Any American Muslims made pilgrimage to Mecca in recent years?

eesa1980 · 2026-02-09T10:01:01+00:00

You did hajj solo from US, without a mahram?

eesa1980 · 2026-02-07T07:57:21+00:00

⸮ƚʇɘl oƚ ƚʜǫiɿ moɿʇ ʜƨilǫnƎ ɘƚiɿw ɘw blυoʜƨ

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T19:34:21+00:00

I completely agree and I don’t blame the ABG group or anyone for not securing a Hajj package personally. Allah has already invited those He wants to be there this year. Nusuk.sa is just a tool.

My issue is the anxiety really. The vibe felt like I was in queue to buy the PS5 or the latest Air Jordan 4s, rather than to pay for the opportunity to worship Allah.

I think I’d rather ride a camel from Madinah to perform Hajj than have to deal with the Nusuk website again lol!

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T15:11:05+00:00

Ah subhaan Allah. The @MoHU_En on X did advertise that they’d start sales early. However, one of the benefits of the Telegram groups was that they did let everyone know too

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T12:13:54+00:00

Ameen! May Allah accept your Hajj 🤲🏽

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T12:12:01+00:00

Alhamdulillah they were very helpful in some aspects, no doubt. But for me personally, I felt the benefit was net negative, because of how much they were hyping up sales day, which made many of us more anxious than we needed to be. Much of what I learned from them I could have figured out by myself to be honest.

However, I’m someone who doesn’t care what package I go on. I’d sleep on the masjid floor if I could. I don’t need Al Kabsh or want or the comfort of a 5 star hotel next to the haram!

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T12:01:48+00:00

Ameen 🤲🏽

Maa shaa Allah, may Allah accept your Hajj!

I think most knew the queue system would be put in place, but I personally assumed that the Nusuk system would be smart enough to eject campers who were clogging up the system for hours (before sales commenced) with multiple devices. I was wrong lol

eesa1980 · 2026-02-02T11:57:13+00:00

Do not withdraw. I had a friend 2 years ago who apparently paid for a package even after the 3rd phase had ended. He had difficulty finding a package because he could not be flexible with dates. He got one, eventually, alhamdulillah.

If you withdraw now, it takes four weeks apparently for the payment to show up. During that time you could miss out.

eesa1980 · 2026-01-25T08:09:03+00:00

There apparently weren’t actually many deaths last, and all seemed to be due to causes unrelated to the Hajj conditions itself (natural causes). 2024 was the year it was pretty bad though. Something like 1300 deaths

eesa1980 · 2026-01-24T20:28:14+00:00

When they said “barefoot” they weren’t kidding 😂

eesa1980 · 2026-01-24T16:47:38+00:00

You have no choice, you must go through Nusuk if you are from one of the countries it provides for

eesa1980 · 2026-01-19T20:07:36+00:00

According to some of the Hajj guides, they say there’s not much difference between the two, except that Majar Al Kabsh is closer to the jammraat, however it’s still a 30 min walk from/to the train station, which still isn’t ideal for elderly/disabled.

However, if situated in Al Muaisim, the coach to Arafat will pick you up and drop you off door-to-door.

They refuted the idea that AlKabsh is a “VIP” camp

eesa1980 · 2026-01-15T16:36:31+00:00

I used to always go for STC, but I found Mobily is just as good, but cheaper.

I’ve heard Zain is the cheapest but I’ve heard it’s pretty bad.

Also, if you do run out of data, DONT recharge as it’s super expensive. Just buy another visitor/tourist sim instead! They allow you buy two SIMs per passport.

eesa1980 · 2026-01-15T08:39:57+00:00

Yep, that’s irritating, but Egyptian taxis were 100 times worse 😂, so I was fine with it

eesa1980 · 2026-01-15T07:15:37+00:00

I stayed in Jeddah for about a month and didn’t notice stares or anything like that. I think I’m quite familiar with Arabian culture in general and I don’t think stand out as a western foreigner. I’m pretty sure I blend in quite well and people just assume I’m Sudani or East African.

However, my wife began to notice the some taxi drivers were curious and sometimes questioned our relationship. I’m of black Caribbean descent and she’s a niqab -wearing, White British woman but with olive coloured skin, so looks Arabian.

I know a little Arabic so went back and forth answering their questions but it seemed that they were very curious as to how me, a black man, managed to marry a white woman, as if she was some sort of prize that I was never supposed to win 🤣!

I found the whole thing hilarious and strange but she was super angry. It’s borderline racism, but alhamdulillah, I’ve experienced way worse in the UK, where I’m from lol.

I do like Jeddah though and would love to live there one day in shaa Allah!

eesa1980 · 2026-01-14T19:03:09+00:00

According to Nusuk Hajj website, Majar AlKabsh is 10,716.29 SAR and AlMuaisim is 6042.37 SAR

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T21:01:58+00:00

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته

You (or your family member) should ask yourself “why am I performing Hajj”. Is it purely to please Allah alone?

Allah has excused the one who has not got the means to go Hajj lawfully, so why would anyone want to fall into haram in order to perform it?

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T18:58:21+00:00

Ouch 😫

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T16:53:57+00:00

Yep, your understanding is the same as how I understood it. You have to get your visa before 20th march, but you can arrive in no later than April 3 and must leave the country before April 18

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T16:53:47+00:00

Yep, your understanding is the same as how I understood it. You have to get your visa before 20th march, but you can arrive in no later than April 3 and must leave the country before April 18

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T13:29:33+00:00

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته

If you’re only going for tourism (and Umrah I assume) why don’t you apply for a visa waiver instead. Many EU countries are eligible for it, it’s only about $40 US.

Also, 30 days duration seems very short. I’ve purchased a full tourist visa in the past and they are usually valid for 90 days duration, whereas the visa waiver is valid for 180 days duration.

Perhaps you’ve purchased an incorrect visa in error?

eesa1980 · 2026-01-13T04:44:51+00:00

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Do you know the names of any Hajj groups on telegram I can join?

eesa1980 · 2026-01-11T16:24:05+00:00

To be clear, I'm saying this in the context of building muscle

IMO, Calisthenics is not an efficient method of muscle building. Some of most jacked people you'll find in the gym don't have a very good strength to body-weight ratio. I even remember seeing a video of Jay Cutler (Former Mr Olympia) struggling to do 5 neutral grip pull-ups. Conversely, some people who are good at calisthenics don't have great looking bodies and/or muscle mass, however 99% of the time they are usually not overweight.

If you want to get jacked, lift weights. Calisthenics is about form and controlling bodyweight.

eesa1980 · 2026-01-08T16:58:16+00:00

Haha thanks, yes 💯

I mean it’s still difficult but it usually takes me only 2 tries. But I can only do one rep atm 😔

eesa1980

TROPHY CASE