Climbing Mount Everest

Previously on Climbing Mount Everest

We would wake up everyday at 6 am and start trekking by 7:30. Some days would be really long and we wouldn’t get to the next lodge until 5 or 6pm, meaning we would be climbing for some 11 hours a day. I wouldn’t have imagined it but all of a sudden I was in bed by 9pm on most nights because of the early start and the long days we had ahead of us. This was definitely a point of reflection for myself. Back in the UK I genuinely found it difficult to wake up early but it was usually because I slept so late. There in the mountains, I really began to see the barakah of starting the day early and making the most out of it. We would leave just after fajr time, which proved to be a great time for some early morning adkhar and reflection. Seeing the sun rise high above the lofty mountains made it easy to focus on Allah’s wonderful creations; these were the most perfect moments, and it is these times that I miss the most. But that reflection period would be of no use unless I could go from strength to strength when I got back.

As there were 13 of us, we would often split into different groups. Sometimes we would walk in a group and have the odd banter or two, and other times everyone would be in their own zone, using the time to take in the breathtaking views. There were times were I would rush ahead of the group, sit on rock and just zone out for a few minutes. It was a great purification moment and it really did connect one’s heart back with its Creator. The story of Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah comes to mind of when his student Shaikh Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah used to ask him, “Why do you go to the outskirts of Damascus every morning and just sit there?” His reply was that he used to remember Allah and do his Dhikr and that every morning this was like his breakfast. If he didn’t do it, he wouldn’t have the energy throughout the day; just like breakfast was his physical nourishment, dhikr was his spiritual nourishment. I remembered this as much as I could throughout the journey, as we had long physical days and I wanted the maximum energy within me. When remembering Allah and reciting His name, the thought of the mountains and trees testifying on that Day to Allah when they hear His servant mentioning His name was one thing that kept me going. Just to imagine that day when we would meet Allah and that these very mountains would be a proof for us made us all increase in His remembrance.

As we got further to the top, the difficulty level increased. With really low altitude and the increasing cold many of us were suffering from altitude sickness, hallucinations, diarrhoea, really bad headaches, and more. We were at 50% lower oxygen levels than on normal ground so that obviously was going to take its toll. The day we were going to hit Everest base camp was the coldest of the whole journey. Being 18,000 feet in the air, there were grey clouds all around us and with the wind chill we were hitting -20 degrees. To put it into perspective of how difficult it got at times, I would take ten steps up in this altitude and it was like I had just played a full 90-minute football match.

To be continued...