Mina

After Arafah, we went to Mina. We started throwing the stones at the three jamrahs which represented the stoning of satan. I had a much better time in Mina. Noor and I went together and we had Pak Wan with us. We went collecting stones. There were very nice people around. While we were busy looking for pebbles, there was a man offering the pebbles to us. Thus, we also returned in kind to somebody else. Kindness begets kindness. We went for walks around Mina. I enjoyed the things that the people brought to sell. There were knives and utensils from Russia. Head shawls from Turkey. Hand-woven shoes from Turkey. All types of knick-knacks were for sale. It was a much relaxing time for us. Our only means of communication was through gestures and calculators to set the price. It was easy and comprehensive. Once we met a gem stone seller from India. He spoke English so we had a chat about his experiences. Interesting.

The only incident was the stampede which resulted in a few hundred pilgrims badly injured and a few deaths. Thankfully none from Malaysia. I was surprised why the big TV near the camp suddenly went off. Noor and I had just returned from the stoning of the jamrah when the incident happened. Otherwise, we would have been caught in the panic. It was sad but it was meant to be.

During the haj we also got news from Malaysia via newspaper articles which were posted on the bulletin board at the hotel lobby. I found out that Abang Din (Tan Sri Noordin Sopiee) passed away in Singapore Hospital due to cancer. He was our half cousin. Kak Yah's husband. Al-fatihah for his soul. He was the Chairman of ISIS. We also found out that there was an extraordinary big flood in Kedah. Alhamdulillah, when we returned, our house was not affected.

I enjoyed Mina. It was not stressful. We didn't go with Tabung Haji's schedule. We did it in our own time, just the two of us. Most of the time I would be in the tent or wandering around the area, as usual on my own.  Actually during the Haj, I was on my own a lot. I liked it and enjoyed the time with myself. Otherwise,  Noor would come to the tent and pick me up and we would go to the jamrah or just took a walkabout around Mina. I did not buy anything as usual but that did not stop me from enjoying myself window or "eye" shopping. We stayed there for the duration of the 3 days before we finally left for Mekah for the final rites of Haj.