SARAJEVO: A Bosnian Muslim pilgrim who left last December on pilgrimage to Makkah by foot told AFP on Monday that he has arrived after passing through seven countries including war-torn Syria. “I arrived Saturday in Makkah. I am not tired, these are the best days of my life,” Senad Hadzic, 47, said when reached by phone on a Saudi mobile number. He said he had covered some 5,700 kilometres (3,540 miles) in 314 days of walking through Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and Jordan to the Muslim holy city in south-western Saudi Arabia, with a backpack weighing 20 kilos (44 pounds). He charted his progress on his Facebook page, where he posted a picture apparently of an entry/exit card for foreigners issued by the Syrian interior ministry. “I passed through Syria in April. I walked some 500 kilometres in 11 days. I went through Aleppo and Damascus and passed dozens of check-points held by pro-government and rebel forces alike, but I was never detained,” Hadzic said.

“At a check-point held by (President Bashar) al-Assad’s forces the soldier ordered me to empty my backpack … When I showed them my Quran and explained I was making the pilgrimage on foot, they let me go,” he told AFP. “I walked in the name of Allah, for Islam, for Bosnia-Hercegovina, for my parents and my sister,” he added. On his Facebook page he said God had shown him the way in dreams, including to go through Syria instead of Iraq. During the pilgrimage, Hadzic faced temperatures ranging from minus 35 Celsius in Bulgaria to plus 44 Celsius in Jordan. He said he had to wait in Istanbul for several weeks to get permission to cross the Bosphorus Bridge on foot and two months at the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia to obtain an entry visa. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken at least once in a lifetime by all Muslims who are able to.Israel ChapelJerusalem ChapelJerusalem TodayJerusalem PalestineJerusalem 2016Ascension JerusalemChapel AscensionAscension Of JesusAscension DomeForwardThe Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem today is a Christian and Muslim holy site now believed to mark the place where Jesus ascended into heaven.

In the small round church/mosque is a stone imprinted with what some claim to be the very footprints of Jesus.- 3-4 pairs of clothes. I'tikaf will last 9-10 days and this depends on how often you need to shower. For ladies, carry an extra abaya and hijab in case yours gets dirty. Though it's hot in Makkah, you might get chilly if your clothes are too thin, and you happen to be in an air-conditioned hall. Try cotton which keeps you cool during the day and warm at night.- Personal care: deodorant, oud, hand wipes, lots of tissue, small shopping bags, comb, small mirror, extra pair of glasses, tablets for headache and flu, face masks, tooth brush, tooth paste- An extra pair of slippers in case you lose yours- Cell phone charger (yes there are sockets in the mosque!) and an adaptor, but remember I'tikaf also means cyber-I'tikaf :D- Sleeping equipment: inflatable pillow, sheets, blankets- Two small-sized plastic water bottles: fill them up before Fajr and use them for ablution in the ablution areas the next day if you need to.

You will not find a trace of water in Masjid-al-Haram during the day, all water cans are emptied, faucets closed, don’t know why they do that, so be prepared. backpack tvuWater supply is opened after asr but it'll be a hassle to get water since you risk losing your spot, so use this for aftar as well.- A pocket-sized Quran with translation and a dua'a book- Sisters should bring an over-the-shoulder bag because they're the easiest to carry. zeikos backpack camera bagAlso, carry a tiny over-the-shoulder bag and wear it under your Abaya and put your money in it! bbee backpack- People performing I'tikaf generally remain on the first floor of Masjid-al-Haram (not the ground floor) because it's not as packed as it is downstairs, but mind you it's still very very crowded in Ramadan. cfr backpack vacuum

If you enter gate no. 84 (one of the mini gates next to the huge King Fahd Gate) and go straight up using the stairs, you come right to a female cabin (there are many more to the right and left). arrow backpack runescapeAhead of the female cabin there's the men's area. um21 backpackThe great thing about this area is that there are ablution areas right behind so you don't have to go to the bathrooms if you just want to do wuzu. Also if you leave the mosque from gate 84, the female bathrooms are straight ahead. So are the restaurants.- A friend told me that Masjid-al-Haram also has a basement where a lot of worshippers perform I'tikaf. Personally, I've never been there, but you can definitely check it out.- Though the air-conditioned halls of the King Fahd gates are very nice to sleep in, they get way too crowded during the taraweeh timings and even before iftar.

So I used to pack up my sleeping stuff, put them in a bag, and leave them with a family who I met who were also performing I'tikaf, and then go to another area to pray. My priority used to be the King Abdul-Aziz gate which wasn't air-conditioned but much less crowded. Plus, if you were lucky to get a place way up ahead in each cabin, you could get a spectacular view of the Ka'abah! I used to go there an hour before Maghrib or after Maghrib to get a nice spot (most people would leave the mosque to grab some iftar).- Sometimes I used to leave the mosque to use the bathroom but couldn't get back in because of the crowd. In that case, you can easily find a place in the small cabins spread throughout the courtyard of the masjid. They have small ablution areas in the middle too, plus sweet Zam Zam water close by! Now, the sound quality of the prayers was absolutely incredible here. Everything would echo multiple times at the tall marble walls and fall to your ears. WHAT TO EAT AND WHERE:- Iftar will not be a problem Insha Allah.

If you happen to be outside, there are small gift packs officially distributed and they have dates, water, juice, a croissant, etc. Enough to last you till taraweeh finishes. If you happen to be inside, people generously distribute before maghrib time, though you do have to keep your eyes open and spot distributors!- For dinner and suhoor.. there are the hilton towers right in front where there are a couple of fast food outlets to buy your food from.1. Pizza's of Eight: this is what I had mostly. There was a separate female cue. Waiting times were short. A small sized pizza would suffice for both "dinner" and suhoor.2. Al-Tazaj: pretty great-tasting chicken broast but get this only if you're willing to stand in cue for an hour!3. KFC: slightly over-priced broast compared to other KFC outlets in the kingdom :/4. House of Donuts: has coffee for only 3 SR [others are usually over 5 SR] to keep you awake for the prayers and good if you're feeling sick.5. Shawarma shops outside the tower where you can also get rice and rotisserie chicken.

Do care about the hygiene though.- Dates and Zam Zam will suffice you more than expected Insha Allah.- You can buy lots of things [not junk food please!] from the super-market "Bin Dawood" in the hilton tower, open 24/7- DON'T WORRY ABOUT FOOD AT ALL. EATING LIGHT WILL KEEP YOU MORE ACTIVE INSHA ALLAH.5. HOW TO SURVIVE THE CROWD ON THE ODD NIGHTS AND FRIDAY:- Avoid rush hours which include right after prayer or right before. Find a place to pray well in time.- I used to go to the bathrooms three times only! One was right after Fajr, every body leaves to get some sleep after the long night of prayers. Second was at 2:45 pm. I remember because they used to close the second basement of the bathrooms at 3 pm for washing and ask everyone to leave. If you can sneak in minutes before they're asking everyone to get out, you meet empty bathrooms and you don't have to wait! Third time was after taraweeh. This was unbelievably crowded but inevitable.- On Friday, DO NOT, under any circumstances, leave the mosque before Friday prayer, you will NOT be allowed back in.

You should enter a cabin by 8 am if you want to find a spot. Prayer starts at 1 pm so you can imagine how crowded it will be. I barely had a place to sleep that night, or erm.. morning.- Night 27th will be the most crowded (over 1 million people), also night 29th during Khatamul Quran (finishing of the Quran). You will not be allowed to enter the mosque if you leave. Rows for prayers extend up to 10 km out on the road. Not many people know that there's a small prayer area in the hilton towers which is linked to the main audio from Masjid-al-Haram and is considered to be part of it. This was so empty and I was pleasantly surprised! Pray your taraweeh and tahajjud hereeeee!6. MUST DO WHEN YOU'RE THERE:- Tawaaf in the morning. Oh my goodness, I always thought the most beautiful thing I saw was Masjid-al-Haram at night but nooo it's most beautiful in the morning when the sun is sneaking up, the birds are chirping, a cool breeze is flowing, the marble walls look a completely different hue, everything's glowing, it's nice and tranquil, you get the idea.