Arafah

Today’s visit brought us to the 3 obligatory Hajj sites - Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina - although we only stopped at Arafah, while the others were passed through as part of the journey route... as preparation, we brought along our ihram garments in advance, since we planned to change into ihram in the Muzdalifah area... our miqat for this Umrah was Al‑Ji'ranah mosque, a historically significant miqat located about 24 to 26 kilometres northeast of Mecca, on the road towards Taif, and outside the Haram boundary... it marks the place where Rasulullah SAW entered into ihram in 8 Hijrah (630) after returning from the Battle of Hunayn, before proceeding to Mecca to perform Umrah - making it one of the designated miqat points, especially for those already within Mecca who wish to perform another Umrah... in our case, we made the intention on the bus, and for this Umrah, I dedicated the intention for my late Mak Tok (my late Mak’s mother), carrying her memory with sincerity and prayer... the day’s ziarah concluded at Siti Khadijah RA, the beloved wife of Rasulullah SAW, is laid to rest - an emotionally moving moment that also stirred personal memories, as this same area once housed Maktab 76 Al Badaya, my accommodation during my Hajj on 2018, bringing a quiet sense of reflection, gratitude, and remembrance...