Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage) – Book Review

Posted on September 20, 2013 by thewahyproject

As Hajj is getting close (for this year) now is a great time to start studying to try and learn as much as you can about this amazing journey (especially if you are planning to go). I hope I have wet your appetite with my Hajj posts so far. There are many great books, articles and resources to help you learn. Today I wanted to review one that I used when I went to Hajj.

Getting the best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)

by Abu Muneer Ismail Davids

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All I can say about this book is that (for me) this was the only reference book on Hajj I needed. I would strongly recommended that you pick this book up and read it from cover to cover. Then read it again & make notes. The author has done an excellent job of keeping the book extremely practical (& relevant) to the modern traveler, providing valuable tips and personal insights. He has also done a great job at simplifying the details into clear, concise lists (and checklists) of “Best actions” which are excellent. This is then combined with great references to Quran and Hadith where appropriate to assist in fuller understanding of all the issues.

Rather than try to summarize & comment on each chapter, here is a high-level overview of the main topics covered:

Chapter 1: Hajj as an Obligation, Types of Hajj, Who and When to go?
Chapter 2: Planning and Preparation
Chapter 3: About Women
Chapter 4: What to Expect
Chapter 5: What about those staying behind?
Chapter 6: About the Ihraam
Chapter 7: The Journey from Home to Makkah
Chapter 8: Makkah Al-Mukkawarah
Chapter 9: Umrah
Chapter 10: Hajj
Chapter 11: Supplications from the Qur’an and Sunnah
Chapter 12: Madinah Al-Munawarah
Chapter 13: A Touch of History
Chapter 14: Revision
Chapter 15: Checklists
In Closing
Glossary
Bibliography

If I had one complaint about this book, it was that I could not find the mentioned pocket guide very easily. So not really a compliant 😉 …

Also there is a set of Video lectures that the author has done – which I also found very entertaining and informative.

So in summary … if you want one reference book for Hajj – which is not only simple and informative but packed full of great information and tips – this is the one.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

PS – Actually alot of my notes and posts on Hajj are based on this book.

Here are the techie details …

Hardcover: 439 pages
Publisher: Dar-us-Salam for Publishing & Distribution; 2nd edition (August 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9960980308
ISBN-13: 978-9960980300
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches

So where can you find a copy …

Amazon.com – http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Best-Out-Al-Hajj-Pilgrimage/dp/9960980308

Talbiyah

Posted on September 8, 2013 by thewahyproject

Pilgrim’s Announcement of arrival for Hajj or Umrah

The supplication one recites once in Ihraam and having made the intention,

[ pdf | <1 MB | 83e3b4d78d927bb10dc333011293d36c | a9f151d84432410fa50c888711d302e4a0f27012 ]

[ mp3 | <1 MB | 47631f4b860ca1b68f72853269ee7584 | 789e5ffb78effce936753fede6bb91228f9954f1 ]

Note

Though this post does not strictly present a Supplication it is still tagged as one to enable easy organisation and access

Ref

“The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari”. Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Darussalam. July, 2007. Volume 2, Hadith #1549 (Sahih), pg 359 [10006]
“Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by Darussalam, Second Edition – August, 2006, Chapter 6, pg 150 [10004]

Introduction to the Arabic Alphabet

Posted on September 2, 2013 by thewahyproject

As you have probably noticed, the majority of my posts have some form of Arabic in them. Arabic forms the foundation of Islamic teaching & learning – the Quran was revealed in Arabic, Hadith are recorded in Arabic. The importance of this wonderful & rich language can not be overstated.

Unfortunately Arabic is not my first language … so I have always wanted to have a reference or a quick guide on the Arabic Alphabet (especially on how to pronounce the letters correctly).

So when my friends at Roots & Sprouts had a chance to help me with this project – I jumped at the opportunity and Alhamdulillah we have put together a set of quick videos that cover the basics of the Arabic Alphabet – starting at (1) The names of the letters, followed by (2) The sounds of the letters.

So stay tuned – the first video will be out real soon …

Ref: Background image (www.openfootage.net)

After Eating (Supplication)

Posted on August 31, 2013 by thewahyproject

After Eating

Ref: “English Translation of Jāmi‘ At-Tirmidhī”. Compiled by Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisā At-Tirmidhi et al. Darussalam. Nov, 2007. Volume 6, Hadith #3458 (Hasan), pg 183
Transliteration: “Fortress of the Muslim, Invocations from the Qur’an and Sunnah”. Compiled by Said bin Wahf Al-Qahtani. Darussalam. 5th Edition Apr, 2006. pg 142

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Before Eating (Supplication)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by thewahyproject

Before Eating

Ref: “Fortress of the Muslim, Invocations from the Qur’an and Sunnah”. Compiled by Said bin Wahf Al-Qahtani. Darussalam. 5th Edition Apr, 2006. pg 140
“English Translation of Sunan Abu Dawud”. Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu Dawud Sulaiman bin Ash’ath. Darussalam. July, 2008. Vol 4, Hadith #3765 (Sahih), pg 266

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Beautiful Names Of Allah

Posted on January 14, 2013 by thewahyproject

One of my very first posts on The Wahy Project was an eBook on the Beautiful Names Of Allah, which can be found here. Though this eBook is still one of my favorites, I have been wanting to put together a post for everyone for quick & easy online access.

Alhamdulillah here it is … the Beautiful Names Of Allah

(Also don’t forget to check out the original eBook and the links at the end of this post to download a one page summary and the complete audio files)

Continue reading →

1	Ar-Rahmaan	The Compassionate
2	Ar-Raheem	Most Merciful
3	Al-Malik	The Sovereign
4	Al-Quddoos	Free From All Blemishes
5	As-Salaam	The Giver of Peace
6	Al-Mu’min	The Giver of Peace
7	Al-Muhaymin	The Protector
8	Al-‘Azeez	The Mighty One
9	Al-Jabbaar	The Compeller
10	Al-Mutakubbir	The Majestic

PDF & Sound

Posted on January 14, 2013 by thewahyproject

As you may have noticed, I release a lot of my original content in PDF. I love the PDF format – it is so functional and accessible. What you may not have noticed (or might have ;)) is that a lot of my PDF files have sound actually embedded within them. This is really cool as it make the PDF a fully contained document that you can download and not only read, but listen too. Examples of some embedded sounds include pronunciations and recitations.

So what do you need to be able to view (& listen) to the PDF files? Well my recommendation is:

Adobe Acrobat Reader – which you can get directly from Adobe here
Adobe Flash Player for Acrobat Reader – which allows you to play sounds embedded in the PDF files, which you can get directly from Adobe here

In the past you only needed the Adobe Acrobat Reader software (#1 in the list above). But recently Adobe decided to separate out the functionality that allows playing of sound files, so you need to install both of the software listed above for everything to work properly.

So go ahead – download and install the software (if you haven’t already) and enjoy the PDFs to the max.

Hajj – How to Perform – Overview (Tamattu)

Posted on January 6, 2013 by thewahyproject

I have always wanted a quick one page summary of How to perform Hajj to use as a quick reference. So a while back I put together an Overview flow chart to summarize the steps. I originally drew this in my pocket notebook, but finally have had the chance to refine and edit it into a larger document. Hope you find this useful 🙂

Though I have included the image below, the best way to view the Overview is in the pdf file which can be downloaded from the button below.

Ref

“Getting the Best out of Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage)”, By Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, Published by Darussalam, Second Edition – August, 2006, Chapter 10, Pg. 279. [10004]

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Back for 1434/2013

Posted on January 5, 2013 by thewahyproject

Can you believe how fast time is flying 🙂 I have been meaning to post a lot more recently but just haven’t had a chance 😉 … but inshAllah will start releasing some more posts real soon.

In the meantime have added a new image in the Banner above – this is an old slide that I had taken a while back of a beautiful mosque. Hope you like it … as it is cropped above, here is the original image.

Eid Al-Adha Mubarak (1433/2012)

Posted on October 26, 2012 by thewahyproject

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Eid Al-Adha.

The Wahy Project

Re-discovering Islam

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