Category Archives: virtual tours

…Quba::rain::another exhibition…

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…blissed and blessed with the most welcomed Rahmah…rain…rarely seen, heard, felt, tasted…or smelt…bringing the usual shrieks from children…seemingly echoed across the entire city…SubhanAllah…a perfume added to the already wondrous fragrance of our Madinatun Nabi…blissed and blessed…

 …but even with only a short time of deluge the streets become treacherous…white water rivers…

…with the sensible of drivers taking care…but Du’a for the ‘others’ who do not seem to care about not only endangering their own lives but those of all else on the roads…AstaghfiruLlah…

…heading for Masjid Quba…with the billowing grey clouds hovering overhead…thunder and lightning added to Allah Ta’ala’s dramatic theatrics…the power in the storms reminding us of His Qudrat…His Dominion over all…ALHUMDULILLAH ALLAHU AKBAR…

…this building, beside Masjid Quba was a struggling commercial site renovated for the special Cultural City celebrations…

…traditional decorative features break the austerity of the rectangular structure…

…along with newly landscaped areas…including much needed park benches…the building is currently used for another excellent exhibition…Ma’araz al-Eiman…The Refuge of Iman…one of the many names for this City of Light…

…people seem to remain indoors when it rains here…but this humble speck loves storms and revels in the refreshing air…the billowing abaya and the shine the rain leaves on every surface…ALHUMDULILLAH ALLAHU AKBAR…

…so it was no surprise to find the entrance to the exhibition empty…the first encounter as I walked inside was with a policeman saying it was closed due to the roof leaking very badly in one of the rooms displaying larger models of various stages of Madinah’s development…security brothers were running hither and thither with huge rolls of plastic to protect the models…

as-salatu wa salamu alaika Ya Sayyidy Ya Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam

…Alhumdulillah for their preoccupation with the problem as it meant my presence was ignored for some time…so I quickly clicked a few photos…more can be seen here, from the official Cultural City site…

…like the Seerah exhibition the effective display design uses back lit panels from many diverse aspects of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah…

…including geological features…maps…diagrams…charts…(an account of the volcano that threatened Madinah in 654 AH/1258 AD)

…old and contemporary photographs…including this stunning image by Brother Noushad…Brother Noushad is regarded as the official photographer of our Radiant City…his work is exceptional…please support his art by purchasing prints and/or maybe discussing publishing his work as an exclusive coffee table edition…Insha’Allah this dream becomes a reality for Brother Noushad…

…this aerial photo is of the two government buildings…the pinkish one in the foreground is the Amarah and the bluestone, fortress-like one on the background is the Amanah…situated opposite the Ottoman railway station to the south west of Haram…

…this photo and the one below form one huge map based on a 3D design…the interesting feature being that almost every street and every important building from the Ottoman times is named!! Masjid Nabawi in the above photo…

…Masjid Nabawi to the top right…the lower left shows details of the Musalla area with the Turkish Barracks on the bottom left…

…it was while trying to get snap more details of this fascinating map that my presence was noticed and I was kindly asked to leave…Insha’Allah another visit is planned…

…the dull monochromatic grey tones exuded a soothing peace…

…and the ‘shed’…looking somewhat bedraggled and dilapidated…refer back to this specks reaction to this structure…

…now that the brouhaha of the official visit is well and truly over it seems the space is neglected and a dismal blight on the beautiful Masjid beside it…

…the sweepers were seen inside and outside in the courtyards busily dealing with the accumulated water…

…as Maghrib approached the stormy clouds moved south and a serene silence filled the vitalized air…

…the few pilgrims present struggled with umbrellas and wind blown hijabs and abayas…

…while street vendors had retreated leaving their ‘shops’ securely covered…

…new shoe racks have been installed beside the major doorways of both the sisters and the brothers areas…

…and it wasn’t long before the marble was dry with children coming out to play and iPad photographers appeared…along with the mandatory Haia ‘vice brigade’…

 [Prophet] you should rather pray in a mosque founded founded from its first day on Taqwa: in this mosque there are men who desire to grow in purity-Allah loves those who seek to purify themselves. Which is better, the person who founds his building on Taqwa and desire for His good pleasure, or the person who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice that will tumble down into the Fire of Hell, taking him with it? (108-109)

 …Imans and Khateebs of Masjid Quba:

  • Sheikh Salih Bin ‘Awad Al Mughamisi
  • Sheikh Muhammed Khalil
  • Sheikh Muhammad Ayyub And Adil
  • Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali bin Abdur Rahman Hudaify

 ~*~

…rain and reflections…rain on the Dome of Felicitiy in 2008…SubhanAllah!!!

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.

…abomination…and…

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…words could never describe the wanton destruction done to our beloved Ghar Uhud…synonyms may express horror, sacrilege, scandal, violation, disgrace, desecration…an all too familiar word associated with our heritage and places with direct associations with out Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…never again will the interior of the cave see the light of day…

…as the entrance has been SEALED with a huge wall of concrete!!!!! not visible in this photo taken yesterday by my VVVBFF the DH…yes, the previous hideous signs have gone…as the ‘authorities’ are confident the new wire fence that snakes its way from the ‘bandage place’ will meet the section at the foot of Jabal Uhud near the building currently being constructed…weird…as not many years ago there were rumours that all housing would be demolished around this ‘mountain that loves us and we love it’...

…where is the respect due to Babul Jannah????

…but not to despair…as the ‘beautification’ around the Shuhadaa site is ongoing with newly installed light fittings…

…and work on the new Masjid in progress…

~*~

…and totally unrelated…

…this is the view almiskeenah has had for the past few weeks…hence explaining the prolonged absence from updating this space and the neglect in replying to comments or answering emails…Insha’Allah your Du’a is very much needed as this needy one, once again faces surger…meaning further delays before I will have the energy or access to posting…Alhumdulillah the ‘list’ is with me and being frequently read…apologies…with love…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

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.

…hot..crowds…disbelief…grumble…

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…Al-Ghars well taken almost two years ago…

…from when this patch of concrete was a window…this is how it is now…

…Al Ghars Well taken today from the grill seen to the left of the photo below…

…where not so long ago the Asmaa ul-Husna adorned the walls…but no longer…the efforts to prevent seekers and lovers from what few sites remain of our rich and illustrious heritage beggars belief…

…as does the presence of the ‘vice squad’ in Masjid Fa’th shouting to the crowds, who have braved extreme heat to visit the notable sites, that they are not permitted to pray there…

…the flow of pilgrims up and down the steps was dense…as it was at all the main places for Ziyarah…buses were lined up in the hundreds at Khandaq, Quba, Qiblatain and the site of the Shuhadah at Uhud…with private cars and taxis adding to the traffic congestion…

…the next disbelief was to find that the Salman Farisi Masjid is locked…but this did not prevent those wanting to offer Salat there from ‘borrowing’ a prayer mat from the vendor and praying in the doorway…

…but what is permitted are these traders in droves…disregarding the hazard they cause as the crowds attempt to negotiate getting to the place of significance…and a total disregard for the rubbish that is created…

…and also what is permitted are the tons of cheap imported clothes with inappropriate and unnecessary images for us as the Ummah of Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…

…colourful summery scenes…

…all that is missing is the water!!!

…I can never understand why the presence of these vendors, in such numbers, selling the same items everywhere are all obviously condoned…and yet we are not allowed to look into an historic well…grumble grumble…

…and why so many pilgrims are so easily distracted from the actual reason why they are making such an effort, in the searing sun, ‘to go shopping’…the presence of the Shayateen’s favourite haunt, markets, must have them laughing heartily…AstaghfiruLlah…

…Sayyidna Hamza RadhiAllahu anhu’s resting place is only visible through various holes that have been broken in the opaque perspex that has been erected to ‘prevent’ us looking in…where does this attitude come from…what harm is it for the Ummah to ‘see’ that which fills the heart with love and a sublime awe for our golden past??

…instead we are ‘forced’ to see these dusty, ugly, messy stalls…littering where the esteemed Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhu sacrificed so much…where our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was wounded…why have we allowed our attention, our love, our Deen, to be sabotaged??? AstaghfiruLlahu…

…where the traders re constantly ‘dusting’…grumble grumble…

…foundations for the new Masjid at the Shuhadah site…looking towards Jabal Uhud…

…returning to the courtyard with the spraying mist under the shade of the umbrellas was a welcomed and serene balm for the dehydrated body…and soul…

…Insha’Allah…please make excessive Du’a for the Haramain…for the Ummah to not only LOVE the Deen but to ACTUALIZE it from deep within their hearts so that the limbs portray this love, 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.

…snap::twenty-six…

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…snap twenty-six…

…contemplating the life of Abu Bakr As Siddiq RadhiAllahu anhu during the month Allah Ta’ala chose to take him back to Him…by visiting where he would offer the Eid Salat when he was Caliph…

…Our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said, “The sun never rose nor set on anyone better than Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu anhu except prophets” (Tarikh al-Khulafa’ of Suyuti) and “Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu anhu does not precede you in anything in the way of prayer or fasting but in a secret rooted deep in his heart.” (Manaqib as-Sahaba of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal)…

…reflect upon some of his words of wisdom…

  • Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile.
  • Run away from greatness and greatness will follow you.
  • There is greatness in the fear of God, contentment in faith of God, and honour in humility.
  • If you expect Allah Ta’ala’s blessings, be good to His people.
  • Death is the easiest of all things after it, and the hardest of all things before it.
  • Patience is half of faith, and confidence is full faith.
  • The greatest truth is honesty, and the greatest falsehood is dishonesty.
  • Maybe a thing that you do not like is really in your interest. It is possible that a thing that you may desire may be against your interest.
  • He who tastes love of Allah Ta’ala has no taste for the love of the world.
  • He who avoids complaint invites happiness.
  • It is a matter of shame that in the morning the birds should be awake earlier than you.
  • Our abode in this world is transitory, our life therein is but a loan, our breaths are numbered and our indolence is manifest.
  • Extend your charity with humbleness towards the poor for to give charity happily is a sign of acceptance.
  • Weep for the days gone by in which you have but earned little rewards.
  • There is no trouble in patience and there is no benefit in complaining.
  • True generosity is to remove the burdens of Creation and place it upon one’s own shoulders.

Abu Bakr As Siddiq RadhiAllahu anhu used to pray, “O Lord, render the best of my life at its close, the best of my deeds as the last, and the best of my days the day of Your meeting.”

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

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.

…snaps::five…

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…a slight diversion from the ‘snap’ theme of this month as this morning was spent visiting the new Dar al-Madinah Museum with Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar, his brother Shaykh Khalid Abdul Sattar and Shaykh Kamaluddin all Khalifa of Shaykh Zulfiqar (may Allah Ta’ala preserve and increase them all) and a large group accompanying them from the US…so blessed to be in such company and soaking in the Barakah, Masha’Allah…

…unlike the previous Kaki Museum where the main focus was on artifacts displayed from relatively recent Madanian times, the new museum’s focus is on the Seerah with many new models and interactive dioramas (explained in Arabic)…a must visit for all who are living and or visiting Madinatun Nabi Insha’Allah…unfortunately it was not permitted to take photos in the actual museum section…

… the following ‘snaps’ reveal the lavish style of the interior of the other sections of the building, along with decorative poster displays and models of how the city will eventually appear…this development will surely change the innate character of this eastern side of the City of Light…

…model of Fahda Bint Al Assi Bin Sharmain Masjid…

…a different view…

…the new English edition (SR250) of Dr Kaki’s Arabic title as shared here…and also now available is Dr Kaki’s new edition of the three volume set Pictorial Madinah (SR300)…

…red dot indicates where the Knowledge Economic City building is located with the new Dar al-Madinah Museum being part of the complex…for the moment this building is the only one completed within the massive plan for this modern city…the rest of the surrounding green on the map is still a dusty plain being surveyed with infrastructures being installed…not much seems to have changed since this post in October…

Insha’Allah call before visiting, especially groups +966 557168138

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

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.

…Madanian spring…

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…bees buzz, birds, flitter and twitter, (as do some people *smile*) leaves rustle in a gentle breeze, ambrosia fragrances jolt the senses and hearts rejoice for this ever so subtle change in seasons that desert climes deliver…although for the past few days the gossamer haze from sandstorms veils the sky…Insha’Allah, mercy rains, that usually follow such storms, soon bless our Radiant City…Du’a…

…the above photo is of date palm flowers with bees busily at work collecting the sweet nectar as they pollinate…date palms being of male and female and thus needing pollination for bearing fruit…(see previous posts from the ‘date’ category)

…a beautiful reminder of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s words:

The believer is like a bee that eats what is wholesome and produces what is wholesome. And when it lands on a small branch, it doesn’t break it.

…Insha’Allah we live according to this parable in our interactions with each other and with Allah Ta’ala’s creation…learn more from Shaykh Yayha Rhodus where he delivers spirited reminders based on this Hadith here…

…Insha’Allah in a few months these golden shoots bearing the buds of this year’s dates will be ripe with plump,  juicy and crunchy fruits…this is an excellent supplement covering various a aspects related to dates, published by Arab News some time ago but nevertheless informative…

…the so called ‘weeds’ that spring from tiny cracks in concrete and asphalt sing of resilience…a testimony to  beauty that is born from struggle…this unfolding bloom majestically opens…

…to this spidery flower with each fine stamen curling skywards as a fine filament as if supplicating…SubhanAllah!

…bright green bulbous seed pods…almost shouting with some Rumi wisdom:

With every breath
I plant the seeds of devotion
I am a farmer of the heart.

…and spindly saplings amidst a splash of verdurous turf…nothing spectacular compared to most fertile lands…but for an arid desert environment such glimpses stir the soul…

…as did a blessed visit to the lush garden of Saqeefa with the pilgrims from the Al-Isharah and Deaf Umrah group who are currently gracing Madinatun Nabi…MashaAllah…

…Saqeefa is open after Fajr when water is pumped from what may have been Bir Budha’ah, the well our Blessed Nabi drank from when visiting the Banu Sa’edah…so Insha’Allah visit with an empty bottle to fill…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

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.

…a spiritual opening…

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…Umm Hani’, the sister of Ali RadhiAllahu anhu, thus our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s cousin lived in her father’s house at approximately this position…

…it was here that Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam came dejected after he had been abused and taunted by several of the Quraysh…Umm Hani’ comforted him and invited him to sleep for the night there…

…narrations vary as to whether Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam ascended on the Buraq from the house, or from the Hijr…

…this is one version from Umm Hani’…after reciting the night prayers he went to sleep. Just before dawn, the Prophet of God awoke us and we all prayed the dawn prayer together. When the prayer was through, he said, “O Umm Hani’, I prayed with you the night prayer in this place; then I went to Jerusalem and I prayed there, and as you see, I have just finished praying with you the dawn prayer.” I answered, “O Prophet of God! do not tell this to the people, for they will belie you and harm you.” He said, “By God, I shall tell them.”

…while Martin Lings in Muhammad, his life based on the earliest sources, describes thus:

On one occasion when they had prayed the night prayer behind the Prophet, Umm Hani invited him to spend the night with them. He accepted her invitation; but after a brief sleep he rose and went to the Mosque, for he loved to visit the Ka’bah during the night hours. While he was there, the desire to sleep came over him again, and he lay down in the Hijr.
“Whilst I was sleeping in the Hijr,” he said, Gabriel came to me and spurred me with his foot whereupon I sat upright, yet I saw nothing and lay down once again. A second time he came; and a third time, and then he took me by the arm and I rose and stood beside him, and he led me out to the gate of the Mosque, and there was the white beast, between a mule and an ass, with wings at his sides wherein he moved his legs; and his every stride was as far as the eye could see.”

…details may differ, but the consensus is that our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam did sleep in his cousin’s house…and that this is the location…and Allah Ta’ala knows best…

…Insha’Allah, may we all be granted spiritual openings and an increased nearness to our Rabb Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and his Habib SallAllahu alaihi wassalam as we contemplate this moving part of the Seerah and turn our gaze upon the sacredness of places where our glorious history is preserved…Ameen.

…the location of the house of Abu Talib, the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s uncle is almost in a direct line from Rukn Yemeni, the Yemeni Corner of BaituLlah. I have purposefully taken various photos to help identify the position…SubhanAllah the late night visit found this little enclave empty and aglow…leaving us free to be immersed in Ibadah…Shaykh Zulfiqar, may Allah Ta’ala preserve him and continually raise his rank, advises to make Du’a, in this place, to the effect , O Allah this is where you gave Your Habib SallAllahu alaihi wasallam a physical opening, please bless me with a spiritual opening. Ameen.

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

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.