My Haj Diary: From 3hr trek to sleeping under the stars, how I spent Eid Al Adha

Wishing everyone an Eid Mubarak from the holy city of Makkah. As a Hajj pilgrim, there is no Eid for me or the rest of the more than 2 million people here as we are still in the middle of our pilgrimage. However, there was a festive mood in the air. We even had mutton pulao and samosas at our Mina tents for lunch!

The overriding emotion everywhere, however, was of sheer exhaustion. After standing the entire day in Arafat praying to God, the Hajjis and Hajjas went to Muzdalifah to spend the night there. While several travelled on buses, many like me made the 7km trek on foot. Whichever method they chose, it takes the pilgrims at least 3 hours to cover the distance because of the crowds and traffic.

The walk and the stay in Muzdalifah were a once-in a lifetime experience for me. Water mist poles lined the entire road from Arafat to Muzdalifah on either side, providing welcome relief from the heat. There were water coolers and toilets every 1km or so. Large container trucks parked on the roadside distributed food packs and water at regular intervals. With the number of people making the trek, it was easy to get lost so people often moved as large groups. The road was closed to traffic and was only meant for pilgrims.

Once in Muzdalifah, it was hard to find an empty spot for us to sleep. Imagine that! An entire town with no vehicles and people are free to sleep anywhere, yet it was hard for us to find a spot to sleep. By this point we had been awake for almost 24 hours, and we were ready to sleep standing up, if required. But luckily, we found some places on a footpath outside a large toilet and settled down. We unrolled our mats, sleeping bags and in some cases just a bedsheet and settled down for the night, surrounded by strangers. It was a clear night and the stars shone bright. I fell asleep the minute my head hit the mat.

When I woke up two hours later, swarms of people were still flowing through Muzdalifah. Although the Sunnah is to stay overnight at the place, a concession has been given to women, the weak and their companions to leave during the later part of the night. We remembered to collect pebbles from Muzdalifah to perform the stoning of pillars at the Jamaraat. A compulsory ritual of Hajj, the stoning is a symbolic way for Muslims to reject temptation and affirm their faith in Allah.

After our Fajr (early morning) prayers, we rolled up our mats and started walking back to Mina — a distance of about 6km. Everyone was tired and exhausted and there were moments when I was tempted to curl up on the sidewalk and sleep. However, we all powered through.

On the way, the Saudi police and army personnel worked hard to divert the flow of people to ensure that everyone remained safe.

• My Haj Diary: I have never experienced or witnessed anything like Arafat in my life