almiskeenah

Beauty and excitement symbolize Eid. Allah Ta’ala seemed to have magnified these qualities for the celebration of Eidul Adha in this City of Radiance and Light. Sitting in the courtyard under the velvety dark sky before Fajr until sunrise and Salatul Eid, watching the ever changing heavens, along with the joy effusing from thousands delights all the senses and fills the heart with Sakinah…an attempt to capture the stream of worshippers leaving Masjid Nabawi…a sea of black in the sisters area, which will gradually transform into a sea of colour when the new Hujjaj will assemble here…

…as families leave the courtyard children excitedly gravitate to the balloon sellers…

…the skyline became dotted with joyous little ones holding tight to strings and heads craned to watch the floating treat…

…later in the afternoon, after the first animals are sacrificed, hundreds of sisters line the main roads in the hope of receiving bags of Qurbani that are distributed over the next few days. For some of the poorer residents this is the one of the few times they eat meat. Most traffic light display reminders for Dhikr and Salawaat…

…it is always a treat to drive a little out of the city to nearby desert where the air is fresh with surroundings offering totally different perspectives on life…initially we thought such a sign was strange, as it would be impossible to speed on the rocky, rubble, sandy surface…but within minutes we realized why this isolated warning was there…we became bogged in the sand! A fun time for me as I get to drive while being pushed…I do miss driving…

…there are many of these temporary ‘weekenders’ dotted across the desert…shabby canvas tents, fences and roofs made with dried palm branches, with old couches adding that special touch of ‘home’…

…the sky has been a dramatic moving spectacle for many days…Allahu Akbar!

…a pen of young camels, separated from their mothers for part of the time as her milk is needed for sale…

…one concerned mother began bellowing as I approached her baby…

…and conveying in usual camel grunts and hollers that she was concerned, with the baby replying, SubhanAllah!

…the camel milk ’shop’…

…with the adjoining ‘cafe’ of carpets laid on the ground…authentic decor with matching aromas and replete with very friendly flies…

…vendors offer bundles of firewood for sale as cooking in the open is popular…

…back in the city proper where the silhouette of star lights decorate lamp posts…may light saturate your Eid days and all days to come and light the way to an inner peace, Ameen.

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.