Prologue
So I've finished teaching my students at the Imam Saud University. Organized a CTF event something like we have back then in UITM Shah Alam . Do some shoppings and blax3. In reality Saudi Arabia is like another alternate universe. There's no party goin on in the night, no bar to sooth your jazz needs and no good looking ladies where u can ushax2 in days or night
So one day , one of my friend over here Umar asked me.
Umar: Shah why don't u take a trip to Makkah and perform your Umrah.
Me: Sure, i said sure, my mum keep buzzing me to go there
Boss: U shouldn't go there just becoz your mum said so !! (Darn Sk u r so right!!)
So after that Umar asked me again:
Umar: Would u like to take a flight or a bus?
Me: What's the difference between those two?
Umar: By bus u will visited Madinah first and few other historic place. Then u will go to Makkah. But the trip gonna take like 12 hours ... By flight u only need one hour and
Truth is Bus is a lot more cheaper but not convenience especially if u are not fluent in arabic .
Me: I think i like to pay my respect to the prophet first so i took a bus.
Umar: Really? it's up to you
So I bought a ticket from A travel agency somewhere in Batha called Solihin..
Umar: Remember when u go to the bus station please looks carefully for the company logo.
Me: Yeah , i just have to board the right bus right? No problem
Day 1: Hell of a problem
When i reached the bus terminal where i should board the bus... The strangest thing is.. I couldn't find my bus. I'll try to ask around people at the bus terminal but english is as strange as greek here... So there's no point in speaking English at all !!
So i'm a bit stucked there until someone shout at me
Unknown guy: Ya MUHAMMAD? (and point to my ticket)
Me: Help?
The unknown guy grab me and bring me towards a bus that didn't have the travel agent logo at all. But yeah it's the correct bus my name is there allright.. I thank him .
Inside the bus. everyone knows I'm a foreign foreign. Yeah there's people from Pakistan , Bangladesh but the aura of "stranger in the middle of nowhere" strikes me up perfectly. So one of the Pakistan guy he didn't speak much english but he tried to anyway and I'm too eager to talk!!
MuhammadIqbal: Where u from?
Me: Malayzie (Malaysia)
MuhammadIqbal: Alone ? No friend?
Me: (Yeah I'm alone allrite). Yes alone no friend
MuhammadIqbal: Don't worry, Allah is there to help you anywhere.. he smile
His last word is touch my heart . How often I forgot that Allah is always watching us and send guidance to whom reach for Him... Masha Allah ..
In the bus
Along the way there's a lot of Gas Station like every 100 km perhaps... Gasoline is very important if u want to a trip across the desert.
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
We pray our Magrib Prayer followed by Isya' . And this is one jamaq there is no qualms bout it ..
Day 2: Around 2 am
We arrived at the Masjib As-Sharif Al-haram An-Nabawi. In this great Masjid lies the remains of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and his two beloved Companion Saidina Abu Bakr (R.A) and also Saidina Umar (R.A). Althought the prophet has long leaves this world from us. He's presence, he's scent remain into our world until the End of Time Masha-Allah. Upon meeting the prophet i feel really ashamed of myself. How can I, a follower of the Prophet can really say 'Ya Rasullalah , I am one of your ummah" when some of my action doesn't please him. Listening to something that isn't pleasing him. Doing something that he told not to do.. But then again.. even as a bad Ummah I give my shalawat to him like we were told even when we were little kids.
A friend of mine give me an ijazah in shalawat told by one ulama Al-Marhum
habibna Abdul Qadir as-saqqaf.
السلام عليك من آبائنا و أمهاتنا
السلام عليك من ازواجنا (زوجتي)
(السلام عليك من اولادنا
السلام عليك من اخواننا
Translation
Salam atasmu dari ibu bapa kami
Salam atas mu dari Isteri-isteri kami (Kalo kawin sorang or single pandaix2 tailor kate kawan aku)
Salam atasmu dari anak-anak kami
Salam atasmu dari segala ahli Kalimah
After that I iktiqaf in the Masjid and do various things people do during Iktiqaf. Knowing that you are close the person that you should love most gives you a lot energy. That's how powerful the passion love. And what kind of lovers who ignored his love when he/she was just seperated by a grill ?
After our Subuh prayer we bid farewell to our beloved Prophet. May Allah gives everyone a chance to met him personally in this world or in the HereAfter Insha Allah
To be continued.
