Makkah al-Mukarramah

The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka; full of blessing and of guidance for all beings. (3:96)

May this blessing and guidance reach to the far corners of the Universe and the deepest recesses of every heart. The spiritual Barakah emanating from Baitul Allah is felt as a soothing balm erasing every trace of anxiety, remorse and all that does not resonate with the beauty and bliss of being in such a close proximity to our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

The Hadith related by Abu Hurairah RadhiAllahu anhu states that our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihiwasallam said that sins are expiated from the performance of one ‘Umrah to the next. How exquisite is the sensation of being a fragment of the Ummah participating in the ritual whereby accumulated sins are eradicated, but more so when the intention is for the sake of Allah Ta’ala, as He Himself has said with His Divine Speech:

And accomplish the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah. (2:196)

The following photos are a sample selected over three days and nights from the copious ones taken whilst present in this City of Honouring, ‘visiting a populated place’, as is the translation of the word ‘Umrah. Though as some of the images show, during this time between the season of Ramadhan and Hajj, the attendees were very few compared to a mere few weeks ago. We were exceptionally blessed by the plans of the Best of Planners Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, to once more be gifted this opportunity and this view! Alf Alf Alf as-ShukriLlah!

The tower on the right is the Hajar Tower where fire engulfed the top ten storeys. The damage could be seen from the opposite side facing the street.

Overlooking the new Masaa, the Safa end with a new minaret under construction. Immediately behind the Tower on the right is a corner of the Palace complex. While the across the temporary extension of the courtyard the Mubarak birthplace of our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam can be seen.

From the Mubarak birthplace on the far upper right, to the Muabrak place where the house of our Lady Khadijah RadhiAllahu anha was…a duplicate image below, with the green dot indicating where Allah Ta’ala chose for the Best of Creation SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to become manifest on earth, and the blue dot indicating the approximate position where he SallAllahu alaihi wasallam spent his married life, and where his six children were born. SubhanAllah…..

….all so close to the Sacred House. How prodigious the time must have been then. It was emotional enough to keep meditating from this height on our glorious past, let alone trying to allow the heart’s imagination to be back more than 1400 years.

The Abraj al-Bayt complex of towers is adjacent to the Adjyad Hospital from where the bodies of the deceased arrive to Masjid al-Haram for the Janazah. They are bourne aloft a narrow stretcher carried by loved ones the short distance across a road and then the courtyard. The small cluster in the above photo, are brothers about to enter Haram, carrying a mayyit about half an hour before Salatul Asr. Once inside, the stretcher is initially placed on the floor of the corridor next to the area where the Imam leads Salat. Once Salat is over, it is moved to the Mataf for the prayers to be read, and then journey continues back across the courtyard to be transported to the graveyard. Some days there were multiple souls returning to their Rabb, Inna LiLlahi wa inna ilaihi rajeoon. Unlike in Madinah where all are draped in green, various colours are used in Makkah; I saw brown, blue, black, fawn and sometimes a traditional tribal patterned shawl.

Insha’Allah, the next few posts will share various aspects of Makkah Al-Mukarramah.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.