It's been almost a week since I've been back from Umrah, and I still don't feel ready to move on. I keep remembering every little thing: walking down the street in Madinah to go to Masjid al-Nabawi; sitting in Masjid al-Haram with my prayer beads; meeting lovely Muslim women from all over the world as we wait for prayer to start; seeing the Kaabah every day; the call to prayer; the voices of the muezzins and imams.
I think what I miss the most is my whole day revolving around prayer, God, and Islam. It's such a beautiful thing when that happens. I wish I could continue doing that but I feel like it's impossible in everyday life to make prayer the centre of everything, although I have been trying. Maybe it was the atmopshere in Makkah and Madinah that makes you think of God and makes you want to be as religious as possible. I found myself constantly saying "inshallah" and "mashallah", whereas here I don't always remember to say/think these things.
I would love to be able to live in Madinah or Makkah, and be that close to the two most amazing mosques in Islam and the Kaabah. Imagine how wonderful it would be to live in the Prophet's beloved city, Madinah (not a big fan of Makkah; I would definitely choose to live in Madinah if I was given the option).
I hope these feelings pass soon because it's getting kind of depressing. Inshallah I'll be back there soon.
5 comments:
My husband used to live in Saudi, and he always says that if he has a chance to work in Medina, we are outta here! He absolutely loves it there, but says the same you say about Mecca. The way you described the day revolving around prayer is beautiful. God knows that this is impossible for us during our regular lives, perhaps that is why He gives us the chance to break up our routine and make omrah and hajj. I'm really enjoying these reflections on your trip. Thanks for sharing.
yes it is a great feeling isn't it? Yeah madinah is more peaceful as makkah is really crowded. There is a sense of calm however in both places and you feel much closer to your religion :)
I will be going back to Saudi next week Inshallah, cant wait!
I think it will take awhile to not re-live it and feeling like you should be there. Totally normal and who could blame you. Cairo is simply not able to compare to being closest to Allah. In the interim, it sounds like you have a really busy life with sociology and all of the books about women in Islam :) I love you, may Allah make it easy for you dear.
Wow,a total window into what it must have been like at the time of the Prophet (pbuh).
I wonder what the world would be like, if the whole world was like this...
Umm Omar: where in Saudi did your husband live? Maybe one day we will both be living in Madinah inshallah! Wouldn't that be amazing...
Whiteorchid: Makkah is more crowded for sure, but I agree with the spiritual feeling that exists in both cities. Have fun in Saudi!
Lisa: I'm trying to occupy myself with my books haha. Little by little I'm getting used to being back in Cairo and praying at home. Even though I was gone for only a week it really shook my world up.
Jasmine: if the whole world was like this I can't imagine how simple and peaceful life would be...
Thanks everyone for posting :) Much love.
Post a Comment