Azizyah apartments during hajj and other questions

[jimbo123]

I've not been Hajj and my geography is not very good but can someone please explain to me how Azizyah apartments work in the grand scheme of things for Hajj? From my understanding you spend days in Makkah, Medinah, Mina (stoning) and Arafat. I'm assuming there is a big distance between all of these places. So where does Azizyah fit in all of this?

Secondly, is it a good thing to stay there or a bad thing? I saw one package which boasts "No Azizyah apartments" and instead you stay in a 3 star hotel in Madinah close to Masjid and 3 star hotel in Makkah close to Haram.

[Ramadhan]

If you have money, get the package where you will be staying in hotels close to masjid nabawwi and haram. Hajj this year will be getting into the summer season, and it will be quite hot. You don't want to spend hours on the bus or taxi or walk (the streets will be crowded with pedestrians) in the heat going back and forth between your apartment and masjid. Hajj is physically very tiring, and you would wanna spend as much time in the masjid than on the streets.

But before you get a package, you need to also check (google it or googlemaps it) the location of the hotels. In my opinion, the best area is near zam zam hotel, hilton and intercontinental, because it is the closest to reach the tawaf area/ka'bah.

[Insaanah]

From my understanding you spend days in Makkah, Medinah, Mina (stoning) and Arafat.

Makkah, Mina and Arafat are part of Hajj, but Madinah isn't. But we do visit Madinah of course.

So where does Azizyah fit in all of this?

Islamically, from a Hajj rites point of view, it doesn't.

is it a good thing to stay there or a bad thing?

Depends on which way you look at it. Hajj agents often have a stay in Aziziyah just before or after hajj as part of their package. This is because in the days immediately before and after hajj, Makkah hotel prices skyrocket. Having a stay in Aziziyah means they can reduce their costs. But, for you, it means you're away from the haram sharif. I think some companies do shuttle buses from there for salaat times to the mosque, but traffic in hajj days is really packed, so it may take ages (and I mean literally ages) to get to the masjid. However if you're on a budget, you may decide that a package with an Aziziyah stay is more affordable for you. It depends on your situation. If you can afford a package without, it would be best to go for that, preferably with hotels close to both masjids in Makkah and Madinah.

[jimbo123]

It's actually interesting Insaanah because there is a standard package and a deluxe package. The standard package is "No Azizyah" and the deluxe package is Azizyah but you stay in 5 star hotels.

I had a look at the hotels (3 star/standard package) and they are all 150 metres/4 minutes walk from Haram.

[Ramadhan]

You can also choose packages where it offers stay in madinah right after hajj and then get you back to makkah after a week, that way circumventing the incredibly expensive hotel rates in Makkah during those week, but still afford you to get as many rewards as possible by doing ibada in masjid nabawwi. In my personal opinion, it is better to have much more time in masjid nabawwi, than stuck in the streets of makkah during those week.

[S_87]

if u can stay near the haram dont stay in aziziyyah. commuting at peak times is gonna be a sucker, if you can avoid that then do so
which hotels were there? maybe someone here knows the hotel/if its decent etc

[jimbo123]

3* Hotels in Makkah:
Al Bustan Rawabi Makkah
Deyafut Kamil
Wardat Kamil
Al Meysal Eiman Inn

3* Hotels in Madinah:
Mubarak Al Salam
Al Ishraq
Taj Kartaj Hotel

[jimbo123]

Did anyone have any sleeping issues during Hajj?

For instance, someone told me that to get a good place in the Harram for prayers you need to be really early. If you do this 5 times a day and pray Tahajjud, would you get much sleep? When is the best time to sleep? I hope this doesn't make me sound too lazy it's just that if I don't get 6 hours (minimum) a day sleep I go a bit doo-lally.

[S_87]

Did anyone have any sleeping issues during Hajj?

For instance, someone told me that to get a good place in the Harram for prayers you need to be really early. If you do this 5 times a day and pray Tahajjud, would you get much sleep? When is the best time to sleep? I hope this doesn't make me sound too lazy it's just that if I don't get 6 hours (minimum) a day sleep I go a bit doo-lally.

Ive always found fajr to be the most busy and hardest to get a place close to the adhan.
For men its much easier ofcourse as they they try to control women going forward close to adhan time but not the men.
after fajr is a good time to sleep, you get a good few hours before dhuhr, after dhuhr for an hour snooze if youre sleepy. and even after isha for a couple of hours

the thing with staying in aziziyyah is you cant come back and forth from the hotel

[jimbo123]

Ive always found fajr to be the most busy and hardest to get a place close to the adhan.
For men its much easier ofcourse as they they try to control women going forward close to adhan time but not the men.
after fajr is a good time to sleep, you get a good few hours before dhuhr, after dhuhr for an hour snooze if youre sleepy. and even after isha for a couple of hours

the thing with staying in aziziyyah is you cant come back and forth from the hotel

Cool, lots of random power naps.