Hajj Now? - YES! AMAZING!
I really cried today!
I love the way Allah works things out (if your patient - inshallah)!
Bismillah Rahman Raheem
Salam alaykum dear brothers and sisters in Islam!
I just want to say:
AJEEB! AMAZING! The prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Amazing is the condition of the believer, as only good happens to him. Whenever anything good comes his way, he is thankful to Allah and it is good for him. And whenever any trials or calamities come his way, he is patient and it is good for him, and this is only in the case of the believer."
Believe it or not! After going all the way up to the deadline, and then past the deadline, and then far too late to even think about getting to go for hajj - with only one day now before the day of at-tarwiyah (going to mina the day before Arafat), we are still sitting in Washington, D.C. with no visas, no flights arranged (already lost the flight four days ago because of no visa) - and guess what?
Are you sitting down? (of course you are - who goes to the internet or checks their email standing up?)
Well, I can hardly believe it -
We are preparing to go down to the embassy to get our visas right now - (10 AM Sunday morning) -
Somehow, Allah has made it all work out. Of course many brothers and sisters have been praying to Allah to make it happen for my wife and I, but I really didn't see how it could happen at such a late date.
My wife never gave up hope. She silently held back any kind of emotion through all of the running back and forth and trying so desperately to get all of the shots, medical records, photos, delivering passports to the travel agent, and then sadly, having to go back to the travel agent and get the passports back - cancelling the tickets - but all the time, still believing somehow Allah would answer her dua and let her come to be there for Hajj - one more time.
And He did.
Al Hamdulillah.
Here is a bit of way things happend all at the last minute - last night:
We are all so excited about going over to Makkah to do the hajj again - it is truly a miracle from Allah, the way it all worked out.
I know I don't deserve it and for sure I need it - (only Allah Knows how much I need it) - but look how Allah is so Kind and so Merciful and so Forgiving.
I am sure it is my wife who is being accepted and invited by Allah. Her patience and dedication to having this one more chance to be there at the House of Allah and do the manasak (rituals) of Abraham and Ishmael (Ismail) and follow in the footsteps of the prophets and righteous people - is certainly something to consider.
Sure, I would get up in the night and really ask Him, you know? But after all, I know me. Sometimes I am half asleep or not paying attention in the late night salat, even missing it sometimes.
But then yesterday - I really did cry hard to Him about going -
Then we were told that someone from Saudi had sent a special invitation for us to come there as guests of the royal family. Who? You know how Muslims are - they didn't let us even know who they are, just a gift so we could make the hajj.
But now what? It was already Saturday afternoon and the embassy is closed and doesn't open until Monday - and that is way too late - no way a plane can get to Jeddah in time for us to make Arafat.
Then a dear friend of my wife's lets us know if we go down there to the embassy some people are still doing the last minute work on the papers for certain special cases for visas - and we should try to get down there.
So we jump in the van and away we go. But where? I don't know where the embassy is. I only know the travel agency and if you haven't ever tried to find something in the nation's capitol, you haven't experienced real crazy driving yet.
We tried the GPS (global positioning system?) and that didn't work. A phone call to someone who had a computer map thing - didn't help. Another phone call from a brother who knows the area - sort of - no help - in fact, now things are getting more complicated and we see we can't make it before the 3:00 o'clock deadline (we thought 3 was the cut off).
And then even after all the running around and getting lost and taking two hours to get there -finally getting there after over an hour of running around - now it is after 3:30 PM - the door is broarded up and no way to even see anyone inside.
I go around to the back at the guard house and the guards recognize me for the TV shows and video DVDs and they let me come in out of the cold while they call to someone inside - no help. Another call to the inside - someone comes out and talks to me - tries to help, but the consulate has to sign the visa and he is not there - sorry - come back on Monday.
Not even being able to even get in to talk to the consulate - and then coming back home - feeling like (you know), down -
Umm Ayesha (my wife) says, "Before you call Houston and confirm you are coming to them - make istakharah."
So, I do as I am told (sometimes I am a good boy) And right after the salatul Istakharah I feel like, I am so tired I had to lay down.
Just as I laid my head on the pillow I remembered I promised Waleed Basyouni in Houston, I would call him as soon as I found out something. He was really worried about me being able to come there for the big annual conference for dawah (and I really wanted to just say, "Yes! I am coming" but I couldn't - not yet - I can't give up - I just can't.
He is asking me as I was going out the door for the embassy and I said to him, "I swear to God, as soon as I know something one way or the other - I will call you."
So, after remembering my promise (more like an oath) I jumped up, grabbed the phone, called the number and guess what?
It is on automatic answer until after the holidays because his students call that number so much.
No way to call him.
So, I call another brother there and talk to him. He confirms there is no way to reach Waleed at the moment.
So, I say, "Let me take a snooze break for a few minutes"
And then as soon as I get all comfy and doze off - I hear it -
rrrrrring - rrrrrign
I grab the phone - it's sister Wafaa! AL HAMDULILLAH
Someone had called the consulate and gave him a good going over, and he didn't want to call me, so he called her and she called me to tell me to call him, and I called him -
(?)
Anyway, the new consulate was very kind and polite and after a few basic questions about our passports, pictures and health records, he agreed to meet us this morning at 10 or 10:30 at his office in the embassy and he will give us our visas, inshallah.
AL HAMDULILLAH
AMAZING! (I cried again)
