We hope you have ordered sea- food or fruit platter, if the food served on the airline is doubtful. If it is Salaat time on the plane, then certain airlines have a small Jamaat Khana or if possible make wudhu and perform Fardh Salaat, standing in the beginning and then sitting if forced to do so. Generally from South Africa, slightly right to the flight direction is Qibla. If due to uncontrollable circumstances one Salaat missed then make Qadhaa on arrival in Jeddah.

Once your plane lands in Jeddah then alight with your hand – luggage.

You will land at the Hajj terminal. Once in the terminal, generally you are given some free literature. At this juncture, the males and females will be separated. There are plastic benches for sitting purposes and toilet/ wudhu facilities. Take benefit of these. From entry to exit of this procedure it can take 1 hour to 3 hours, so not panic or get excited. Give all female members of your family their own passports. This section is where random health checks are made.

Then you are ushered via officials into another section. Whilst being seated on wooden hospital type benches, each Hajji is given a card to fill in general arrival information. An official checks this card and adds some information on it also. Whilst seated here you can see your women folk and also the normal immigration passport control officers, separated from you by a gate, which is supervised by an official. When the immigration official is free or completed processed a Hajji, the gate supervisor allows one Hajji at a time to proceed.

However, there are many immigration officials, some processing the male passports whilst others the females.

These days due to bar codes, sticker systems and computer technology the procedure is much faster. You will then go to another counter where your passport is checked and then to another counter where your passport is checked and then to another standing official who further checks your passport and then you will be lead through a door for a quick, swift, friendly body search.

Now you will see everyone’s luggage scattered on the floor.

Immediately, locate your luggage and wait for your female companions or if they are before you, they should gather the luggage and wait for you.

These days (+2002) you have the wonderful chance of using the scanning system. So place your luggage for scanning and once the official is happy, he will put a sticker on the bag. Alternatively go to the counter and the officials there will do a random spot check and on satisfaction they will put a sticker on your bags. You must know that every bag, no matter how small it is has to have the sticker to prove it has passed custom check point.

Then one official will check each bag for the sticker and tick it after that the porters will take your luggage- which is loaded on to the trolley – to its respective section of the Hajj terminal. Do not worry, you may get the impression that they are going to run away with your luggage, but they will take it to the area demarcated for your country, in the Tent Hajj Terminal.

Remember you are not the only one going for Hajj and Hujjaaj are not only coming from your country. For organisation and control purposes each country has its own location, co-ordination area, grouping spot in the Tent Hajj Terminal.

South Africa’s gathering spot is to the furthest last right spot when one is exiting from customs into the Tent City.

Once you have passed customs and come out of the concrete building into the Tent City, the United Arab Agency Officials are waiting to take your “Tanazul” draft and process it. This, depending on the crowd can take some time and sweat. Remember, full charge for adults and ½ for those under 12. This draft - “Tanazul” is for:- 1.) Your bus transport from Jeddah to Madinah 2.) Your bus transport from Madinah to Makkah 3.) Your bus transport in the 5 days of Hajj 4.) Your bus transport from Makkah to Jeddah Sometimes one does not use bus transport from Jeddah to Madinah, but takes a plane instead, then after Hajj, on return to Jeddah airport a refund is obtained from the United Arab Agency officers present at the airport. This also applies to (4.), if one uses a taxi to reach Jeddah to take your flight home.

Due to bar codes, these days (+2002), the procedure is slightly faster at the point where the “Tanazul” is received. However, know you have also paid for your air-conditioned tents in Mina and tents in Arafaat. Be cautious, your agent must not re-charge you for so called upgraded air-conditioned transport on any journey, whether it is from Jeddah to Madinah, Madinah to Makkah or Makkah to Jeddah. If he does so, report him.

Now you are in the Tent City, enough food and drinks of your choice is available. Adequate toilet and wudhu facilities are present and sufficient arrangements have been made for Salaat. There is even a Masjid, near South Africa’s located spot.

You have 2 choices:-.

1.) Adorn ihram and go to Makkah.

2.) Go to Madinah.

To go to Makkah, one has to go by bus.

To go to Madinah one has 2 choices:- 1.) To go by bus which most people (Hujjaj) use or.

2.) To go by air.

To go by air the procedure is, firstly change currency into Riyals, then go to the Saudi Airlines and purchase a ticket to Madinah.

Average price is around 210 Saudi Riyals, half price for children.

They would want you to bring your luggage in front of their offices, approximately 3 hours before the flight.

If you are successful in flying, then on reaching Madinah, you will be given a slip of paper at the terminal, which denotes where your passport is, in which office in Madinah, because the passport was taken away before you boarded the plane for Madinah.

From Madinah airport to your Hotel etc, you will have to hire a taxi at a negotiated price, ranging from 100 to 200 Riyals per taxi.

However, if you are in a group of 45 plus then the Hajj Agency of Madinah which is called Adila, upon prior notification will send a bus to the airport, to bring your group to Madinah City, each Hajji paying SR 10. The bus will make one stop at the Adila then straight to your place of residence in Madinah.

However, one must inform your agent that you took a flight so that when arrangements are made for you to go by bus to Makkah then prior arrangements have to be made for your passport to move from aviation office to bus office. Even if you are going by air from Jeddah to Madinah then the United Agency Control Centre in your area will put a sticker on the back of your passport and record that you left from Jeddah either by bus or air. If going by bus, handover your passport to United Agency. When there are 40 to 45 ready to leave for Madinah, names are called out as per passport and then together with your luggage on a trolley you will be ushered off to the bus area. Make sure your luggage is loaded via a hyster onto the bus, make sure all your bags are on the bus, otherwise you will go to Madinah and your luggage will feel lonely in Jeddah.

One will generally expect one’s Hajj Agent or his rep or a SAHUC member to be there to aid etc, but do not expect this to happen. If this happens, pray 2 extra Rakaats. Now you are boarding to go to Madinah, get ready for a 6/8/12 hour journey. If you are going to Makkah get ready for a 2/ 3 hour journey. Before the bus journey to either Madinah or Makkah, try to use the bathroom and toilet facilities properly. The toilet facilities en-route to Madinah (2002)

are pathetic. As a rule before journying between Jeddah and Madinah, Madinah and Makkah or 5 Days by bus, drink tea less so that you don’t need to use the toilet en- route. At times you want to go to the toilet but on seeing the condition of the toilet, you change your mind.

Basically there are 3 types of people who wear red scarves:

1.) Students.

2.) Arab nationals.

3.) Arab national or others who use this headgear to denote that they prescribe to Salafiaat (non-conformity to any Madhab of Fiqh).