HJ ZULHEIMY - DOWN MEMORY LANE: HAJJ JOURNEY 2017

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

8 April 2024

MEKKAH AL MUKARRAMAH

Mekkah or Mecca with its full name Mecca Al Mukarramah, is located approximately 73 km east of Jeddah. Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Ismail a.s. and also Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. This is also where the revelation came down to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, which is in Gua Hira in Jabal Nur.

Named Mecca means to purify or cleanse because Mecca purifies and eliminates the sins of those who come to it or cleanse those who commit injustice in Mecca.

The city of Makkah is located 600 km from the city of Madinah and more than 200 km from the main terminal city to Makkah, which is Jeddah. The city is situated in a narrow valley and surrounded by mountains, with the Ka'aba building as the center of the city. The temperature in summer in this city is very hot and reaches up to 40 °C (104 °F).

In Mecca, there is the Masjid al-Haram where the Kaaba is located, which serves as the Qibla for Muslims all over the world.

Scientific studies have proven that Mecca is the center of the earth. This study was conducted by Prof. Hosien Kamal El Din Ibrahim from Egypt.

During the Hajj season, this square will be filled with buses that bring Hajj pilgrims from faraway hotels to Masjidilharam. It also transports Hajj pilgrims who want to go to the place of prayer to perform Umrah or Hajj.

Refer: Hajj Journey 2017 : Flight to Jeddah

I took a photo of this mosque from a hotel room in Abraj Al Janadriyyah. I don't know the name of this mosque.

This used to be the place where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is believed to have been born. Located in Sh'ib Abi Talib, in the eastern side of Masjidilharam and just a short walking distance away from it. Now the house has been turned into a public library by the Mayor of Mekah, Syeikh Abbas Bin Yusuf Al-Qatthan in 1950.

I visited this library and was given some books for free.

Zam Zam well located within the Masjidilharam in Mecca about 20m east of the Kaaba. The well is a miraculously generated source of water, which opened up thousands of years ago when the son of Ibrahim a.s. (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael) was left with his mother Hajar (Hagar) in the desert. It is stated to have dried up during the settlement of the Jurhum in the area and to have been rediscovered in the 6th century by Abdul Muttalib, grandfather of Muhammad (PBUH).

Millions of pilgrims visit Mecca and Medina each year to perform the hajj or umrah and drink water from the zam zam well.

Al Haram Emergency Hospital located north of the Holy Mosque in front of King Abdullah Gate provides high quality services to pilgrims through an integrated medical team. The hospital was launched during Ramadan 1438H (2017).

Al Safwah Tower located in Mecca, a 5-minute walk from Masjidilharam, oppostie to King Abdul Aziz Gate with Mecca skyline view.

FELDA D'Saji is proud to be the flag bearer for Malaysian and Asian cuisine at the Holy City of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia. The best of Malaysian and Asian cuisine brought by FELDA D'Saji can be located at Level 2, Al-Safwa Tower, located infront of King Abdul Aziz Gate of Masjidilharam.

Among the dishes are Malaysian favourite Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, Teh Tarik and other various Malaysian dishes.

MASJID AL-HARAM

The Masjid Al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world, located in the city of Mecca surrounded by hills. The construction of the Kaaba, which is the qibla of Muslims, is located in Masjid al-Haram.

Allah s.w.t said in Surah al-Imran verse 96, which means, "Indeed, the first house of worship built for mankind is the House of God in Mecca, which is blessed and a guide for mankind."

The reward of praying in Masjid al-Haram is 100,000 times compared to praying in other places.

The word "Masjid al-Haram" is mentioned 15 times in the Quran.

There are two KFC's in the vicinity of the Masjidilharam. The nearest would be on the ground floor of the Hilton Towers (now Millenium Hotel Tower) and the other in the food court of the Jabal Omar Mall, near to Hilton Suites.

KAABA

The Kaaba, sometimes referred to as al-Ka'ba al-Musharrata is a stone building in the center of Masjidilharam. It is considered by Muslims to be the Bayt Allah (House of God) and is the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims around the world. In early Islam, Muslims faced in the general direction of Jurusalem as the qibla of their prayers before changing to Kaaba,as a result of a Quranic verse revelation to Muhammad (PBUH).

According to Islam, the Kaaba was rebuilt several times throughout history, most famously by Prophet Ibrahim a.s and his son Ismail a.s.

The construction of the Kaaba is located on a site called Syazarwan, forming four corners which are:

a. Rukun Iraqi - pointing to the northeast

b. Rukun Ash-Syami - pointing to the northwest

c. Rukun Al-Yamani - pointing to the southwest

d. Rukun Al Aswadi - pointing to the southeast where the Black Stone is located.

Pray in front of the Kaaba, in sha Allah, it will be accepted by Allah s.w.t. Among those found around the Kaaba are:

a. Hajar Aswad - located on the east side of the Kaaba, marking the beginning of tawaf.

b. Multazam - the place between the Black Stone and the door of the Kaaba. Rasulullah s.a.w in his hadith said this is the place where prayer is necessary.

c. Makam Ibrahim - the place where Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) stood when building the Kaaba, also a suitable place to pray.

d. Al - Hathim - located between the Rukun and the Maqam Ibrahim, the well of zam-zam and Hijr Ismail.

e. Hijir Ismail - a crescent-shaped wall construction. It is said that this is where Prophet Ismail and his mother Siti Hajar were buried. It is recommended to pray at Hijir Ismail.

f. Pancur Emas - a golden fountain or mizab that leads out from the roof of the Kaaba to drain rainwater. An auspicious area for praying.