A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Hajj

It’s that time of year again: Hajj time - not to be confused with Hammertime or  Kajagoogoo.

In case you don’t know, the Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim is expected to do at least once in one’s lifetime if they are physically and financially able. Think of it as the Islamic equivalent of the annual firemen’s carnival or church picnic just on a much grander scale!

After all, they do share some similar activities like wandering around aimlessly buying stuff you don’t need (like another evil eye!) and eating deep fried hummus just to see what it tastes like even if it sounds gross. You know it’ll make you sick but you eat it anyway because, hey, it’s not the Hajj every day! But, instead of the traditional church picnic game, duck hunt, the Hajj features the Stoning of the Devil game. But, I don’t think you win your choice of oversized stuffed camel if you successfully nail each of the 3 walls with 7 pebbles so really what is the point?

I never thought I’d EVER have cause to utter this sentence since I never thought I’d know a real live Hajj pilgrim, let alone pilgrims, but, alas: "I know this family going to the Hajj." Life has a way of surprising us, now doesn’t it? It’s given me a rather amusing Hajj story I’ll call: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Hajj. Listen closely and see if you catch the irony.

So, I know this family going to the Hajj. They flew from the U.S. to Bahrain and then drove something like 10+ hours to the Saudi Arabian border. They were denied entry because their visas specified they would arrive via air, not land. Apparently, the Saudis are sticklers for transport method, didn’t care if they knew Allah, and refused them entry to the holy kingdom.

I imagine they felt much like the Griswolds who endured a cross-country pilgrimage only to find dream destination Walley World closed for repairs and maintenance. The only difference is that this family received the crushing news from a bearded, kufiya-wearing Saudi immigration control dude rather than an automated clown. Oh, wait, maybe not all that different.

But, alas, our persevering pilgrims didn’t shove a fake BB gun in Saudi dude’s face(John Candy’s character in the film) but instead probably interpreted it as Allah’s will and/or Allah testing their faith. So, they did what ever good pilgrim would do. They drove ALL the way back to Bahrain and found some overpriced flights to take them to Allah World. The end.

I guess I’m tickled with the irony of holy pilgrims being denied entry to the nation hosting Allah’s biggest show on earth.

Hajj about that? That Allah has one FAK of a sense of humor!