Less than Zero.

Day 1: 8th Dhul-Hijjah - Day of Tarwiyah

Ihram in Mecca:

Pilgrims enter into the state of Ihram, wearing the prescribed clothing (for men: two pieces of seamless white cloth), and make the intention (niyyah) for Hajj at their designated entry points to Mecca.

Tawaf and Sa'i:

Pilgrims perform Tawaf around the Kaaba seven times, starting from the Black Stone corner. They follow this with Sa'i, walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. After Sa'i, pilgrims may trim their hair (men) or cut a minimal amount (women), marking the completion of Umrah.

Stay in Mina:

After completing Tawaf and Sa'i, pilgrims proceed to Mina, where they spend the night in preparation for the next day's activities.

Day 2: 9th Dhul-Hijjah - Day of Arafat

Departure to Arafat:

After dawn prayers in Mina, pilgrims proceed to the plain of Arafat, arriving by midday. They engage in prayers, supplication, and reflection until sunset.Standing in Arafat is the most essential part of Hajj, as it symbolizes the pinnacle of Hajj and resembles the gathering on the Day of Judgment.

Return to Muzdalifah:

After sunset, pilgrims move to Muzdalifah, where they combine the Maghrib (sunset) and Isha (night) prayers.

Day 3: 10th Dhul-Hijjah - Eid al-Adha (Day of Sacrifice)

Ramy al-Jamarat (Stoning of the Devil):

Pilgrims return to Mina and stone the largest pillar (Jamrat al-Aqabah) with seven pebbles, symbolizing the rejection of evil. Many pilgrims perform Qurbani (sacrifice) of an animal to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son.

Sacrifice and Hair Cutting:

After stoning, pilgrims either perform or witness the sacrifice. Men typically shave their heads or trim their hair, while women cut a small portion, symbolizing renewal and humility.

Tawaf al-Ifadah and Sa'i:

Pilgrims return to Mecca to perform Tawaf al-Ifadah (Tawaf of Hajj) and Sa'i again, as a reaffirmation of their faith and devotion.

Return to Mina:

Pilgrims return to Mina to spend the night and the following days, continuing their spiritual journey and rituals.

Days 4-5: 11th-12th Dhul-Hijjah

Stoning of the Three Pillars (Ramy al-Jamarat):

Pilgrims return to Mina each day to stone all three pillars (Jamarat), beginning with the largest and ending with the smallest. This ritual is performed after midday prayers, emphasizing the rejection of temptation and evil.

Stay in Mina:

Pilgrims continue to stay in Mina, engaging in prayers, supplications, and reflection during these days.

Day 6: 13th Dhul-Hijjah

Final Stoning and Farewell Tawaf:

Pilgrims perform the final stoning of the pillars in Mina. After completing the stoning, pilgrims return to Mecca to perform Tawaf al-Wada (Farewell Tawaf) around the Kaaba.Tawaf al-Wada marks the conclusion of the Hajj rituals in Mecca.

Hajj illustrates complete submission to Allah's will and the acceptance of His guidance. By following these rituals, pilgrims fulfill one of the Five Pillars of Islam, achieving spiritual renewal and a sense of communal belonging within the global Muslim community. Hajj emphasizes the unity of Muslims from diverse backgrounds, gathered in worship of the One God.

Just like two kings cannot live in one kingdom, so can't a human have two beloveds. Love within a love is trap, deceit, an absolute lie, and extreme disloyalty.

You will weep too every hour, just like me. If your heart is trapped, just like me.

کچھ خواب تھے ایسے کہ بکھرنے کے نہیں تھے

Oh change of fortunes, we have a great sorrow,

The more I read literature, art, music, poetry, love letters, and tragedies, the more I grace myself with sentiments.

And being sentimental, you always are nostalgic. You miss the old winter, want to see the lost friends, dream to get your love back, crave for the moments you made people laugh, yearn to be in between those magical souls, and wish to teach poetry again.

You desperately long to put your nose in your favourite novel.

Being an art disciple is never easy. It's a deprivation. It gets you so far.

Faraz Sahab had a couplet for me:

‏ہم کہ دُکھ اوڑھ کہ خلوت میں پڑے رہتے ہیں

ہم نے بازار میں زخموں کی نمائش نہی کی

1. Be righteous, even if you are alone. Standing up for what is right is important, even if you have to face death with certainty. It is important for the greater good. This is the only way to defeat injustice. (Labaik Ya Hussain RA/AS)

2. Be just. Don't be selective when speaking up against tyranny. It does not matter if the oppressed person is not related to you. Similarly, it doesn't matter if the oppressor is related to you. You have to stand up for what is right. Alone Hussain (R.A) looked to the heavens on Ashura and said:

"Ya Allah! what makes it easier for me is the fact that you're watching."

3. Be kind, even to your enemies. Hur was the General of the enemy army. He and his group of soldiers had run out of water while on their way to intercept Hussain (RA). Hussain (AS) served them with water despite his limited stock.

4. Be patient. The overall goal is more important than your personal feelings. Abbas (RA), the brave son of Ali (RA) and the younger brother of Hussain (RA), was a famous warrior of his time. He drove fear into the very souls of his enemies. Yet, he kept quiet in the face of many provocations as commanded by his elder brother, Hussain (AS).

5. Be brave even when you have lost everything. Zainab (RA), the brave daughter of Ali (AS) and the sister of Hussain (AS), was taken as prisoner after seeing her family being massacred - her loving brothers, her nephews, and her own two sons. All were killed in one day, yet, she didn't lose focus of the goal of her brother. Tied up in ropes, she fearlessly spoke against the tyrant ruler right in his durbar/courtyard.

6. Hussain(RA) is for all. Message of Karbala is vivid and clear that it was not meant to grab a patch of land, rather it was intended to secure and uphold core human values. It was a battle between good and evil, right and wrong and justice and oppression.

7. It’s never too late to repent. One of the heroes of Karbala that met his martyrdom is known as Hurr (which means free). He was one of the commanders of the opposing army. It was only in the final few hours before the battle that he switched sides to the army of Hussain and to certain worldly doom, asking the repentance of Hussain for his actions. He was one of the first people to be martyred by the army of Yazid. The story of Hurr is proof that it is never too late to repent, and no sin is too heavy to come back from. Hussain (RA) said to Hurr after he repented: “surely you are free as your mother had named you.”

8. Live the Life of a Freeman. Imam Hussain (RA) believed that living under a tyranny was nothing but living in hell. In Karbala, when Imam Hussain (AS) was placed in a dilemma by the oppressors to be humiliated by swearing allegiance to Yazid or to fight and die with glory, he said he would not accept humiliation and obedience to mean people. Hussain (RA) invites the whole world to reject submission to oppression; to practice freedom.

9. Loyalty. We see, on the day of Ashura, after Abbas (RA)’s right hand was cut off by the army of Yazid –when he had gone to get some water for the children and women- he bravely recited these epic verses: “By Allah, if you cut my right hand, I will never stand back, and I will protect my religion, and I will support the Imam who stands firm in his belief and is the grandson of the pure and truthful Prophet.

That's why I read this somewhere: