SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: UMRAH 2012 : HJH NORZIAH AHMAD

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

21 April 2024

Memories of performing the Umrah of my wife Hjh Norziah Ahmad with her mother and sister-in-law.

My wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law left for the Holy Land to perform Umrah on February 21, 2012. This is my wife's first visit to the Holy Land of Mecca and Medina.

The flight from KLIA to Airport Sri Lanka takes approximately 3 hours 45 minutes

Transit at Sri Lanka Airport before continuing the flight to Jeddah.

Sri Lanka historically known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Bay of Bengal.

Flight from Sri Lanka to Jeddah takes 9 hours 55 minutes

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Visiting Jeddah is like returning to your hometown, reconnecting with your roots, and meeting a community of people who share the same religion. This is because Jeddah is the resting place of Eve, the first woman created by God in this world.

The name Jeddah means "Grandmother," which refers to Eve being brought down to Jeddah and reuniting with Prophet Adam in Jabal Rahmah, Padang Arafah.

Jeddah is a city situated on the shores of the Red Sea. It is the largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and serves as the main gateway to Makkah Al-Mukaramah.

The Red Sea or Kulzum Sea is a gulf in the Indian Ocean, between the continents of Africa and Asia. It has been recorded in the Al-Quran about the story of Prophet Moses leading the Israelites to escape from being pursued by Pharaoh and his army. By God's destiny, the Red Sea suddenly split in two, and Moses and the Children of Israel were able to save themselves easily.

Not only in India, but the city of Jeddah also has a beautiful mosque that floats in the middle of the sea known as the Al Rahma Mosque. When the Red Sea is rising, the Al Rahma Mosque looks like a mosque emerging from the bottom of the Red Sea.

MADINAH AL MUNAWWARAH

Madinah or its full name Madinah al-Munawwarah is a city located in the Hijaz region, Saudi Arabia. Medina was originally named Yathrib but after the Hijrah, its name was changed to Madinat Al-Nabi or Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. The word Medina means "city". Madinah is the second holiest city after Makkah because this is where the Prophet's Mosque is located, where the grave of the greatest human being, our great leader Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., is located.

Jabal Uhud, or Bukit Uhud, is a hill located in the north of the city of Medina with a height of 1077 meters.

This is where the Battle of Uhud took place on Syawal 3 H/MMarch 625 AD. The Muslim army that initially dominated the battle left its strategic position on the hill. This allowed the Meccan Quraish cavalry under Khalid bin al-Walid to circle the hill and attack from behind, 'defeating' the Muslims of Medina. Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. himself was injured quite badly.
Jabal Uhud is not an ordinary hill, according to a hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik r.a. The Prophet s.a.w. said, "Indeed, Uhud is a mountain that loves us, and we also love it."
(HR, Bukhari, and Muslim)
Bukit Uhud is also one of the hills in heaven.

While visiting the Date Farm in Madinah, met a well-known celebrity in Malaysia, Irma Hasmie

Dressed in ihram in preparation for the journey to Mecca

MEKKAH AL MUKARRAMAH

Mecca, or Makkah, with its full name Makkah al-Mukarramah, is located approximately 73 km east of Jeddah. Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Ismail a.s. and Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., and it is also where he received revelation from Allah s.w.t.

Named Mecca means to destroy or reduce because Mecca reduces and eliminates the sins of those who come to it or destroys 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 located 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).

Here is Masjidilharam, where there is Kaaba, which is the Qibla for Muslims all over the world.

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

ZAM ZAM WELL

Zam Zam well located within the Masjidilharam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is not only a mere portable water source but it is also a prophetic medicine remedy that is described in the prophetic hadith as having a food benefit and natural healer for ailments.

The well was discovered by Hajar, wife of Prophet Ibrahim a.s. Left in the desert by Prophet Ibrahim, Hajar and her infant son Ismail were in need of water in the stifling heat. And so Hajar ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times in search of water. She then heard a voice. She called out and SubhanAllah saw Angel Jibreel where the Zamzam well now stands.

SAFA AND MARWAH

Safa and Marwah are two small hills, connected to the larger Jabal Abu Qubais and Qaiqan mountains now made part of the Masjidilharam. Muslims travel forth and back between them seven times in what is known as Sa'ie ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah.

It's the place where Hajar, wife of Hazrat Ibrahim ran in between those mountains looking for water for her son Hazrat Ismail who was a baby. She ran 7 times between these mountains looking for water for her baby In that scorching heat of desert while her husband was away obeying Allah s command.

PROPHET HOUSE

The birthplace of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w is located in Suq al-Layl Street. if you level al Masjid al-Haram near Safa, the site of the Prophet's birthplace is a little less than half a kilometres away. Today, the site is a school and library.

MASJID AL-HARAM, MEKKAH

Masjid al-Haram or Masjidilharam (The Sacred Mosque) is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca.

It is among the pilgrimage sites associated with the Hajj, which every Muslims must perform at least once in their life if able. Also the main site for the performance of Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year.

THE KAABA

The Kaaba sometimes referred to as al'Ka'aba al-Musharrafa, is a stone building at the center of Masjidilharam. It is considered by the Muslims to be the Bayt Allah (House of God) and is the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims around the world.

JABAL THUR

Jabal Thur is a mountain in Mecca, Saudi Arabia located in the lower part of Mecca to the south of the district of Misfalah.

It was within a cave here that the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companion Abu Bakar As-Siddiq r.a. hid for three days from the Quraish tribe. To protect them both, Allah s.w.t had a spider spin a web at the cave's entrance, preventing their enemies from seeing within and finding them.

JABAL RAHMAH

Jabal Al-Rahmah (Mountain of Mercy) is a granodiorite hill about 20 km southeast of Mecca. The hill is the place where Prophet Muhammad s.a.w stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon also known as Khutbah al-Wada to his companions, who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. Most Muslims believed that this is the site where Adam and Eve reunited on Earth after falling from Heaven.

This place is also a important during the Hajj season, within the 9th of Zulhijjah also known as Day of Arafah. During that day the Khutbah (Sermon) is delivered and Zuhr and Asar prayers are prayed together in the valley.