November 30th, 2008 (depending on Lunar crescent sightings) will be the beginning of the month of Dhul Hijja - the month in which Hajj is performed, inshallah. Given this date, Hajj rites start on December the 8th and Eid-Al-Adha on December 9th 2008. The time between the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Hajj is two months that seem to fly by without notice.
Those of you who plan on performing Haj this year, should definitely begin brushing up on your knowledge of Hajj rites from now in order to best utilize your precious time there.
Preparation should be physical, mental, and spiritual.
Physical: Start walking! If you are out of shape, know that you will have to do a lot of walking - even if just for making tawaf and sai - the expanse of Sa'i is more than you would expect.
Mental: You will need to know the rites - when to be where, how to do this or that. Do not assume that those around you know more than you, nor make the mistake that it is okay to do what the majority is doing. You are responsible for your own actions and no one else's. There are a lot of false practices out there.
Spiritual: Make sure you are right with God before you go. Do you owe anyone money? Have you offended anyone and need to set it right? Seek forgiveness from those you have wronged, make tawba. Increase your salawat. Practice shutting the world out during your 'ibada. Let go of any prejudices.
I'll be posting more about Hajj and Eid-Al-Adha both here and via articles on www.Suite101.com from now though the Eid inshallah - so stay tuned. You will notice that there are Hajj related videos now on this site to give you more information.
If you are not Muslim, it's a great opportunity to learn more about your Muslim neighbors and what we're up to. :-)
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