FOR many Muslims, performing the Hajj (pilgrimage) or the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) is a religious duty that any Muslim should fulfil as long their finances and state of health permit, and they should be satisfied to perform the pilgrimage once in their life. However, numerous Muslims are eager to perform the Hajj or at least the Umrah almost every year so as to get their sins forgiven by Allah. Meanwhile, personally passing through this experience, I sensed a third and even greater benefit from this spiritual trip to the holy sites of Mecca and Al-Medina Al- Menawara in Saudi Arabia. It is the great chance to get your soul cleansed of any deficit or fault by asking your Creator forgiveness and recovery from any illness of the body and the soul. In other words, imagine that you have a TV or a refrigerator in your house and you have been accustomed to sending it to the manufacturer for periodical maintenance. Otherwise, how long would this device, in your opinion, work efficiently and without sudden breakdown? This is exactly what all human beings need to do. We, as creatures of Allah, need to return, from time to time, to our Creator to seek maintenance and repair in order to restore purity of soul and peace of mind. This enables us to go on with our life, better able to confront our troubles, which appear so minor and trivial after this journey. It is true that visiting Mecca and circumambulating Al-Kaaba, to which Muslims direct in prayers, is not the only occasion to seek forgiveness from Allah for all faults and sins; Muslims are blessed with their prayers, five times a day, during which they return to their Maker. However, visiting Mecca for some days give us a great chance to distance ourselves from the preoccupations of daily life and live in real closeness with Allah. Besides, in circumambulating Al-Kaaba, I acquired a greater sense of joy than I had ever felt in my entire life. Being in the first masjid (mosque) Allah ordered to be built for His worship on earth with thousands of people ��" and hundreds of thousands of angels in the seven heavens beneath the Throne of Allah ��" made me feel as if I were swimming in a vertical sea of light extending from earth to heaven. Even by just sitting in front of Al-Kaaba and contemplating it, one would feel a great joy and peace of mind. It is the oldest structure ever created on earth, which still stands as evidence of monotheistic religion, the first and permanent religion for humankind until the Day of Judgement. Visiting Al-Medina was not less of a pleasure. Actually it was the first step I made to the holy sites. Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi, where the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) launched his Muslim state, lived with his wives and died and was buried, was the first place I visited shortly after the plane landed in Al-Medina. Just one hour after reaching the city, I headed to the mosque to perform the night prayer and visit the Prophet's burial place, which one could not regard as a tomb, because the Prophet, although he died some 14 centuries ago, still senses the presence of his visitors. According to the hadith (sayings and traditions of the Prophet) whenever a Muslim visits the Prophet's tomb and greets him with the Islamic greeting, he rises up and responds to their greetings. Along with the overjoy and tranquillity I felt while sitting or praying inside the Prophet's mosque, I was pleased with the presence of water from the Zamzam well in clean containers. These were placed in every corner and corridor of the masjid to meet the visitors' needs for this pure and miraculous water. Asking about the means by which Saudi Arabia managed to make this water available in Al-Medina, hundreds of kilometres away from its well in Mecca, I learnt that pipelines were extended between the two holy cities. This spring miraculously emerged at Zamzam in the time of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmail), the elder son of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon them both). Until today, it has continued to quench the thirst of the visitors to Al-Kaaba, which made me assume that thirst would never be suffered in Saudi Arabia, though no river is running in its land. The rulers, if they desired, could extend Zamzam water to all its cities and towns to meet the needs of the people, animals and even plants until the last day of life. Much as I enjoyed visiting the two mosques in Mecca and Al-Medina, I felt sad and concern about the condition of the two holy cities. There was an apparent contradiction between the modern style followed in building the luxurious hotels surrounding the two mosques and the traditional houses inhabited the adjacent suburbs of the two respective cities, created on zigzagging narrow roads apparently because of the high mountains surrounding both cities, especially in Mecca. Seemingly, the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia spares no effort in making endless expansions to the two mosques and the surrounding region to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. However, I wish that more funds could be spent on replanning and rebuilding the two cities in a distinguished design reflecting the prestigious position Mecca and Al Medina enjoy in the Muslim world. I also wish that all Muslims could manage to make this journey even once in their life and to keep retaining its influence and greatness in their hearts to purify their souls of any defect or flaws caused by difficulties of our daily life. Dear readers are invited to contribute their comments, views and questions via 111- 115 Ramsis St., Cairo or e-mail: ([email protected])
