Journey to motherhood....

All praise to Allah Subhana Wa Tawala, recently I have been blessed with the wonderful opportunity of being a mother .While I was pregnant with my baby boy, I tried to study the Islamic aspect of motherhood and to my sheer amazement were engulfed with lots of beautiful sayings about the importance and blessings of being a mother. Unfortunately in these day and age, people tend to look down on this noble profession due to ignorance.

Here I would like to share with you some of the wonderful things I have learned from the study insha-Allah.

Believe it or not, we are living in a society where having a good secular education and a good career is seen as the symbol of so-called success. In last couple of decades we have been witnessing a huge change in how people see their hopes and aspirations. The pace of life has become really fast, in fact super-fast. Hardy anybody seems to have time to ponder upon the changes and perhaps most importantly the effect it has brought in our life. We are living in a consumer-driven society where what we can afford is more important then what we really need to be happy and satisfied with our life. Logos and brands are seen as very vital possession to acquire. In order to afford all the glitz and glamour, we all are busy in gaining as much money as possible. Thus, due to this material obsession we tend to forget our real goal in life which is to follow and obey the commands of our Creator.

In the holy Qur'an Allah SWT has told us the reason of our creation. We are solely created to worship Him. Only through worshiping Him we can get satisfaction and real success in this life and in the hereafter. Though most of us are busy with gaining wealth and showing it off we tend to be suffering more with lack of happiness than ever before. It used to be assumed that the rich are the happiest but close observation of their life shows the sheer sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction they experience with their life. It proves the ultimate truth of the existence of a Creator without whose help we will never be able to be truly happy. We do not know what exactly can make us happy but He knows as He has created us.

Our Creator has allocated every single one of us with certain roles and with roles come responsibilities. I don’t care how ‘backdated’ I may sound saying this but I firmly believe that men should be the bread winner and women should handle the household activities. As far as I understand, there is no problem in Islam regarding career women but there must be a balance. Women who work but neglect their vital duty as daughters, wives, mothers and sisters cannot be excused of their guilt. However, if the situation they are in necessitates that then that’s a different issue. The vast resources of our faith provides us with plenty of example of great women who not only excelled as wives and mothers but had a tremendous career as scholars, teachers, businesswomen and the list goes on masha-Allah.

Now let us delve in Islamic perspectives on motherhood ….

If we ponder upon the Quran and the Sunnah of the our beloved prophet (SAW) , we can find lots of examples of great women whose lives first and foremost evolve around the role as mother. Allah mentions couple of female role models for Muslims in the Qur’an: Maryam (A) – mother of Isa (Jesus) AS, Aasiya- Pharaoh's wife, wife of Imran better known as mother of Maryam (AS) and so on. In terms of Pharaoh's’s wife it can be argued that she was the foster mother of Musa AS (Moses). These noble women have sacrificed a lot to bring up such great offspring. They are regarded as the best women and are seen as perfect role model for us. One of the main reasons of their high status in Islam was their total devotion to Allah SWT which necessitates fulfilling the responsibilities set by the Creator. Here societal demands couldn’t stop them from performing their duty towards Allah SWT. They did not compromise their strong relation with Allah SWT just to please the people around them, which is just the opposite of what we tend to do now a days unfortunately.

The life and sayings (Sunnah) of our prophet Muhammad SAW also provides us with great examples of women who rarely failed in their duty as mothers. His wife Khadija RAW and his daughter Fatima RAW are two of the greatest women in Islam. However, as Islam is a lifestyle with wonderful balance that’s why we also have the great example of Ayesha RAW who was not a biological mother to anyone but she is regarded as one of the most prominent mothers of the believer (Ummul Muminin) as she was a great scholar who shared her tremendous knowledge with her community. Being a teacher is also a very important aspect in a mother’s life. In Islam mothers and fathers are the main teachers for their children. The Muslim women should never forget that the mother’s responsibility in bringing up the children and forming their characters is greater than that of the father, because children tend to be closer to their mother and spend more time with her. She is more likely to be aware about their behavioural, emotional and intellectual development during their childhood and the difficult time of teenage years.

There are some verses I came across in the Qur’an which I would like to mention here as it gives me sheer joy and satisfaction as a mother.

“And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship. And she brings him fort with hardship and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty months, till when he attains full strength and reaches forty years, he says: “My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and that I may do righteous good deeds such as please You, and make my offspring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance and truly I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will).” Al-Ahqaf 46: 15

"The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, that’s for those parents who desire to complete the term of sucking, but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother’s food and clothing on a reasonable basis. No person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear. No mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor father on account of his child.” Al-Baqarah 2:233

Thus we can see the Qur’an elevates kindness to parents and especially mothers to a status second only to the worship of Allah: “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him and to parents good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age while with you, say not to them so much as “uff” [an expression of disapproval or irritation] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was small.” 17:23-24 See also 31:14 and 29:8

Now if we shade some light on the Sunnah we can see lots of wonderful sayings on motherhood. A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said. "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your father”. It reminds me of one of my very close friend who told me that this hadith makes her feel like mothers are given all the medals – gold, silver and bronze and fathers are left with the consolation prize! Moreover, Islam teaches us that "Heaven is at the feet of mothers."

Its been narrated Al-Mughira: The Prophet said, "Allah has forbidden us ( 1 ) to be disrespectful to our mothers (2) to withhold (what we should give) or (3) demand (what we do not deserve), and (4) to bury our daughters alive. The Sunnah teaches us the best women are the one who are virtuous; they are the most affectionate to children, and the most careful of their husband's property. Subhanallah the list goes on. I don’t want to bore you with too much information! That’s why I would like to stop here.

While going through the difficulties of pregnancy the wisdom of the Qur’an and our dear prophet’s sayings made me feel content with my situation alhamdulillah. I would advise all the sisters to study the religious texts to know more about this great profession while they are pregnant or if possible even before that as it will definitely make you feel prepared ( a bit actually as there is no end to knowledge!) for the big day Insha-Allah ! The day when I was finally able to hold my tiny bundle of joy I was feeling ecstatic but at the same time I was feeling overwhelmed with such a huge responsibility. There are so many things to learn and learning takes time. That’s why it’s best to prepare ourselves as proper Muslim mother from the very beginning Insha-Allah. We must remember that we will be questioned by Allah SWT on the day of judgement about this mammoth task as a mother- whether we have full filled our duty and helped them to be good practising Muslim or we neglected our task and as a result our children ended up as ungrateful servants of Allah SWT! Will we be able to come up with any valid excuse on that day?

In memory of a very special sister

Farzana , my friend and a very close sister in Islam, has passed away. It has been eight days since her death. She was suffering from cancer. Though her brother was able to donate some bone marrow, unfortunately her body rejected it. That’s why the doctors were unable to give the family any more hope. She decided to return home and spend her remaining time with her beloved family and friends.

I talked to her couple of times during her illness and felt amazed by her courage and patience, subhanallah. She was a very practising sister who had strong tawakkul (reliance) on Allah SWT. It felt like she has accepted the trial with an open heart and alhamdulillah, it’s my firm belief that she has passed the test insha-Allah.

During such a critical time she has also tried to prepare her three very young children for the world without her. You can imagine how hard it would have been for her to do so. May Allah SWT make her children successful in this world and the world to come, ameen. May Allah SWT make these three young children the means for her and her husband to reach jannah, ameen. May Allah SWT give her husband lots of strength and patience to endure the hardship of parenthood in the absence of his beloved wife, ameen.

Last Thursday when I went to her janazah (funeral) I felt very moved to see lots of people especially sisters coming to see her off for the last time. She was loved by many people for her wonderful personality. She was a very friendly sister who always had a lovely smile on her face. I will miss her company a lot. She used to discuss the current situation of Muslim ummah and how we can do something to contribute to the ummah. Alhamdulillah she was able to perform hajj at an early age. May Allah SWT accept her hajj and all the good deed, ameen. As far as I know, I haven’t seen her wasting her time. She worked hard as a teacher in English. She loved her subject very much. Her students in A-level would be able to tell more about her passion for English literature.

During her janazah, everyone I talked to has told me that she looked very peaceful alhamdulillah. She has lived her life according to the Quran and sunnah, alhamdulillah. May Allah SWT grant her paradise for all the trails and tribulations she had to endure for the last couple of months. Her short life reminds me the famous hadith of Rausulullah SAW:

“No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even a prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah SWT expiates some of his sins for that”
Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 70 Number 545

I hope and pray that Allah SWT washes away all of her sins, ameen.

Her death reminds me again and again how short and uncertain our life is. However, the bitter fact is we tend to forget the reality of death. We are so obsessed with our day to day life that we forget to prepare for our life in hereafter which will surely never end. Our prophet SAW has encouraged us to go to janazah as it will remind us the reality of death. I would like to conclude with the wise saying of Ammar bin Yasir RAW:

“Death is enough as a reminder, certainty is enough as wealth and performing acts of worship is sufficient as a job.”

My memories of hajj 2006

Photobucket Album

My hajj diary continues...

Bismillahir Rahmaneer Raheem

As part of hajj at-tamattu, my dad and me performed the umrah first then we done our ihram on 7th of Dhul hijja and on 8th of dhul hijja we were in Mina. Subhanallah the view of Mina is breathtaking ! It seems like a big city of white tents. There comes so many different races , all of them to worship the same God I worship. It really gives a sense of belonging to a large, diverse ummah. Alhamdulillah I felt proud of my identity.

Some people in our group decided to see the place around so my dad took me with him. I felt very lucky as I was the only female member to be in that group. I really enjoyed that trip alhamdulillah. I met pilgrims from various countries.

The 9th of Dhul hijja which is called the day of Arafah is the most important day of hajj. We went to arafah on that day. It was the most beautiful day of my life, alhamdulillah. Every single person in our group was feeling very calm and doing their best to please Allah SWT. We cried a lot and asked Allah SWT for forgiveness.

Our imam ( the head of the group) Hasan uncle done the khutba before Dhuhr time and after the khutbah , we prayed the Dhuhr and Asr prayers , shortened and combined with one aadhan and two iqaamahs. I thought about the wisdom behind shortening the prayer. As far as I can think , I felt like its done to give us all more time to individually worship Allah swt.

Though it is recommended to stand with Mount Rahmah between oneself and the qiblah, it wasn't possible for us as it was really crowded at that day. It looked like a white mountain due to many pilgrims standing on it. It is recommended during this great occasion to strive in the remembrance of Allah swt as much as possible by dhikr, du'aa , talbiyyah and by begging Him by raising one's hands during the du'aa as our beloved Prophet SAW did. He actually advised his ummah to make lots of du'aa on this day. According to hadith of at-Tirmidhee and Maalik, the best du'aa is the du'aa on the day of arafah and the best thing is to say:

Laa ilaha illallahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul Mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa a'la kulli shai'een kadeer.

It means , there is no deity worthy except Allah alone and he has no partners, to Him belongs sovereignty and all praise and He is omnipotent over all things.

It has been said that there is no other day when Allah sets free more slaves from the fire than on the day of Arafah, for on that day He comes nearer to them and says to the Angels: What do these people seek. So what more we can ask for?

I must say, one thing came really handy at that moment alhamdulillah as I didn't want to lose the chance of not doing my best on this tremendous day. I wrote all the du'aas I wanted to do in my diary, most of my du'aas were taken from the Qur'an and the sunnah of Rasulullah saw. Its also better to write down the names of the people who wanted to be mentioned in your du'aa and the people you want to make du'aa for, insha-Allah.

Then around Maghrib time we headed towards Muzdalifah where we done our Maghrib and Eshaa prayer combined together and spent the night under the clear sky! It was amazing as it was the first time in my life where I slept on the ground ( I used a sleeping bag) and enjoyed the sky with its numerous stars, subhanallah! The aunties in my group shared their snacks and fruits with me. I am very grateful to them for their generosity towards me. May Allah SWT bless them. It felt like I went to camping. I bet everyone in my group liked it, specially the young people. We also collected the stones to throw at the jamarah. You have to remember that the stones must not be big enough to hurt someone while throwing!

I must mention one thing which moved me a lot. There were almost 100 people in our group but we felt like we are a big family who came to do the hajj together. We helped each other as much as possible alhamdulillah. I wish we could carry on this wonderful behaviour when we return from hajj. You can sense the brotherhood and sisterhood of ummah during the hajj time.

The 10th of Dhul hijja was the day of Eid. We were very happy but at the same time a bit scared about the stoning . But alhamdulillah we have managed to perform everything properly.

Insha-Allah I will write more about my hajj. Please feel free to leave your comments.

Joining Islamic Society (ISOC)

While I was at university doing a degree in Sociology, Alhamdulillah I had the opportunity to join the Islamic society. However, at first I just went to the fresher’s fair without any real inclination of joining anything. In fact I went there just out of curiosity of what student union can offer us. During the first year I was more involved in study and getting to know my lecturers and seminar tutors.

Since second year I started getting involved in the Islamic society and there was no going back since then. I felt really at home around the wonderful sisters. There are so many things to learn from them. It actually made me inspired to become more practising. The more I participated in the activities, I felt I need to do more to boost my faith. Seeing the sisters being so active and helping each other so sincerely, I felt there is no other place I would rather be. After my lectures and seminars I would rush to the Islamic society building. I don’t think it just happened to me but all the other sisters I knew shared the same feelings, alhamdulillah. It felt like Islam has brought us together in the university environment. Even the sisters who reverted to Islam would feel really friendly from the very beginning in that sort of environment. The differences of race or ethnicity did not have any effect on us. The feeling of strong sisterhood was all over the place. We used to have Quran classes (Tajweed), sisters discussion group and so many other things which made us feel proud to be Muslims. Especially as sisters we felt empowered by each other. We became more aware of ourselves. We used to have sisters party where we all enjoyed our time a lot. Non-Muslim sisters were also invited and they used to enjoy as well. That was a very good dawah activity for us.

In this day and age when Islam is portrayed as something very dangerous and backward, Islamic societies in different universities are trying to convey the real message of Islam. There are lot of sincere brothers and sisters who are working hard to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. They are also helping those Muslim students who are suffering from identity crisis. Islamic societies across the UK create a sense of belonging. It helps us to feel confident and united as Muslims, Alhamdulillah. It also provides us with a platform in university environment. Through them lots of Muslim brothers and sisters get involved in student union and other sectors of academic institution.

Maintaining good company in university environment is very crucial for every one of us. The three or four years in university can make a huge difference. Who you are mixing with is very important to think about. Bad company can ruin your life. As Muslims we believe that our life is an amanah from Allah SWT. We will be asked how we used it. Thus being in Islamic society during university life helps us to enjoy the rare company of good brothers and sisters who love each other for the sake of Allah SWT. Here I would like to remind you the status of two who love one another for the sake of Allah swt. It is mentioned in Muslim, that Allah the Almighty Lord will take care of them who loved each other for His sake on the Day of Judgement and will say: “Where are those who loved one another for My Glory? Today I will shade them in My shade on the Day when there is no shade but Mine.” Subhanallah what else do we need?

I would recommend all the sisters and brothers who will start their university life very soon to join their university Islamic society and get actively involved in it, Insha-Allah. Trust me; you won’t regret it. Insha-Allah. Wish you all the best.

May Allah SWT make us good Muslims , ameen.

Unity of the muslim ummah

The Muslim ummah is suffering a lot due to its own mistakes. We as part of this ummah should try our best to revive this great civilisation insha-Allah.
Allah Subhana WA Tawala has assured us, that if we follow the Quran and the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Mohammad SAW, we will be successful in this world as well as in the hereafter.

The victory has already been promised to us. So what are we waiting for? Why are we still sleeping? Though we have been provided with the best of knowledge, we are not motivated enough to seek and learn that knowledge. As a result, we lack confidence in propagating Islam the ultimate truth. Unfortunately, most of us are suffering from identity crisis. We are in confusion as the world around us is portraying us as the criminals, the terrorists and so on. It seems like all the negative words are exclusively allocated for us, the Muslims. As everyone else is defining us who we are ( the so called western super powers & the western media) we feel like we have lost the right to say who we really are and what is our purpose in this world.

However, Allah swt has already told us everything we must know about us and our duties. We the human beings are the most sophisticated creature on this earth (Asharful Mahklukat) and we need a manual to run ourselves. Allah the Almighty has provided us with that important manual which is the Quran. Subhanallah. Most of us are not aware of the purpose of our existence and the duties towards our lord ALLAH swt. Is it not sheer disgrace? How are we going to stand in front of Him on the day of judgement? What excuses we can come with?

I as a Muslim sister feel very frustrated to witness the weakness of our sisters in the ummah. I feel ashamed of our lack of seriousness. As the half of the ummah we women can do so many things to unite the Muslims around the world. According to the so called western values and norms we may be regarded as powerless, oppressed, suppressed, and depressed and so on, but we know very well how Allah swt has gifted us with tremendously huge amount of blessings, alhmadulillah. As daughters, sisters, friends, wives, mothers we can influence and motivate the Muslim ummah to unite under the banner of Islam.

Some of my writings will be related to women and their role in uniting the ummah against all the oppression. We need to be more vocal in our work. The media has painted a very wrong and stereotyped image of us and we need to fight back and convey the real message of Islam and how it has honoured us as muslim women, Insha-Allah.

I believe internet can be a very useful tool in propagating the real message of Islam and uniting the ummah and bring back the just & powerful Islamic civilisation . I would really appreciate your feedback regarding my writings, May Allah make us carry out our duties to the full extent and grant us jannah out of His unlimited mercy, ameen. May Allah SWT bless our beloved prophet Mohammad SAW and his family and companions and the righteous Muslims who came after them, ameen.

Alhamdulillah my Hajj in 2006

Alhamdulillah I have been to hajj last year ( January 2006), with the immense grace and mercy of  my Rabb Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. I believe it is the best thing I have ever done in my life alhamdulillah. I was there for one month with my beloved dad. The whole month of January was very special for me. I have learned a lot of things from this great journey. Alhamdulillah (All praise belongs to Allah)...

Though it may seem a bit late to write about the pilgrimage, I felt like I must start to do it right now as I would like to share my memories with others Insha-Allah (God-willing). Who knows, may be my experience will motivate someone out there to do their hajj while they are young and able enough to go through all the hardships in Makkah and Medina in shaa Allah. I cannot stress enough the beauty of hajj subhanallah. The journey has a huge potential to transform us in sha Allah. 

Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. Whoever is able to perform it, should embark upon this spiritual journey at least once in their lifetime. Most of the time the majority of the pilgrims tend to be from the older generation . And there are some valid reasons for that . Most of the Muslims in this world belong to poor developing countries who are not financially able enough to perform their hajj while young. For majority of the Muslims, hajj is regarded as a dream to be performed when enough money has been saved . I have met some women in Saudi who were widows from Bangladesh and they spend their whole fortune on it. It was really emotional to see that some people could be so much eager to perform hajj despite all the problems they encounter. How much love they have for their Rabb subhanallah!

As for us, people from the Western world, it is not a big issue in terms of money. Sometimes, it is just the lack of enthusiasm which hinders us from going to hajj as soon as possible. Or sometimes, it is just the ‘so called planning’ that we have to do this and that first i.e. finishing study, having a job, getting married, starting a family, etc and…then we may go to hajj which makes us delay this important journey. But we must question ourselves how come we have got that much confidence that we will be able to perform hajj eventually. Who has guaranteed us that we will live until that time? You never know! This could be your last minute by the time you finish reading this sentence! So I would request you my dear brothers and sisters to perform this obligation as soon as possible. Just make the intention and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will do the rest in shaa Allah. 

Trust me, it will change your life forever in shaa Allah. Also the peace of mind you will get from this great act is priceless. Hajj is a very special type of worship of our beloved Rabb. You will be involved in it not just spiritually but physically, financially and emotionally. It helps us to gain wisdom. It makes us realize the ultimate reality of our life. It reminds us that we must prepare to leave this world with enough provision to gain success in the hereafter. It teaches us that nothing matters at the end . It will be me standing in front of my Creator on my own and with my deeds as the one and only form of currency to help me to be forgiven . Only through His immense mercy I can be forgiven and enter His beautiful Garden, Jannah in shaa Allah. 

Now the journey!

We left for Saudi Arabia on the 2^nd of January 2006 from Heathrow at 8 pm. We reached Jeddah after five hours. We had to wear ihram on the plane and we had to perform all the prayers while sitting as no place was available to stand. I was feeling very happy as the atmosphere in the plane was quite unique. All of the passengers were pilgrims, wearing white hajj attires and there was a huge queue for making ablution in the toilet. The airhostesses were struggling with that huge crowd as there was a shortage of water! Everyone was getting ready for the hajj. The TV screen was continuously showing the various aspects of hajj and what to do and what not to do. I could not sleep as I was feeling very excited about the whole thing. The images of Ka’ba made me feel very blessed that finally I am on my way to that wonderful place which I use to see on screens . I felt that I must be very fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity despite all of my shortcomings as a Muslim. Alhamdulillah. I cannot thank and praise my Rabb enough. 

When we reached Jeddah, the feelings was much more intense as we felt that we have finally reached the land of our beloved prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him).We had to wait for more than five hours in Jeddah Hajj terminal. I don’t know how many times each of us had to show our documents. It was annoying but we didn’t have any other choice but to go through that lengthy process with patience. I heard that the airport workers were not professionals; instead they were local Saudi university students hired for the booming hajj season. I must say, one thing you need in plenty during hajj is patience. So sabr is the keyword for this journey. The best provision we can prepare for this beautiful voyage is Patience ( resilience, tenacity). The best virtue is patience. 

We reached there at 2am local Jeddah time and we left for our destination, the holy city of Makkah at 8 am in the morning. Imagine standing there in the terminal for the last six hours after the plane journey. It was indeed a tiring start but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had made it easy for us to endure all of that. We were looking forward to start our trip to the holy city of Makkah.

Finally the bus was on its way. We were 120 people in one group from the UK. It was going through a plain road which was surrounded by lot of mountains. In the bus, we all were chanting together

"Labbayk Allahumma Labbayik Labbay'ka L-aa Sharika Laka Labbayik. Innal Hamda Wan Ni'mata Laka Wal Mulk Laa Sharika Lak"

This means “Here I am! O Allah, here I am! There is none who is Your associate. All praise and blessings belong to You. You are the Sovereign. There is none associated with You.”

This statement has an amazing effect. During the state of ihram wearing white cloths, when you say that again and again loudly with others, it feels like you are finally trying to come closer to Allah, your Rabb. Nothing matters anymore. You have left everything behind and going forward to take a step closer to Him. This is not just a spiritual experience but also a very intense physical one. It is said that before going to hajj you must complete your unfinished businesses and try to make up with your relatives and friends if you had any grudge against them. It is like preparing for the death. As a result, hajj makes us understand the feeling of saying goodbye to loved ones.

Before heading towards the Kaa’ba, our bus went to Taif. As far as I remember Taif was the city where our prophet went from Makkah to invite the people of Taif to Islam but they behaved very rudely with him and made their naive children to throw pebbles on him. It was the most difficult phase for our beloved prophet (SAW). It was asked by the angels whether he would like to see the people get punished due to their utter rudeness but our beloved prophet told them not to punish them in the hope that their coming generation might accept Islam. If you see the city now (with almost 100% Muslims), you are bound to feel amazed by our beloved prophet’s mercy upon his ummah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reminds us in the Qur’an: the prophet SAW is the mercy to the whole of the world. How blessed we are to be part of his ummah alhamdulillah ! 

We reached Makkah after 11 am. The city is surrounded by lot of mountains. The Kaaba, surrounded by mountains, looks like a grand palace surrounded by huge natural boundaries. It does not give the impression of an ordinary palace though. It is something beyond description. For me, when I first saw the gates of the Kaaba, it felt like something totally alien to its surroundings. I don’t think anyone would be interested in anything else if he or she sees Kaaba in Makkah city.

To me, it seemed like a giant magnet attracting everyone around to come and visit this holiest place on earth. Though we needed to go to our hotel first, I wished I could go inside it and see the Kaa’ba for the first time. Alhamdulillah I was not the only one having that strong urge, within an hour we (my father and me) found our self inside it for the zuhr prayer.

The view was breathtaking subhanallah! The sheer number of people inside it is another amazing view to witness, Allahu Akbar (God is great)! I was feeling great to see how many people worship the same God of mine! My sense of self was gone immediately and I felt like I am just one of the tiny particles of atom among this vast sea of creation Subhanallah! We all will stand together on the Day of Judgment with our beloved leader of the ummah, Muhammad SAW. What a great scene that would be!

As we were in the state ihram for the umrah at that time, we did our tawaf (going around of Kaa’ba for seven times) and the running between the hills of Safa and Marwa for seven times in the evening of the day of arrival. I don’t know where we have got the energy from to do all these difficult tasks in one go. Indeed Allah SWT has helped us a lot. Alhamdulillah. I have seen lot of very aged people performing their rights of umrah very passionately without any sign of exhaustion. When you have the sincere intention to do something just to please Allah, nothing can stop you from your goal. Moreover, you feel very satisfied worshiping Allah SWT in that environment. The whole situation there is bound to boost your imaan, Subhanallah!

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept our effort and enable us to carry on striving for His sake until we meet Him near His Throne in Jannatul Ferdous, ameen ! May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for give our shortcoming , ameen ! Alhamdulillah for everything!