[Photos] Views of Makkah from Jabal Nur and Gua Hira'
January 22, 2018
It was an impromptu plan for our group. I think there were some people who personally requested to hike Jabal Nur and it became a group activity instead. :D
I am so glad and it becomes one of my best moments in Makkah.
Something I have never imagine in my entire life - to visit the hill where the first revelation was delivered to Rasulullah s.a.w.
That event was significant enough and the reason why the hill is named as Jabal Nur - nur means light / cahaya.
Alhamdulillah!
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| Beautiful, isn't it? <3 |
We left the hotel after Asar around 5 pm with a small van to accommodate 13 of us who would love to join the hiking trip. It was really pack in the van, but I still remember that was the moment I had the sweet chance to introduce myself to other group mates and got to know other people.
What is needed for you to climb?
- A small bottle of water
- A hiking stick
- Wudu' spray. :)
- Dates (kurma) for immediate energy supply
- Comfortable shoes and clothes
- Money - I recommend lots of 1 to 5 riyal notes.
You can easily buy the hiking stick at the shops at the base of the hill. A nonadjustable wooden stick costs about 5 riyal, while the adjustable one about 10 riyal. Haha, at that time my mind flashed back to a cheap hiking stick I bought in Czech for just 20kc! (approximately RM 4),
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| It was challenging to decide at first - to go hiking or not, as I just finished my umrah before Asar. Huuuu |
Arrived quite close to Maghrib, we prepared ourselves for prayer there - neither at the mosque nor musolla but simply at the shops, beside the road :) Then, we started climbing. The hill was not that high, just 640 meters plus but maybe because we hiked in the dark, it felt different.
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| I was amazed with the driver's skills to park their cars at the hilly road like this. |
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| Can you see the crescent moon? |
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| Special pose from the cat :D |
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| View of Makkah. |
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| Hiking higher... |
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| And higher... |
We had been taught that how special Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. is. Even though he was born in a place surrounded with Jahiliyah, he was well taken care and protected from those activities - like syirik etc. But, Rasulullah didn't like all Jahiliyah the people had been doing. He went to isolate himself and to find calmness in Gua Hira' by climbing Jabal Nur.
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| The hills are full with rocks like this. |
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| And this. |
Through out the pathway up the hill, we can meet a lot of people asking for sadaqah. Especially, there will be quite a number of guys who ask sadaqah to make stairs on the hill. Stairs are very helpful for people to climb and sometime the original rocks are too steep to step. It is up to you to help and I would recommend you to prepare small notes before hiking - so that you can help different people.
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| I couldn't see any toilets up there so I wonder what was this thing. T_T It was on the stairs though, I bet no one want to poop in public like this. Actually I have no other idea of what this thing is. -_-' |
Once we reached the peak, we could see some stalls (maybe around 4?) selling varieties of items from drinks, food and even clothes. Prices were a bit higher than usual, but you can expect why - attraction site and I don't think it is easy to carry all items uphill. T_T
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| Stalls. |
Walking at the peak, we could see the best view of Makkah from Jabal Nur. Of course Kaabah was out of view but it was easy to locate the qiblah based on the tall clock tower. In fact, on top of the hill, there was an area complete with carpets to pray.
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| Like this. |
Just ask around about the cave and we managed to arrive at Gua Hira'. The entrance to the cave was not that big, not easy either because the cave was behind rocks.
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| Surah Al-'Alaq - the very first Quran verse revealed to Rasulullah s.a.w. |
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| There were many people but bearable, each of us had the chance to pray at the cave. 2 people can pray at one time - one standing and one sitting. :) |
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| Some people said this is an example of vandalism T_T |
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| Some of our group mates who climbed together :) |
There are many life lessons we learned through out the hiking trip.
It is an amazing spiritual experience, reminiscing the memories when Rasulullah s.a.w. went to find peace in mind plus all strength and sacrifices Rasulullah s.a.w. and his Companions had made to make sure Islam spread to the whole world till now.
And it was really fascinating to think and imagine how Saidatina Khadijah risked herself to deliver meals to Rasulullah s.a.w. Climbing the hills twice daily... I don't think that was easy! There were no stairs back then.
MashaAllah! SubhanAllah!
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180120
Behind the Treaty of Hudaibiyah
January 21, 2018
Another miqat that we went to set our niat was Masjid Hudaibiyah. It is a small mosque with limited spaces to pray. It is said that the water there is a bit salty as its location is close to the sea. I don't taste the water there, not sure though.
Hudaibiyah is another beautiful place in Islam.
Why?
There is a remarkable story behind this place :)
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| Masjid Hudaibiyah is just behind the tree. |
Before Hijrah to Madinah, Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. lived in Makkah for 53 years. At the age of 40, he received the first revelation and Rasulullah s.a.w. spread Islam in Makkah for 13 years. Then, Muslims migrates to Madinah and Rasulullah continue spreading Islam there for another 10 years before he passed away.
About 6H (6 years after hijrah), Rasulullah have missed to perform tawaf so much. Makkah was his home. T_T After he told his companions, turned out most of them also missed their hometown too. After Rasulullah s.a.w. dreamed about performing tawaf, they finally decided to go back to Makkah for hajj. They prepared food, animals and covered swords.
An interesting idea about swords is...
If the sword is left open (without any cover) - it means war at that time.
If the sword is left open (without any cover) - it means war at that time.
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| Masjid Hudaibiyah's front door I guess |
When Quraisy heard the news that Nabi Muhammad was coming home, they spread rumors that Muslims wanted to have war and attack Makkah. In fact, they actually came in peace and for peace. T_T
Khalid al-Walid and other people blocked them at Tana'iem. So the group made a detour to Hudaibiyah. And they were denied entry here as well.
They decided to send an messenger (utusan) to negotiate and Uthman bin Affan r.a. was chosen due to his soft heart and he was loved by Quraisy before. And another rumors spread that Uthman r.a. was killed! The Companions became angry and they came with a pledge (baiah) to avenge the rumored death of Uthman r.a..
After the pledge, the Quraisy released Saidina Uthman and sent another Suhayl al Amr to negotiate the pledge - which was then finalized as Treaty of Hudaibiyah (Perjanjian Hudaibiyah)
Demi sesungguhnya! Allah reda akan orang-orang yang beriman, ketika mereka memberikan pengakuan taat setia kepadamu (wahai Muhammad) di bawah naungan pohon (yang termaklum di Hudaibiyah); maka (dengan itu) ternyata apa yang sedia diketahuiNya tentang (kebenaran iman dan taat setia) yang ada dalam hati mereka, lalu Ia menurunkan semangat tenang tenteram kepada mereka, dan membalas mereka dengan kemenangan yang dekat masa datangnya;... - Quran 48:18
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| Prayer area for women. |
Still remember the contents of Treaty of Hudaibiyah?
- No wars between Muslims and Quraisy for 10 years (no injuring / damaging as well) = gencatan senjata.
- Whoever in Makkah and Madinah can choose between Islam and Quraisy.
- Quraisy who come to Madinah, they need to be returned to Makkah.
- Muslims who come to Makkah, no need to be returned to Madinah.
- Muslims can enter Makkah the next year but only for 3 days.
- etc. (maybe some others)
The treaty did not look helpful much to Muslims but Rasulullah s.a.w. knew that was a good agreement. And alhamdulillah, since then, Islam was spread to Makkah (Khalid al-Walid revert to Islam!) as well to other places, even until now :)
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180119
Meeting Amazing Camels :)
January 20, 2018
Second day of ziarah luar, meeting camels was in the tentative :)
Well, I personally have never see camels in real life and I have no memories of meeting them in the zoos as well. Are there camels in zoos in Malaysia?
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| With the friendliest camel there. |
"(Mengapa mereka yang kafir masih mengingkari akhirat) tidakkah mereka memperhatikan keadaan unta bagaimana ia diciptakan?" - Quran 88:17
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| Deserts |
Camels are such interesting animals!
Camels can survive in the middle of deserts without meals up to three weeks. The hump does NOT contain water as most of us believed - instead it stores fatty tissues that can be metabolized into water when needed. Another point is that it concentrates the fat at the hump so that camels can survive in hot weather. I mean, if the fats are distributed through out the body, they are easier to be metabolized.
Like abdominal fat. Haha. This is the most stubborn fat to lose!
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| I am too sad that the camels are staying in this kind of area T_T |
If you have seen camels by yourselves, have you realized camels have different bending of legs than other animals? I am trying my best to explain this T_T.
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| Mummy and baby. |
If you observe the picture above, can you see the camels bend the front legs at two sites?
Most people including me would think that the joint that I make an orange circle to be the knee joint. In fact, it is actually carpal joint (equivalent to our wrists). Meanwhile in the blue circle represent the knee joint.
So, knee joints of camels bend backwards instead of forward like humans do. All these special anatomical bones of camels help them to carry heavy stuffs on top of them.
Fascinating, right? :D
ANYWAY, BE CAREFUL OF CAMELS
TO AVOID MERS-COV
TO AVOID MERS-COV
Just, avoid lots of contact with the camels and wash our hands (or use sanitizers) after touching them. Avoid raw milk and poorly cooked camel meats as well. T_T
Makkah, Saudi Arabia
171221
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180119
Around Muzdalifah and Mina, Makkah
January 19, 2018 Mecca Saudi Arabia
After visiting the hills, our group was taken on a bus trip to visit the places people will go during Hajj - like Muzdalifah and Mina.
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| Somewhere along the way |
Muzdalifah is simply a desert, between Mina and Arafah. Usually, after the pilgrims go for wukuf in Arafah, they will stop by Muzdalifah around Maghrib and pray Maghrib and Isyak (as jamak qasar), then wait till Fajr prayer. I have been told that the pilgrims also will collect the stones that will be used for jamrah (melontar jamrah - I am not that sure the meaning behind it)
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| Mina station |
Picture above is Mina station. I have no idea there is public transportation like MRT here! And yes, it exists :D Just, the trains are only used for only 3 days per year (for Hajj I guess)
And we were also brought to see a mosque here in Muzdalifah - named Al-Mash'ar Al-Haraam and I've been told that this mosque is open only once yearly.
Tidaklah menjadi salah, kamu mencari limpah kurnia dari Tuhan kamu (dengan meneruskan perniagaan ketika mengerjakan Haji). Kemudian apabila kamu bertolak turun dari padang Arafah (menuju ke Muzdalifah) maka sebutlah nama Allah (dengan doa,"talbiah" dan tasbih) di tempat Masy'ar Al-Haraam (di Muzdalifah), dan ingatlah kepada Allah dengan menyebutnya sebagaimana Ia telah memberikan petunjuk hidayah kepadamu; dan sesungguhnya kamu sebelum itu adalah dari golongan orang-orang yang salah jalan ibadatnya. - Quran 2:198
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| Can you see the building on top of the hill? I am not sure if I heard this correctly from the mutawwif but it is said to be the area where the slaughtering of Nabi Ismail was replaced with kibas (what is kibas in English anyway?) |
To be honest, I am confused with all the tents and photos T____T
I can't remember which one is Mina, Muzdalifah etc. Sobsss.
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| Interesting facts about the tents - they are left open through out the year. They are even waterproof and fireproof :D |
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| Other than tents, pilgrims who can afford to stay in hotels can do so. |
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| I am not sure but I think the building is for Jamratul Aqabah. |
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| Another part of it. |
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| Another hotel, I think? |
Finished touring around, we went to the nearest Miqat - Masjid Ja'ranah. Same like other places, there were huge crowds and it was a bit challenging to even go to the toilets and to take wudu'. Here, I was very glad with the existence of spray wudu' :D hehe.
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| Bring along sarung kasut - so that you can take the shoes with you inside the mosque :) |
To those who plan to perform another umrah can pray solat sunat ihram and set their niat here.
Otherwise, you can simple do solat tahiyatul masjid or do some shopping around the mosque :)
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180119
The second hill that we visited was Jabal Rahmah. Other name is Jabal Arafat and it is about 70 meters in height. The view that I remembered was a hill in the middle of large open space - dataran. There are so many buses around (same in other places as well) that sometimes I confused which bus was ours.
Point number one - always take note the bus number. Not the plat number but number in front of the bus. I guess Saudi Arabia is well prepared with its buses that it comes with numbers to make it easier to remember.
Point number one - always take note the bus number. Not the plat number but number in front of the bus. I guess Saudi Arabia is well prepared with its buses that it comes with numbers to make it easier to remember.
Why this place is important in Islam?
1. Meeting point of Nabi Adam a.s. and Hawa.
It was said that Nabi Adam a.s. met Hawa in this area after being cast from heaven to different locations on Earth.
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| On top of the hill, a monument was placed here that said to mark the meeting site of Nabi Adam a.s. and Hawa. |
2. Wukuf in Arafah
Wukuf in Arafah is one of rukun haji that pilgrims need to be there when they are in ihram (between 9-10 Zulhijjah). It is the area around the hill and I just know that it is known as Plain of Arafat in English.
On this day, all pilgrims can make full use of the time there to perform prayers, make du'as, zikrullah etc.
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| It was very pack to climb the hill, anyway. The view during Hajj may look even amazing :) |
3. Mustajab place to pray.
One of the common du'as made here is to pray for a good partner. Once we step into Padang Arafah (Plain of Arafat), focus more on our du'as. In fact, while we are in Makkah and Madinah, always make prayers. :)
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| After all, all prayers need to be done facing our Qibla yea? Not towards the hill. |
4. Allah revealed a verse that said He is pleased with Islam as the Deen.
Here, at Arafah.
......This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...... (Al-Ma'idah 5:3)
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We were given around 20-25 minutes here. At first, none from our group wanted to climb the hill. I think maybe because the fact that quite a few of them had been here before and most of us were elderly. Hehe. I was that enthusiastic to do so and alhamdulillah my shoes was fit enough to climb.
I was in rush so I climbed on the rocks that were not really used as normal pathway otherwise I need to wait for turns. T_T Running out of time as the bus was waiting for only me, I can say 10 minutes are doable to hike up and get down :)
Honestly, there were quite a number of rubbish on the hill - not to forget pictures. I am not sure why but I could even see passport sized pictures there in between the rocks. -_-'
Till next post!
I am going to share my experience of hiking Jabal Nur and visiting Gua Hira'.
Do you remember Gua Hira' and its stories? :D
Till next post!
I am going to share my experience of hiking Jabal Nur and visiting Gua Hira'.
Do you remember Gua Hira' and its stories? :D
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180118
Important Stories of Jabal Tsur, Makkah
January 18, 2018
Based on my previous post on daily activities in Makkah, this post will focus more on the third day. :)
Day 3 (20th Dec 2017)
- Ziarah to Jabal Nur, Jabal Tsur, Jabal Rahmah, places for Hajj.
- Niat for Umrah at Masjid Jaranah
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| My parents and I with Jabal Tsur as the background. |
In Islam, Jabal Tsur (some spell it as Jabal Thur / Jabal Thawr) is one of the significant and special hills.
Do you still remember what Jabal Tsur was well-known about?
Yes, the event when Rasulullah s.a.w. took a shelter with with Saidina Abu Bakar in the cave on top of Jabal Tsur when they were on their way to Madinah. The hill is about 1400 meters high (well, high enough as Czech's highest mountain is only 1600+meters) and I am sure the pathways to get to the top is not that easy, with rocks etc.
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| Around 7.30am local time, we left the hotel to visit places around Makkah. |
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| These are how buildings in Makkah look like :) |
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| People and cars. |
After about 30 minutes leaving the hotel, we arrived at the first hill - Jabal Tsur / Jabal Thur / Jabal Thawr. There were lots of buses and of course people. Our mutawwifah reminded us about the dust from the sand and told us to cover our nose and mouth. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to prepare ourselves with face masks. So, we basically covered our face with hands and scarves.
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1. Nabi Muhammad (s.a.w.) and Saidina Abu Bakar (r.a.) took a shelter there escaping Quraisy.
Through Allah's guidance, Rasulullah s.a.w. and Saidina Abu Bakar managed to escape successfully from Quraisy who planned to kill him as migration to Madinah started.
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| People at base of hill. |
2. Encountered a poisonous animal inside the cave and see how Saidina Abu Bakar r.a. reacted to this.
Saidina Abu Bakar r.a. was the closest companion and always put a trust on Rasulullah's words. He was a protective person too and loved Rasulullah s.a.w. very much that he was willing to put himself at risks before Rasulullah s.a.w.
Saidina Abu Bakar offered to enter and check the cave first. Then, he invited Rasulullah s.a.w. inside. The cave was not that big though, just enough for two of them to sit. Rasulullah s.a.w.fell asleep on Saidina Abu Bakar's lap and this was when Saidina Abu Bakar was bitten by that animal.
I am not sure if it was a snake or scorpion.
Bearing the pain, Saidina Abu Bakar did not move any inch and finally his tear dropped onto Rasulullah's face and Rasulullah woke up.
Saidina Abu Bakar was so amazing!
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| Jabal Tsur |
Knowing the pain, Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. rubbed his saliva on the bitten area and it washed away the pain. :)
Other than that, as I mentioned before, Quraisy were hunting both of them and the people eventually arrived at Gua Tsur. With Allah's helps, Rasulullah s.a.w. and Saidina Abu Bakar survived there. It was said that Allah made the cave looked like as if no human has ever entered it - with spider webs and pigeons laying eggs.
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After 3 continuous nights, finally Rasulullah s.a.w. and Saidina Abu Bakar left Makkah to Madinah, with the help of Abdullah bin Uraiqat to guide the way.
Makkah, Saudi Arabia
171220
SS, Perak, Malaysia
180117
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