Saturday 27 February 2016

Madinah Part One: Masjids + Mountains: 9-10 February 2016.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful


Welcome to Madinah Part One! We stayed in the blessed city for a total of five days and loved every minute of it. In this post, we settle in and visit lots of historical sights around the city including Masjid Quba, Masjid Qiblatain, Masjid Fatah and Mount Uhud. It's a busy one!



Tuesday 9 February: It was such a lovely feeling to wake up in Madinah. Because we arrived late at night, now was the chance to sweep back the curtains and see where we were.

In Madinah, we stayed at this hotel which was only a few minutes walk from the mosque.

We unpacked and I snacked on this peach apricot yoghurt whilst reading up on the city itself.

Also, Ritz crackers which were so much nicer than the ones you get here.

Tomato ketchup flavoured crisps.

And plenty of custard creams - coconut, strawberry and banana.
Later, we went to the mosque for the Maghrib prayer. It was such a beautiful evening so we prayed outside. The Imam recited verses from Surah Al-Baqarah:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Unto Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Whether you make known what is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills. Allah is Able to do all things.
The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers. (They say), "We make no distinction between one and another messenger", and they say, "We hear and we obey. Pardon us our Lord. Unto You is our return".
Allah does not task any soul beyond its capability. It shall receive in its favour that which it had earned and to its detriment shall be the sins that it had perpetrated. "O our Lord, do not take us to account if we forget or err. Our Lord, do not place such a burden on us as You had placed on those before us. Our Lord, do not impose on us that which we have not the strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us and have mercy on us. You are our Protector so assist us against the disbelievers".
{Surah Al-Baqarah // The Cow, Verses 284-286}
He also recited Surah Al-Ikhlas:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Say, "He is Allah, (who is) One,
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born,
Nor is there to Him any equivalent".
{Surah Al-Ikhlas // The Sincerity}
Some very kind ladies gifted us with lentil soup and bread after the prayer.
We then, proceeded to walk round the mosque to where the green dome is.
Below the green dome is the grave of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
O Allah, let your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
Allah's peace on you, O Prophet 
In every eye-blink and every tear
From the dawn of creation
Till the last day shall come.
When the faithful remember you
When the heedless forget
May you rest in the Mercy
And the Peace of the Almighty.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
He who sends a single Durood upon me, Almighty Allah rewards him 10 times and 10 good deeds are recorded in his book of good deeds.
 Wednesday 10 February: After an early breakfast, we headed out to visit different mosques and historical sites in Madinah.
We passed by the Prophet's Mosque.
And, there's building work happening here too!
We drove by the famous graveyard of Madinah - Jannatul Baqi. Here are buried many members of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) close family, about 10,000 of his companions and many other pious people. May Allah be pleased with them all - ameen.
Masjid Bilal named after the first caller to prayer in Islam.
We drove through the busy city, past plenty of palm trees, towards our first stop.
The white minarets of the beautiful Masjid Quba. This is the first mosque to be built in Islam.
The area around the mosque is very beautiful - lots of greenery and fountains. And, plenty of birds!
A hospital opposite the mosque.
The virtue of Masjid Quba is mentioned in the Quran:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
.... A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.
{Surah At-Tawbah // The Repentance, Verse 108}
The mosque was really busy this morning. Muslims come here to pray at least 2 rakats of Salah - the reward of which is that of an accepted Umrah. Subhanallah!
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would sometimes walk and sometimes ride to the mosque which is about a 15 minute car ride from Masjid An-Nabawi.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
Whoever purifies himself in his house, then comes to the Quba Mosque and offers one prayer therein, will have a reward like that for Umrah.
The name of Allah in the trees opposite the mosque.
The mosque is surrounded by lots of street-sellers and a mini outdoor market.
People were selling all sorts.
Obviously, dates.
Socks and slipper socks.
Fresh mint.
Oil and bags of spices. I was super tempted to buy a bag of cinnamon sticks.
Ginger ... and are those eggs?!
We did buy a bunch of fragrant mint from this adorable old lady.
Nuts!
And, stalls that sold everything under the sun!
Ice cream!
As we were leaving, our guide told us that this was the site where the Prophet (peace be upon him) stayed when he first arrived in Quba.
A beautiful view of the mosque with all its minarets and domes as we left.
Lots of fountains outside the mosque!
They were so refreshing - I could feel their cool air from the car. Only because I literally had my head stuck out of the window! :)
We passed by Masjid Jumah as we left Quba.
This mosque marks the site where the Prophet (peace be upon him) led the first Friday prayer just after his arrival in Madinah. During his sermon, he mentioned the following verse of the Quran:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
.... and whoever fears Allah - He will remove for him his evil deeds and make great for him his reward.
{Surah At-Talaq // The Divorce, Verse 5}
A sticker in a car window which reads:
Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah.
Read more here.
Driving to our next stop!
And, passing more palm trees!
Finally, we arrived at Masjid Fatah. This marks the site where the Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah during the Battle of the Trench and where Allah sent him the good news of the Muslim's victory.
Our guide informed us that this spot was where the tent of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was pitched.
And, this was the place where the tent of Salman Al-Farsi was pitched.
He was the companion who had the idea of digging a trench to protect Madinah from the enemy. 
May Allah be pleased with him - ameen.
Mountains surrounding the mosque.
We climbed the steps to the top.
A beautiful view of the mosque from up there!
The place where the Prophet (peace be upon him) had his tent.
Subhanallah, it was so amazing to be there when the Battle of the Trench has always been one of my favourites.
Bright flowers as we left!
Our guide told us that this road was where the actual trench was dug!
On we went, past more signs.
And, palm trees!
We headed left towards ...
... Masjid Qiblatain.
Walking through yet more outside markets, we headed for the mosque.
Masjid Qiblatain was the place where the Quran revelation came to change the direction of the Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
We have certainly seen the turning of your face, (O Muhammad), toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a Qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you (believers) are, turn your faces toward it (in prayer). Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.
{Surah Al-Baqarah // The Cow, Verse 144}

After we had prayed, we came out into the sunshine.
The sky was the bluest blue and the sun was getting hotter.

Time for ice cream!
Alhamdulillah, ice cream never tasted so good!
Finally, we headed to our final stop of the day.
Mountain Uhud!
It was in front a section of the mountain where the second battle of Islam took place - the Battle of Uhud.
There is a mosque being built here also so plenty of scaffolding!
Walking through yet more stalls to visit the burial site of the martyrs of Uhud. May Allah be pleased with them all - ameen.

Next, we went to see Jabal Rumah - the Archers Mount.
This is a small hill in front of Mount Uhud.
It was here that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had stationed a group of archers giving them strict instructions not to move.
In the confusion of the battle, most of the archers assumed the fight was over and ended up deserting their posts.
This was a cause that led to the reversal of fortune for the Muslims in the battle.


About Uhud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
This mountain loves us and we love it.

After visiting Uhud, we made our way back to the hotel.
Sitting under the umbrellas for the Asr prayer.
The weather in Madinah during the day was perfect. Not too hot with blue skies and a lovely breeze.
Finally, another early dinner - daal with flatbreads.
And, falafel wraps with plenty of crunchy salad and a tangy tomato sauce!

I hope you enjoyed Madinah Part One - stay tuned for Part Two. Catch up with Makkah:
The Journey + The View
Digital Detox +The Kabah
Masjid Aisha + The Road to Madinah

Keep me in your duas please,

Wasalaam!


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