Our Umrah Journey

End of the Journey

2009-12-31T15:10:00.000+04:00

I havent written since quite a while. Just got caught up in the business of living, day to day. There isnt much to say, after all that. We spent the last 2 days at peace in Makkah, drove back to Jeddah and took our flight back home. The most poignant moment for me, was Tawaf-e-Wida - the last tawaf I did before leaving the bounds of the Haram. I can only compare it to feelings I have when I am on leave, visiting my father and the time to come back home is upon me. I went through the same feelings - of having to leave behind a part of myself. I turned round, a few times, before we finally stepped out of the huge doors...

Its been so many months now, but reading through this blog today, I could feel myself put back in time - I could feel all those sensations and all those feelings.

I'd like to wrap this Journal up.. with the very strong prayer in my heart that I stand in line for that Invitation again, very soon. And with the prayer, that each Muslim be granted this Blessing.

For sure, there is nothing, no sight, no place, no scene, more worthy of being appreciated, and visited and yearned for, than the hills, plains, streets and corners, of Makkah Mua'zzama and Madina Munawwara.

Arafat

2009-06-21T05:19:00.000+04:00

We had an evening where our friends from Jeddah came up. They took us on a sightseeing trip - that was a really enjoyable evening.. so many things I had only read about, seeing them with my own eyes was a treat.

The cave of Thor.. so very high on the mountain.. where the Prophet, s.a.w., and Hazrat Abu Bakr, r.a., hid, on their way to Madina. The place is marked right on the top by a white something... so as to have an idea of exactly where it is. Small shops sell snacks and postcards and prayer beads. They have huge signs in different languages, telling the people not to touch any stones and not to climb the mountain as it was forbidden to do so by the Prophet s.a.w.

Then off to the cave of Hira, in the Jabl e noor. This is where the first revelation came to the Prophet, s.a.w., and where he spent so much time in meditation and prayer. This too is extremely high up, though we saw people going up. Its all mountain terrain, people have built houses on the mountains as and where the place has been available.

Our car made the scary ride quite far up. They have small tea shops and sovernier shops.. we had some tea and I bought postcards from there..

We reached there by fading light and what with getting out of the car and balancing myself, I could not shoot pictures. Or rather, I did, but they are too dark.. nothing to be seen. But nevermind, I have the images in my mind... which is good enough.

What I find very fascinating is the fact that people build houses on the mountains and live happily at such high places..

I asked my friend how the Prophet s.a.w, managed that high climb? I cant imagine how long that would have taken, especially cave Thor.. and she gave a very reasonable answer:

We see Makkah as it is now, a city under construction. But fact is, most of the roads coming in or going out, are built through mountains. They have been bulldozered and roads carved out. Especially the tunnels. On our way in, we were practically ON a mountain, only on a road of tar. So she said, could be that in olden days it was just mountains all around. It would be very much easier to climb a succession of mountains, rather than just try and climb one very high one.

Makes sense... though I'd still have loved to see how they did it..

Off we went to the plains of Arafat... well actually, we were there before cave Hira..

I think I mentioned this in an earlier post. It was quite a dissapoinment to see.. the Jabal Rahmah looks dwarfed down by the surroundings... people have thrown litter all around, grafitti on the rocks... carpet sellers, with their wares surrounded all around them.. and added to that all the filth that comes with camels and horses...

It looked like a place for partying, rather than a sacred place. Jabal Rahmah is a sacred hill in the middle of the plains of Arafat. Riding his she camel near it, the Prophet, s.a.w., delivered his famous sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj.

Right on top of it, there is a tall stone pillar, which was white sometime I think, but which has blackend around the lower part. I was told that this is the place where Hazrat Adam, ahs., and Hazrat Hawwa, ahus., met, after they had been sent down from the heavens in different places..
That place was marked and a piller erected.

I dont know how true that is - could be, could not be. But its a good thing to imagine when u're standing up there...

Here again, people were praying nafl, even though it was nigh on Maghrib time. .

Anyhows, spent some time there, lost in thought, lost in contemplation. I wondered what moved people to disrepect such places? Why did those, who threw rubbish - empty bottles, squeezed out juices, empty crisp packets - why didnt those people consider - this is the place where the Prophet, s.a.w., stood, walked, maybe rested.. maybe prayed and slept? Why has the spirit of the place been lost?

I came away in a slight depression - which lifted however, when on the way back I looked around and saw the view...

After that we drove to cave Hira, but I've already mentioned that...

Abdullah - Abd Allah?

2009-06-21T04:57:00.000+04:00

I had prayed for a son, whom I could name Abdullah and bring up as Abd Allah.. and Allah Almighty granted my prayers... Alhamdolillah..

This incident lets me believe that He might have granted it in full, inshallah. I'd like to record it here.. so that I dont forget..

It was the first entry into the Sa'ee area. The others were busy with their Umrah rites and I was sitting in the Sa'ee area, on the first floor, with Abdullah. It was a hard job keeping him occupied. Just behind the Sa'ee area, are the praying encloves.. from where the Ka'ba is clearly seen.

So Abdullah and I, sitting there... and all of a sudden he lifts his hands above his head in his typical Allahu Akbar manner and says, "A'dullah abhi ata hai, acha? abhi Allah Akbar ata hai"... saying that he'll just be back in a minute, after doing his Allah akbar - by which he usually means doing Sajda. .

And he got up and ran off in his cute Ihram and entered the enclove... went up front as far as he could - I was behind him but did not stop him. He didnt stand around or anything, just got on the mat, and did a perfect sajda, directly infront of the Ka'ba... got up and came back running to me!

Typical mother, I started to cry and hugged him so hard... which he didnt like at all and grumbled at me for :) I regret not having taken a pic of him then, while he was doing it.. but I was too caught up in what he was doing to think of that..

But honestly, that incident makes me feel so good whenever I recall it...

Another Umrah

2009-06-20T19:01:00.000+04:00

Our work done in Madina, we flew back to Jeddah. Since we were all in Ihram, it was wisest to go directly to Makkah. Which we did. Taxi fare is between a reasonable 80 Riyals to exorbitant 120.. but, what to do.

So we came back to the Haram. The girls took care of the little one and we both did our Umrah. It was a great experience.. doing the rituals together. And it was also needed.. I had a high fever and could not have managed the Sa'ee alone. So hubby held my hand and sort of pulled me up the hill..

I think I mentioned earlier that if you want to avoid very painful leg cramps, do some simple leg stretches after the Sa'ee. It will save you days of pain later on. That is, if you're as out of sport as I am :)

Our Umrah done, we left the girls to their devices and returned to the hotel room. On the way back I stopped at a pharmacy and asked what medicine I could take. On the advice of the pharmacist I took antibiotics and something to relieve the congestion. Which was just as well. I would advise taking antibiotics straight away. Hajj or Umrah are not the times for natural remedies.

Spent the night quite ill and was alright the next day. Which is when we did some sightseeing in Makkah..

Roza-e-Rasool, s.a.w.

2009-06-14T04:33:00.000+04:00

Well, back to the story then..

After fajr prayers I strolled over to gate 25 - thats the gate you need to enter through when you want to do Ziyarat.

Keep in mind that if you are very obviously a Pakistani, you will be told to sit farthest away from the main doors leading up to Ziyarat. So, you enter in and see before you a huge area behind a sort of semi-opening. They have half opened doors beyond which is the waiting area.

You must imagine it like a huge hall, with doors leading to the insides of the Masjid, which are locked. It is infront of these doors that you must wait, trying to guess which door will be opened ..

I had been warned about this discrimination - right at the front are usually the Turks and Iranians, then Indonesians, and then a mix of various nationalities. Right at the end and farthest away from the front, are the Pakistanis.

So keeping that in mind, when I entered, the guard asked me, nationality? And I said, German.. Well, that wasn't a lie, because had she asked, I had my passport with me.. and practically I am a German na..

I've thought about this long and hard. And I dont feel that I did wrong. It is a fact that they treat Pakistanis as second rate humans.. which is mostly their own fault, but still..

So she pointed me right up front - with the Iranians. I edged my way up - I was starting to get high fever and was very drained. So off I trudged and came upon this huge mass of women..

Oh yes, they check bags at the entry. If you have a mobile, they'll send u to another room to give it up and give ur nationality and particulars. You can collect it on the way back again.I had mine in the bag, but the guard didnt notice it.. and I forgot all about it. But since I had no intention of taking any pictures inside - which is forbidden, I wasn't too bothered..

A lot of women were busy praying nawafil, which, seeing as it was hardly 15 minutes after fajr prayer, was totally wrong. But..

There was a guard who stood up and told them off for that, and also told them to behave once the door was opened..

See, once they open one of two doors, I was told I would have to RUN.. run run run.. otherwise I would not get to the Riyad-ul-Jannah and would find the area full and not get a chance to pray inside it..

What they've done is, they have made as sort of winding pathway, from the entry door, right up to where Rasool Allah, s.a.w.,'s mimbar stands. That whole area is normally open for me, its just us gentler folks they partition it for. So in the end, all you get to see are white boards and then, all of a sudden, the carpet changes from red, to green and you know you are in that blessed place. And all around you is just white boards.. and high up above you can see ornamental gold net.. indicating that this is THE place..

Which is not entirely true.. because the place you want is to the left.. which is also completely covered usually.. and women rush up to the white boards infront and rub themselves and various other things over it. I dont get the sense of that.. but there it is..

Well, I didnt want to run.. it didnt seem appropriate that I run where the Prophet, s.a.w., was resting. So I sat there the whole time and just prayed earnestly. That I get to do Ziyarat, and that I get to pray my nafl and yet do all of this with dignity..

So the magical moment arrived. The women had been getting restless, getting up, peering through the doors.. and all of a sudden you could see men coming up and reaching for the handles on the door, on the other side..

Women stood up and then it was go! I too stood up when the others did.. and then they started running... there was a religious man standing at the corner, telling the women off for running and repeating, "ehteram"... not that it made much difference.. and while they all picked up their abayas and ran for their lives, I walked at a normal fast pace..

And Allah the Almighty was Gracious to me - I entered the Riyad-ul-Jannah with half the area still empty, despite so many women having pushed and shoved themselves all around me..

I didnt enter the main area, rather decided to stand with my back pressed against a pillar. Which was a wise decision. This way, I had support behind me and something to hold on to when I got pulled..

So I stood there, did my neeyat and prayed my nafl. All the while women were falling over themselves, pushing and shoving.. and I had this small area infront of me which seemed to be invisibly cordoned off.. no one entered into it. I prayed with ease and with dignity. SubhanAllah! Alhamdolillah!

That done, I stood up and looked around.. and to my left, the side that is usually closed, the side which is the side of the Roza Mubarik, was open! Well.. what to say.. I felt specially blessed..

Said my salaams, recited durood. Then looked ahead again and prayed to Allah. It is important you do that, so you focus - you are praying to Allah, not to His Messenger, s.a.w, ..

That done, I eased out of the area, and looked back to see women falling in all over the place where I had stood..

The winding path leads you back out of the same gate you entered in from. But if you stop a little and look back, rising on your toes you can see the Jali again.. and pray in peace in the masjid if you feel like it. I did..

You can also see the Green Dome.. and realise that it is under that Dome that our beloved Prophet, s.a.w., lies..

Came out and checked on where my husband was.. he was waiting in the masjid, after having giving his salaams way before me..

Lucky men, they can go past after every prayer. No one stops them and nothing blocks their view. It does seem an injustice.. but then, seeing how women behave, I dont think I can entirely blame them.. BUT...

Anyway. Last time I was there it was night time and I had taken pictures of the Dome. This time, though it was day and I could've take great pictures, I was shivering with high fever and just could not manage it again. So went back to the hotel and slept it through...

We had to be at the airport at 2, and get through our Meqaat again before that. So time was short. I reasoned some rest for the journey is more important than the pictures, because otherwise I was sure to collapse on the way...

So came back to the hotel room and fell into a fever-induced sleep, with the visions of my Ziyarat still upon my eyes...and prayer of thanks in my mind..

Some calrifications

2009-06-13T14:32:00.000+04:00

I've had some feedback about the issue of perfumes and Ihram. So thought to clear that up, to the best of my knowledge.

This is what I know and understand:

1- Women are not supposed to use perfume when they visit Masajid, or for that matter, leave the house.

Source:

Narrated by Abu Mousa Al Ash’ari: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him), said: “If a woman uses perfume and passes the people so that they may get its odour, she is so-and-so, meaning severe remarks.

2- For the Ihram, men and women may perfume themselves and wash with whatever they want. But once they have spoken the Intention of their Ihram and prayed the two nafl for it, from that time on to when they are free of Ihram's obligation, no perfume is allowed to them.

Source:

Ibn 'Umar reported: "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade women pilgrims from wearing gloves, veils, and clothes dyed with saffron or warse. (A sweet smelling plant that was used to dye clothes yellow) Besides these, they may wear anything else, any color, silk clothes, ornaments, trousers, or a shirt or shoes." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud, Al-Baihaqi and Al-Hakim, with a sound chain of authorities)

Al-Bukhari no. 1542, Muslim no. 1177 and Ahmed no. 2:59: He (the Muhrim) does not wear anything from the clothing that has been touched by saffron or Al-Wars

Bukhari reported that 'Aishah, r.anha, said: "A woman must neither wear a veil to cover her face, nor wear clothes that are dyed with saffron or other fragrant dyeing material."

Ibn 'Umar reported that 'Umar smelled the pleasant smell of perfume coming from Mu'awiyah while the latter was in the state of ihram. 'Umar commanded him: "Get back, and wash it off. I have heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: 'A pilgrim must be unkempt and without any perfume." This is reported by Al-Bazzar with a sound chain.

I hope that clears the air? Any questions, please ask me. And I must add: I am no religious authority. What I write here is my own knowledge and experience. It may not be right according to you. This blog is just my travel document, it does not stand in place of religious guidance. So please, if in doubt, clear matters and ask someone who is an Alim.

As to touching the Ka'ba while in Ihram, well that is a case of piety. It is perfumed, but I have not read anything that forbids touching it. What I have heard is that its best to avoid that which is doubtful, rather than making a mistake.

Narrated by Tirmithi and Nasaee .On the authority of Al-Hasan bin Ali, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, who said : I memorized from the Messenger of Allah, (peace be upon him), his saying

"Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt."

Hence my advice not to touch the Ka'ba while in Ihram, on account of its perfume. The rest, is your own decision.

About the tawaf

2009-06-11T19:53:00.000+04:00

Just an info about the tawaf. If you should become tired and not be able to continue, there is no harm in stopping where you are and resting for a few seconds. Just dont turn back.. continue from where you stopped and your tawaf will continue. However, since there is such a sea of people who push you no end, you might end u p being pushed back.. so do consider that..

Secondly, what they do at prayer times is that they push the women back to the sheltered areas, holding that women are not allowed to pray on the main area surrounding the Ka'ba. So if you're in the middle of a tawaf and they send u back, no worries. Just come back after the prayers. If you stopped at round 5, start from there. Dont go back and start from round 4.. that would nullfiy your tawaf.

Its best to plan the tawaf away from the prayer times though.. but, it is always full. Its just the break that youre forced to make that spoils the whole effect.

Dont touch the Ka'ba while youre in Ihram. Its walls are perfumed and you are not allowed any perfume while in that state. So dont do that..

Also, when your'e praying the nafl of tawaf: in the first rak'a recite suran Al Kafiroon and in the second, surah Al Ikhlas.

Madina again

2009-06-11T16:49:00.000+04:00

Husband and I dropped the children off at our friends, Allah bless them for being the great people they are, and took a flight to Madina from Jeddah again.

Reason was, I was unable to do my Ziyarat the last time we were there and so wanted to get that. Also, we had planned on another Umrah and even though the option of Masjid-e-Ayesha was open to us, we wanted to do it from Madina since that is masnoon.

Makkah does not have an airport. Which is fine by me. They have enough commercialism as it is. And driving 8 hours was not an option. So we flew over Jeddah. The flight connection is good enough and when you consider that the taxi takes 400 and a return ticket costs 280ish, well its not a bad option. Of course, you get a lot more people in a taxi...

But this was a good enough option. So we flew out with the Saudi Arlines at around 1 in the night. Got there and were faced by a horde of taxi drivers all very anxious to take us.

Dont opt for the chaps standing inside the airport, they're private persons with their own cars and they'll charge you the moon. Better option are the normal taxis standing outside. We got one of those and off we were..

Stayed at the same Al Ansar hotel. Smaller room this time. Dumped our bags, had a shower and off we were for the fajr prayers. After that, I got in line for Ziyarat. More on that in the next post. For now, a word about prayers:

They have namaz-e-janaza after every farz prayer in Madina and Makkah. Do learn the proper way of praying and do pray. Its a source of thawab and it serves as a reminder of what is yet to come to us...

Ihram and its demands

2009-06-11T16:39:00.000+04:00

Just in case someone is wondering, I forgot to add Al Baqee in the Madina section..

Well. What is Ihram? Clearly, for men it is also the clothes they wear. But for us women? We have no prescribed dress code..

Ihram is a state of body and mind. It is not what you wear, or how often you change it.. its why you wear it and how you behave with it.

It is perfectly alright and allowed to change the dress/abaya/coat that you are wearing. Moreover, for those who wear the face veil - that face covering is not allowed during Ihram. Nothing that is stitched should touch your face. I have seen ladies wear an extra long-shaded cap and hang their niqab over it. But it does touch the face. I have seen it myself. So, dont be more pious than you are specifically told to be. Ditch the veil for that short period. You wear it, because Allah ordered you to. You should take it off, because that too is His command.

Have a shower by all means. Just dont use shampoos and gels.. simple warm water is great anytime. And dont brush your hair so as to break it. No perfumes and no ornaments. Thats all. Reason for no shampoo is that it also contains perfumes which we're supposed to avoid while in ihram. If you can find one that is without, go ahead, use it.

The reason, besides avoiding fitna is that you are not supposed to be spening ur energies and your attention on beautification. Its a time you have given up especially for Allah. Then keep it that way. And even if you dont agree with these reasons, you've been told to do it this way. By the Almighty. So no discussions.

Keep your relationship with Allah foremost in your mind. Supplicate to Him and remember, where you are sitting - in the Haram - if your prayers wont be answered there, where then? I tell you I have personal experience of that...

The best Ibadat you can do there is tawaf.. of course prayers and reading the Quran are great worship. But face it, you can do that at home too. Its just the tawaf you can do no where else...

Dont demand your rights and dont exert your authority.. you are as much a slave of Allah as the rest of the people there. Keep that in mind and youre on the right road...

Al Baqee

2009-06-11T12:59:00.000+04:00

We were told that Jannat al Baqee is only open for men. Women were allowed up to the main gates from where they could only guess at what was inside. Okay, there is not much as in 'inside', what I meant was, you cant even get close enough to get any feeling about the place..

So the girls and I put Abdullah in the pram and off we went. We circled the whole area, going through construction sites and over alleys lined with pebbles, which made pushing the pram a herculean task! But the pram was a life-saver.. couldnt have carried him that much.

Finally, taking longer than we had thought we would, we arrived at the opposite side of the main entrance. From there the view was clear and open..

I said my prayers and just stood looking at it... an estimated 7 thousand Companions and then some ordinary Makkah dwellers are resting there.. Including the Mothers of the Believers, r.ahun., children of the Prophet, s.a.w., and his family members, may Allah be pleased with them all.

The map tells me that I was standing opposite to where the Mothers of the Believers are resting, r.ahun. The pictures are dark because it was after Maghrib time. My stay did not allow me to get there again. I have a picture from the net though which is very clear...

Jannat al Baqee used to have tombs and markings and shaded trees.. all grazed in the name of avoiding idolatry... here again I find myself unable to say what I feel and think...

The same is true of the first house the Prophet, s.a.w., lived in with his wife, Hazrat Khadija-tul-kubra, r.aha. The place where their children were born, where they lived through some early revelations of the Quran.. That place has been bulldozered.. and public toilets have been built on it!

I agree that idolatry must not be allowed to take root. I agree that people do the most impossible things - but cannot high fences and walls be built around such sacred sites? Why must they be defiled by filth? Public toilets, I ask you!!!

Sorry, but this just leaves me so distressed.. the thought - my beloved must have slept and walked and sat in that place.. the whoel area was his to roam and live in.. and now there are toilets above it... no.. the thought is too painful to continue with...

Midnight

2009-06-10T23:51:00.000+04:00

Well this isn't strictly a part of my Umrah journey, but I was just thinking - how must it be, to live close enough to the Haram to go there whenever one wants? Ask me and I dont think any place is more desirable to me..

Anyway - so we dropped off our bags and freshend up. We had our Umrah to complete. But before that.. we were in Ihram and we hadn't seen the Ka'ba yet. So we still had that load of prayers which we were saving for the first look.. Each of us found a somewhat private corner.. Baby was with his dad and I leaned against a railing in the Sa'ee area.. held my eyes closed.. until I found I could go no further.. and then opened them.

SubhanAllah! What a sight!

No picture, no video, no written account in the world can ever convey what it is like to be seen with your own eyes. You forget yourself, your surroundings... no words, no prayers come to mind. I just wanted to stand and look.. I felt I could stand here all my life and yet still want some more time to see my fill... How grateful I was - how grateful I AM that I was given this chance! And how eagerly I await the next invitation!

Hmmmmm...

My husband did his Umrah first, then took the baby through, which wasnt hard work since he did his Sa'ee himself and even half the tawaf! The ladies then did their turn...

For me there were a couple of issues -primarily, the differences between the rites for men and women. Somehow all the books I had ever read only spoke of what the man was supposed to do..

Well for starters, there is no difference between the two.. excepting a thing or two..

So, you enter the Haram with the intention of your Umrah. Do your tawaf.. concentrate yourself on the act - what are you doing? For whom? On whose orders? What do you hope to get? Pray as much as you want. The only prescribed prayer is from the Yamani Corner to the end of that side.. otherwise, its all up to you.

Women are not supposed to run at any time during the tawaf.. men trott a bit faster during the first three turns..

Dont try and get to the Hajre Aswad.. time enough for that later.. and dont enter the Hateem while doing your tawaf. That area counts as the inside of the Ka'ba.. so your tawaf would be nullified if you did.

Tawaf done, you need to pray two raka's behind Muqam-e-Ibrahim. Thing is people, those two raka's can be prayed anywhere in the Haram! As it is, there is a mass of people who just start praying where they ended their tawaf - thereby causing great trouble to the ones who aren't done yet. The whole lane gets blocked, people get hurt, I myself almost fell twice!

So go back out of the way of the people doing their tawaf.. try be in line with the Muqam-e-Ibrahim as much as you can from far away. But if even that is not possible, then its not a tragedy! The thawab is NOT in pushing and shoving away people to do your individual good. Its behaving in such a manner that no one comes to harm for the sake of your thawab..

And keep in mind - if youre doing your tawaf after Asr prayers, NO SALAH between Asr and Maghrib prayer! The Haram is full of people praying nafl between Asr and Maghrib and directly after Fajr prayer.. I was extremely surprised that even the guards didnt stop people from praying at those times...

Supplicate as much as you can after that... and then drink Zamzam.. they have coolers placed at regular intervals.. drink the Zamzam standing up, facing the Ka'ba. Start with Bismillah, end with Alhamdolillah.

Come over to the sa'ee area.. start your sa'ee at the hill of Safa or Marwa. Not much hill left now, just a rise at the end... but its high enough. The hill of Safa has a special place in acceptance of prayers.. so dont miss that chance. 7 walks. There is a green light on the ceiling. Its not for you, ladies. Its supposed to tell the men when to run and when to walk. So you just walk...

Health tip: The first sa'ee I did, I ended up with legs that hurt even to touch. The second time I was wiser. Stretch a bit before you start the sa'ee.. and as soon as you finish, do one or two simple leg streches in any corner of the haram, while your body is still hot. I did that and Alhamdolillah, had no pain at all.

Its okay to drink water in between your rounds. I didnt the first time.. thinking, if Hazrat Hajrah, r.aha. could do it, so could I .. but the second time round I wasnt so full of myself and did stop a few minutes and drink two glasses of Zamzam. The going was a lot easier after that.

Complete your sa'ee and come back home or find a place where you can keep your parda intact.. and have somone snip off an inch of your hair. That opens your Ihram. It is Sunnah to shower after that... I did.. made me feel better..

Its always a good idea to have dettol wipes and some band aid, some ointment with you.. getting a nick, for men, is a fairly common thing. So better have something with you, to avoid an infection..

That is the way of doing Umrah.. no other complications. Whatever you do, try not to hurt anyone else.. no point in your Ibadat otherwise.. No matter what anyone tells you, there are no specific supplications for the sa'ee either. Except the Verse from the Quran about the hills of Safa and Marwa being the signs of Allah. I'm not quoting it exactly here.. but thats the only verse that has to be said.. the rest is up to you...

The Road to Makkah

2009-06-10T15:22:00.000+04:00

Having spent our time in Madina for now, we hired a taxi for Makkah. Thats around a 4 hour drive with a good car. The route is the same. We could have taken a longer route, which would have taken us through the Badr battlegrounds. But the taxi driver didnt give us that option.. I would have loved to go that way. That would also have taken us through the route which our Prophet s.a.w. took, while migrating. But, there it is. Next time, we might choose to travel that road.

Well before we got on the road we stopped at the Miqaat for Madina dwellers. We women had showered and changed into our Ihram clothes at the hotel. There isnt a prescribed dress for women for their Ihram like it is with men. Yet we chose white scarves for ourselves and a different Abaya than we usually wear. Just gave the whole situation a formal touch. My husband showered at the Hotel too, but re-did his wudhu at the Meeqat and changed into his Ihram. We changed Abdullah too, and a right cute sight that was :)

So we prayed our two nafl of Intention. Prayed and got back in the car. In case someone forgets to bring something, everything from Ihrams to shoes are available there.

So. The surrounding areas on the road to Makkah are as barren and as uninhabited, save a few camels and horses, as from Jeddah to Madina. With the exception that the Makkah road is decorated with mountains. The nearer we came to Makkah, the more the mountains were covered with black rocks ... like so much snow on the mountain tops. We were told that these rocks have been laid there by the government, to avoid sandstorms wrecking too much damage.

Well, the more realistic answer was that Saudia is volcanic region. Those rocks were not just placed there, they were the result of seismic activity and volcanic eruptions. It really is a beautiful sight actually. So many mountains, such beautiful rock formations.. different colours.. there were mountains with red and golden stipes in the rocks.

I couldnt take pictures, the driver didnt want to stop. Stopped for a while at a small restaurant. Prayed, had some food. They had a good variety, but we opted for vegetables. I rather liked the mixed vegetables..

We entered into Makkah and then through different tunnels and over high roads carved through mountains. It is really fascinating. People have built homes on the mountains, all across. One feels one is actually just riding over mountains. Lovely.

Checked into the Al Ka'aki Hotel on Ijyad Road. Directly in-line with the Haram. The main gate, the Gate King Abdul Aziz, was the nearest for us.

Here too a 4-bed room cost us 300 the night. Same situation - they dont set much standard by cealing the room themselves. But call them in and they'll do it well enough.. one just has to stand by and watch.

So we dropped off our stuff...

Masjid Quba and Masjid Qiblatain

2009-06-10T12:41:00.000+04:00

Masjid Qiblatain.

I dont think any one needs to be told the story of this masjid. Still, a short summary:
Muslims initially prayed towards the Bait-ul-muqaddis, in Jerusalem. This was a source of ridicule towards the Muslims from the Jews who criticised the Muslims of boasting of an individual religion, yet not having their own Qibla to pray to, rather of praying in the same direction as the Jews themselves.

This fact greatly troubled the Prophet, s.a.w, who longed to face the Ka'ba. He prayed intensively and thereupon this verse was revealed:

"Verily! We have seen the turning of your face towards the heaven; surely we shall turn you to a prayer direction (Qibla) that shall please you.."[surah al-Baqarah; 2:144]

It was while the noon prayer was in its second raka'ah, that Allah commanded the Prophet s.a.w, to turn his direction. He turned, and with him the congregation too. That is why this masjid is called Qiblatain - the one with the 2 qiblas.

Masjid Quba
The sign says it all:

Two rak'ah prayers hold the merit of an accepted Umrah here. The first ever and oldest masjid in Saudia Arabia. Its foundation stones were laid by the Prophet, s.a.w.

Another date garden and another well

2009-06-10T12:30:00.000+04:00

Opposite to Hazrat Salman Farsi, r.a.'s well and home area is a vast date garden. The pictures were not clear enough so havent posted them but did want to add this information. That date garden was planted by the Prophet s.a.w., himself. Since Hazrat Salman, r.a. was a slave, the Jew who was his master demanded that a date garden be planted. When the trees bore fruit, he would release him. The Prophet s.a.w., planted the seeds himself, yet in the dark of the night the man removed those seeds. However the morning showed a full grown garden of palm trees. That was a miracle of the Prophet, s.a.w.

Then we have here the Beer-e-gharas

Madina needed a sweet water well. This was dug by the Prophet, s.a.w. The water did spring forth but was bitter. The Prophet s.a.w. touched his saliva to it and the water turned sweet. The water from this well was used to give the Prophet, s.a.w., his last bath.

The well is still active but a boundry has been built around it to stop people. I pushed my hands through this hole in the boundry, holding on to my camera for dear life! The original stones can be seen, though not very visible in the picture. The bricks were set later to give hold to the walls.

Place of Khandaq Battle and other places

2009-06-10T11:56:00.000+04:00

The original trenches that survived through the ages were covered up and now all we see is a parking lot over the area. What remain, though how long no one knows, are 3 out of the 7 masajid where the Prophet s.a.w., and his companions erected their tents. There they waited for 40 days on the advice of Hazrat Salman Farsi. The logic behind it was that these trenches were an innovation in Arabia. No one had ever done it that way before. The suggestion was of Hazrat Salman Farsi. This proved to be the winning move in this battle and the Muslims defended themselves and their territory with ease.

Of the 7 initial masajid built at the places where the tents stood, only those built at the places of the Prophet, s.a.w., Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Ali, r.a., remain. The rest have been brought down. Again, apparently in an attempt to stem the unislamic practices held there...

This here is the Masjid Fatah. The place of the tent of the Prophet, s.a.w.

The Garden of Hazrat Uthman, r.a.

There was only one sweet water well in Madina, which was under the control of a Jew. Hazrat Uthman Ghani, r.a., bought half the well from him. They decided on set days and on the days of Hazrat Uthman r.a., there was long line of people waiting to fill water and somehow the water was also full to the brim of the well. Moreover, the filling of water was free of cost for all people of all religions. The days of the Jew saw the water receding to the bottom and not a soul in sight, to use it..
The area is now within a boundry and hold the well, which we are told still bubbles, the residential area of Hazrat Uthman, r.a., his masjid and his date garden. The whole area is off limits to the public.

Khaaq-e-shifa'a

This area hides beneath it a sacred sand. It was during one of the battles that the wounded Companions were wounded and the bleeding could not be stopped, nor the wounds healed. The Prophet s.a.w., took a handful of this sand and told them to cover their wounds with it. The wounds healed completely...

Here again, the authorities have seen it their duty to cover the place with normal sand and, to be absolutely sure that no one gets any benefit from it, have created gutters and filth water pipelines...

I dont think I want to say anything else on the matter...

The Well and Housing of Hazrat Salma Farsi

Here too the area has been wired in and rubbish thrown in... However the well is quite clearly to be seen..

Uhud pictures

2009-06-10T11:27:00.000+04:00

This is the rock where the Prophet, s.a.w., was, when he was attacked and as a result of which his tooth was broken..

The arrow marks the place where he rested his hand while in pain - legend has it that the rock disintegrated - the dent in the rock can be seen. However the local authorities have taken great pain to eliminate any signs of the original impression. Visiting this area is deemed an offence - which makes it all the more a place to be seen. The locals have knowledge of all such places, being handed down through generations.

Here we see a split in the mountain flank - the Prophet was wounded and needed a place where he could be hidden, all the while with the enemy on his track. Allah ordered this mountain to split its self - thereby creating this opening where he could be hidden and healed. The opening is only just broad enough for a man to squeeze through.. Here too, people have left the marks of their disrespect. The area is cordoned off and a wall built. That wall keeps being broken down by visitors and is regularly rebuilt.

The mount of Uhud..

The archers' cleft - initially a lot higher than this..

The Uhud Battle Ground

2009-06-09T23:08:00.000+04:00

Cordoned off with a high metal cage-like fence. The area is barren, nothing green to be seen. And yet, birds resting here and there. The place should have been one for quiet contemplation. The sellers with their wares of all sorts and kinds spoiled the silence that should have prevailed out of respect for what had occured here.

The Battle of Uhud was actually a win for the Muslims. Had those 40 archers whom the Prophet s.a.w., had explicitly ordered to stand guard at the cleft of a small hill, not left their place. That was the only weak link in the defence of the Muslims and was most crucial to their safety. Those unfortunate men, thinking the battle won, left their place. All but nine. That gave the enemy the opening they had lacked and they attacked.

It left the Prophet, s.a.w., defenceless, save a few brave men. It resulted in his lip and shoulder being injured, which would cause him pain for months to come. And his front tooth to break and fall. He was injured and protected by only a handful.. The nine archers left at the cleft fell in obediance.

This place holds the remains of 70 Companions who were martyred that day, 67 together to one side, and Hazrat Hamzah, Hazrat Abdullah bin Ja'ash and Hazrat Musab bin Umayyar to another. Hazrat Hamzah lies alone, the other two Companions together.

The story of Uhud is such a tragic one, that I cannot write or think of it, without feeling immense pain. That was my feeling the day we went there too. And there all around me, there was the atmosphere of a picnic...

That small hill is still there, as well as the surrounding mountains still stand, silent reminder to eons past. There were a lot of people gathered on that hill. Chanting I dont know what, it was too far to make out the words. But even that I found sad. That hill carries upon it the blood of so many brave martyers, those who remained to defend it and those who came back to fight again. It was a resting place for the Prophet, s.a.w., he prayed upon it and slept upon it.. and now there was rubbish, and filth on and around it..

Hmmmm.. pictures follow in the next post.

26th May

2009-06-09T15:14:00.000+04:00

Since we were free between fajr and zohar, we decided to use this time and do some visiting of historical sites. Found us a good Urdu speaking driver, which I would advise anyhow because there is no sense in visiting any place if you cant understand what you're supposed to be seeing. Before that we thought it wise to have a good breakfast.. Down by Pakistan House, across the road, a ten minute walk almost, you'll find Pakistani restaurants. They serve a good enough omelette and paratha. Just do remind them that you like your eggs salty :)

So, after that filling food, we set off in the car and let our guide take us around. I'll list it, with pictures and as much history as he told us.

1- Masjid Ziratain
This is the Masjid where the Prophet, s.a.w., wore the Zira'a, the armour, for two historical battles - the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Khandak, or, the Trenches. Dont know how much who knows about which, so I'll add just a very short summary when I come to the Uhud Mountain.

2- Masjid Musta'rah
The Prophet s.a.w., stopped here every Wednesday on his way to visit his Uncle Hazrat Hamzah. He spent time here, slept, prayed and continued his journey. The whole surrounding area is known as a resting place. The Masjid is opened at prayer times only.

25th May

2009-06-09T04:49:00.000+04:00

What I forgot to mention about the ride was, there are toilets on the way, just be careful u have a change of clothing with you for Madina and your own wet/dry tissues..

So, in Madina then. The ride in to the city was melancholic - this is the city of my beloved! A very different feeling.. Though the initial impression of the city is a bit of a let down - lots of construction work going on, many high rise buildings - well, not as high as we have here but too high for the city of the Prophet s.a.w.

We had initially planned on staying at the Pakistan House. Don't know how it was because we cancelled that plan seeing that we'd have had to cross a busy main road to get across. This hotel, the New Al Ansar was good enough. Close by and their rates are not bad. 300 a night for a 4-bed room. Bring your own stuff for making tea though.

So, we had some food, which we'd bought with us, and a cuppa, and off we went to the Haram for Asr prayers.

You enter into the Haram area via huge green/gold gates. The ground is all smooth and cool marble.. Though you can actually roam around with your shoes on, yet the whole place is prayer ground, so I prefered taking mine off. Bring a bag, stuff the shoes in and hold it.. or, say a little prayer and place them in an easy place. Both things work.

Well, what to say. The sense of calm and quiet that prevails the city despite its construction work and busy roads is intensified here. Everything is quiet and calm. At least I had no inclination to chat or laugh around.. I was too aware of what grounds I was treading on.

Acceptedly, the area has changed a lot. Yet it was all the vicinity of the initial Masjid-e-Nabwi, s.a.w. Who knows, where I was standing? He might have stood at the same place at some point.. Hmmm..

Spent some time there, got information about Ziyarat times and came back to the hotel to rest. It had been a long day and we were all drained. We did go back for prayers though, that was not to be missed.

Food was not such a great issue. We had some with us, courtesy our friends, and there are enough shops around. Amazingly, food rituals, that form a basic part of our life here are home, were so unimportant.. though yet again I cannot stress enough the importance of a good cup of tea

A dream come true!

2009-06-08T19:04:00.000+04:00

I had been dreaming of going for my Umrah since ages and ages.. and somehow, the plan kept on shifting. But of course, the Invitation has to come from the Almighty - such matters cannot be rushed and suited to oneself.. Finally, it happened. But first things first..

We had applied through an agent, applying just for the visa since we had planned on driving. We ditched that plan though and bought tickets for Nas Air. Which, if you are flying from the UAE, is an excellent option. The fare is cheap, the seats comfortable and the flying good. They dont serve food, rather offer it at a price. Which is fine by me. We had sandwiches with us and just bought a cup of tea from them and that was good enough.

Took the flight in the afternoon, and arrived in Jeddah around Maghrib time. We had friends in Jeddah so it was easy to spend the night - I'd advise anyone else too to spend a night in Jeddah and then head for whereever it is that youre heading. In our case, it was to Madina first.

You get all sorts of Taxis for Madina - but 99 out of 100 they are Arabs. Nothing wrong with that if you can speak Arabic of course :) Otherwise it becomes a game of sign language and good guessing.

The route to Madina is mostly barren land. Bring enough water with you and some light snacks. And be sure to choose a taxi that is well airconditioned..

As I was saying, mostly barren lands, dusty and dry. They dont have any special eateries or fancy petrol stations like we are used to seeing here in the UAE between say Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I guess thats all a well thought out plan. The obvious object is to get from place A to place B without any loitering inbetween. I must say I agree with the thought. It helps you to keep the destination in sight.

We stayed at the New Al Ansar Palace. Long name, good enough location. I could see the Haram from our window, if I leaned out a bit. They dont set much store by toilet paper or tissue though.. :)

So - time to sign out.. will continue tomorrow Inshallah :)