Assalaamualaikum. Some useful advice for all those who want to know about the real essence, reason and meaning of hajj from an article that i read:

Hajj is a very emotional experience and it has a very emotional history. Hajj revolves around the life story of Ibraheem AS and his family who gave a whole new dimension to emotions like love, devotion, and sacrifice. In this section of the article, I will try to give you an overview of the steps of Hajj and will try to make them personal to you; something that we can all relate to and hopefully internalize InshaAllah.


Hajj is supposed to be a journey
full of promises, sacrifices, obedience, love and devotion
from the slave to His master—Allah SWT.



From the inception of the journey, a pilgrim starts to recite talbiyah which is the declaration of slave’s love and obedience to His Lord and affirms his commitment to serve Him.



‘Here I am O Allaah, (in response to Your call), here I am.
Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.
Verily all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.’



These words are to be uttered in the same manner that expressions of devotion and promises are uttered by a lover to his beloved.


The constant recitation of talbiyah helps you to...
remain focused on the service ...
you are supposed to be providing to Allah SWT
instead of what your travel agent is providing you.



If you are busy with the package Allah SWT has promised you instead of the travel agent, you will be unable to stop thanking Him SWT. From the moment of welcome to the farewell, this package contains all that is great; it offers deals such as mercy and ultimate forgiveness.


The moment your eyes touch the Ka’ba,
your du’a is accepted.
That is the welcome from Akram-ul-Akrameen—
the owner of generosity!




There are many beautiful supplications for this time though the best of the prayer is what comes from the heart with humility and unshakable conviction. Some of the prayers that one can make at this time are:



"Our Lord! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter,
and save us from the chastisement of the fire."
(2:201)

O Allah, make this a blessed Hajj,
with sins forgiven and effort that is accepted.



Another beautiful du’a that one of our pious predecessors advised his son to make is:


Oh Allah give me the happiness of this life and the hereafter
and take care of all my affairs in this life and the hereafter.



An extract from the article: A Guide on How to Perform Hajj By Da’ee Ahmed Moait. This is an extract of an article called 'A Guide on How to Perform Hajj' by Da'ee Ahmed Moait