Travelling is always accompanied by excitement, joy, and some anxiety. It is also in many ways fulfilling and spiritually enriching. All that is amplified when you travel to the holy lands in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia – Mecca specifically – is the birthplace of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the birthplace of Islam and the land to which millions of Muslims worldwide gravitate.
Growing up I always wondered why people who have been on Hajj or Umrah keep going back.
My love affair with Mecca and Medina started in 2005 when I went on Hajj, and was deepened when I returned for an Umrah last year.
Hajj (pilgrimage) is the fifth pillar of Islam, and it is mandatory for every Muslim who is physically and financially able to do it at least once.
This pilgrimage can only be taken in the months of Hajj, a specifically defined period of the Islamic year. Umrah, however, is more like a visit (or a mini-pilgrimage) and can be performed any time of the year outside of the Hajj period.
But what keeps us coming back?
This is where it all started 1 432 years ago, where our way of life was defined, where the most sacred sites in Islam are, and finally it is the resting place of our Prophet Moegamad (peace and blessings be upon him).
On your journey to this most blessed of places, you live a completely Islamic way of life, worrying about nothing else, but indulging in sincere praying, meditating, evaluating … and there is time to have a holiday in between, with a bit of shopping thrown in.
For someone from security-conscious Joburg, being able to walk around safely any time of the day or night is liberating.
Our group’s journey earlier this year started with a bus trip from the airport in Jeddah to Medina, the home of Al Masjid al-Nabawi, often called the Prophet’s Mosque, and considered the second holiest site in Islam, the first being Masjid al-Haram in Mecca province.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) along with his companions and family are buried in the tranquil Medina.
After a week we went from Medina by bus to Mecca, a trip similar in distance from Joburg to Durban.
An air-conditioned bus during summer is a must as temperatures at night can range from 32 to 38ºC, and during the day it can soar to 50.
The City of Mecca is the centre of the planet for all Muslims, for one significant reason – the Holy Kabah is situated in Mecca. The Kabah (House of God) is a black structure situated in the middle of Masjid al-Haram, and is significant for many reasons, the primary one being that five times a day Muslims all over the world supplicate in prayer while facing its direction.
When I finally got to stand in front of it, I could not help but be in awe of its splendour. I’ve come across people who have forgotten their spouses’ names and even their prayers, so amazed were they by it.
Muslims do not worship the Kabah, they merely face its direction during prayers. It is traditionally considered to symbolise the unity of all Muslims worldwide.
When one performs Umrah – as was the case during my recent trip – there are certain prerequisites.
Before entering Mecca one must place oneself in the state of Ihram.
For a man this is signified by two pieces of white cloth – one to wrap the bottom half of his body and the second to cover the top half.
For women the Ihram is a much simpler dress code – women can don any colour full-length dress.
Wearing one’s Ihram is significant in that in God’s eyes we are all created equal, so if everyone wears the same attire, one cannot distinguish between rich and poor, king or servant.
The rituals of performing Umrah also have some prayer pre-requisites and preparation, but it all culminates in an individual performing Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Kabah) and Sai (the working between mounds).
The Tawaaf is walking around the Holy Kabah seven times, during which several prayers can be recited. The Sai emulates an action performed by Sarah ( Prophet Abraham’s wife) when she ran between two mountains (Mount Safa and Mount Marwa) in search of water for her baby.
Once the ritualistic actions are done, you remove yourself from a state of Ihraam and your Umrah is complete. One can perform an Umrah for oneself or on behalf a deceased person who may not have done so when they were alive.
For me the everyday pace in Mecca is not the same as Medina. Mecca is a lot busier but there are a lot more people and the sheer size of Masjid al-Haram is overwhelming.
During Hajj, Mecca and surroundings accommodates close to 4 million pilgrims.
While attending the five daily prayers, whether in the mosque in Medina or Mecca, you will find yourself sitting next to a stranger. You might not speak the same language, but you somehow connect.
South Africans and our multi-cultural diversity are fascinating for people from other parts of the world.
Shopkeepers believe South africans are shopaholics, and they call us as we walk past. Sometimes this is in Afrikaans. Don’t ask me how they recognise us.
Arab store owners find South African women noisy and independent. Some say they believe we are the bosses back home.
So if someone asks me next year if I’d like to return on Umrah, I will say “count me in”.
- Saturday Star