Makkah & Madinah - The Cities That Never Sleep!

My not-so recent trip to Makkah & Madinah for umrah was my first trip/umrah there. Despite hearing stories and seeing photos shared by family & friends who have performed umrah/hajj before, I was still not able to fully imagine how Makkah & Madinah was and what I could expect when I was there.

Most hotels in Madinah are just a short distance from Masjid Nabawi

My husband and I joined a travel package by Syaza Travel & Tours (based in Ampang, recommended!) and spent 3 nights in Madinah and 7 nights in Makkah respectively. As this was my first time, I really did not expect there to be such a large crowd at every prayer time. So my first experience praying in Masjid Nabawi had me praying in the compounds (entrance) of the mosque instead of inside. One, I was not allowed to go in because I brought a camera & secondly, there sure were a loooott of people in the masjid already. I came to the conclusion that Madinah & Madinah especially, are the cities that never sleep. At every hour of the day, there were so many people performing the tawaf. I was suprised that the peak 'tawaf' time was actually before Subuh prayer. The residents of Makkah (and fellow jemaah) would come and perform their prayers & tawaf before starting their day. The energy that you get from being in a large crowd of people worshipping was amazing. I had my reservations about my own ability to perform the saie well & fit considering that I rarely exercise or walk such a distance here in KL (and not forgetting the fact that I am a little on the heavy side). But the energy there, the enthusiasm of the crowd performing the saie was a source of motivation. :)

To be honest, one of the criterias in determining the package we took, was the distance of the hotels to the respective masjids. But I was quite ashamed to realise that the distance of the hotels shouldn't be a matter because ideally, we shouldn't be spending time in the hotel anyway. Jemaah's went to the mosque from subuh and stayed on till after isyak. In between prayer times, they would just sit at the steps leading to the Kaabah and pray. What an amazing view it was. To be able to just sit there and look at Kaabah any time of the day.

Just another evening in Masjidil Haram

Day or night..the crowd just keeps getting bigger & bigger

There are the instances where I encountered with jemaah's who were a bit more 'aggressive' when performing the tawaf or when they try to kiss Hajarul Aswad or even to line up in prayer. Someone kindly pointed out to me that of course people would be aggressive. Some of them have been putting aside savings their whole life, just for the chance to be in Makkah & Madinah. They wouldn't want anything to get in the way between them and the opportunities to line up in prayer at the most front row or to be able to kiss Hajarul Aswad. Because eventually, the chance to go to Makkah & Madinah can be considered very rare for some people so we cannot blame them for being more bersungguh2 while they are there.

I must say I enjoyed myself very much the whole time I was there. The calm feeling that you get with your mind free from worldly worries, how I wish I could experience that here as well. Daily activities revolved around prayer times alone. The abundant supply of fresh air zamzam which I honestly believe helped me feel so healthy the whole time I was there. No headaches, no backaches, no tired eyes or crampings, it was pretty awesome. This all despite the little amount of sleep I got when I was there. The cold breeze and peace  as I just sat down on the compounds of Masjid Nabawi, under the sky. Here in KL, we go to parks or compounds of malls (think KLCC) to hang around. But there, we had a huuuuggee masjid compound for us to literally chill at (sambil beribadat of course).

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur, most of us teared a little because of the thought of having to leave Makkah & Madinah to get back to reality. To this day it keeps bugging me, shouldn't my reality be as how it was there...where affairs of the dunya are secondary to matters of the hereafter?

Wallahualam.

Sincerely,
Azreen Syaheeda

Interesting read : Response vs Reaction

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but....it landed on another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behaviour? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but its my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. Its not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me. More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:
I understood, I should not react in life. I should always respond. The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.

-anonymous

Tazkirah | Kunci-Kunci Hati

Oleh Ust. Mohd Sharil

Allah taala berfirman di dalam AlQur'an:

أفلا يتدبرون القرآن أم على قلوبهم أقفالها (surah Muhammad:24)

Maksudnya: Maka apakah mereka tidak menghayati AlQur'an ataukah hati-hati mereka telah terkunci ?

Ibnu 'Athiyyah di dalam tafsirnya Almuharrir Alwajeez menyebut tentang ayat ini :
"Sesungguhnya sebuah rombongan daripada Yaman telah datang kepada Nabi sallallahu alaihi wasallam dan dikalangan mereka ada seorang pemuda, lalu Baginda sallallahu alaihi wasallam membaca ayat ini, lalu pemuda tadi berkata : Atasnya kunci-kunci sehinggalah Allah taala membukanya dan melepaskannya. Sayyidina Umar berkata,pemuda ini sungguh hebat dipandanganku! Kata-kata ini sentiasa di dalam diri Umar sehinggalah beliau diangkat menjadi Khalifah lalu meminta bantuan dengan pemuda tersebut". (ketika pembukaan wilayah era Khalifah Umar)

Imam Ibnu Qayyim menyebut di dalam tafsirnya sepertimana yang disebut oleh Muqaatil : "Seolah-olah hati itu sebuah pintu yang tertutup rapat yang telah dikunci, maka jika ia tidak dibuka kuncinya tidak akan dapat dibuka pintunya, dan juga tidak dapat mencapai apa yang terdapat disebalik pintu tersebut. Demikianlah umpamanya hati yang tidak ditanggalkan penyelak dan kuncinya maka tidak akan dapat masuk ke dalamnya cahaya iman dan Qur'an."

Alangkah malangnya bagi mereka yang mengunci hati sendiri,sekalipun mendengar AlQur'an dan peringatan, berjumpa dengan orang-orang soleh, namun perkara tersebut tidak dapat mengubah keadaan mereka.Kenapa? Kerana adanya kunci-kunci hijab yang menghalang dan melitupi hati-hati mereka.

Maka setiap kali datangnya peringatan dan ayat-ayat Allah yang ingin memasuki hati-hati mereka, ia terhalang oleh kunci-kunci tersebut.Aduhai, umpama mencurah air ke dalam gelas tertutup.

Oleh itu,sesiapa yang tidak bersungguh keinginannya untuk memecahkan kunci-kunci tersebut dengan taubat nasuha, maka tinggallah kunci-kunci itu bersama hatinya sehinggalah dia meninggalkan dunia ini.

Ketahuilah bahawa kunci-kunci hati itu banyak dan pelbagai antaranya :

• cinta dunia dan melebih-lebihkannya
• lupa mati
• meninggalkan Al-Qur'an
• kurangnya zikir (mengingat Allah)
• lemah dalam memuhasabah diri
• meninggalkan sedekah
• tidak mengamalkan ilmu
• banyak bergaul dalam perkara sia-sia
• menghabiskan waktu pada perkara sia-sia
• tidak menunaikan kewajiban
• melakukan kezaliman
• tidak suka berbuat perkara sunat

Dan juga segala perbuatan maksiat yang boleh menyebabkan hati-hati terkunci daripada nur iman. Begitulah banyaknya kunci-kunci yang pelbagai bentuk dan jenis, namun semuanya membawa kepada tujuan yang sama iaitu menghalang hati-hati ini daripada menghayati kalam Allah dan kita tidak akan dapat memecahkannya melainkan dengan kembali kepada Yang Maha Satu,bersungguh-sungguh dan teguh pada ketaatanNYa serta tidak kembali kepada dosa dan maksiat selepasnya.

Semoga kita semua sentiasa diberi taufiq dan hidayah daripada Allah dalam menusuri pengembaraan sementara di muka buminya ini...Amien Ya Rabb. 

Life in Tonle Sap Cambodia

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, 


This is my backpacking experience in Cambodia on 27 February 2012.

Tonle Sap the Great Lake

The largest lake in South East Asia, Tonle Sap is actually a combined lake and river in Cambodia, feeding the Mekong River. Geographically, it is unusual for the reason that it changes its flow twice a year. Historically, it witnessed the naval battles (between the Khmer and the Chams armies) and also the tragic death of thousand innocent souls attributable to the vicious and ruthless Khmer Rouge regime.

After a sweltering day spent visiting the mind-blowing Angkor Wat and the other magnificent temples, Hazem and I went back to our hotel for three hour rest, and we commenced our next relaxing boat ride to Chong Kneas, the closest of all the floating villages to Siem Reap, cruising along the muddy Tonle Sap river. The entire floating village moves with the seasonal change in water level of Tonle Sap. Interesting, right?

6.00 p.m. – Cruising along the Muddy Tonle Sap River

We departed to the jetty by the same van that brought us to Angkor Wat in the morning. It gave us the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful scenery of paddy fields and the lotus fields along the way. There was a boat waiting for us at the jetty. We had a long trip to the floating village, along a narrow channel leading to the huge lake of Tonle Sap. It was along the channel that really touched my heart. Everything that I’ve witnessed was fascinating. But somehow disturbing.

We passed some empty boats parked by the river banks. And since it was almost sunset, I saw some kids returning from school. Some of them were reading books in the boat.

Occasionally I saw some noisy kids screaming their lungs out and laughing out loud while swimming in the filthy water.

Some teenagers coming back from work, some older men fishing or adjusting their fishing nets, some women washing clothes.

It was difficult for me to comprehend how could the people be so comfortable and peaceful living in a condition like that. 


Serba kekurangan. Namun mereka bersyukur dengan apa yang ada. 

Well, that is life.

And they are happy and thankful. For the way they are.

These floating villages are just what the name signifies, furnished with houses, schools, shops and churches, even though the villages are more like floating ghettos.

I waved my hands to some of them. Few returned me with the hand gestures. Some merely smile. While others didn’t seem to pay attention to us as our boat passed by. I guess we were insignificant to them anyway.

From the narrow channel, we made it through the big lake, where the major parts of Chong Kneang were there. We passed through the village and boarded a floating restaurant,with a crocodile farm on it. I saw a young boy, perhaps at the age of 3 – 4 years old, was running around greeting the boarding tourists, with a python around his neck, and expecting people to donate USD 1 for “amusement”. Some tourists gave him some money, only to discover another three to four boys and girls of the same age, out of nowhere, with pythons on their shoulders running towards them for money. I am not sure whether the rest of the kids managed to get some money from the tourists. Because upon realisation that they brought snakes, I immediately ran away to the nearby souvenir shops and hid myself from sight.

We decided not to have dinner there since the day was getting darker. We climbed up the stairs and checked the view from the top of the floating market. The floating village was enormous, but still too little compared to the overall size of Tonle Sap Lake. From far, I can see the sun sinking into the lake, slowly. Before it gets any darker, we decided to leave.

I saw a mother rowing her boat, with three children. A tourist was offering white chocolate to them. Seeing those kids reaching out their hands for the chocolate. And the happiness on their face, really moved me.

We headed to the river bank, passing by the same scenery. But with different feelings. 


In life, there are so many things that we should be thankful for. 

Regards,

Hairi Tahir

A little time away from office for a bit of 'S(e)oul-Searching'

by Abby

They said to travel is to be educated. South Korea did not disappoint the writer and her two friends (also department colleagues) for the span of 6 days spent in cold, windy foreign land in pursue of things to see, places to visit, history to absorb..

Armed with tourist-essentials (i.e countless maps, subway routes, one research file complete with separators and tags) the three of us braved South Korea's (quite) chilly weather. The experience? Out of this world magnificent.

To reiterate our day-by-day itinerary would be too lengthy (and boring); so as listed are the writer's choice of must-see places in K-Pop infested territory:

1. Halal Food & Mosque in South Korea?

Itaewon is the place. Fret not, there's no need to pack countless bags of serundings and Maggi. The writer and her friends also had the chance to visit the mosque located therein and perform prayers there. Personally, the writer makes it a point to visit Muslim place of worship everywhere she goes - just to see what it's like to be a Muslim there.

Lunch!

Seoul Central Mosque

2. Nami Island, (in)famous for Winter Sonata series

Hardcore Korean-drama fans would want to go here to see how the place is really like. What the writer likes about going to Nami Island, besides the scenic sights, is the journey she and her friends had to take to reach here. As we are adventurous (we'd like to think we are!), we traveled on our own without a paid tour guide. The journey requires us to take three different trains, a taxi and a ferry ride. After all, it's the journey, not the destination that matters =)

A couple asked for our help to take photos of them. Sungguh2 dorg pose 

3. North Korea border anyone??

Highly recommended. Not many would like to spend their vacation reading about past histories, but trust us, its worth the time. We were allowed to go inside the tunnel which was dug out by North Koreans during the war (quite scary and claustrophobic-y), and was quite amazed to be able to see North Korean flag waving from a not-so-far distance at the Demilitarized Zone's observation deck. 

Dorasan is the northernmost stop in South Korea (before it reaches North Korea). Pyeongyang, the capital of North Korea is 205 km away 

3 stops for the whole Demilitarized Zone tour

Observation deck

Tourists from Japan, on our way to Demilitarized Zone

4. Paju Premium Outlet

One of the famous premium outlets in South Korea. Shop till you drop! Other shopping places to see - Namdaemun market for souveniers and shopping streets in Dongdaemun

Paju Premium Outlet!

Famous shopping street in Dongdaemun

Souvenir shopping at Namdaemun Market

5. Jeju Island

Go and climb this Sunrise Peak! (i.e a volcanic crater with vertical cliffs rises up from the shore)

Sunrise Peak

A plane preparing to land in Jeju

6. Hanok Village

Trying on Hanbok (Korean traditional costume) at reasonable price. The Village is re-built to mirror how it was like during those times.

Eceh

Somewhere in Gyeongbokgung Palace

7. Migliore Mall

Where u can get Korean-style blouses much cheaper than anywhere else!

Our encounters with locals

Their people, although often in rush, are very friendly (bearing in mind that language is barrier). We have elderly asking us if we are from Sudan or Saudi Arabia (since we are wearing headscarves) and was stopped countless times by teenagers for their pictures to be taken with us (feeling2 celebrity..). Also, taxi drivers are honest, helpful and can be counted on.

Conclusion

In summary, the writer personally didn't really get to do a lot of s(e)oul-searching there (too busy being on the move!). But the journey and the experience are wonderful enough to teach her that there are still so many things out there waiting to be explored, sought, and learned.

p/s: the writer's two friends/colleagues are wonderful traveling partners - because they are fun, patience, and most important of all, they have done extensive research on places to go! there's really no need for a tour guide to bring us around. Credit to Jas & Ain Z :)