Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many have not been able to perform Hajj. Inayet Wadee spoke to attorney Nabeela Moola, who was accredited to go for Hajj last year but could not perform it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attorney Nabeela Moola applied for Hajj in 2011 and her accreditation only came in 2020. Even though it was a joyous moment, her intention was to embark on the pilgrimage with her spouse and, at the time of her accreditation, she was not married.
She was convinced when a friend of hers questioned her decision to not go as it is ultimately the command from Allah (S.W.T) and one of the pillars of Islam if you have the financial means to go for Hajj. This opened her eyes and, after discussing it with her family, she made the intention to go for Hajj.
Reflecting on her purpose of wanting to go for Hajj, she realised it was because she wanted to offload the emotions that she had been going through over the past 10 years and she needed guidance for the next 10 years. However, she thought ‘am I good enough to go?’ ‘Will I come back a changed Muslim?’ ‘Would I become closer to my creator?’ ‘Would I become the ambassador of deen that I want to be?’
Just when she got ready emotionally and her bags were packed, Moola received the devastating news that she could not go for Hajj.
“My walls crumbled because this journey of a lifetime that I had hyped myself up to go on and, apart from going for umrah and seeing Makkah and Madinah, we had also booked for us to go to Majid Al-Aqsa, so we were going to go on the three harams journey,” said Nabeelah.
Even though she performed Umrah before, she wanted to experience the true essence of Hajj like sleeping on the floor in Muzdalifah under stars and sitting in a tent with thousands of women and bond over hadith and share stories.
It’s not about the accreditation, it’s not about SAHUC and the piece of paper that says you have been selected to go, it’s truly the command of Allah when your labaik is there, He will allow you to enter his holy land. – Attorney Nabeela Moola
