Situated in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, around 500km north of Makkah, is Madinah, the city that was home to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It was the place where he was buried in 632 AD, the capital of the subsequent Ummah during the time of the caliphs, one of the primary centers of Islamic learning throughout the centuries, and is high on the list of places that pilgrims visit.
Sitting in the courtyard to the north of the Holy Mosque, with the beautiful and iconic green dome to the right and the historic graveyard of Baqi to the left, was Malaysian pilgrim Muhammad Abdullah.
“Yes, this is my first trip to Saudi Arabia. I’ve never performed Haj or Umrah before,” said Abdullah with tears in his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m here. This is the place where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is buried, and the place where he lived and walked along with his Companions. It’s just so surreal,” said Abdullah who, feeling spiritually emotional, frequently interjected his sentences with litanies praising Allah and the Last Prophet (pbuh).
Abdullah, who is in his 50s, has been in Madinah for seven days and, having offered over 40 fardh prayers in the Holy Mosque, is heading to Makkah on Saturday. Abdullah, like many other pilgrims, offered 40 prayers because of a hadith in which the Last Prophet said: “Whoever performs 40 prayers in this, my mosque, destined for him is the freedom from fire and redemption from punishment, and he will become immune from hypocrisy.” “I feel so much at home in this beautiful city. It’s like as if I’m at home. The people are so nice and welcoming and the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. Just the thought that this is the blessed earth on which the Prophet once walked and the land on which his Companions lived makes me feel warm and happy,” he said.
South African Suleman is visiting Madinah for the second time. He performed Haj over 20 years ago and said he has returned as his wife had not performed the pilgrimage. “It’s an overwhelming place. I’m so ecstatic. I can’t believe I’m here. We’re trying extra hard to utilize our time properly. We don’t know if we’ll ever return and so we’re basically trying to spend as much time as possible in the Holy Mosque,” he said.
With prayer beads in hand, Suleman says he tries speaking as little as possible and follows a rigorous program of worship that involves completing reciting the entire Holy Qu’ran every three days, offering all his obligatory prayers with congregation in the Holy Mosque, reciting hundreds of different prayers on his prayer beads and offering voluntary prayers during the course of the day.
“We both decided on a prayer program to ensure we’re able to worship to the maximum. Prayers and deeds in the Holy Mosque are multiplied manyfold because of the sanctity of this place. We’re old and we never know if we’d ever come back. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. We’ve also cut down on sleep to allow us time to worship as much as possible,” he said.
Seated on the green carpet area in the Holy Mosque, the place known in Islamic scriptures as the Rawdha, just meters away from the wire mesh beyond which lies the graves of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his two senior companions — the caliphs Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) — is Masud Khan from Mumbai, India. “I offer my salams to the Prophet from here … I really can’t sum up the courage to venture to the front of the grave. The thought makes me feel very timid. Just the idea of coming in front of the Prophet’s grave for a sinful person like me is a little too much,” said Khan with an air of humility.
This is Khan’s first Haj and first visit to the Kingdom. “It’s difficult getting a place here in the Rawdha and I’ve read and heard of the religious significance of this area. Supplications here are always accepted,” he said, commenting on how the area constantly remains full of worshippers. “If I get a place here I remain sitting for hours and hours for as long as I can. It’s such an honor to be here and the feeling is beyond description,” said Khan, speaking in Urdu. “I’ve never traveled out of India and this trip is very special for me.”
Dawud, a 46-year-old pilgrim from India, has visited the Kingdom for Haj and Umrah several times. “I can compare the services and facilities on offer now to my previous visits, the first of which was 20 years ago. It’s wonderful what the government has done,” he said. “I mean, just like at the Holy Mosque. Look at all these beautiful umbrellas that have been set up to protect people from the glare of the sun. When I came here last time, the Holy Mosque would close after Isha prayers. But it’s not the case anymore. It’s fantastic to be able to spend the entire night inside this beautiful mosque praying and worshipping,” he added.
As sunset approached and the call for prayer came near, the crowds inside the Holy Mosque began to swell. With the glare of the sun almost gone, the canopies in the open area inside the Holy Mosque began moving upward, much to the delight of pilgrims, of whom many had never seen such a sight as they had come from remote villages. And as the heavens opened for all to see, the muezzin began his melodious call. The trickle of pilgrims entering the Holy Mosque increased and the entire south side of this massive prayer complex began thronging with devotees.
