HJ ZULHEIMY - DOWN MEMORY LANE

Saturday, April 20, 2024

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: UMRAH 2015 > MADINAH AL-MUNAWARRAH & MASJID NABAWI

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

18 April 2024

DECEMBER 16, 2016 - MECCA TO MADINAH

After completing the Tawaf Wida' or Farewell Tawaf, the pilgrims get on the bus to start the journey from Makkah al Mukarramah to Madinah al Munawarrah..

The travel distance from Mecca to Medina is approximately 424 kilometers. Remember the PLUS Highway in our country, there we can see many beautiful and interesting scenery... but the highway in Saudi Arabia only has hills and deserts, but the earth created by God is still beautiful.

The sign in Arabic at the top of the building reads Mat'am Al-Barakah or Al-Barakah Restaurant. This was common for such stops, often serving traditional Arabic and South Asian cuisine like Mandi, Kabsa and tea.

These stops area usually located in the Wadi Al-Fara or Al-Suwaidra regions, roughly at the halfway point of the 450 km journey.

The journey that takes 6-7 hours is very tiring. We stopped at an R&R that I don't remember where to pray for Maghrib and Isyak.

We arrived in Madinah al Munawarrah late at night. We were then taken to our hotel, Hotel Louloat Mubarak 3, which is located not far from Masjid Nabawi.

Hotel Louloat Mubarak 3 (also referred to as Hotel Loloat Madinah) is located in the Al Naqa district of Madinah, Saud Arabia.It is approximately 250 meters (a short walk) from the Prophet's Mosque, near Gate 310, which provides direct access to the area of the Prophet's Grave.

Nearby landmarks also include Masjid Abu Bakar Siddeeq R.A and Masjid Umar bin Khattab.

MADINAH AL MUNAWWARAH

Located in the Hejaz region of Western Saudi Arabia is one of the oldest and most important places in Islamic History, also one of the most sacred cities in Islam. Madinah is a modern city, the length of the forbidden land of Madinah is 16 km while the distance from Jeddah is about 420 km and from Mekkah is 480 km.

Madinah was opened by Yathrib bin Qaniah (Yathrib was the old name for Madinah before the Prophet s.a.w migrated from Mekkah to Madinah). It became the site of the development of Islam as soon as the Prophet s.a.w migrated to Madinah in 622 A.D.

Madinah is know as al-Madinah al-Munawwarah meaning "City of Light" or al-Madinah al-Nabawiyyah meaning "City of the Prophet s.a.w".

Madinah is also the place where the Prophet s.a.w is buried in the Sacred Chamber in Masjid Nabawi, along with two of his most faithful companions, the first two Caliph of Islam, Saidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq r.a and Saidina Umar al-Khattab r.a.

The Green Dome (al-Qubban al-Khadra), is the most iconic landmark in Madinah,located in the southeast corner of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque). It marks the location of the sacred chamber where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is buried.

The dome sits directly above the Sacred Chamber (al-Hujra al-Sharifa) which was originally the house of Prophet's wife Aisha (RA). Inside the are the grave of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Abu Bakar As-Siddiq (the first Caliph) and Umar al-Khattab (the second Caliph).

DECEMBER 17, 2015

This morning at 4 o'clock, we went to the Prophet's Mosque to perform the Sunat prayer and pray at Raudhah.

MASJID NABAWI

The Prophet's Mosque was originally built by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w in the month of Rabiulawal in the first year of the Hijrah (622 AD) after his arrival in Madinah and is the second holiest and largest mosque in the world after the Haram Mosque. Rasulullah s.a.w said, "One prayer in my mosque is better than praying a thousand times in any other mosque except Masjidil Haram."

The Prophet's mosque was the second mosque built, first being the Quba Mosque.

** The hadith about the advantages of praying 40 times in the Prophet's Mosque is disputed because one of its narrators, Nubait bin Umar, is considered weak. (Refer to Al-Silsilah al-Dha'ifah 1/366 no. 364 Fadhail Madinah, p. 435-436)

THE GRAVE OF THE PROPHET S.A.W

Inside the Prophet's Mosque is the resting place of the greatest person in the world, Rasulullah s.a.w., along with his two companions, namely Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq and Saidina Umar Al-Khattab. The grave of the Prophet s.a.w. is located in a building with a green dome (Al Khadrak). Next to the Prophet's tomb is Ar-Raudhah, a heavenly garden marked by white marble columns and green expanses.

RAUDHAH AL-MUTHAHAHARAH

The Raudhah Al-Mutaharah (or Rawdah Al Sharifah) is a deeply sacred area inside the Prophet's Mosque (Masjid Al-Nabawi) in Madinah, specifically located between the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w noble resting place and his original pulpit, It is known as a "Garden from the Gardens of Paradise" (Riyad ul-Jannah) basedon the hadith of the Prophet s.a.w.

The Prophet s.a.w said:

"Between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of heaven. And my pulpit is over my pool."

(Sahih Bukhari no. 1196)

JANATUL BAQI'

Next to the Nabawi Mosque is Jannatul Baqi' (Baqi' Cemetery). It is estimated that more than 10,000 of the companions and family of Rasulullah s.a.w who died in Madinah are buried here. Nine Ummul Mu'minin (Wives of the Prophet s.a.w) were laid to rest in this Baqi' cemetery except for Sayadatina Siti Khadijah bt Khuwalid and Saidatina Maimunah bt Haris who were laid to rest in Makkah al Mukarramah.

Here is also the grave of the Ahlul Bait (the family of the Prophet s.a.w.) that is his children and grandchildren and also his noble companions.

The first Muhajirin to be buried in this Baqi' cemetery was Usman bin Ma'azun.

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY 2015 : UMRAH 2015 > MASJID QUBA & JABAL UHUD

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

Lembah Keramat, KL

20 April 2024 > 11 Syawal 1445H: 7.54 a.m

Thursday, April 18, 2024

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: UMRAH 2015 > MASJIDILHARAM & KAABA

JUMAAT PRAYER AT MASJIDIL HARAM

12 December 2015

The first day of arriving in Mekkah was Friday. I felt excited to perform the Friday prayer for the first time at Masjidilharam, even though I had to pray outside Masjidilharam because the inside of the mosque was already full.

MASJID AL-HARAM AND KAABA

The Grand Mosque (Masjidilharam) is the largest mosque in the world, located in the city of Mecca and surrounded by hills. 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."

After the Friday prayer, we continued to perform the first Umrah since arriving in Mecca. For Umrah, you only need to perform Tawaf - circling the Kaaba seven times in a counter clockwise direction and then Perform Sa'ie - walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah beside Kaaba. The end of Umrah, exit from Ihram by shaving head (taqsir).

TAWAF

Tawaf is one of the most significant principal rites of pilgrimage (Haji or Umrah). Tawaf refers to the act of walking in circles or circumambulating the Holy Kaaba seven times in an anti-clockwise direction and praying two Rakaat behind the Makam Ibrahim.

TAWAF

SA'IE BETWEEN SAFA AND MARWAH

Sa'ie is one of the integral rites of Hajj and Umrah and refers to the ritual of walking back and forth seven times between the two Hills of Safa and Marwah, located adjacent to the Kaaba in the Masjidilharam.

The rites of Sa'ie commemorates the action of Hajar a.s , the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) who walked and run between the Hill of Safa and Marwah seven times in search of water for her son Ismail a.s.

SA'IE BETWEEN SAFA AND MARWAH

HALQ AND TAQSIR

For those performing Umrah out of the Hajj season, the hair is cut once after performing Sa'ie. Halq refers to the act of shaving the entire head and Taqsir involves trimming the hair on the head by at least an inch. Performing Halq or Taqsir is the wajib (obligatory) act that must be performed in order to leave the state of Ihram.

After completing the umrah pilgrimage, which is Tawaf around the Kaaba seven times, between Safa Hill and Marwah Hill, and shaving, we continued to stay in the Masjidilharam for Asr, Maghrib, and Ishak prayers. After the Isyak prayer, we went back to the hotel to rest. This means that from the time we left KLIA until we arrived in Jeddah, we have not had a break. Thank God for giving us strength and patience in our journey and worship since we arrived on this earth full of blessings.

KAABA

Kaaba is very important in the history of Masjidil Haram. The Kaaba is tube-shaped or square measuring 15 meters high. The Kaaba is also known as Baitul Atiq, Baitul Haram or also called the House of God or Baitullah.

The building is located on a site called Syazarwan forming 4 corners which are:

a. Iraqi column - pointing to the Northeast

b. Rukun Ash-Syami points to the North West

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 a.s, 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 Temple to drain rainwater. An auspicious area for praying.

As a Muslim, seeing the Kaaba for the first time is an unforgettable memory. Imagine all this time only seeing the Kaaba on TV screens and in newspapers, books, and magazines. But now I'm standing right in front of the Kaaba. I was moved when I remembered that Rasulullah S.A.W used to perform tawaf here...