Haj 2015 - Raya at the Tower Food Court

So we were done with our Nafar Awal by 4.45 am, 10 minutes before down/subuh. I did mine after subh prayer. We went to the barber at the basement and I asked for a 1 centi cut. I don't want it to be too short; I won't look good.

ZamZam Tower barbers - Taken from http://rezeki-suatucatatanperjalanan.blogspot.my/2013_07_01_archive.html

But the barber did not even adjust it his haircut instrument. He just pick it up and give it a blast over my head. I should have known better. I was left with only 1 mm of hair!

It is ok. The more the merrier, I said to myself. All my sins will be washed away with the weight of my hair.

Soon we made our way to the hotel for a proper clean-up. We have been away for nearly a day.  But since we were early, Ustaz Jufri and I decided to have a quick breakfast at the Mall food court and not bother with the hotel restaurant. We were both dressed up - I in baju Melayu and Ustaz in his jubah. Both were immaculate since we even had the time to iron it at the room.

It is after all Hari Raya Aidil Adha morning and we are supposed to have our breakfast before the solat prayer. "So ustaz, what is the solat time here in Makkah," I asked him.

"I think it is 7 am. it is early."

So by 6 am, we were having breakfast, and chatting about what we went through the past 24 hours. I thought it was quite an achievement to complete the Nafar Awal without much hiccup. There was no rendang and ketupat, and we were not complaining. We weren't even thinking about it.

But all of the sudden, we heard a call for prayer. We looked at each other and then at our cellphone - none of us had a watch. It says 6,30 am.

"Allahu Akbar," 

The imam was starting the Eid Adha prayer, and we were still at the food court.

So we rushed down.

Nothing much we can do, except to pray at the Mall together with others. It was reasonably full. There was no way we could have reached the Haraam in time if we want to join the prayer in the first rakaah.

There was no Raya takbir to warn us, and to melt our hearts, if you know what I mean. The imam was a bit to quick for us.  We nearly missed it, but luckily we didn't. Of course the subsequent khutbah was done in Arabic, so we have no clue to what the sermon was all about.

I am sure not many pilgrims had the opportunity to solah Eid at the Haraam, especially when doing one's haj. I am told that there is no solat Eid at Mina; it was after all a sunaat prayer and not q requirement for haj.

But alhamdulillah, we were in Makkah and had a taste of solat Eid, albeit at the Tower Mall.