~*Aishah’s Journey Continues…Madinah – Our Last Day*~

As our very sleepy busload of sisters headed back out onto the road taking returning us to the mosque for fajr, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would make it through the long day ahead.  For the two days prior and coming into my third day, I found myself existing on a total of about three-and-one-half hours sleep.  It would truly be a miracle if, somewhere during the remainder of the day, I were not found somewhere literally asleep on my feet!  I tried to get comfortable in my bus seat, but could not.  The only thing comforting that I could think of was a steaming hot, Starbucks grande latte.  The toothpicks holding my eyelids up finally snapped and I closed my eyes dreaming of the coffee’s aroma.

We arrived back at the mosque and filed out of the bus.  It was about 4 am.  The bus didn’t exactly leave at 3 am as scheduled…we were missing a few sister who had over-slept…and wouldn’t you know the missing sisters were from my little entourage!!  (You know who you are!!  LOL!!!) 

It was such a wonderfully beautiful morning and as Nadia, Samera, Shorty and I made our way across the white tiled courtyard to the entrance of the mosque, the coolness of the air, and the quiet sound of birds flying overhead welcoming us to the mosque, was so tranquil that it somehow made the feeling of sleepiness vanish.  Al-hamdulillah.

We found our way to a spot for salat and, as instructed, we were to immediately return to the bus.  However, once we had headed back to the parking area, I found myself noticing that a few food vendors were opening and the longing for coffee returned.  My dear Samera was so diligent in trying to appease me in my quest for sustenance.  By now I was not only longing for my grande latte…I wanted I-Hop pancakes, too!  {{smile}}  I couldn't help it, all I could think of as we encountered one disappointing "menu" after another was, "Doesn't anyone eat breakfast around here??"  Well, I guess it depends on your definition of 'breakfast'! 

Something else I have now grown more accustomed to is that much like newborn babies (back home), the general population has its days and nights mixed up!  LOL!!  Which accounts for how it is that 'breakfast' is not the most popular meal of the day, because most people don't even wake up until time for dhuhr!!!  Okay!  By then it is lunchtime!  LOL!!  And you know…I even fell into this pattern of sleeping and wakefulness for a while, but have since re-corrected myself.  I've always been a "morning" person…after praying fajr, I like to start my day.  I usually check for incoming email from the Sisters4Dawah group I own/moderate online, see what kind of issues might be on the sisters' minds for the day, address what I can, do a little reading and research, and somewhere along the way, drink some tea or coffee and maybe eat some scrambled eggs with cheese, toast and jam.  Al-hamdulillah, it's a nice way to start the day…for me anyway!  {{smile}}

Anyhow, on this particular Friday morning in Madinah, Mum Samera endeavored diligently to find something to appease me.  Yes…I was in "baby" mode…wanting something, not happy with anything…lol…but Al-hamdulillah, Mum Samera came through and in a last minute attempt to find us something to eat, she dashed away from the group boarding the bus and quickly returned with a bag full of munchies.  She's such a good mum!!  {{smile}}

The bus headed out on the beginning of what was supposed to be a tour of the area's historical mosques.  It was very interesting!  And subhan'Allah, another blessed morning full of salat!  Yes, indeed!  For each mosque we visited there was also the requisite number of rakats to be offered in greeting the mosque, in addition to any other number of rakats you might chose to offer.  Little Shorty, my now constant companion, was getting her share of salat lessons on this adventure, for sure!!  {{smile}} 

As we perused around the grounds outside each mosque we found quite a variety of vendors offering various things for sale to the traveling tourists.  It will never cease to amaze me how a bus can be so full with just its occupants and their luggage, and yet stop after stop; it gets fuller with all of the items purchased along the way…and still manages to roll!   LOL!!  This is something that blows my mind each time I take the bus to "souk" or "shopping" with the nurses in downtown Taif.  You would absolutely, not believe what goes onto the bus on the return trip to the hospital from one of these shopping sprees!

I picked up a few things here and there along the mosque-tour route, including a variety of fresh nuts, dates, a few scarves, and, of course, a thing or two for Shorty.  I also bought some kind of weird, dried-out weed looking thing that if you boil it in water and do something else with it that I can't remember now, is suppose to help relieve the pain of a woman in labor…(this for a nurse/friend back at the hospital who was expecting any day).  Samera assured me that Icram, also being from Egypt, would know exactly what to do with it…so on the bus it went!  LOL!! 

Dear, sweet Aneela presented me with a pretty, red bracelet and matching ring.  It turned out that the bracelet and ring were a perfect accessory for a red jelbab I purchased in the market after Jummah.

By the end of our mosque tour the mid-morning sun was high enough in the sky to really make us begin feeling the heat of the day, and with hunger undeniable pangs of hunger, we eagerly re-boarded the bus to return to the mosque.  I felt like a two hundred year old woman at this point!!!

After returning from our after-fajr morning mosque tour, I took the last hour-and-a-half before Jummah to excuse myself from the little group of sisters I had been hanging out with in order to take some time for myself.  (I'm an independent little soul...but it is during these times that I also make such wonderful discoveries...smile...)

I ventured around and found myself in a previously undiscovered shopping area where I happily found two jelbabs that I liked, one red, and one denim, both with pretty cream colored embroidery around the neck, down the front, and around the cuffs of the sleeves. 

I also spent a little time browsing through some of the jewelry shops…wow!  I don't quite know that I have ever seen so much gold!  However, my personal preference is for white gold, which is not nearly as plentiful, but very easy to spot in the jewelry counters!  {{smile}}  I ended up finding a ring in a relatively small shop that was just perfect and looked so nice on my finger…well…there you go…just gotta have it!  LOL!!!  My helpful jeweler was happy to try to sell it to me, and we bartered on the price a little (he spoke English!) before I gave in and took out my debit card!  {{smile}}  Pleased with my new acquisition, I was about to depart when my equally happy jeweler said, "Is there anything else we can do for you today?"  Typical enough as an offering from a salesperson…maybe not so typical was my reply!  I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I sort of found myself caught off guard by the question, and suddenly there I was in "baby" mode, and I turned back to the jeweler and lamented, "I need Starbucks!!"  Well, what do you know!!!  Ask and ye shall receive!!!  My jeweler immediately gestured with his arm towards a brother standing outside the front of the store and motioned for him to come inside, whereupon the jeweler immediately instructed the brother to take me to Starbucks, and readdressing me said, "Follow him!"  Al-hamdulillah!!!!  I could not believe my good fortune!  I was on my way to Starbucks!!!  In Madinah!!!!  Subhan'Allah!!!!  Thanking my jeweler profusely, I quickly exited to catch up with the already departed brother that I had been instructed to follow.

Goodness!  We walked and walked and walked before finally entering a multi-level, nicely cooled building, and stepped onto an escalator.  Four floors up at the very top of the escalator stairs, right in front of me was a sight for sore eyes….STARBUCKS.   My guide turned to leave upon seeing that I was "home" and I offered a quick "Shukran!  Shukran!  Shukran!" before he was out of sight.  I stepped inside the store and it was just as I had remembered…and smelled the same, too!!!  I immediately ordered a Vente Caramel Frappachino (this is a frozen drink…it was a long, hot walk, so hot coffee by then just wasn't the order of the day), and a sweet, strawberry treat from the display case.  As I turned from the counter with my tray of goodies to find a seat, I could not help but to be taken aback upon seeing from the huge picture window in the sitting area, a full frontal view of the mosque.  Masha'Allah…it couldn't get much better than that…me, my caramel frap, and the best view of the mosque right before my weary eyes.  I sank down into a softly upholstered chair barely able to believe my good fortune and took a long hard pull on the straw standing in my frozen frappachino!  {{smile}}  At that moment I felt like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz…"There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"

Sooner than I had anticipated, I was hearing the sound of the first adhan announcing Jummah.  Knowing that the store would have to close, I quickly finished my strawberry treat, tidied up my sitting area, and returned the tray to the counter, whereupon I was met with a gentle, but appreciative protest from the other side of the counter exclaiming, "You didn't have to do that!  But thanks!"  To which I replied, "No, thank YOU!"  {{smile}}

I headed to the escalator thinking that the remaining half of my coffee drink would just get me across the courtyard to the mosque before melting completely in the hot afternoon sun.  As I got to the entrance of the courtyard the second adhan started, and I suddenly found myself wanting to call Mustafa to let him hear the sound of the adhan from Madinah.  I reached for Samera's cell phone in my shoulder bag (she had insisted I carry it with me when I separated from the group), and dialed the apartment phone number.  Alas, I was not able to reach him as I am sure he was probably already at the mosque on the hospital campus for Jummah…but you know what they say back home…"It's the thought that counts!"  Mmm…in Islam the same holds true for our intentions doesn't it! 

I had so many wonderful and inspiring experiences on this trip to Madinah, but one of the things I found myself coming away with in my heart and on mind was how much I yearned for our Ummah to take the practice of offering "Assalamu Alaikum" to one another more seriously.  To that end, I conducted a "survey" of sorts on Friday. 

Finding myself outside the confines of the cultural world-of-its-own known as Taif, in Madinah I was surrounded by people from a wide variety of nationalities and in all variations of Islamic dress.  This allowed me to feel free to leave behind the face veil in favor of my more comfortable hijab.  It is so much easier to breathe in the hot summer heat without it!!!!  However, I thus found myself throughout the weekend to be somewhat an object of curiosity with my "American" face...and yes...I searched and searched for another "American" looking face...and only found one in passing (while in search of a restaurant for a bite to eat Thursday afternoon).  I am quite sure this person was a worker for one of the construction companies; I would guess Turner International.  Anyhow, when I saw him, I immediately knew, and thought to myself, "Ah! Ha!  There's one!!!"  LOL!!! 

Anyway, I found it somewhat disturbing, as I would be going up and/or down the stairs and/or escalator to use the women's bathroom facilities to notice the absolute direct eye contact; flat-out staring!  And what added to that disturbance was the fact that each person (sister) doing the staring couldn't seem to find it in their heart to even offer an "Assalamu Alaikum." - I mean, if you are going to so obviously stare someone down, at least greet them!!!  You don't have to start up a conversation for goodness sake!  But it is incumbent upon us as Muslims to greet one another! 

This is what prompted my "test".  For each unadulterated stare or glare, I confronted that person (sisters only) with a bright smile and a cheery, "Assalamu Alaikum!!"  And do you know that the replies returned to me were so sad in number, i.e., out of at least 30 greetings, I received 3 in return.

There are so many ways that Allah (swt) provides opportunities for us to perform good deeds.  And yet time and time again we let them slip right by us.  I was so keenly aware of this in Madinah...and to that end, I will share just a few things that I found I could do.

Upon entering the mosque for Jummah, I searched and searched for a place to settle down.  Gosh...there were so many people!  Finally I noticed in between two sisters, what appeared to be a small gap and I motioned with my hand in such a way as to indicate that I was inquiring if the space was taken.  The response was to welcome me to the empty space.  I sat down.  I immediately noticed that the row of sisters in which I had joined happened to be formed right after the carpeted area ended.  In front of us was a cold, white tiled floor, when suddenly it occurred to me that in the shopping bag I was carrying contained a prayer rug that I had bought for my husband!  So, I took it out and laying it lengthwise, offered it for sharing to the daughter and mother sitting beside me to the right.  I then learned that they were from Iran.  The mother spoke no English at all but the daughter spoke a little.  Al-hamdulillah that "sign" language is universal!  And they understood my gesture; the daughter thanking me with a beautiful smile.  Masha'Allah. 

Then, a few minutes later, as I was listening to the kutbah, I noticed that to my left there was what appeared to be another daughter and mother.  I noticed that the mother was using a napkin in an attempt to wipe up some water from the floor that someone nearby had spilled, and that she didn't have enough napkin to sufficiently finish the job.  This little "mess" happened to also be directly in the area where she would be praying.  I said to myself, "Okay!  This just won't do!!"  And I reached once again for my shopping bag wherein I had a second purchase...a denim jelbab that I had bought for myself.  I took the garment out of the bag and spread the length of it from the left of the prayer rug I had already laid out until it reached the column beside where the mother was sitting.  The mother smiled and thanked me.  Al-hamdulillah, she spoke English and I learned that she and her daughter were from Pakistan!  So there we were...all five of us...me in the middle of two daughters and two mothers...and I somehow felt we were joined in that moment in time as we shared those precious moments in prayer. 

After salat I went to get some zam zam water.  As I stood from filling my little white plastic cup, I turned and saw a sister standing in the middle of the isle where she had been sitting during jummah.  She was beginning what I assumed was a sunnah prayer, and as she stood in the first rakat, I noticed that she was praying on the bare floor.  So, while she was still standing, and withoug crossing in front of her, I stood to the side as she prayed, with her eyes closed, and quickly and quietly laid out the prayer rug I had purchased for my husband. 

I turned away while she finished her prayer and knelt down to drink my water.  When the sister finished praying, she picked up the rug and returned it to me with a smile and a "Shukran, Sister!"

Nary a minute later, as I decided to re-fill my cup of water, I again spotted something that seemed peculiar.  There was an elderly woman sitting in a wheel chair, again, believe it or not, in the middle of the isle!  There did not even appear to be anyone from her party nearby...she just sat there quietly...alone.  And I thought to myself, "She needs some zam zam water!"  So I set my cup and bag down on the ledge of the base on a pillar and went to get a cup of water.  I walked over to the sister in the wheel chair and with a bright smile and cheery "Assalamu Alaikum!" I presented her with the zam zam water.  You should have seen her face...masha'Allah.

No sooner did I return to the pillar to retrieve my own cup of zam zam water and shopping bag, did I encounter a sister coming around the corner who was suddenly overtaken by a big sneeze!  "Oh, no!" I thought to myself!  "She needs a tissue!"  Teary person that I had found myself to be while in Madinah, I had made sure to have plenty of tissue in my purse!!  So, I swiftly snatched a tissue out of the front, outside pocket of my small shoulder bag and immediately presented it to her before she could get past me. She very happily took the tissue with a smile and said, "Shukran!!"

Wow...as I finished my zam zam water I was just over-whelmed by what had taken place in such a short span of time...how awesome to have been presented with these wonderful opportunities to practice my religion...what a blessing...Al-hamdulillah.

Do you see how easy Allah (swt) makes it for us to seize the opportunity for good deeds?  Sometimes we are so busy and caught up in the things of this world that we let opportunities like these pass right by us.  If we just take the blinders off for even a few minutes each day...the blessings and rewards that Allah (swt) offers to us are oftentimes staring us right in the face...all we have to do is embrace them.

I've already been asked, since I have now been twice to Mecca for Umrah and now to Madinah, which of the two I like better. 

Gosh, that is an impossible question to answer.  Of course, I love them both...and had very moving experiences while visiting each...but in answering I would say, I love Mecca.  But I have to say...Madinah left a mark on my heart, mind and soul that I will never, ever forget...and even when I think about my experiences there...tears still readily well up in my eyes...Al-hamdulillah, it was a very blessed weekend. 

On a final note, little did I know at the time, but I found out afterwards that prior to departing on our journey to Madinah, none of the sisters in my group had previously known one another…this astounded me!!  I had, in fact, assumed by the familiarity of this group of sisters, that they were already friends.  But it is my constant belief that everything happens for a reason…and Allah (swt), the perfect Planner and Facilitator, knew, of course, exactly what would happen in the end, and through our adventures, and yes, even misadventures…we all became, and remain to this day, the best of friends.  Subhan'Allah.  Al-Hamdulillah.  Allah Akbar.