Re: Travelogues
SaaraY Nabi teraY Dar kaY Sawaali - Shah-e-Madinah …
cont’d from the previous entry]
All of us left the apartment for Masjid-e-Nabawi:saw2: at As’r time. During our stay in Madinah, we always walked towards the mosque than going on a car.
Fruits for Iftaar were in Ammi, chachi’s, and Baaji’s purses 
… There were two infants in our caravan too, one my youngest sister at that time and second one of the cousin. Rooh Afza was poured in their milk bottles hehe … The reason was that, it is not allowed to take food inside the mosque other than dates … you get regular water and zam zam anyway but people (Read: Women) did use to take things inside and authorities were little soft on the issue during Ramadhan anyway, as long as nothing is dropped on the floor/carpet.
We walked and walked and walked… Every inch of Madinah was beautiful. We passed by an under construction mosque Masjid Al Bilaal underneath of which was a market to be built. In 1998, when I visited Arabia again, that mosque was standing their with all its glory.
Then, came the bridge joining the Al Tareeqtul Hijrah with Madinah and Abbu’s office was currently located their as Material Engineer. I remember, during Ramadhaan, the work was done after Isha till before Sahoor and the rest of the day was off. I remember going with Abbu at site many times. I really enjoyed the nights of Madinah full of blessed breezes… Nothing can come close to cherish me as the memories of those time. How I wish I can go back and spend my rest of life there, praying all 5 times in Riyaadhul Jannah with Roza-e-Rasool:saw2: on my left and unlimited oppertunities to say salaam directly to the prophet(SAW)… Only if my wish could come true.
After the bridge construction site, we came across with Masjid Al Ghammama .. Ghammamaa in Arabic means “Clouds.” The tradition related to this mosque is that Rasoolulah(SAW) offered Salaahtul Istasqa there once when there was a situation of drought in Madinah. And right after offering the prayer, Madinah was covered by clouds and light rain started.
Soon, we saw Masjid-e-Nabawi (SAW) very close to us. There used to be an area of prayer outside of the mosque covered by “Sheds.” It was on the right side of the mosque where Baab-us-Saalam was right across Baab Al Jibreal. During my visit in 1998, I saw no sheds left anymore but the extension of the mosque itself in that area.
We were going from the front of the mosque… where the door named Baab-us-Salaam is… Every gate of Masjid has a name and so does in Makkah.
If one stands in the mosque facing towards ka’bah or the green dome (Gumbad-e-KhizraaN) then Baab-us-Salaam is on the right side while The dome is on the extreme left where Baab Al Jibreel is… If one wants to visit Jannat-ul-Baqi [a graveyard where hundreds of Companions of the Prophet:saw2: are sleeping] Baab al Jibreel is the one to go through…
There used to be a Jannat Gali in between Masjid and Jannat-ul-Baqi where the house of Syedana Imaam Hussain:razi: was… It was a very narrow street. That too was destroyed by the year 1998 I visited. It is sad that we as muslims in the name of “rooting out bidd’ah” are destructing our own history. It is true that if a nations forgets its past, the future will never remember such a nation.
Anyway, it was As’r time, and my first prayer at a place where Nabi Allah 
and his Ashaab ridhwaanullah AliyehaY Ajm’aeen made their lines straight as our Imaams.
Soon after As’r, we went inside the mosque - in the original mosque- where Riyaaz-ul-Jannah is .. a place which is called in a hadeeth as one of the gardens of Jannah. There Rasooulah:saw2: is inside the house of Ummul Mo’mineen Syeda Aisha:razi2: along with his two great companions Abu Bakar:razi: & Umer-e-Farooq:razi: Hujrah of Fatmatuz Zuhra:razi2: is also behind the same grill…
It was the beggining of what we were to do more than five times a day during our stay there… - that is to say salaam to the beloved of Allah where 70,000 angels descend every second for the same purpose and those angels who have come will never get a chance back till Qiyamah according to a hadith.
We saw “roshan daan” for which it is said that Jibreel:Allaih: used to come with Wahi from there…
Soon, it was about the time for Iftaar…
First ever Saum in Madinah was to be completed. I wished the time would’ve stopped. No time can match that moment in life.
(To be Cont’d)