As a service to Islam, a group of Muslims based in the United States has created a compact reference guide to Haj. On just two pages, the guide lays out all the basics to help pilgrims make their way through the Haj rituals. Its compact size means the guide is the ideal reference during Haj, when carrying bulky items is not advised. The information in the Haj guide is attributed to Sheikh Muhammad Naasiruddeen Al-Albaane.
This guide provides:
• Step-by-step details of each ritual;
• A map of the Holy Kaaba to help in locating Safa and Marwa;
• A visual representation of the steps for tawaf;
• Key supplications that should be recited, including the appropriate times and places;
• The miles and kilometers of the necessary routes;
• Pictorials for user-friendly quick references;
• A Schedule of events.
“This guide does not replace the reference books pilgrims read to prepare for the journey of a lifetime,” said Samy Baaghil, one of the guide’s developers. “The purpose of the guide is to make the journey less confusing when the pilgrim is amidst millions of other pilgrims at the holy places. There is no need to flip back and forth between the pages of a book. All the basic information is right there on two simple sheets. For older pilgrims who might have weak eyesight, the instructions can be printed in a larger font on longer paper.”
According to Baaghil, non-Arabic speakers find the guide very helpful as it has a transliteration of all the supplications. While the current guide is in English and Arabic, guides in Urdu, Spanish and Turkish are under development. Baaghil hopes that guides in other languages will be available soon. Baaghil would like mutawafeen and travel agencies to make the free guide available to all the pilgrims they serve.
To download the Haj guide go to www.islamicbulletin.com. Click on “enter here.” Then click on “Haj” and there will be the choice to download the guide in one of two sizes. There is also a link: http://www.islamicbulletin.com/enterhere/Enter-Haj-f.htm to enable the guide to be downloaded as a PDF file, which would allow the material to be enlarged even further.