The Hajj (pilgrimage) experience; personal testimonies

     Open Discussions in association with Gulf Cultural Club

The Hajj (pilgrimage) experience;

 personal testimonies

*Haider Al-Shamary (Strategic Healthcare Innovator)

** Julia Katarina (Founder of Unity Music, author, scholar)

*** Dr Jalal Fairooz (Ex-MP Bahrain, academic)

Monday 2nd June 2025

For the pilgrims who make their way to Mecca every year, Haj is a personal spiritual experience shared with millions of people. It represents submission to Allah, fostering spiritual renewal, unity and personal growth. This sacred journey transforms lives and serves as a reminder of the enduring values that Islam teaches. It is one of the world’s largest gatherings with over 1.83 million pilgrims in 2024. This year between two to three million people are expected to attend. Three pilgrims will share their experiences of the sacred journey as well as shedding light on the concept of Hajj. Are the tenets of Hajj only associated with the performance of rituals? What does showing dissociation with Satan during Hajj imply? In what way should the Hajj experience be translated into our daily lives and communities?

Haider Al-Shamary: In 2014, I wasn’t just standing in front of the Kaaba. I was standing in front of the version of myself I no longer wanted to carry. I was 34. A newly appointed digital transformation consultant. A job with status, influence, and momentum. But on the inside? Quiet disarray. I felt like a passenger in my own life.

So at the Kaaba, I whispered three prayers: a wife for me, a husband for my sister, clarity in my career. Within minutes, during tawaf, I bumped into an elderly woman. She paused and said, “You’re Haider, right? I know your mother.” She introduced me to her niece. Seven months later, I was married.
A year later, my sister got married. I returned to the UK and was promoted multiple times. I led billion-pound health portfolios across GOSH, Moorfields, and the NHS. I became a father of four. I launched a behavioural transformation consultancy.

All of that began with one encounter — and one act of surrender: Labbaik. As we near Ashura, we remember Imam Hussain walking around the Kaaba before walking toward Karbala. His “Labbaik” wasn’t just verbal. It was an existential yes. That’s what Hajj invites. Not tourism. Transformation.

What changed me wasn’t random. It was neurological. Science now confirms: that your brain can physically rewire at any age. It’s called neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to change its structure and function based on what you think, feel, and do repeatedly.

The Qur’an and the Ahlulbayt have been guiding us through neuroplastic rituals for centuries.

Hajj isn’t just a symbol. It’s a system. Every movement, prayer, and silence is divine rewiring in action.

There are Seven Alignments when Neuroplasticity Meets Shi’a Islam

1. Pain as Growth (Tahlīyah & Tazkiyah)

• Definition: Times of hardship force the brain to adapt. This is known as post-traumatic growth — where pain becomes the foundation for renewal.
• Imam Ali : “Do not consider painful experiences as punishment; they may be awakening.”
• Hajj pushes your body and ego — to soften you for growth.
• Imam Hussain left the Kaaba and walked into divine hardship — a model for what pain can reveal. The Outcome was resilience. Peaceful self. True tawakkul.

2. Self-Talk as Identity Rewiring (Murāqabah)

• Definition: Your inner thoughts fire brain pathways. Repeated thoughts build mental habits and shape your self-image.
• Qur’an 13:11 — “Allah will not change a people until they change themselves.”
• At Hajj: You repeat “Labbaik” until you believe it. Outcome: Identity formed through divine remembrance.

3. Voice, Emotion & Memory (Du‘ā & Dhikr)

• Definition: Saying emotional words out loud — especially with rhythm — helps encode those feelings into long-term memory.
• Shi’a traditions like Du‘ā Kumayl, Ziyārat Ashurā, and salawat move emotion into the body.
• And when you say “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad” — and the person beside you omits Aali Muhammad — your heart stings. That sting is neuro-emotional loyalty. Outcome: Emotionally rooted love for the Ahlulbayt. Identity etched by sound.
• 4. Virtue Repetition Builds Neural Habits (Akhlaq)

• Definition: Habits are built through repeated action — your brain becomes better at whatever you do most often.
• Imam Sadiq : “Practice humility until it becomes second nature.”
• Hajj forces patience. Restraint. Generosity. Repetition under pressure = character transformation. Outcome: Habits of the nafs. Akhlaq becomes second nature.

5. Presence & Stillness (Tawajjuh & Khushū‘)

• Definition: The Default Mode Network (DMN) is the part of your brain active during mind-wandering and ego chatter. Sujood quiets this loop, opening peace and presence.
• Hajj: Sujood beneath the stars. Stillness at Arafat.
• Imam Sajjad’s sujood was so long, that people thought he’d passed out. He had — from this world. Outcome: Calm. Clarity. Deeper divine focus.

6. Social Rewiring (Wilayah & Empathy)

• Definition: Human connection boosts oxytocin — the brain’s bonding hormone — building trust and unity.
• Hajj is togetherness. Tears. Movement. Salawat.
• The grief of Imam Hussain is shared through neural and spiritual resonance — we cry not just for him, but through him. Outcome: Community identity. Emotional safety. Loyalty to divine lineage.

7. Narrative & Meaning (Qasas & ‘Ibrah)

• Definition: The brain encodes memory through meaning. Stories shape how we understand events and what we believe about suffering. At Hajj, you reenact stories — Ibrahim’s knife, Hajrah’s run, Hussain’s final tawaf. Outcome: Pain repurposed. Legacy ignited. Destiny owned

Four systems of transformation: tools from the Hajj:

System 1: The Fajr Reset

Definition: Morning light boosts serotonin — the brain’s chemical for focus and peace — and helps reset your internal clock. Tool: Fajr prayer + light exposure walk + “I am someone who…” Outcome: Clarity. Mood balance. Daily rhythm.

System 2: The Sujood Reset

• Definition: Sujood silences the DMN — ego noise — allowing deeper awareness and submission. Tool: Hold sujood. Whisper: “What must die in me today?” Outcome: Ego dissolution. Calm. Realignment.

System 3: The 40-Day Identity Loop

• Definition: Myelin — insulation for brain circuits — forms after 40 days of repetition, making habits automatic. Tool: 1 habit to break, 1 to build. Anchor to Qur’anic trait. Outcome: Durable neural change. Spiritual identity coding.

System 4: The Dhikr Filter

Definition: The Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters what your brain pays attention to. Repeated words shift your focus. Tool: Match emotion to divine name (e.g. anger → Ya Sabur) and repeat it 10x. Outcome: Emotional control. Divine attention filter.

Surah At-Tahreem — The 254-Day Habit Protocol

University College London (UCL) found complex habits can take up to 254 days to form. Surah 66 (At-Tahreem) has… 254 words. Prophet Muhammad (s): “Whoever recites Surah At-Tahreem will be guided to sincere repentance — tawba nasūh.” Tool: Pick one verse. Repeat it daily for 254 days. Outcome: Deep behavioural rewiring through divine language.

 Tawba: The Golden Thread

Tawba is not just a spiritual concept. It’s a neurological tool. A daily reset.

Surah Nuh (71:11): “Ask forgiveness. He will send rain. Increase wealth. Strengthen children.”

Imam Ali (a) was once approached by three men — one infertile, one poor, one suffering drought. He told all of them: “Make tawba.” Why? Because repentance realigns the soul, mind, and body.

Qur’an 25:70: “Allah will replace their sins with good deeds.”

That’s not just mercy. That’s transformation. Outcome: Sin reframed as seed. Shame recycled into strength.

Final Activation: The Arafat Mirror Challenge

Stick this to your mirror. Begin today:

• ✨ 3 Duas
• 🔥 3 Traits to Release
• 🌱 3 Habits to Grow
• 📖 1 Verse to Repeat Daily

Start with 40 days. Build toward 254. No marble. No plane ticket. Just sincerity and repetition.

Let me leave you with this:

• Hajj is not just a destination. It’s a direction.
• Neuroplasticity proves your brain can change.
• Tawba proves your soul can transform.
• Imam Hussain proved that transformation requires sacrifice.

You’re not stuck. Not broken. It’s not too late.

You are rewritable. Labbaik — with your identity, your story, and your every breath.

Julia Katarina: Thanks very much, and thank you for mentioning Palestine, a lot. I would also like to mention Sudan. My colleagues have covered the psychology angle, and a lot of the spiritual elements, so I am not going to talk about the spiritual side, or we’ll be here all night! So I am going to tell you a story about my somewhat unorthodox Hajj style, especially for Dr Saeed. Someone asked me if I thought my Hajj would be accepted if I didn’t pay the Saudi government loads of money for a Hajj visa. I said, Actually, it is more likely that it will because, on a matter of principle, I think we probably should not pay the Saudi government anything at all if we can possibly avoid it. Not being able to afford to do it the normal way, ie going with a guided group, being somewhere between 12 grand and upwards, my friend, Fatima Zahra and I met in Masjid al-Aqsa just a few months before doing Ramadan, 2023, when the Israelis were beating people up in the mosque, we decided to go on the Hajj anyway. We went under the radar on tourist visas.

We were planning to fly to Jeddah via Milano. We stayed the night in the beautiful mountains and changed airports and when we tried to board the second flight, the flight to Jeddah, we were informed that we did not have the correct visa, because it was Hajj season! So we went to the cafe in the airport and Fatima Zahra booked new flights from Rome to Riyadh. This gave us the opportunity to make an impromptu pilgrimage to Rome. Two pilgrimages for the price of one, which was not very much. I think we did the whole thing for about 1200 pounds, basically just expenses and not very high ones at that. So highly recommended to anyone who can. It seems millions of people do that every year and half of Africa and Asia would probably not be able to Hajj if they did not do it that way.

But unfortunately the high casualties of last season, due to the extreme heat, were mostly those people. So we did Rome in a day. Lucky Zahra had been there before, and so she gave me a whirlwind tour of the holy city of Rome. We went to visit Vatican City. We did not go into St Peter’s because we did not have time to queue, but I did some impromptu whirling by the Colosseum.

Then we ended up in Riyadh, which is a strange, sprawling city place, and stayed a night and then got an internal flight to Jeddah, and managed to, at the last minute, book train tickets in the evening. Suddenly, there we were in front of the Haram, and we could not quite believe it. We had no idea what was going to happen. Had we been caught, we could have been arrested, even imprisoned. So it was a bit of a high risk strategy. After doing our first Omra in the middle of the night – I literally sprinted between Safa and Marwa to finish in time for Fajr. We had lost each other in the first or second Tawwaf (circumambulation). I managed to get in line from Safa and Marwa without being chucked out of the mosque and having to go in again, by saying that my friend is inside and we have to reconvene, which we did not do until after ṣalah (Prayer).

As the sun was rising, we were taken to this hotel in Azizia, full of illegal Egyptians, who had also come early. I realized there were literally thousands of people from Egypt, other African countries, and from Asia in these hotels, on the outskirts of Mecca, who are all there under the radar. So I did not feel so bad. Surely the Saudi authorities know about this anyway. The Hajj visa is prohibitively expensive, as are many of the tours, and that seems to be the way a large percentage of hajis go, which is quite encouraging, but not everyone pays quite that much money to the Saudis. So Fatima Zahra was trying to organise how we were going to get to Mina and where we were going to stay. Luckily, her father-in-law runs to a company, and we ended up in one of the posher camps, and luckily, our Egyptian friends did not suffer that kind of faith that some of their compatriots did last year, because obviously we would have felt terrible being in a nice camp with a sprinkler system and astroturf while they were baking in inadequate accommodation. Some of them sleep in the buses so, as you can imagine, it is a disaster when the heat gets into the 50s. It is highly dangerous, obviously, for people in that situation. Although some people see it as a blessing and a mercy to die on Hajj, most have families and friends keenly awaiting their return home.

One of the most surprising events for me was the Day of Arafat. We did not get anywhere near the mountain. We were on the plane, in cordoned off, carpeted areas with a few small trees and plastic tarpaulin tents which people would sit in all day and roast, the logic of which I failed to understand. So I wandered around and sat under a small tree and read Duʿa Jawshan Kabir and Duʿa ʿArafa. I joined some of my fellow Hajjis on a raised platform during ʿAsr (afternoon prayer) time, when the edge was slightly off the heat, which was well into the 40s, which I love. And I stood there staring at the sinking sun reading Du’a Arafa,which absolutely burned me down. I just could not believe what I was reading. I was previously unfamiliar with the Du’a before that. This was really my first introduction to Duʿa ʿArafa. So you can imagine, it was a pretty intense experience. And then we were herded back onto this bus to go to Muzdelifa, which was my least favourite place. That was really the most challenging part of the whole process.

Fatima Zahra tried to find plastic bags to pick up rubbish. We put down our few belongings next to a group of women, and then suddenly we were surrounded by men, it was very mixed and very uncomfortable. The place was what I can only describe as a car park with the light from the enormous clocktower visible over that rocky hill, indicating the Qibla (direction of prayer), which may be it’s best and most useful aspect.So I turned into a bit of a princess, saying, “Do you honestly expect me to sleep in a car park next to a bunch of men?” I literally texted my Shaykh from the Hawza and asked, “Is this normal? If I was with Imamis, would this be happening?” He said, “It’s Hajj, deal with it! Try to spend the night as modestly as possible.” So we went to clean the ladies’ lavatories, which was really no mean feat, because they were disgusting! And Fatima Zahra, bless her, Masha Allah, she has this thing about cleaning. She goes into this kind of overdrive, and she had a bottle of bleach and was literally hosing the place down. It was amazing. My job was to try to stop the women coming into the facilities while she was cleaning the floor, which really did not work at all. I basically got charged by a crowd of desperate women! I tried the roller shutter and they raised it again. And I thought, “Oh, no, have I ruined my Hajj trying to clean an unkeenable toilet that is only going to get dirty again?” And I went outside, and sat on the steps and I cried.

A lovely Ghanaian woman approached me, it turned out she was from Bristol, and she asked me what was wrong. So I explained the situation, and she simply said to me, “”We’re human.” So I thought, “Okay, you mean, you can get angry, even in the eḥram (a state of purification), even on Hajj, and it will not necessarily jeopardise your entire Hajj, because we are human?” I suppose that made me realise actually that Allah really is the Most Compassionate and All Merciful and if we make Tawba (repent), we get away with pretty much anything, even in that situation. There were other incidents. One was the demon stoning Jamarat, which is actually one of my favourites. And I completely messed it up. I got it all wrong. But what I got right, in my humble opinion, was that I worked out exactly which demons I was chucking stones at, because my Shaykh told me that it is reenacting Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham AS) stoning of his internal demons or of his nafs (ego). So I thought about the significance and symbolism of each stone to be thrown, one to seven which, in the small, medium and large Jamarat, of my kind of lower ego qualities am I trying to get rid of here? Arrogance, impatience, self importance, vanity etc.

Then what happened was, I picked up one of my stones, and calmly contemplate the negative quality I was trying to stone out of myself and then, I do not know where this came from but, an almighty, great “Allahu Akbar” came out of me and I lobbed the rock, making sure it was not going to ricochet and hit anyone, of course. It was very cathartic. I still do not know where this voice came from, but it was almost as jihadi style war cry when I threw the rocks. Most people manage to do it in much more sedate fashion, but for me, it brought out all the demons. Then I got a call from Ayatollah Ali Al-Hakim asking me if I would speak on some online programme. So I agreed and said, “While you are on the phone, I am on Hajj and am just not sure if I am doing it right. I wonder if you could tell me. I was doing one post one day and another one the next, followed by the third.” He said, “No, you have got to do all three every day, if you are saying an extra day, you can do all three and repeat the sequence three times with the intention of covering all the three days.”

So we stayed a fourth day and, having done one a day, I then did the whole lot in one go. So you can imagine, this place, that I can only describe as a multistory car park, was filled with the echoing sounds of my mighty, great jihadi “Allahu Akbar” very many times that day. I did try to make notes of what exactly were these lower ego qualities that I was throwing rocks at, and as I was leaving the place with Fatima and saying, “Right, well, that’s it. I’ve done that. Got rid of all of those.” She then pointed out three mistakes that I made in the short time it took us to leave the building. So I might have to do it again. May have to go back, inshAllah. Obviously, I was wondering if my Hajj was going to be accepted, having made so many mistakes, so I asked Allah to give me a sign. If my Hajj can be accepted despite all my errors and really not knowing what I’m doing, not being with a group and getting the correct guidance, which is the best thing about going to the group. So I said, “If it is accepted, then please let me touch the Yemeni Corner.”

Of course, it was quite busy, so the chances of that were very, very slim. Nevertheless, I managed to touch it, easily, in Tawwaf, three times, even with all these guys milling around the place. Without pushing I was just moved by the crowd to the corner. Then I said, just to be sure, “Can I touch the black stone?” This was a really cheeky request, I thought, but I managed to touch the black stone. I did have to actually climb on the Kaaba, as you see men doing, and I actually had a face off with the security guard there, who was rather surprised to see me. Not only that, but I had a water pistol, and I sprayed him with it, because I thought he would appreciate it, because it was a really hot day, but he really did not. So I had to apologise profusely to him afterwards. They are very sweet people, actually the Saudis, and he did soften. There was a big military presence, armed only with water pistols. That’s the kind of army I can get on with.

The next challenge was praying two cycles of prayer behind the Maqam (standing place) of Ibrahim. I then started to ‘overfunction’, trying to project people’s mehrab (prayer space) as they were praying because they were getting trampled. Especially the women Hajjat, I was trying to get people to go round them instead of stepping over them. And this guy, who was seemingly local, took exception to that, and we had an argument in front of everyone. And he was saying, “I’m a man, you are a woman (ḥorma). You have to respect me.” I said, “”Okay, I get that. Do you not have to respect me?” And he said, “You have to respect me first” And I looked around for backup and got none. I thought, “So I’ve argued with someone in eḥram (state of purity),highly problematic.” It stood there staring at the Kaaba, tears streaming down my face, feeling I may have ruined my Hajj trying to perform another futile task, even if it was a vain attempt at protection, and just then a young man walked towards me out of the crowds and asked if I was alright. Again, I explained what had happened and he explained that accepting people as they are, with their cultural differences, and various levels of education and communication styles, is also part of the path. As he left the Grand Mosque I sensed that he had brought some form of Guidance from the Imam of our time and was filled with gratitude.

And so I requested a visit to general Noor to confirm that my Hajj had indeed been accepted and saw the sunrise and the view of the Kaaba from the cave of Hira, which is now very different from what it would have looked like in the time of the Prophet PBuh. Then, of course, I had a message from my Shaykh saying, “So, have you visited the Prophet? Have you gone to Medina?” We were going to go on the way, but were delayed by the detour and did not want to get caught at the beginning of Dhul Hijjah (the month of Hajj), so we went straight to Mecca. He said, “”You are doing Hajj, and you are not going to visit the Prophet?” I said, “No, of course I am going to visit him.” So I changed my flight and rerouted, and here I am sitting with my Sudani sisters in Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, Alhamdulillah, and that was the happy ending of my Hajj story. Thank you for listening.

Dr Jalal Fairooz: Haj is an epic spiritual migration — the fifth pillar of Islam, a divine invitation to Mecca during Dhul Hijjah which unites millions through the same rituals, the same attire and the same purpose.

It is so important as it is commanded in the Qur’an (3:97) as a sacred duty to God which breaks all barriers or race, language, class and nationality. It is a symbol of universal equality and divine obedience.

Malcolm X said: “We were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans… We were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood.” Karen Armstrong, a British scholar & author described “The Hajj as a living symbol of what religion can be at its best: a way to transcend the narrow concerns of the self and connect with a wider community of spiritual seekers across boundaries of race, nation, and class.”

King Charles said: “The spiritual dimension of Islam is deeply attractive… Nowhere is the message of equality before God more powerfully demonstrated than during the Hajj.”

The Dalai Lama, Spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism said: “I am keen to make a pilgrimage to Makkah as part of my efforts towards religious harmony… I am really eager to go to Makkah as a pilgrim.”

Michael Wolfe, the American poet and writer said: “The walk around the Ka’ba—the black stone block in the great mosque—is an expression of our desire to put God at the center of our lives.”

The Deeper Purpose of Hajj is to cleanses the soul. It honors the legacy of Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael and strips away ego, wealth, and pride — only humanity remains.

As a result of the Hajj the Pilgrim returns — not the same person, but renewed. The experience instills discipline, resilience, and compassion and builds a sense of belonging to a global spiritual family.

The Hajj has a great impact on society. It is a yearly summit of peace, justice, and unity where ideas are exchanged and heart connect across continents. Hajj alumni become moral beacons in their communities.

Hajj is more than a ritual — it is a revolution of the heart which fuses the past, present, and future in a sacred action. It is a timeless reminder that we are one before God.

The organizers of Open Discussions invited Abdelkader Harkassi the project manager of the Hajj on Horseback project, where he and two other Spanish Muslims travelled from Spain to Saudi Arabia for Hajj—completing the journey entirely on horseback. Harkassi was scheduled to address the meeting from Saudi Arabia but could not get an internet connection.

In an article A spiritual journey from Spain to Mecca: Meet the Muslims reviving the historic Andalusian route to Hajj on horseback the New Arab quoted Harkassi as saying:” We started to train every year, with long sessions of two weeks both in the summer and winter, crossing Spain from east to west, from south to north, across Portugal.”

The pilgrims aimed to show the world that Spanish Muslims still exist with hopes of being able to unite the Muslim world under a practice that once connected people through a shared journey.

*Haider Al-Shamary is a British-Iraqi strategic health consultant, digital health entrepreneur, and mentor in prophetic self-development whose work spans some of the most complex health ecosystems in the UK and the Middle East. With over 17 years of experience across NHS systems, private ventures, and international public health initiatives, Haider blends deep clinical insight with cutting-edge behavioural science—anchored in the timeless teachings of Prophet Muhammad and Ahlulbayt. Educated at King’s College London and clinically trained at Guy’s and St. Thomas’, Hospitals Haider began his career as a pharmacist before rising to lead transformation across a £1bn+ NHS health economy.

 **Julia Katarina (aka Aaisha Zahra Karima) MSc MA is a classically trained mezzo-soprano and multi-instrumentalist who taught at music schools in Palestine from 2008-12, where she embraced Islam in Masjid al-Aqsa in Spring 2009. She completed her MSc in the Psychology of Music at Roehampton University in 2014, founded UnityMusic in 2016, working with refugee and diaspora communities internationally. She completed her MA in Islamic Law in 2022, researching music and singing in Islamic Jurisprudence. Julia now studies at an Islamic seminary and is completing a book on Abdullah Ansari’s Manazil and working on an autobiographical book on the spiritual path.

 Dr Jalal Fairooz is a former member of parliament in Bahrain. He has a PhD in Islamic thought from the International University of Islamic Sciences in London and has lectured in Islamic Studies and Humanities & Social Sciences at various universities and institutes. He is the Chairman of the Middle East Strategic & Consultative Centre and a member of various institutions. Jalal is also the author of several books, including “The Quranic Theory of Crisis Management”, “The Engineering Disciplines and Roads to it”, “The Biography of Husseiniyas”, “and “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in the Light of Islam.”