Jet Lag

I'm still suffering from jet lag more than twenty four hours after arriving from Jeddah. Having difficulty sleeping tonight. While at the mosque, doing the Tarawih prayers is a struggle trying to keep awake. It will take sometime before I get over it. Meanwhile, I just have to live with it.

Makkah street scene

Its between prayer times thus the streets were less crowded. As prayer time nears, the street will be filled to the brim once again with people walking towards the mosque.

At Masjid Qiblatain

This is the only mosque in the world with two Kiblat. As we all know, in the early days of Islam. our Kiblat was Masjidil Aqsa in Palestine. The prophet s.a.w. was praying at this mosque, having completed two rakaat facing the old Kiblat when verses of the Quran came directing to change the Kiblat to the Kaabah immediately. The prophet s.a.w. immediately did, completing the rest of the prayer facing the new Kiblat as directed.

Changing with the times

When I was last there in 2002, I remembered that they were quite strict with handphones fitted with cameras and cameras off course. We were not allowed to take photograps in and around the areas near to the mosques, both in Makkah and Madinah. However, I guess times have changed. Almost every handphone have cameras now. Nowadays, you are free to take photographs as you like, even in front of the Kaabah.

Outside the Nabawi mosque

Leaving the mosque after Maghrib prayer

Leaving the mosque after breaking of fast and Maghrib prayer.

I will break my fast at the mosque with dates and zam zam water. After the Maghrib prayer, I would head back to the hotel to have 'dinner'. I guess that's what the rest were doing as well. Come Isha, we all will walk back to the mosque to say our prayer and also do the Tarawih.

Kaabah