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The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah… the Rawdah Sharifah (the “Noble Garden” –a blessed place between the Prophet’s grave and the mimbar in Madinah)… Mt. Uhud … the way to Makkah… facing the Holy Ka’ba…emotions … sensations… Talbiah (the du’ah made in ‘Umrah and Hajj)…. tears… memories… different episodes of that glorious journey to make ‘Umrah and Hajj and to visit the Madinah. A journey that Mr. Amr Khaled describes to us, with love, pleasure, and reverence; reverence that carries all hearts and souls to the Sacred Mosque, dipped in tears of longing to visit those Holy Sites. To join the trip, read "Kul Al-Nass", Wednesday 4/2/2004 issue.

As is the case every week, Mr. Amr Khaled completes for us the story of his first trip to the holy sites in Madinah and the Holy Ka’ba in Makkah.

He says: You must be determined to stay in the Prophet's Mosque for the longest time possible and to do I’tekaf (remain in the mosque worshipping or reading Qur’an) from Al-‘Asr prayer to Al-Ishaa prayer. In the Rawdah Sharifah, sit as much as you like and pray as much as you can. Try to go early, at the time of Al-Fajr prayer, in order to find a place in the Rawdah. Otherwise, you will find it crowded and will be forced to the end rows. Let your eyes move here and there in this panoramic scene. Your heart will be greatly moved. Your eyes will capture a person prostrating, another crying, a third one raising his hands up imploring Allah earnestly, and the fourth humbling himself before Him, asking Him for forgiveness. What a magnificent scene! Viewing it, you will certainly want to worship Allah more. But, hold on! In this magnificent scene, don't forget to enter from the Gate of Jibril.

This is the gate from which Sayidna Jibril (Gabriel the Archangel) (AS) entered in human form. Omar Ibn El-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) says, "While we were sitting with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a man came towards us. His clothes were extraordinarily white, his hair extraordinarily black. He didn't look like a traveler. Yet, none of us knew him. He sat in front of the Prophet (PBUH), touching his knees to those of the Prophet (PBUH). He put his palms on the Prophet's thighs and said, 'Oh, Muhammad! What is Islam? What is iman? And what is ihsan? Then he left. 'O, Omar!' said the Prophet (PBUH), 'Do you know who this questioner is?'. 'Allah and His Prophet know best', I replied. 'It is Jibril (AS). He came to teach you your religion', said he (PBUH)."

So, that is the Gate of Jibril. Enter from it. You will find the place where he sat with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). You will find "Jibirl's place" written on it.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says, "Faith (iman) will run to Madinah like the snake to its burrow." You are in the land of faith and still you don't taste how delicious faith is! Then, how do you think your heart will feel?

You are in Madinah. Walk in silence and reverence. Walk with tremendous humility. One of your feet is stepping over the footprints of the Prophet (PBUH) and the other over those of the Beloved Companions. Sometimes, I see a person smoking a cigarette in the Madinah! A real crime! It is a blunder that should never happen in that holy site. Another time, I see someone else talking in a very loud voice, which is equally bad.

It is said that after the Prophet's death (PBUH), Abdullah Ibn Omar (RA) passed by a tree that stood in the way of pedestrians. His companions tried to avoid the tree and passed whereas he moved around it, starting from its right side then returned to its left side and passed. "What's this that you are doing?" his companions asked. "When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) passed by this tree, he did the same. I just liked to do as he did. My feet may happen to step over his footprints. At that time I might gain merits." So, be careful not to commit any sin in the Madinah. Also, try as much as you can to stick to the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). If you don't do this in Madinah, where do you think you would do it?

Ah, what a visit! Especially if you were in the company of one who knows about the place there. He will go on describing to you, "Here Sayedna Hamza (RA) was martyred, and here one of the Companions' blood was shed. Look! Here Mus’aab Ibn ‘Omayr (RA) died, and there all the Companions were striving to defend our beloved Prophet (PBUH). And over there, all the martyrs are buried.” Still, the question remains: Was all that blood really spilled in vain?

Among these is the story of Abu ‘Amer, the scoundrel, who dug a hole in the ground as he saw the Prophet moving backwards. Sorrowfully, the Prophet (PBUH) fell down into it. Some references mention that the Prophet (PBUH) fell on his face and the hole had a rock inside. Thus, when he fell, he broke some of his front teeth on it. At that time, he was 57 years old. Then, one of the disbelievers, named Abdullah Ibn Qamy'ah, thought about killing him. He hurried towards him and struck his head with his sword. The Prophet (PBUH) happened to be wearing a helmet. That helmet smashed into his head, and its two pointed edges were bent towards his face. What’s more, the pointed sidepieces pierced the Prophet's cheeks and clung to the bones of his honorable face.

Abu-Bakr (RA) came quickly to help the Beloved Prophet (PBUH) and to pull the helmet's pieces out of his face, but he failed. Abu ‘Obayda Ibn Al-Jarrah (RA) hurried to do it himself. "O Abu Bakr, I swear by Allah, let me pull it from the Prophet's face myself." He said, "Lie down please, dear Prophet.” The Prophet (PBUH) lay down on the ground. Abu ‘Obayda held his head in his hand and started to pull the helmet's sharp sides with his teeth, to the extent that his own teeth were broken. But, he succeeded and the minute the sidepieces were out, the Prophet's honorable face gushed with blood. Water was brought to wash the Prophet's wounds but the bleeding increased. He (PBUH) was saying the entire time, ''O, Allah! Forgive my people. It's all out of ignorance." As the bleeding increased, his daughter Fatima came with Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both). She had a piece of cloth in her hands. She pushed it into the fire until it was about to turn to mere ashes. Then, she cauterized her father's face and it stopped bleeding.

Ask yourself, If I were in the Companions' place, would I have defended the Prophet (PBUH) in the same way they did? Or, would I have fled from those swords and the blood spattering everywhere? Would you have acted like Abu Dajana who embraced the Prophet (PBUH) in Uhud so that all the arrows directed at the Prophet (PBUH) were caught by his own back? Would you have done what Abu Obaydallah did when he risked his own life for the Prophet's sake (PBUH) saying, "My life is a redemption for yours, my dear Prophet."

Dear pilgrim, don't forget that many areas in Madinah are parts of Paradise. Scholars always say, "Oh! Madinah has many sites from Paradise." Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Uhud is one of the mountains of Paradise.” He also said, "Uhud is a mountain that loves us and we love it, too." So, when you visit it, try to love it. Most people cry when leaving Uhud. They realize that they are leaving part of Paradise. Even the martyrs' graves are part of Paradise. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself is in Paradise while still being in Madinah. Don't forget to visit the graveyard of Baqee'. There you will find the graves of the Prophet's Companions (RA). Move among them with the intention of visiting them and learning their lessons.

Now, let's turn towards Makkah to start the rituals of Hajj. What will you tell us about this?

Actually, we should start with [making your ihram (state of ritual purity) and] doing ‘Umrah, and then we end the state of ihram for ‘Umrah and wait until the 8^th of Dhul-Hijja, the day on which Hajj starts.

Your Umrah trip starts the minute you leave Madinah. You must first bid farewell to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by saying "Peace be upon you, Allah's messenger", then, you head for "Abyar Ali" (The Wells of Ali) where you are to do Ihram and start your Umrah. It is only 20 km distance from Madinah. First of all, bathe yourself so as to be pure both outwardly and inwardly. While bathing say "I intend to make ‘Umrah". Then, put on your Ihram clothes. (Editor’s note: the person in ihram is called a muhrim.) At that moment, forget about this life. Forget what you normally wear in it. Starting from that moment, all of the people are the same. One of the objectives of wearing the Ihram clothes is to feel humble. The poor and the rich are now the same. All are submissive for no one but Allah. The Ihram clothes remind us about death and the hereafter. They greatly resemble the shroud, since in both, a person has been bathed and prepared to meet Allah the Almighty. Such a significant similarity between the dead person and the muhrim!

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "Whoever makes his purification properly at home, then comes to Qubaa and performs a two-prostration prayer, takes the merits of an ‘Umrah." Qubaa is the first mosque constructed in Islam. If you performed a two-prostration prayer in it, you take the merits of an ‘Umrah even before starting the ‘Umrah you intended to do. Hence, it's exceedingly important to visit the Qubaa Mosque before leaving Madina.

The moment you start your ihram in Abyar Ali, many things become forbidden. Firstly, you are not to wear anything on your head. [For a man] But, you can use an umbrella. Secondly, it is forbidden to let any hair fall intentionally from your head. Thirdly, you are not allowed to cut your nails. Finally, don't let any perfume touch your skin.

During your journey, you are to do nothing except say, "O my Lord, here I am at Your service, here I am. There is no partner with You. Here I am. Truly, the praise, dominion, and sovereignty are Yours and true provisions come only from You. There is no partner with You." This is what we call Talbiah. Essentially, Talbiah is an answer to a request made by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) thousands of years ago. At that time Allah says what can be translated as, "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men; they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways." (TMQ, 22:27)[1].

"O, God! Can my voice reach everyone?" said Prophet Ibrahim. "O, Ibrahim. You call and I deliver", said Allah (SWT) At that moment, Prophet Ibrahim went searching for the highest place around; to let all of humanity hear. He ended at Arafat. He climbed the great Mountain and started calling, "O, people everywhere! Allah orders you to make Hajj. Come and follow His order." And here we are, thousands of years later, saying, "O my Lord, here I am at Your service, here I am. There is no partner with You. Here I am. Truly, the praise, the dominion, and sovereignty are Yours and true provisions come only from You. There is no partner with You.” Talbiah means I'm at your service Allah, wholly submissive to Your orders. You are the only one in my heart. My wife, my children, my wealth, and my whole life; none of these can have a share of my heart when You are deep inside. There is no partner with You. Here I am. Truly, the praise, dominion and sovereignty are Yours and true provisions come only from You.

Go on echoing the Talbiah throughout your 450 km journey, until you reach Makkah. When you are there, go straight to the hotel to stow your luggage, but, don't stop saying "O my Lord, here I am at Your service". Keep in mind that you are not paying a visit to the Sacred House; you are actually paying a visit to Allah, the God of this House. The Ka’ba is just a symbol. If you mean to visit the House, you can simply fill your eyes with the splendor of its walls and cloth. But, if you intent to visit Allah (SWT), you must try to feel His Exaltedness with every single organ in your body. Although on a camel in this long journey, and not in a bus, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) never stopped saying "O my Lord, here I am at Your service ". On the Day of Judgment, rocks, trees, and even grains of sand, all will come to testify that you have made such a long journey saying Talbiah for the sake of no one but Allah (SWT).

Actually, not. Deep inside, you are longing to see Allah, the Almighty. When you are longing to see the Ka’ba you will see its picture hovering in your mind. So, why not long for Paradise, the scent of which can be sensed from a distance of a 500-year journey? If you really longed for it, you would find its enchanting aroma making its way into your nostrils.

At the Ka’ba's entrance, keep in your mind the story of its construction. Allah the Almighty says what can be translated as, "The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka; full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings." (TMQ, 3:96).

This is because people cry a lot there. "Bakka" comes from the Arabic word bucaa, which means "crying". No believer can enter Makkah without shedding tears.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was once asked, “Which mosque was first constructed on earth? "The Sacred Mosque and then Al-Aqsa Mosque", replied the Prophet (PBUH). “How many years were there between constructing both?" they returned. "40 years." he answered. Forty years after Prophet Ibrahim finished building the Sacred Mosque, Prophet Yaqoub (Jacob) started to build Al-Aqsa Mosque. Later on, Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) completed the building process. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, "Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety." (TMQ, 2:125).

The word mathaba (rough translation “place of assembly”) is an Arabic word which means that the more people visit it, the more their longing for it increases. Originally, it comes from the word yathoub, which means that the more one sees a thing, the more he becomes attached to it. Visiting the Ka’ba for the third time, you are very different from the one who visits it for the first time. You will long for it more than the one who visited it just once.

Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (PBUH) said, "Allah has ordered me to build Him a House." He then turns to his son Isma'il (Ishmael), "Will you help me, Isma'il?" "I will, Father.” replied Isma'il. They started building until the Ka’ba reached Prophet Ibrahim's head, and then they stopped. They couldn't put even one more stone into place. Prophet Ibrahim asked his son to bring him a rock so that he could stand on it to place more stones. Prophet Isma'il brought him a rock on which he stood until the Ka’ba was complete. While working, he used to pause for some time to contemplate the entire building. It was made up of mere stones, arranged one over the other; no cement and no concrete. Standing for a long time on the rock, his feet sunk deeply into it and left prints there. These prints are called Maqam Ibrahim (The Station of Abraham). You can still see it in the Ka’ba. Allah the Almighty says what can be translated as, “And take the Station of Abraham as a place of worship.” (TMQ, 2:125).

Maqam Ibrahim refers to the two prints left by Prophet Ibrahim's feet on the rock.

So, now you are entering the Sacred Mosque. When you first see the Ka’ba, don't forget to say the supplication of looking upon the Ka’ba, "O, Lord! Bless Thy Sacred House with more honor, glory, exaltedness, solemnity and security; and bless all those who visit it for ‘Umrah or Hajj with more honor, glory, exaltedness, solemnity, and security." You have to say it the moment you catch sight of the Ka’ba. Insha Allah, it will be answered. Indeed, the supplication that you say the moment you first look at the Ka’ba, is answered Insha Allah. Try to choose your supplication well. One of my friends, when he first saw the Ka’ba, said, "O, Allah! Answer all my prayers".

Start your ‘Umrah by circumambulation of the Ka’ba. Take care because circumambulation is like praying, and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is that when you visit the Sacred Mosque, you have to circumambulate the Ka’ba. Now you are praying. Your heart should be in complete reverence.

Never, ever read any supplications from a book while circumambulating the Ka’ba (making tawwaaf). Tawwaaf is the sign of your obedience and submissiveness to Allah (SWT). When you are making tawwaaf, you are confessing to Allah, "I am a helpless barefooted servant, going round Your Sacred House, seeking refuge and sanctuary. O, Allah! The God of the worlds, bless me with Thy mercy and forgiveness." You can, also, specify a certain supplication for each round so that you can feel the splendor of the tawwaaf.

Fourth round: remember the good things that your Lord has blessed you with since your birth.

In tawwaaf, you are very near to Allah (SWT). Try to feel this. You are circumambulating the Sacred Mosque, ٍyet, far above you, in the seventh heaven; angels are circumambulating the Oft-Frequented House.

[1] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

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