Passing through Madinah

I had so much fun writing the previous post, and getting two ���comments��� (!!!) that I���m starting the next one straight away. If I were to write about what I���ve done today, it would be a speech about an unsuccessful shopping trip ��� no purses, jewellery or sandals at the Shamel plaza that could match my taste! It leaves a bad taste in the mouth ��� or maybe that���s because I had some carbonated fizz with ice-cream and didn���t rinse my mouth later? :(

Now to things that make sense and are actually much more important than stupid shopping trips.

The final leg of our Umrah trip was to take us to Madinah, and closer to my birth-city of Tabuk. Makkah and Madinah are separated by a distance of about 450 km ��� around 3.5 hours by road, and we were out of the city by 4 pm. What amazed me, as we drove through numerous tunnels and over long flyovers, was that Makkah is a very large city and since it developed in a hilly area, there aren���t too many tall buildings but just little houses with flat roofs dotted over the landscape. Personally, I���d love to live in a place like Makkah ��� atleast, when you wake up at night and go to the balcony, you can close your eyes and imagine the Prophet (pbuh) going forth to the Hira cave in the shadows. It gives a great sense of security and peace��� but then, I believe, the sands of Arabia all seem to be singing the praise of Allah and pointing towards Makkah���

We stopped just to offer Asr prayer at a small petrol pump-cum-rest area and the sun set on our way to Madinah. Since were traveling towards a region where the sun set later than in Makkah, the light from the sunset and the subsequent shades in the sky persisted for a long while, and when darkness actually fell, we were on the outskirts of Madinah. The approach to Madinah from the Tabuk direction, that is from the north, is through rocky mountains, sandy plains and barren hills. In contrast, the southern road from Makkah, is runs through a uniform landscape ��� rocky hills of varying shapes, and more shapes are quite interesting, especially when they are set against the sunset hues and tints.

The first thing you notice about Madinah, after Makkah, is the ���peace and quiet���, especially after sunset. The Prophet���s mosque in Madinah, no doubt highly revered, yet is still basically just a mosque ��� it attracts almost the same number of pilgrims as in Makkah, but few are recurrent��� many are just passing through. Also, Madinites usually offer prayers in mosques closer to their homes, except for the Friday prayer perhaps. As we entered Madinah, my father told us that the Prophet (pbuh) loved this city so much that when he neared it, on the way back from some expedition, he would urge his camel forward into a run and enjoy the rushing air that thus greeted him.

As it was time for Ishaa when we entered Madinah, we decided to stop at Masjid-e-Qiblatain (Two Qiblahs) to offer the prayer. It was at this site that the Prophet (pbuh) received the Divine Revelation ordering him to change his Qiblah from the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to the Kaabah in Makkah ��� it is thus named Qiblatain, Two Qiblahs. After the prayers, we were back in our car and decided to take up the next big challenge ��� finding the Pakistan House in Madinah. Following the road signs, getting to the Prophet���s mosque is easy but finding a suitable and economical hotel, unless you have a reservation, is a BIG problem. Thus, we decided to look for the Pakistan House.

After taking a few directions from helpful Pakistanis here and there, we were in the Pakistan House of Madinah, which, sadly, has quite a few lessons to learn from it���s sister-building in Makkah. Charging the same rates for the respective rooms, they fell behind in standard to such an extent that at first, I thought it was absurd! The carpets had stains, the bedsheets obviously hadn���t been washed and useless racks (storage space, in a hotel?!) had been built in a wall��� each storage compartment was about one feet by one feet and several inches deep��� well and good, but who on earth would need them?! They looked like niches to display crystals or cute little vases! The ���Room Service��� had been advertised on every main wall in the building, from the reception to the elevators and floor corridors��� however, when Abba ordered some dinner, they didn���t send it up. Tired and sleepy from the drive, my father called them again only to be told that no order had been received and had he perhaps ordered food from the restaurants across the road? You can imagine my father���s irritation at that.

Anyway, we sisters retired to our room as we had to wake up at 3:00 am for Fajr. By the way, our room was a hexagon and I later discovered, when I heard sounds of rushing water and found a drain, that it had been a KITCHEN before it was converted to a bedroom! The rushing sounds were from a thick drainpipe that ran beside a wall in the room ��� and since the sounds were *occassional*, I presumed there must be a bathroom on the floor above us. Ah���

I live by a rule��� keep the lights on when sleeping in a weird hotel.

We woke at 3:00 am and ran about hurriedly making Wudhu, and not one of us had any intention of missing the shuttle service between the Pak. House and the Mosque, which was around two kilometers away in walking terms (over the underpass, across wide roads, around a large construction site, along long streets and lanes, and finally, across the Mosque courtyard).

I just love going for Fajr, be it Makkah or Medinah ��� because when men and women quietly emerge from their residences and all hear towards the mosque in a serene manner, without the hustle and bustle of the city in the background, you feel as if you���re watching everyone going towards some big goal, all equal. When I was younger and we stayed closer to the Prophet���s mosque (in hotels that have now been cleared away to erect taller structures), I always loved people emerging from tiny streets and lanes, and walking towards the mosque in the darkness, with the Azaan echoing in the otherwise quiet night��� the scene reminded me then of the Day of Judgment, when people would be walking towards the Hashr plain ��� although I know the scene would, alas, be more chaotic then.

We were in time for the shuttle service that took us to the Mosque along a route we had never, ever taken before, and neither had my father ��� through the massive underground parking lots. When the Prophet���s Mosque underwent expansion (carried out by the Saudi Bin-Laden company), all aspects were taken into consideration ��� increasing visitors and pilgrims needed not only space to pray but the great problem of parking area cropped up. Thus, most of the area around the mosque underground was excavated to make parking lots. At peak time, these spaces are full. Not only this, but the underground parking is connected directly to the mosque���s courtyard through two levels of escalators, separate for men and women, and washrooms provided at each level. The proper, full-fledged underground washrooms are actually constructed alongside the parking area exits. Such is the rush in the Hajj season that all of the hundred or so washroom stalls in each washroom area (of which there are ten to eleven for each gender, around the mosque, underground) are in use.

So��� we ascended the escalators and saw directly above us, the towering minarets of the beautiful mosque. I reminded myself to take a snapshot of that view ��� but fate had other plans! When we approached the closest doorway for ladies, there were two authorized women standing there, checking the purses and handbags of the entering ladies. Camera phones and Bluetooth are frequently derided by the religious authority, basically because photography is officially and strictly banned everywhere in the Kingdom and also because some percentage of the wacky-weirdo Arab youth snap photographs of women in the market place, etc. etc. The guard-women at the mosque���s gate would check my purse too, which contained a pocket-size Quran, a Sony Ericcsson J300i and an Acer Digicam. At Makkah, the checking was not very strict ��� I took out the mobile and showed it to the concerned person, and he didn���t look into the purse where I kept my Digicam.

At Madinah, the woman was thorough in her checking ��� she soon discovered the camera and told me that I���d have to take it back to my father or any male relative outside. Where was I to find Abba, who was entering through the male entrance, and whom I had last seen in the parking lot? She spoke in Arabic and I could catch just a few words��� I tried to tell her I wouldn���t use it, but she turned a deaf ear. So, what did we do?

We prayed Fajr outside, under the lovely dark sky, in the mosque���s courtyard. Perfectly normal. And next time, my camera stayed in one of those ���storage-compartments��� in the wall of the hotel room.

About the Prophet���s mosque: it is enormous, and although I can���t exactly quote the capacity in terms of the number of people that can pray there, I do know that the mosque covers an area now, that in the days of the Prophet (phub), was the entire Madina (or rather, Yathrib) town. Around 5-6 km from the Mosque, directly opposite the Faisal gates, lies the large and longitudinal Ohud mountain, where the Ohud battle was fought.

The main features of the Prophet���s mosque are the same as those of the Haram in Makkah, with an added feature that it is fully air conditioned whereas the Haram is provided this facility in select areas so far. Most of my knowledge of the two holy mosques comes from two sources ��� firstly, by seeing everything for my self, and secondly, by watching the documentaries produced by the Bin-Laden company, detailing each aspect of the expansions at these sites. I could, thus, write for hours about how they constructed the doors with the greatest details, polished the marble pillars and their various fittings, setup underground Zam Zam lines, constructed enormous domes, installed marble finishing factories, electrical power plants etc. etc.

The Prophet���s tomb is towards a side of the mosque, easily accessible from the male entrance but farther from the female ones. My earliest memories of going for saying ���Salaam��� at the Prophet���s tomb are of lining up outside a small gateway within the mosque ��� this gate closed of the corridor leading to the tomb area. After Zuhr prayers, at 1:30 pm (separate timings for women), they would open the gates and women would hurry forward across the polished marble, down the corridor flanked by large pillars, dappled in sunshine in patches from the roof inlets towards the Prophet���s tomb.

The tomb itself is not directly accessible��� around it is built a cage like wall, a grill with an intricate pattern so you really can���t see inside��� and it���s flat in there anyway. Adjacent to this tomb are the tombs of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RAH) and Hadrat Umar (RAH) in similar grill-enclosed areas. There is yet another chamber but the title plague over it is blank��� the grave is empty��� it has been kept for Hazrat Isa (A.S.).

After praying ���Durood��� and the customary words of ���salam��� one utters at graves, as done by the Prophet (pbuh) himself, I remember going to the Riyadh-ul-Jannah, marked by a white-carpeted area. It is said to be part of the Prophet���s chamber and thus, offering two rakah of Nafil prayer are deemed to be very rewarding ��� Allah knows best! We also saw the platform where the Scribes of the Divine Revelation (Ashab-e-Sohof) sat and recorded the words of the Quran ��� it is about one feet high, and around eight feet by six feet in area.

My father has also had the chance to offer Juma prayer at the Prophet (pbuh)'s Pulpit, from where the Prophet delivered his sermon. I have not seen it for myself as it is located in the male area of the mosque.

If you roam within the mosque, you can see large indoor courtyards dappled in sunlight during the day ��� but you can cover up those gaps in the roof too! They���ve used large, machine operated umbrella-type of shutters, mounted on long poles. When expanded completely, these canvas shutters work completely close the gaps. But that feature I love most is the sliding dome! Large, finely crafted and intricately designed domes all over the mosque are actually mounted on railings��� sometimes, after Fajr or Maghreb, these domes silently and slowly begin to move and ultimately you can see the stars twinkling outside. When my mother witnessed it, she said she felt her prayers were flying up to heaven through those windows.

I���ve always felt that the authorities are doing an excellent job in the maintenance of the two Holy mosques, considering the enormity of the task, the number of pilgrims who visit and mess created by the majority of the visitors! Some argue that the oil wells provide money which is actually making this efficient management possible ��� but I disagree and perhaps, you will too.

We had reached Madinah in the evening of 4th July and, after spending the whole of the next day there, were ready to depart to Tabuk in the morning of 6th July. Since the drive was quite long ��� around seven hours ��� we decided to get onto the road immediately after returning from Fajr prayer so that we���d be in Tabuk by 1 pm or so. As the sun rose over the horizon, we were on the highway, and the view of the Ohud mountain was spectacular ��� as always. Hour by hour, through rocky hills, then the higher, mountainous area of Ashash, the desert plain around Tayma and finally, the most beautiful rolling sand dunes on the outskirts of Tabuk, we entered the city I will always call home���

With this, our ���Umrah trip��� came to a close, and Allah alone knows when we will be able to see those places again��� that���s what I think everytime we return from Makkah and Madinah and it is the main reason why I wish to be able to visit Saudi Arabia freely for a long time��� every good thing must reach it���s termination though, and our time in Saudi Arabia is drawing to a close. A year or two years later, many important things will reach their conclusion in Tabuk, and they will all ultimately lead to our final exit from the Kingdom.

I���ve still got lot���s more to say on these subjects but there���s a limit to what you can waste ��� even if it���s free space on blogger.com��� perhaps later, then. Allah Hafiz!