While on Umrah, which is a visit to the holy land of Makkah and Madina, I was inspired to write a poem about my experience and this ended up being a stepping stone to a series of daily poems as every day in Makkah seemed to open new doors of understanding. This is exactly what I had prayed for and I felt truly blessed and inspired in those moments.

I shared these musings on the Hajj chat group and was encouraged by my wife Faheema and other Hujjaaj to collate and publish the series of poems. I pray that these will help the reader understand the Hajj journey even better that I felt I did.

The Hajj journey is truly unique to each person. Start by praying for understanding and end by praying for it's acceptance as the mandatory ibadah for those who are by the means. Many Muslims will not have the opportunity to go on Hajj unfortunately, so I encourage the writer and storyteller in everyone to use their God-given talents to share their experiences with others.