This is a continuation of the journal I kept while on Hajj, from Oct. 30- Nov. 20th. Any remarks in parentheses are current comments. The day of Arafat IS the day of Hajj. Without staying in the plain of Arafat until sunset, you have not done Hajj, it’s that important! The name Arafat seems to […]

This is a continuation of the journal I kept while on Hajj. I’ve tried to transcribe the thoughts I wrote eactly as written. Any current interjections are in parantheses.  (The reason why I’m such a stickler in this regard is because I heard that L.M. Montgomery altered her journals after she wrote them, taking out […]

This is a continuation of the journal I recorded on my Hajj trip from Oct. 30th to Nov. 25th. I’ve tried to stay true to what I wrote at the time. Any more recent thoughts are in parentheses. Nov. 12th We left Medina last night. I said goodbye to the city of the Prophet (peace […]

This is the third post of my Hajj journal. I’ve tried to inscribe it exactly as I wrote it. Any current thoughts are in parantheses. Nov. 7 – 10, 2010 We arrived in Medina after a gruelling journey. When I came for umrah with my parents two years ago, going from Mecca to Medina was a quick […]

This is a continuation of the journal I kept while on Hajj from Oct. 30th to Nov. 20th. I’ve tried to keep it as true to what I wrote as possible with only minor editing. Any interjections from the present are in parentheses. Nov. 6th, 2010 Yesterday I did something I’m quite ashamed of. Maybe it […]

And still recuperating! And still adjusting to the fantastic news that on Nov. 7th, not only did Big Red Lollipop receive a glowing review from the New York Times, but it was also named one of the top ten picture books of the year! In addition to that it made Kirkus’s top 100 books of […]

Labbaika la shareeka laka labbaik. Innal hamda wal ni’matha laka wal mulk, laa shareeka lak. This is the chant that all pilgrims going for hajj, going to visit God’s house in Mecca, make. It means: Here I am, O Allah, at Your service; here I am at Your service. Here I am at Your service. […]

I am just so filled with happiness right now, and a touch of nostalgia, ironically. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that just before Ramadan comes about, there is a slight feeling of trepidation. It is a trial, a challenge, to fast every day from dawn to dusk for a lunar month. And […]

Just got back from Taraweeh prayer and the peaceful state of mind that I’d been for most of the month has returned. Not sure how standing, praying, listening to the Quran being recited in Arabic, for about an hour can make you come away feeling so peaceful, but somehow it does. In terms of physical […]

They say it takes 21 days to break a bad habit. So far it’s only been fourteen, half the month. Usually by this time I’m in a set routine and I don’t even feel the fast. Not one tummy grumble all day, but that hasn’t happened this year. Maybe I’m eating too many refined carbohydrates […]