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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| At The Ka'aba |
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| rkhan |
| 04/21/04 at 02:20:55 |
| [slm] It was nearly 3 am in the Masjid al Haram when I started the first tawaf around the Ka’aba. There must have been no more than 50 people there, the weekend visitors leave on Friday night and this wasn’t the Hajj season. We circumambulated the Ka’aba in two or three files, kissing the Hajr-al-Aswad, touching the Yemeni Rukn with ease. Peace. Silence. Light. The blessedness of having experienced that hour and its beauty lies like an overwhelming bounty on my heart….shaping it into a permanent sujood. Alhamdulillaah for His endless favours…alhamdulillaah ‘ala ne’amah. The tawaaf over, I had a glass of zam-zam from the cooler. While I was bending over to take another glass, another sister approached. We exchanged salaams and went to the Maqaam Ibraheem to pray together. After the salaah, we sat gazing at the Ka’aba …drinking in the sight of its magnificent majesty…one can never get enough of it. Subhaanallah! We got talking.I asked her if this was the first time she was visiting and she said yes. We kept looking at the Ka’aba unable to take our eyes off it, even while talking to each other. She said, “I don’t know if I should say this …if this is the right thing to say…but the Ka’aba looks so..” She trailed off…gazing ahead intently. There’s something about the night…and meeting strangers…that lowers one’s guard. One articulates feelings one would not normally dream of sharing. I looked ahead too and then we turned to each other and said together: ‘…sad?” Whenever this happens and I find myself echoing another Muslim’s thoughts/feelings I always send salaat and salaam upon Rasoolallah SAW, because he used to seek forgiveness for his Ummaah from Allaah swt and say [i]“…wa allif bayna quloobehim” […and bring affection/reconcile their hearts]. [/i] Whenever there is what the dictionary calls a “co-incidence” between Muslims, I see a manifestation of the Prophet’s prayer. The Ka’aba has been variously described by those who visit it. “Undescribable” , “majestic”, “unreal” , “out-of the world” , “stark” , “simple” , “solemn” are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe the Cube that is the direction of every Muslim’s attention five times every day. But sad? Were we wrong in imputing human feelings to a building? Wallaahu ta’aala a’aalam and may Allaah swt forgive us for any transgression we make in our unwarranted thoughts and speech. Sitting there, I thought of all the people from all over the world who visit the Masjid al Haram. Millions upon millions of Muslim lives converge here. Yet, the differences persist. We should have all been unshakeably united by the words: Laa ilaaha illa Allaah. By the acknowledgement of the Prophet SAW as our leader and our only exemplar. By the idea of our Ummaah as one blessed human family that has been called the “best of people risen among mankind” by no less than our Creator. The lives of the early Muslims were living testimonies to the power of that blessed Unity. They may have differed in their private thoughts and personal lifestyles, but their belief in the truth of Tawheed and the Guidance of the Prophet was strong enough to overwhelm any minor differences they might have had and to render them inconsequential. We, on the other hand highlight our differences on minor issues and squabble over them with a ferocity enough to overcome all that binds us together. What changed our perspective? Why did we barter the greater good for fitnah? When will we realize that we have made a miserable exchange? As I started for Mount Safa to begin my sa’iee, I thought of the Prophet SAW and the day he ascended it, three years after his prophethood , being commanded by Allaah swt to “ arise and warn” all the people. He [SAW] climbed to the top of al Safa and called: “ O people of Quraysh!” Hearing his call, they assembled around him and asked him what was the matter. He said: “Tell me O men of Quraysh, if I were to tell you that I see a cavalry on the other side of the mountain, would you believe me?” They answered: “Indeed, for we trust you, and we have never known you to tell a lie.” The Prophet SAW said: “Know then that I am a warner and that I warn you of a terrible punishment. O Banu ‘Abd al Muttalib! O Banu ‘Abd Munaf! O Banu Zuhrah! O Banu Taym! O Banu Makhzum! O Banu Asad! Allaah has commanded me to warn you , my nearest kinsmen, that I can guarantee to you no good in earth or in heaven unless you witness that there is no god but Allaah.” At this, Abu Lahab, who was one of the Prophet’s paternal uncles exclaimed: [i]Tabban lak! A li haaza jama’tana? [/i] [ Woe to you! Did you assemble us for this?] At which a surah castigating him by name was revealed: [i] Tabbat yada abee labin wa tabb. [/i] Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil, who also persecuted the Prophet was denounced in the same surah; causing her to scour the Haram in pursuit of the Prophet, pestle in hand, in order to attack him. The Prophet was sitting in the shade of the Ka’aba with Abu Bakr RA when she arrived on the scene and asked Abu Bakr about the whereabouts of his companion who “dared to lampoon her”…while all the while the Prophet SAW was sitting right in front of her and she was unable to perceive his blessed presence by the grace of Allaah. I thought of the young Prophet SAW carrying stones on his shoulder, building the Ka’aba after it was wrecked in a flood. I thought of him being chosen by the warring tribes of Makkah to have the honour of replacing the Hajr al Aswad and his sagacity in spreading out his cloak and having all the tribal leaders participate in the honour by holding the corners of his cloak as he replaced it with his own hands. I thought of the Prophet SAW being nearly strangled by his enemies as he performed salaah in the shade of the Ka’abah. Of his companions Abu Bakr and Abu Dharr being brutally beaten there for saying there is no god except Allaah. And I thought of the present state of the Ummaah, where we have the privilege of worshipping unimpeded in the Ka’aba but are deprived of many of the blessings of that worship by our own weakness of faith. I started walking from Safa to al Marwah in the footsteps of Hajar, Umm Isma’eel AS as she looked for a solution to her infant son’s thirst in the waterless desert and Allaah swt granted her a timeless spring –zam zam – from His Mercy. The Prophet’s words echoed relentlessly in my mind: Allahumma aghfir lana wal mu’mineen wa’l mu’minaat Wa’l muslimeen wa’l muslimaat Wa allif bayna quloobehim Wa aslih dhaata baynihim Wa ansurhum ‘alaa aduwweka wa ‘aduwwehim… [Our Allaah! Grant us forgiveness – to the believers men and women -- to the Muslims men and women Grant them affection in their hearts (among them) And bring reconciliation (among them) And help them against Your enemies and theirs] |
| 04/21/04 at 02:40:51 |
| rkhan |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| UmmWafi |
| 04/21/04 at 04:35:51 |
| [wlm] Thank you very much sis for this singularly haunting piece on your recent sojourn to the holiest of place. Indeed, as a Muslim, we are forbidden from envy for it is a serious besetting evil. However, I think mayhap I might be forgiven for this envy for it is nothing but the envy of someone who longs and yearns to be there with every trembling fibre of her being but yet the pleasure is still not hers to savour. Allahu akbar....the majesty of your experience was indeed so soulfully captured that I stare in the loneliness of my room at an unfeeling screen, yet feeling two trails of tears making their painful way across the searing arid plains of everyday lives. Tears that I hope are testimonies to a slave acutely aware of her unworthiness to her Lord and Creator. Talking to fellow Muslims, I discovered that we each have our own "favourite" stories about places in Makkah and Madeenah that bore the historical legacy of the Prophet [saw] and all the faithful companions and followers. Its strange how we can zoom in on one because indeed every one of their trials and tribulations, every single one of their joys and triumphs are so crucial to the shaping of Islaam as we know it. I confess, my favourite story (if one can call it that) is the journey of a mother who braved herself to leave her only newborn child, a child that she waited for so long to conceive, to trudge the wide expanse of two mountains just so that her son can have a chance at living. Her act to me is the embodiment of motherhood. Her sacrifice, her courage in the face of fear, her strength despite her limitations, but above all, her faith in the all Mighty Creator to keep her son alive in her absence. Being a mother myself, many a times I have lain awake, worrying about the future of my children, worrying about their development and evolution as a Muslim. At the end of my worry, I almost always come to the conclusion that as a mother, the only thing I can truly do for them is to rest my faith in Allah SWT and to offer to Him my sincerest du'aat for their well-being. UmmIsma'eel left so many footsteps along the path between Safa and Marwa but more importantly, her footsteps are left as inspiration for other mothers to follow. Subhanallah...May Allah Reward her with the highest of honour in Jannatul Firdaus. There is a quaint English phrase which more or less goes like this "The job would be easily accomplished if you would but lift a finger". To me, the problems of the Ummah can in some part be easily resolved with that existential finger. That is, to stop pointing our fingers at others and start pointing them inwards, to our Self. Only when we begin to understand that to solve the problem one must address the problem and that the problem is us, can we begin the path of sincere ramifications. A keen understanding of our failings will make us more compassionate in our dealings with others and where there is compassion, there cannot be hatred. Hatred is after all the seeds of discord and violence. With a better awareness of who we are as an 'abd to Allah SWT, maybe, the next time we tawaf the Ka'bah, we may walk with a humbler step than the Muslim next to us. In this humility, perhaps, a desire to love Allah's creation would be born. Allahu 'alim. Wassalam |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| jannah |
| 04/21/04 at 23:51:16 | 8/tr>
| [slm] Those were some beautiful thoughts Reflection and UmmWafi, jazakiAllah khair for sharing. It sounds like a good idea to do Umrah out of Hajj and Ramadan season... it must feel like just you alone in that amazing place... So true that all our differences fall away there. We are united in our worship of Allah.. all we can do I guess is encourage everyone to feel that way all the time.. |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| rkhan |
| 04/22/04 at 00:10:18 |
| [slm] You're right jannah, I'd re-uh-lllly recommend an off season trip for all those who can make it. Just after Ramadan or just after Hajj is best, and not in the summer months coz thats when they hv school vacations. Then, like I discovered for myself this time, the best time to go is just before the adhaan for tahajjud (yeah they hv that in the Haram) which is usually around 4 ish, coz that's when ppl start pouring in for the tahajjud n leave after fajr. Also recommend being there at sunrise and after...again, not many ppl there bcoz that's not the time for salaah... It is SUCH an awesome feeling..it's like having the place to yourself ... It's every bit as special as being there along with millions of Muslims of every hue and nationality during the Hajj. |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| Maliha |
| 04/22/04 at 09:11:46 |
| [slm] Subhana Allah, Jazaki Allahu Khayran for transporting me back through your vision, your words, your deep reflections... sigh...i would love to go back...off season, or on season..not really too picky at this point. Alhamdullillah A'la Salaamah ya ukhty:) I am glad you are back:) [wlm] |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| M.F. |
| 04/24/04 at 17:57:00 |
| Subhan Allah, when I was there on Umrah I often thought the Kaaba must be sad at what it sees. Not at the state of the people who go there (they're the most fortunate people on earth) but at the people who's hands the Kaaba is in now. The police at the Kaaba seemed to me to be devoid of mercy. I know the Kaaba shouldn't be kissed nor should the Maqam.... but at the same time when I'm in front of it I understand the overwhelming urge to embrace the Kaaba, physically.... and to gaze into the glass case protecting the footstprings of Ibraheem alaihi Assalam!!! His footprints!!!! but any feelings of awe are interrupted by the harshness of the guards telling people to move on, oftentimes physically pushing them, I saw a guard pushing a woman's head while she was in rukuu (it was after asr) and I actually argued with a guard trying to prevent a woman from praying, standing between her and the kaaba after subh I guess. I don't think it's their job to physically prevent women from praying even in the times that the prayer is not acceptable, that may have been the first time they felt khushoo, who knows.... I thought of the kaaba "looking" down on all this.... I felt its sadness and I felt sad for it, it's like a treasure in the hands of someone who has no appreciation for treasure.... |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| rkhan |
| 04/24/04 at 23:53:28 |
| [slm] These days they hv females in the women's section who are generally quite considerate ...one of them even brought me a plate of dates and a glass of zam-zam to break my fast when my frisky kids wouldn't let me budge :) to anyone going for an umrah i'd also recommend reading a little about the history of the ka'aba in addition to the rituals of Hajj and 'umrah. One is awestruck at how MUCH has happened there ...subhaanallah! |
| Re: At The Ka'aba |
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| theOriginal |
| 04/25/04 at 01:49:21 |
| [slm] Wow SubhanAllah...soooooooo beautiful. Makes me want to go back. InshaAllah Wasalaam. |
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