Originally Posted by Smiley90

Great report! I'm actually going to be on the exact same EWR-ZRH-DXB connecting flights in a few months so that's a good preview. How did you like the LX Y seat compared to the UA Y seat? I'm not particularly looking forward to sleeping in both.... but the LX Y seat has always been nicer IMHO. (EWR-ZRH is o/n and then DXB-ZRH is o/n too despite going westward as it departs 2am...)

Originally Posted by SSZ

Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmathullahi Wa Barakatuhu Hajji Idries, I enjoyed reading your trip report where you have documented your spiritual journey enlisting your fears and anxieties which one always experiences before Hajj. May Allah accept your and your wife's Hajj.

Originally Posted by JDiver

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing Hajj journey, twindocstravel! It gives me, a non-Muslim, a vicarious look at the Holy places, and of course it adds to my education and awareness of Islam.

As I occasionally visit a local masjid or community center, this gives me a new view of the Hajjis and Hajjahs I encounter there.

A 2008 study, "Estimating the Impact of the Hajj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam's Global Gathering", conducted in conjunction with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, is also revealing as to the effect of Hajj on many. For those interested, the article has recently been released as an Acrobat Portable Document Format / PDF that can be downloaded here.

Malcolm X, an American civil rights activist, said of his Hajj:

"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white. America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held."

I'll look forward to reading how the Hajj affected you, and of course further trip reports.

Originally Posted by blueferrari

Thanks for sharing. Earlier this year I did Umrah and of course it was much less crowded. And in February, it was much cooler.

What happened to your passport after you gave it in Medina? The bring it to Jeddah for you? I think I hold my passport all the time, but not sure for Hajj.

The official queue for Indonesian unfortunately is as long as 20 years for hajj in some province. Hope I can go there for hajj in my lifetime.

Originally Posted by east_of_the_sun

Thank you for your wonderful trip report and for sharing the rituals of the Hajj.

Originally Posted by Uzair

An excellent report. May God accept your good deeds.

Originally Posted by RandomBaritone

Spectacular stuff. I'm married to an Episcopal priest, and over the years I've become somewhat of a student of world religions. It's fantastic to experience this through your eyes. I'll keep an eye out for your future trip reports.

Originally Posted by enviroian

Thanks for posting an interesting and great read! As a catholic westerner it's nice to see and attempt to understand what Hajj is and what it means.