10 Tips to Endure your Spiritual Voyage to Haramain

Some people may be heading for the spiritual journey of a lifetime soon. So I just wanted to take a moment and give a few quick tips for those who will be traveling soon to perform the beautiful journey.  One should have an idea about what kind of challenges they’d be facing. And what can help them make this journey fruitful.

1. Learn some basic Arabic phrases. Not everyone have a good grasp on English. Sign-boards are in Arabic and it may become difficult for you to understand them. A few words or phrases will be helpful.
   
   
2. Start hydrating yourself so that your bladder is used to of that a lot of water, because hydrating yourself during Umrah means going to the bathroom every hour. And start walking daily to built up the stamina.
   
   
3. Take enough clothes so you don’t have to hand wash them constantly. Keep some cash in Riyals with you for: Fidyah , Sadaqah, to buy dates and Zamzam and for general use and food.
   
   
4. Emotions are no doubt are very high when you are going for the first time and somehow you tend to accept everything anyone tells you to do. Since everyone wants to make the best of their journey, you un-intentionally give it a try. But you have to be very careful because small things can sometimes render your bigger deeds useless. Instead, ask the knowledgeable people around.
   
   
5. Upon arriving at Jeddah Airport get a Saudi sim. It is for around 50 riyals. It is a must for your safety if you get lost in the crowd.
   
   
6. Avoid standing in the middle for any reason or just to offer prayers, instead choose corners, so you can pray calmly. Unfortunately, this is a very common practice over there. People stand in the middle of Tawaf to take selfies without even knowing that they have become a reason for holding off the Tawaf of other people.
   
   
   
   
   
7. AL-BAIK is mandatory and is an exceptional case, but try to avoid junk food as much as you can. Don’t stuff yourself when you plan to walk a lot.
   
   
8. Don’t push or abuse others. Avoid crowded places, if you find yourself stuck in between a lot of people try going back or ask for help if possible. Take your time while visiting Rawdah, Be kind, and give space to others instead of fighting for it.
   
   
9. There are two kinds of Qurans available in Haram, a green and a blue one. If you don’t know how to read the Quran without some of the ‘Harakats’ over the alphabets, then read blue colored Quran which is easier to read.
   
   
10. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT try to recover anything from the ground if you lose it. Not even that gold ring you cannot afford to lose. Not even think of it!!! Stampede is common in crowded places. Nothing is more important than your own life, everything else is replaceable.

9 Things you didn’t know about Prophet’s Mosque

Masjid Al-Nabawi, the Mosque of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is very dear and near to the hearts of every Muslim. It is one of the three oldest mosques in the world; its walls are richly intertwined with history and secrets. Let’s take a look at 9 things you didn’t know about the Prophet’s mosque.

Ariel view of the Prophet's Mosque, Madina Al Munawarh

1. Qaswa the Prophet’s Camel

Masjid Al Nabwi was built by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 622 after his arrived in Medina. Riding on a camel named Qaswa he arrived at the place where the Prophet’s mosque was built. The owner of the land were Sahal and Suhayl

2. Qibla Direction

Masjid al-Qiblatain is not the only mosque to have had two Qibla directions.  Masjid Al Nabwi too was faced towards Masjid Al-Qubba. After the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was instructed to change the direction of Qibla from Qubba to Mecca, Masjid Al-Nabawi was reoriented to face Mecca as well.

Masjid Al Qiblatain

3. The first place to have Power Supply in Arabian Peninsula

The Prophet’s mosque used to be lit with one oil lamp, but during the era of Sultan Abdul Majid, it became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to have a power supply. The first electric bulb was installed in the on Shabaan 25, 1326 Hijri.

4. Guardians of the Prophet Mosque

The Aghawat of Nabawi (the guardians) has been taking care of the Prophet mosque for almost 800 years. They hold the keys to the Rawda’h and the Mimbar. Presently, only five guardians are left from thousands, they are among the last generation of Aghawat of Nabwi.

5. The reserved grave for Hazrat Isa (A.S)

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) close companions, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) and Hazrat Umar (RA), are also buried there. It has an empty grave, which is believed to be reserved as the grave of Hazrat Isa (Jesus).

6. The Dome

The first dome was of wood and was built in 1279 by Mamluk Sultan. In the 15th century, the dome then made with bricks and was painted white and then a purplish blue. It was painted green in 1837.

An artistic image of how the dome would have looked in purplish blue.

7. Huffaz workers

Sultan ‘Abd al-Majid remodeled the entire mosque in the 19th century. Sultan prepared an entire generation of Huffaz and trained them to become the best of craftsmen. These craftsmen were instructed to be in the state of wudh’u and recite the Quran while they worked on the mosque’s extension.

8. Special Pillars

Certain pillars in the Prophet’s Mosque have special significance, and its locations are marked by secret signs. Known as the Ustuwaanah, such as where Abu Lubabah tied himself seeking Tawbah, where the Prophet (PBUH) meets delegations, and where the Hazrat Jibra’eel (A.S) used to enter to visit the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

9. Two Mihrabs

There are two mihrabs in the Prophet’s mosque, one was built by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the other was built by Hazrat Usman (ra) and act as the functional mihrab in the Prophet’s mosque.

4 Best Cities to live in Saudi Arabia

There are various reasons why someone would want to move to Saudi Arabia, the most alluring reason is of course the Two Holy Mosques. But there are many more reasons to love the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Here we would like to share a list of 4 best cities in Saudi Arabia, though they never encourage tourism but few cities are considered as the core part of the Kingdom.

Madina - The City of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Medina is a most peaceful city in the world and most of all it is the city of our beloved Prophet Muhammad. Medina itself is beautiful, with large minarets and a rich heritage. The city is developing and you can find many coffee shops (Starbucks), as well as plenty of amazing eateries to explore while staying there. You will found Medina’s local people to be very kind and welcoming and they just know every other language!

Makkah - The city that never sleeps

Mecca is the largest of the Two Holy Cities of Islam. Over one billion Muslims pray in Haramain every day. The expansion of the Haramain has changed a lot of the city structure. The city holds many world records, which include the tallest clock tower in the world, the world’s biggest clock face and the biggest hotel in the world.

Jeddah - The bride of the red sea

Jeddah is one of the best cities in Saudi Arabia for expats to live in. First of all, it is full of people from around the world. You’ll find them every where around. The city has an amazing beach. Some great activities for sea lovers are scuba diving or deep sea fishing. Jeddah has some huge malls and the best thing about it is the Haramain is just an hour away!!

Riyadh - The capital of Saudi Arabia

As opposed to Jeddah, Riyadh is a peaceful or maybe a not so happening city. It is in the middle of the desert and can get very uurrrgghh cold at night during the winters. Riyadh often gets hit by sandstorms, which increases the possibilities of various allergies. The Mutawas can be seen more in Riyadh than other cities and law is strictly enforced.