In Thalassery, it is our custom to stay at our wife’s house and every groom should be called as puthiyappilas till death. It was the salkaram function after our marriage. All my relatives were gathered at my wife’s house for a party. Everything was moving smooth until that disaster happened. One of my uncle, asked me in front of everyone, ‘Jaleel, I dint do my Zuhr prayer where is the Qibla here?Oh my god, what a test! I was staying in that house for the past one week. If I tell him I don’t know, everyone will know that I haven’t done any prayers last week. If I show a direction and if it is wrong, his prayer will be spoiled because of me. At the end I told ‘Asthagfirullah in silence and told him “that way”…
Al hamdulillah, later I found out from my wife that was a right guess.
My life was not one of a religious person as Kamal or Waheed. I did lots of sins in my life. I was not regular in prayers too. I believed all my sins for goofing the rituals will be forgiven on a genuine request but a not a mistake causing harm to a living creature. But every time I felt I should know Allah more.
Our Umrah trip was not a planned one. Actually it was my wife, who planted the idea of an Umrah in me. I looked at that proposal skeptically. For her, Saudi is like her tharwadu. Her brother, a number of aunties, uncles, other relatives are flocked in Saudi like ants around a honey drop. I was successfully promoting Bahrain whenever they talk about Saudi. This could be a smart move to visit all her relatives. For me, Saudi is the most uncivilized place where you live like you are in an open jail. Anyways, as in all our battles I was victorious in accepting her proposal.
To my utter surprise I got the visa without many hindrances as expected. Then I persuaded the well-known anti-Saudis Waheed (who prefer to die than living in Saudi) to be my companion to resist the home ground advantage of her relatives in debate. All our preparations were smooth till the departure day.
When I was leaving from the office, one of my colleagues gave me an envelope. When I opened it, it was a photo of the Ka’aba and a note under it. “This is Ka’aba, in case if you can’t see it in Mecca”. She laughed mockingly and said. “People who did lot of sins cannot see Ka’aba even if they enter in to Harem”.
Yaa Allah… What if I couldn’t see Kaa’ba? Even though she was mocking me, it exploded a fear in my abdomen.
Most of our discussions during the journey were about Umrah and Islam. It is said, whatever you pray at the first sight of Kaa’ba that will be definitely accepted. Everyone thought for a while on what to ask. At the end we reached to a diplomatic conclusion to recite the prayer asking well in Duniyah & Ahirath. But, what if I could not see Kaa’ba?
It was a different terrain in Saudi. We have experienced the wilderness of desert in its minimal level. I thought about the Prophet and his Companions for a moment. The numberless atrocities they faced in Mecca and Taif. Bilal (ra) was dragged and whipped in the fuming sand bed for several days. The distance between Medina and Mecca is about 400 Kms. I couldn’t imagine the sufferings of Prophet on his Hejra trail without GPS, A/c cars, no packet foods, but on camels and horses under the boiling sun!! Despite all those merciless tortures they upheld their faith in Allah. Think about us, when we face comparatively lesser hard time in life, we complain to Allah, why always me??
When we entered Mecca, a cool bliss embraced me. At the end I am here where the beloved prophet spent his life time. We were answering a long pending call. Labbaikkallahumma labbaik….
We reached near to the Harem at midnight 12. When I saw the Minars of Harem, my adrenalin started pumping again. I kept my eyes closed until we parked our car near the Harem gate. Waheed was giving instructions for regrouping after Thawaf… I heard it partially… My heart started to throb fast.
The first sight of that beautiful monument took my breath for a while. For a moment I forgot all the prayers. For some times tears blurred the view from my eyes. I wiped it and wept. “ Oh Alllaaah .. Forgive me for all my sins…” Here I am at the pivot point of the Muslim World. Where millions of Muslims turn their faces five times a day… Where the prophet Ebrahim left his foot print! Where the beloved prophet elevated on Buraq for Isra and Miraj! This was the monument I was cheekily directed to my uncle at my wife’s house! What a stupid sinner I am!!
The people who visited Mecca will never forget those moments. I must call the others less fortunate. Whoever has not performed Umrah, please pray to Allah Now. “Yah Allah Grant me the fortune to visit your house”. It is really inexpensive and easy from GCC countries. I am ready to give any assistance if you decide to go.
