Dear Companion,
This wasn't the first time my semi-functional iPhone alarm let me down. Nor was it the first time that we slept at 3 in the morning! So let me set the scene for you. Its was 7:50 AM, we hadn’t packed, showered or ate breakfast and Steve was shouting his head off that we were going to miss the flight to Medina. The thought of missing a chance to visit the Prophet (pbuh)’s mosque was the driving power behind our swift exit from the hotel. It was funny when Steve pointed out that he left the room shouting at Ahmed for being too slow for putting on his belt on, only to find him still trying to put it on 10 minutes later. Our Arrival to Medina was welcomed with a pleasant breeze. The temperature was 20oC but the expression on our Saudi tour guide looked like someone had just shoved him into a freezer. It is compulsory to enter the mosque with the upmost humbleness and humility
The lack of preparation meant that I was frantically looking through my luggage for my thobe. The visit to the Medina mosque is just as significant as visiting the Haraam in Makkah. This is the city where which God chose for His Messenger to flee to safety when he was driven out of Makkah from the Quraish. This is the city where God revealed many commandments the Prophet (pbuh). When I think of it like that, it enables me to understand just how important Medina is to Muslims. Its is the city where the muslims were among some of the first to understand and apply the obligatory duties. 1400 years later and I am still practicing those obligatory duties. It is advised to give some charity and be in constant supplication before going to mosque.
I was travelling with great enthusiasm and excitement and increasing the yearning, as we got closer. I was overjoyed when the green dome came into sight. Underneath the green dome is where the Prophet (pbuh) is buried. The mosque was more beautiful than I had imagined it. The minarets and the umbrella shaped shelters stood out the most for me. Once inside, the excitement had reached it’s climax, I offered my prayer and tried very hard to focus my thoughts on the exalted personage of the Holy prophet. His high position, means that some pilgrims unintentionally perform wrong practices during the visit. It was a different feeling to the Haraam mosque. Time just seemed to slow down for me. The thoughts of how God had granted me this blessed opportunity filled me with emotions. You can’t explain the feeling. Just as the within the Haraam, I felt a surge of energy as I conversed with my Lord asking him to forgive me. I collected myself and proceeded towards the grave. I walked towards the gold wire-meshed enclosures. Tears flowed through my eyes in an unrestrained manner as I sent salutations upon the Final Messenger. My role model. My beloved. Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
Sincerely,
Awais Ali
This wasn't the first time my semi-functional iPhone alarm let me down. Nor was it the first time that we slept at 3 in the morning! So let me set the scene for you. Its was 7:50 AM, we hadn’t packed, showered or ate breakfast and Steve was shouting his head off that we were going to miss the flight to Medina. The thought of missing a chance to visit the Prophet (pbuh)’s mosque was the driving power behind our swift exit from the hotel. It was funny when Steve pointed out that he left the room shouting at Ahmed for being too slow for putting on his belt on, only to find him still trying to put it on 10 minutes later. Our Arrival to Medina was welcomed with a pleasant breeze. The temperature was 20oC but the expression on our Saudi tour guide looked like someone had just shoved him into a freezer. It is compulsory to enter the mosque with the upmost humbleness and humility
The lack of preparation meant that I was frantically looking through my luggage for my thobe. The visit to the Medina mosque is just as significant as visiting the Haraam in Makkah. This is the city where which God chose for His Messenger to flee to safety when he was driven out of Makkah from the Quraish. This is the city where God revealed many commandments the Prophet (pbuh). When I think of it like that, it enables me to understand just how important Medina is to Muslims. Its is the city where the muslims were among some of the first to understand and apply the obligatory duties. 1400 years later and I am still practicing those obligatory duties. It is advised to give some charity and be in constant supplication before going to mosque.
I was travelling with great enthusiasm and excitement and increasing the yearning, as we got closer. I was overjoyed when the green dome came into sight. Underneath the green dome is where the Prophet (pbuh) is buried. The mosque was more beautiful than I had imagined it. The minarets and the umbrella shaped shelters stood out the most for me. Once inside, the excitement had reached it’s climax, I offered my prayer and tried very hard to focus my thoughts on the exalted personage of the Holy prophet. His high position, means that some pilgrims unintentionally perform wrong practices during the visit. It was a different feeling to the Haraam mosque. Time just seemed to slow down for me. The thoughts of how God had granted me this blessed opportunity filled me with emotions. You can’t explain the feeling. Just as the within the Haraam, I felt a surge of energy as I conversed with my Lord asking him to forgive me. I collected myself and proceeded towards the grave. I walked towards the gold wire-meshed enclosures. Tears flowed through my eyes in an unrestrained manner as I sent salutations upon the Final Messenger. My role model. My beloved. Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)
Sincerely,
Awais Ali
0 comments:
Post a Comment