
considering the emphasis on
women travelling on hajj with
their mahram. The first fellow
pilgrim to offer to swap seats in
this way for us turned out to be a
Shia Muslim with beautifully
refined manners, so the moral for
me is not to rush to judge others.
We were advised that when
doing tawaf (circumambulating
the Holy Kabah in Makkah), we
should refrain from talking as
tawaf is an act of worship.
Despite this, we saw many people
chatting, chanting in groups and
even uploading photos and taking
video. It is disrespectful, to say the
least as indeed are all the
cellphones ringing in prayers.
On that topic, we found that we
were able to do without our
phones for the entire trip. This
was a great relief and saved us
the expense of local SIM cards.
Agreeing beforehand where to
meet after prayers was our
successful tactic.
On the ground floor it can get
very crowded so we did all but
the first of our tawafs on the roof.
Go at cooler times of the day,
such as just before dawn. Just
keep an eye out for fast-moving
wheelchairs.
A friend I was with, Ashraf
Khan, had a great suggestion for
protecting our wives from being
jostled by other men during
tawaf. We had our wives walk
immediately in front of us and we
put our arms out stiffly on each
side of our wives shoulders so
nobody could cross their path.
In crowds generally, hold your
wifes (or mothers or daughters
or sisters) hand so you do not get
parted. It can happen all too
easily. If like us, you follow the
school (madhab) of Imam Shafii,
then you will need to use Hanafi
rules of wudhu for hajj. This is
permissible during hajj and it
allows you to hold hands for this
purpose without breaking wudhu.
Sadly, crowds attract
pickpockets especially outside
Masjid al-Haram in Makkah.
Take all necessary precautions
because they are expert at parting
you from your valuables. I
alerted my friend to his unzipped
pouch in time to prevent any
theft from it, after which he let his
wife carry it under her hijab.
There are
many beautiful
sights and you
may wish to
take
photographs so
you have a
visual record of
your hajj. The
authorities have become more
relaxed about this in recent years
but dont push your luck in places
such as the grave of our Prophet
(saw) in Masjid Al-Nabawi. I saw
men trying to take photos
through the grille at the grave. It
is bad manners; anyway, there is
nothing to see.
I had my own rule about
photography: Do the necessary
rites of hajj, then get the camera
out if time permits and the
circumstances are appropriate.
Your primary intention at all
times is to perform hajj.
Hajj is an incredible experience.
Clichs such as the trip of a
lifetime hardly begin to do it
justice. Try to perform it while
you are still reasonably fit because
it is physically, mentally and
spiritually demanding.
I have the photographs to
remind me of our Prophets
mosque, which must be one of
the most beautiful, tranquil places
on Earth. Visiting his grave is not
part of hajj but it is considered
mustahab (highly desirable) by all
four schools of thought to do so.
Its worth being outside the
mosque at dawn and at dusk to
watch the enormous umbrellas
opening and closing. They
surround the entire mosque.
Speaking of beautiful sights, if
you are on the roof of Masjid al-
Haram during the day, look up.
If you are lucky, high above the
scores of construction cranes you
may see birds of prey soaring on
the thermals. I counted 12 on one
thermal alone, gently circling
high above the Kabah.
Some useful
organisations

Al Hikmah Trust
The Trust runs programmes,
presentations, forums and meetings
to educate Muslim and non-Muslim
youths and students about Islamic
beliefs and practices.

For details of events, like the
Facebook pages Al Hikmah Trust
Boys or Al Hikmah Trust Girls.

Al-Manar Trust
This Trust, which initiated
Auckland Eid Day, focuses on
Islamic education for adults and
children, as well as running youth
camps and trips. It has an excellent
reference library of Islamic
material.

70-72 Carr Road, Mt Roskill.
Tel: (09) 6200 951

Fatimah Foundation
Fatimah Foundation aims to provide
family assistance to Islamic mothers
and homes through a service based
on Islamic values. For events, visit
the website. To volunteer, call (09)
276 7680 or email
noeleen@fatimafoundation.org.nz
For general enquiries, email
info@fatimahfoundation.org.nz
www.fatimahfoundation.org.nz or
nd them on Facebook.

Marhaba Play Group
Marhaba aims to help the children
of the Muslim community to learn
the Arabic language and Islamic
studies by providing a broad-based
educational programme which
allows the kids to choose from a
range of activities presented in fun
ways. Make contact to register your
child or to volunteer.

Email hoda.elwalili@gmail.com or
visit www.marhaba.co.nz or nd
them on Facebook.

Mt Albert Islamic Trust
As well as holding Friday prayers
(with the bayaan and khutbah both
in English), this trust runs childrens
classes and publishes a useful e-
newsletter called Rocket Science that
among other things gives prayer
times and the programme schedule
for the Voice of Islam TV show.

Email mtalbertmasjid@gmail.com
or visit
www.mtalbertislamiccentre.org

RMDT
RMDT (Rasheed Memorial Dawah
Trust) operates primarily in
Auckland as well as in some Pacic
islands such as Fiji, Tonga and
Samoa. RMDT is active in specic
areas, notably ecology and charity.

Find them on Facebook.

WTG
WTG (Working Together Group)
are active in specic community
projects, notably the Janaza Project,
which provides funeral services for
Muslims, the Janaza Waqf fund,
and the Helping Hand Project,
which distributes food collected
from food banks in mosques to
needy families. WTGs most recent
initiative is the launch of an appeal
to fund the purchase of a foster
home/orphanage for Muslim
children in New Zealand.

Janaza details: Ashraf Khan (021
786 676) or Mazin Al-Salim (021
1466 179). Helping Hand: Ismail
Waja (021 212 9282) or Ayah
Kautai (021 2222 808). Orphanage:
David Blocksidge (021 054 8443).

YMWA
YMWA (Young Muslim Womens
Association) supports and nurtures
Islamic identity and values among
Muslim women around Auckland.

Email ymwa.nz@gmail.com or visit
www.ymwa.org/ or nd them on
Facebook.
Fatimah Foundation volunteers (left)
receive udhiya gifts for distribution;
one of two hearses (above)
operated in Auckland by WTG
Of course, the main beauty
comes from within: the joy of
being able to spend many hours
in quiet contemplation and
reflection.
After nearly every one of the
five daily prayers in the mosque,
you will hear a call to janaza
(funeral) prayers. It is good to
remain an extra few minutes to
perform these (they are very
short) because of the blessings
bestowed upon those who pray
for the dead. If you are very near
the front row of Masjid Al-
Nabawi, near the Imam, you may
be able to follow the funeral out
to the adjacent famous cemetery,
which is where some companions
and family members (ra) of the
Prophet (saw) are buried.
I made mistakes with our
luggage. One was taking two sets
of ihram sheets. They are bulky
and heavy and one would have
done. I also packed too many
books; one Quran would have
sufficed because we found an
excellent bookshop in Medina
and came home with such gems
as The Sealed Nectar and Heroes of
Islam.
I have not discussed the rites of
hajj; I am not a scholar. You will
learn about this side of hajj in
due course from the appropriate
sources. May that day come soon
for you, insha Allah.
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Views expressed in New Muslim Project News are those of the author or organisation concerned and do not necessarily reect the opinions of the
publisher, Al Hikmah Trust. Contents copyright Al Hikmah Trust 2013.
Parting
shots
The NMP BBQ,
Cornwall Park,
November. Sheikh
Shafee led prayers
and several returned
pilgrims spoke.
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