I know what you are saying, but 'lavish' is not a term I associate with Hajj.
there could be a better word i suppose. I cringe when i see that advertised by agencies
VIP packages, Lavish accomodations.
5 star hotels.
I dont disagree with paying extra for a more comfortable, organized, planned hajj especially if you have certain medical needs The choice of words used sound more like a honeymoon package sometimes. been reading those free desi newspapers u can pick up at the grocers and just shaking my head.
those are crap -- if you guys decide to go let me know- me father is in the travel industry -- he'll hook it up without the desi nonsense.
There are all kinds of "lavish" things available for VIPs guests of the royal family and various other royals. My parents are there now....I think they got a so called 'lavish' package, the tent includes heating, seperate bathroom and wireless internet! You can also get a jeep to be parked by you in Arafat and then if it gets clod you can go in the jeep. But its nothing compared to what the royals get, whose tents are said to resemble rooms in five star hotels. Can it still be called a 'pilgrimage' when its so 'lavish' that's for God to decide I guess....
I know what you are saying, but 'lavish' is not a term I associate with Hajj.
there could be a better word i suppose. I cringe when i see that advertised by agencies
VIP packages, Lavish accomodations.
5 star hotels.
I dont disagree with paying extra for a more comfortable, organized, planned hajj especially if you have certain medical needs The choice of words used sound more like a honeymoon package sometimes. been reading those free desi newspapers u can pick up at the grocers and just shaking my head.
^^ i guess packages r offered + prices r adjusted depending on the origin of trip and length of stay.
i've always seen people from U.S tend to have one which offer a stay of 2 weeks or so, whereas those going from pakistan r offered packages for a duration of 5-6 weeks , i'm not sure y , but i think that has something to do with the cost of trip
I think a lot of people who go from Pakistan also go with the intention of making a holiday of the trip, whereas people from the US barely get enough vacation to make the trip let alone spend more time there...
nik u better ask that in religion , i think there r certain fardh & sunnah to fulfill , fardh or actuall hajj n arafat n minah with tawwaf is hardly 4-5 days, not sure about sunnah associated with it , also due to huge no of people it's hard to plan anything by yrself so one has to follow either one of accomodating packages that r offered, also hajjis go for ziarat e madina , which is again 4-5 days or 40 namaz etc.
Actual hajj is 4 or 5days and as Nabbi liked it most people go before or after hajj to MAdinah so the minimum package you will get for hajj is 10 days I think which you should have and if you want you can get 4 days package too.But its always good to visit Madinah too.
i went in 04 we went with Dar-es-salam it was around $3500 oer person. Dar-es-Salam is great. they are very well organized and takes care of everything for you. My sister went last year and the minimum package was $6,000 per person..it seems like its going up every year.. Normally they have different Hajj Packages starting from min of 15 days up to 40 days
My MIL & BIL went to Hajj from pakistan this year for 40 days and my husband paid 5 lakh for them. And they are staying so far away from the Kaba.
Yes its getting expensiver and costly every year. From here its 2.500 Euros for 2 weeks.
There is one Umrah you can do before Haj but you can do it a few days earlier and take ahram off, then Haj itself is only 4 days but people also do an 'alviday' umrah.
Going for Hajj is expensive. About $5,000 per person.
I have heard that people who go from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and all countries with lower currency value - get compromised facilities and their place is so far away from Kaba - that it's really extremely difficult for older people. They are expected to walk a lot.
Also, another difficult part I heard was communications problem - they are all Arabic speaking personnel and it's extremely difficult to even ask for help if one gets lost in the crowd.
One of my husbands relatives went from UK and she could not find her group... she said she had really cried a lot since no one understood her, and no one to knew who she was with, and where they would be at the time. Finally they met up the next day, after they had completed everything. They were ALL too tensed looking for each other, while the stampede news broke out. It was a difficult Hajj for them.
Even when my mom and dad went - my dad said that many many many people who were too old had incredibly difficult time. He remembers especially this one man and his dad - the dad passed away on the street and my dad saw them and went over. The sobbing man said to my dad if he can be there for the last prayers and burial? So my dad accompanied him to the cemetary and performed all the duaas. The man could not stop crying.
You are only required if you can afford it. Just 50-60 years ago maybe one or two people in the entire family (the whole extended one) would have gone to hajj.
those are crap -- if you guys decide to go let me know- me father is in the travel industry -- he'll hook it up without the desi nonsense.
Thanks kiddo, will def call you when we plan to go.
There are all kinds of "lavish" things available for VIPs guests of the royal family and various other royals. My parents are there now....I think they got a so called 'lavish' package, the tent includes heating, seperate bathroom and wireless internet! You can also get a jeep to be parked by you in Arafat and then if it gets clod you can go in the jeep. But its nothing compared to what the royals get, whose tents are said to resemble rooms in five star hotels. Can it still be called a 'pilgrimage' when its so 'lavish' that's for God to decide I guess....
I know, I used to live in Saudi Arabia so seen it all.
I have been to Hajj a few times and we used to pitch our own tents in Muzdalfah, gas stoves, filling water containers from the central water stations or when teh delivery trucls came, took local transport to kaaba, simple stay at arafat. This is ofcourse before the big fires in tent cities forced the govt to regulate that more with central cooking places.
the aircodnitioned luxury coaches to arafat and airconditioned shelters for people to sit in on Hajj day somehow enver added up for me, and it think its my own hangup, because if my parents go again, I would want to make sure they are as comfortable and safe as possible. Not sure where confort and safety turns into lavish and luxurious thing..I am just confused.
Actual hajj is 4 or 5days and as Nabbi liked it most people go before or after hajj to MAdinah so the minimum package you will get for hajj is 10 days I think which you should have and if you want you can get 4 days package too.But its always good to visit Madinah too.
