LONDON: A British Muslim who supposed to carry out Hajj this 12 months has been utilizing Twitter to encourage pilgrims and assist those that have nervousness issues.
Layla Begum Ali, a NHS enterprise planning supervisor and coach, began studying about the best way to carry out Hajj in Ramadan this 12 months in preparation for the pilgrimage that Muslims should carry out at the very least as soon as throughout their lifetime if they will.
Ali advised Arab News that she began posting sensible Hajj tips and any new data she had discovered about the best way to carry out rituals and the historical past behind them on Twitter as a approach of educating aspiring pilgrims and sharing her newly gained information.
The response was overwhelming and he or she gained a big following on Twitter by individuals who discovered her tips motivational and provoking.
Once Saudi Arabia introduced that Hajj can be open to at least one million international pilgrims in April, Ali determined that she would take an “organized, productive and proactive” method to getting ready for the pilgrimage.
“I used to be listening to spiritual students or simply Googling YouTube movies about Hajj rituals every single day, getting ready myself for Hajj.
“I began shopping for my Hajj outfits, booked my (meningitis) vaccination, and adopted the steering that was issued by Saudi Arabia. And that’s when my Hajj tweets began changing into widespread.
“I didn’t notice simply how a lot I didn’t know. I spotted then that I wanted to take accountability and study in regards to the various kinds of Hajj, the principles, and the historical past. I examine how the Prophet Muhammad carried out his Hajj and the extra I discovered, the extra I tweeted.
“Very quickly people were tagging me, commenting on my tweets, or complimenting me on my knowledge. That’s how it started — I was just sharing what I was learning as I went along,” Ali explains.
She stated that she condensed the knowledge she had discovered to suit the 280 character restrict for every tweet and used bullet factors to spotlight key factors.
“I tried to be as simple and efficient as possible with the bullet points and made them catchy,” Ali stated.
Ali stated that she shares tips on wide-ranging Hajj associated points — from how British pilgrims can address the stifling warmth within the Kingdom right now of 12 months (at the very least 40 levels) to the significance of shopping for a Saudi sim card on arrival, and the spiritual significance of Zamzam water.
“It became a passion. Every day I was learning, I was tweeting,” Ali stated.
She added that individuals began asking her about points that they had been scuffling with, reminiscent of the best way to take care of claustrophobia and different nervousness issues throughout Hajj.
As somebody who has suffered from nervousness previously and has discovered the best way to take care of it, Ali says that she loves serving to folks face their fears.
She has huge expertise of helping her local people, having labored within the housing sector, with youth, folks with particular wants, the aged, those that have psychological points, and people in care.
“I feel I’m very drawn to people who find themselves susceptible, need assistance, have points, and who will not be actually assured. I like teaching and serving to folks. And I feel I used to be managing folks’s anxieties with out realizing it.
“And when folks would say ‘I’m going to Hajj however I’ve claustrophobia,’ I’d discuss them by way of how they may handle it.
“So I used to be really teaching folks publicly, with out realizing it. And folks began warming to me and giving me suggestions about how the tips had been serving to.
“I found myself being of benefit to people who I was teaching or coaching,” Ali stated.
The supervisor stated that she has discovered a brand new social neighborhood within the individuals who she interacts with on Twitter.
“We all had a common goal to go to Hajj this year, and fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam. That was a nice feeling and I felt like I was part of this pilgrim community,” Ali stated.
Although she had utilized to carry out Hajj this 12 months and was chosen from candidates to a brand new draw system that British pilgrims are utilizing for the primary time, Ali is not going to be performing the pilgrimage because the period and the dates of the bundle provided didn’t go well with her commitments.
However, she seems ahead to performing Hajj subsequent 12 months. She stated: “I haven’t stopped thinking about Hajj, it’s still on my mind. I feel like I’ve just started my journey with the intention to go, and learning about it all. I feel like I will be going to Hajj next year and will be applying next year.”
“I want to go to Hajj and thank God for the countless beautiful things that he has given me.”