16 February 2018 - 26 February 2018
Alhamdulillah for this timely visit to Makkah and Madinah, and being able to do Umrah. I have been asking my father for quite a few years, to bring me there again (the last time I visited was in 2005, and I especially wanted to visit again since 2012..)– and we were finally invited to His holy land this past week.
And how timely, that I get to do so before I embark on a new phase of my life, inshaAllah. While truly exciting, I know this phase will be challenging, foreign, and therefore something I am extremely grateful to be able to call on Allah about, and feel emotionally/spiritually/”physically” close while doing so in the past week.
Alhamdulillah wa syukr li Rasulillah s.a.w. for that, especially.
But alhamdulillah also, for the way this whole trip has unfolded; that despite the challenges, we were able to see the hikmah behind each happening.
Things about this Umrah trip that are profound to me:
1) Realising that my parents are getting older. It’s been quite a while that my mother has had her knee/leg problems, and I am used to caring about how she manages with long distance walking, etc. While at Madinah my father even bought her her own stool so that we didn’t have to worry about seeking out for one during prayer at Masjid Nabawi.
That aside, what struck me more during this trip was watching my father struggle alongside me and my sis while we climbed Jabal Rahmah. I would typically worry about my sister, but I found myself watching out for my dad just as much during that climb. This realisation of my parents aging is ... daunting, to say the least.
2) Losing our shoes at Masjidil Haram! Would have been perfectly fine and easily a situation to move on from, if not for my mother's expensive pair, which was supposed to help ease the pain in her legs while walking.. My father and I especially were relentless with the task of looking for it-- we learnt that it was being thrown away, because we had stuck them behind some random pillar right before performing our second umrah. How wonderful that other pillars, including the one just opposite ours - which were just as filled with shoes - weren't cleaned, but the one we chose...was. Haha. We went on a quest of tracking where they disposed of such shoes, but with the lack of service and information, it was for naught. But in this hour-long quest, I learnt that there were entrances that allowed ladies much better view and access to the Kaabah. Discovering this, and getting that view in the last photo for one of my prayers, was simply divine, hehe. And to have had to lose shoes for it, kita redha.
3) It rained in Madinah! :D Alhamdulillah, true barakah. To know that it happens so rarely there but having the opportunity to experience it, is a heartwarming thing. Kids were running around and playing in the rain, and people were visibly amazed too, it seemed, despite the very obvious flooding in a city with minimal drainage, haha. On average, Madinah experiences about 0-3 rain days a month. Most months, it is zero. (In comparison, Singapore’s rain days are in the 23-30 range. Haha, so you get the idea.)
Missing a planned trip to telaga Rasulullah s.a.w. because of the rain, but being presented with a better opportunity to do so the next day; hajat tetap tersampai. :D
4) The Rawdah. Much to be improved in the system they have there to allow visitors to ziarah... But what I loved despite the chaos was seeing the direct effects of reciting Ahdan and Selawat with my sister whilst we were amidst of it all. :)
5) Learning in general, that for what Allah takes from us, He gives in many, many other ways. And in ways we can’t imagine, and sometimes don’t even realise. :) And I learnt, maybe the key to being happy in this dunya and in this life, is to be syukr; syukr for things even when it may not be what I seek or want for myself:
Alhamdulillah, with feeling.
And may we all have the opportunity to be called on to be there again inshaAllah. <3
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