They keep on coming

Even with the mosque as big as it is, it still gets overcrowded during the Haj and Ramadhan season. When thousands and millions of Muslims from all over the world come to Makkah during this two period, you have to see it to believe. The place get so crowded that finding a space for prayer inside the mosque is a blessing itself. On Friday it gets worse. The crowd will spill to well beyond the mosque, choking the roads leading to it. On this last trip, I noticed that yet another extension to the mosque is underway.......

As I remember it

When I first went to Makkah in 1996, the Grand mosque more or less dominated the city. At least that was how I remembered it. It was the biggest and perhaps the tallest building in the city if you take into account the minarets. You can see it from miles away and everything in Makkah was centred around the mosque. These days, there are so many taller buildings around the mosque that it don't stand out anymore. The towerig clock for example is just beside the mosque....

Changing for the good

Many many years ago, the five daily prayers were repeated four times each at the Grand mosque. This was to cater for the four different mazhabs, namely Maliki, Shafie, Hambali and Hanafi. Alhamdulillah, this practise has now stopped. Its done only once now. I cannot imagine what it would be like if this practise had continued. With the ever increasing crowd, chaos would have ensued.

Ramadhan in Makkah

Although this was my fourth trip, it was the first time I spent Ramadhan in Makkah. What can I say except that it had been an enriching experience. From the fasting itself, the breaking of fast and the Tarawih prayers at the Grand mosque, I enjoyed them all. I loved being among the crowd, walking to the mosque, walk back to the hotel, praying, breaking of fast, reading the quran, doing the tawaf, saie and so on. There were just thousands and thousands of them. I was fortunate enough to be one of them, a guest of Allah.....

In the holy land again

After almost nine years I was in the holy land again. No word can described my feeling. Last time I went was in 2002 to do the haj for the second time. I had done done the haj first time around in 1996. In between, in 1999, I went to do the Umrah. This was my fourth.

Lively as ever

So many have changed since I last came nine years ago. Makkah and Madinah have undergone tremendous changed, all for the better I'm sure. New hotels, buildings and shopping complexes have come up but some things remain. The prophet's mosque in Madinah is as majestic as ever while the places in and around Masjidil Haram is crowded as usual. Talk about places that never sleeps, Masjid Nabawi and Masjidil Haram are at the top of the list.

A spiritual journey

Every now and then, the spiritual part of our lives needs an uplift. There's no better way to do it than to go to the two houliest places on earth, Makkah and Madinah to do it. That's what I did recently. A two weeks journey to the holy land that began on the 25th of July and ended on the 7th of August. Four days in Madinah and the rest in Makkah. What did I get? A faith that is renewed and restrength. A faith that will remain steadfast as I continue living this life Insha Allah. All in all, it has been a journey well done.