AsSalam Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh.

Dhul-Hijjah will start Friday the 28th or Saturday the 29th of November, InshaAllah.

Know that the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah are the best and most virtuous days of the year –for both the pilgrim and those who stay behind. They are days of striving to gain closeness and proximity to Allaah and seeking His Mercy and Forgiveness. They are days of Salaah, and Zakaah, Fasting, Du'aa and remembrance of Allah, sincere repentance, and all other virtuous deeds.
 

On the importance of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, Sheikh Saleh al-Munajjid has written:

"Praise be to Allah Who has created time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others. This is in a sense that rewards are multiplied many times than the case in other periods of time.

Raid Qusti, rqusti@arabnews.com

Once again, Haj is over and pilgrims from all over the world have begun to return home. Thanks to the grace of God and the efforts of the Saudi authorities, this year’s Haj was a success, mercifully free of any such disasters as fires, stampedes or contagious diseases. I agree with the columnist in Al-Madinah who wrote that Haj was successful; I also share his opinion that being successful does not mean that we rest on our laurels and make no further attempts to improve what needs improving. There is, and always will be, room for improvement.

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer

A group of eight Muslims from Hawai'i have returned from the Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with a new appreciation for their faith, a clearer meaning of the word "crowd," tales of a narrowly missed deadly stampede ... and just for a souvenir, a nasty virus.

Travelers return safely with colorful accounts of their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

By Mary Adamski

A contingent of Hawaii pilgrims just escaped being caught in a stampede that killed 251 Muslims on religious pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia last week.

Arab News Opinion 10 February 2003
By Khaled Al-Maeena, Editor in Chief
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=22653

The Standing at Arafat is the pinnacle of Haj and an unforgettable experience in the journey of a lifetime. Today, the pilgrims will spend the afternoon at Arafat, praying to Allah for guidance and forgiveness.

On Tuesday February 11, 2003, few hundred Muslims in Hawaii joined by many community leaders and friends, will celebrate Eid ul-Adha (The Festival of Sacrifice).