La Cañada Muslims observe the hajj

Islam’s annual hajj, or pilgrimage, was observed by millions of Muslims all over the world Dec. 17 to 21.

La Cañada residents Asdullah Alamdari, and Shahzad and Sobia Husnain for the first time journeyed in early December to the holy city of Mecca, as every Muslim is obligated to set aside at least one period in their life where they can devote their time and energy to travel to the ancient city.

“I was searching to find my God there,” said Alamdari by phone from his workplace in Los Angeles. Alamdari and his sister, Ashraf, began their journey Dec. 4, traveling from Los Angeles to New York, then on to Medina, a city in western Saudia Arabia. And with millions of his fellow Muslims, he traveled from Medina to Mecca. Some traveled by foot, others by bus or car. By the time Alamdari arrived, a carpet of people blanketed the square surrounding the Kabba, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims face its location during prayers.

Arriving in Mecca Dec. 13, Alamdari joined others already gathered and began the process of walking seven times around the Kabba in a counter-clockwise direction. The Kabba is a cubed granite building inside the mosque al-Masjid al-Haram. The centerpiece of the building is the Black Stone cornerstone, which according to tradition is said to have been kissed by Mohammed and dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. To venerate the Black Stone, those circumambulating the Kabba attempt to kiss it themselves. Few get to do so, given the massive amount of people.

“Some people, they try to touch it; some people, they try to kiss it because they believe it came from heaven,” said Alamdari. “I was told not to touch it. It’s 3 million people going around it. I just walked around it.”

Each ritual in the hajj has its significance. And, each ritual has its roots dating back to ancient times. The prophets Mohammad and Abraham are highlighted, and it is from these holy people that all of the hajj’s activities are based. The hajj itself is said to come from the life of Abraham around 2000 B.C. when pilgrims would converge at Mecca and perform rituals.

“As I went around it, I read the Quran and I was praying to the prophets and asking God for forgiveness,” said Alamdari.

Wearing nothing but his Ihram clothing — consisting of two, white, unhemmed sheets (usually towelling material), universal in appearance — and sandals, Alamdari prayed alone, and with fellow Muslims, asked for forgiveness and reflected on his life.

“Everyone is travelling in the same direction together. You do the same hajj with all,” said Alamdari, who says that even the president of Iran was an equal among his people. “You walk the same distances with the same kind of clothing, the same kind of sandals.”

Hajj is the same for men and women. The only difference lies in the attire — men wear the Ihram, women wear their regular clothing and head coverings. “There is only one hajj,” said Sobia, whose husband Shahzad was unable to comment for this story due to obligations at work. “This is the way we did it. There is no black or yellow or purple. Every man is in the same dressing. You are just a human being, not a rich man or a poor man. You are in front of your God and you are praying.”

The theme of hajj is reflection, prayer, thinking about one’s life, recalling faults and focusing on improving. The desert does that to you, says Alamdari, who spent three days there — not so much the conditions, but the fact that a lot of time is spent alone with nothing but a copy of the Quran, your garments and sandals to keep you company, and from time to time, a neighbor or two — or 40, or 70. (Tents are provided for the general comfort of those particpating, said Sobia — there were 70 people in Alamdari’s tent, 40 in Sobia’s.)

“You feel very light, very comfortable,” said Sobia. “You are away from everything — no cooking, no tensions, no bill writing,” she said with a laugh. “You are going to the mosque, you are coming back from the mosque, you’re praying in your room, you are meeting different people. You are going one place to another place to another place. You don’t feel tired. It’s kind of tiring, but you don’t feel tired.” There are no words to describe what it is like to be in the company of so many people, Sobia added with a laugh.

“You know, people come from different parts of the world,” said Alamdari. “They are all doing the same things. They are different colors, different shapes, different sizes.”

When prayers aren’t being read from the Quran, other hajj activities can be considered prayers themselves, such as the stoning of the Devil’s Wall, symbolic of the trials experienced by Abraham when we has commanded by God to sacrifice his son; or the sacrificing of a lamb or other animal, symbolic of God’s mercy upon Abraham.

“Imagine sacrificing 2.5 million animals,” said Alamdari, who participated in the stoning and sacrifice. “In the daytime, you sit and read the Quran. At night, you sit and medidate. You think about yourself, the mistakes you’ve made. You ask for forgiveness, and you try to fix yourself.”

For Sobia, hajj is akin to a convention or seminar, where many gather to talk about similar things. In her case, a group of women talked about themselves, asked questions and reflected deeply on the meaning of their lives.

“As a human being, you have so many questions,” she said. “There are so many small details. There are so many questions people ask you, being a Muslim.”

Sobia admits she is not perfect, but hajj allowed her to come to terms with her deficencies and seek answers on how to improve.

“Over there, I heard whatever good deed you do, just say you are doing it for the sake of Allah,” Sobia said. “I am trying to apply that. I am trying my best.”

Did Alamandari find his God?

“When I was walking in the desert, I was thinking to myself about what I have done in the past, and I was trying to justify myself,” said Alamdari, who lost his sandals in the desert during his meditation. “We felt at that time that we were very close to God and that he could hear me. And so I sat and talked to him. I felt like I was so impressed by him to have a life like this.”